Since I can reason of it. Pray you, trust me here.
I'll rob none but myself; and let me die,
Stealing so poorly.

Gui.

I love thee; I have spoke it.

How much the quantity, the weight as much,
As I do love my father.

Bel.

What? how? how?
Arv. If it be sin to say so, sir, I yoke me
In my good brother's fault. I know not why
I love this youth; and I have heard you say,
Love's reason's without reason; the bier at door,
And a demand who is't shall die, I'd say,
My father, not this youth.

[Aside.

Bel. O noble strain! O worthiness of nature! breed of greatness! Cowards father cowards, and base things sire base: Nature hath meal, and bran; contempt and grace. I am not their father; yet who this should be, Doth miracle itself, loved before me.

'Tis the ninth hour o' the morn.

Arv.

Imo. I wish ye sport.

Arv.

Brother, farewell.

You health. So please you, sir.

Gods,

Imo. [Aside.] These are kind creatures. what lies I have heard!

Our courtiers say, all's savage, but at court;

Experience, O, thou disprov'st report!

The imperious1 seas breed monsters; for the dish,
Poor tributary rivers as sweet fish.

I am sick still; heart-sick.—Pisanio,
I'll now taste of thy drug.

Gui.

I could not stir him;

He said he was gentle, but unfortunate;
Dishonestly afflicted, but yet honest.

Arv. Thus did he answer me; yet said, hereafter

I might know more.

1 Imperious has here its usual meaning of proud, haughty. See Troilus and Cressida, Act iv. Sc. 5.

2 "I could not move him to tell his story." Gentle is of a gentle race or rank, well born.

Bel.

To the field, to the field.

We'll leave you for this time; go in, and rest.

Bel.

For

Arv. We'll not be long away.

Pray, be not sick,

you must be our housewife.

This youth, howe'er distressed, appears, he hath had

Good ancestors.

Arv.

How angel-like he sings!

Gui. But his neat cookery! He cut our roots in

characters;

And sauced our broths, as Juno had been sick,
And he her dieter.

A smiling with a sigh; as if the sigh

Was that it was, for not being such a smile;
The smile mocking the sigh, that it would fly
From so divine a temple, to commix

With winds that sailors rail at.

Gui.

I do note,

That grief and patience, rooted in him both,
Mingle their spurs' together.

Arv.

Grow, patience!

And let the stinking elder, grief, untwine

His perishing root, with the increasing vine!?

Bel. It is great morning.3 Come; away.-Who's there?

Enter CLOTEN.

Clo. I cannot find those runagates; that villain Hath mocked me. I am faint.

Bel.

Those runagates!

1 Spurs are the longest and largest leading roots of trees.

2 "Let patience grow, and let the stinking elder, grief, untwine his perishing root from those of the increasing vine, patience." With, from, and by, are almost always convertible words.

3 The same phrase occurs in Troilus and Cressida, Act iv. Sc. 3. It is a Gallicism :—“Il est grand matin."

Means he not us? I partly know him; 'tis
Cloten, the son o' the queen. I fear some ambush.
I saw him not these many years, and yet

I know 'tis he.-We are held as outlaws.-Hence.
Gui. He is but one. You and my brother search
What companies are near: pray you away;
Let me alone with him.

[Exeunt BELARIUS and ARVIRAGUS.
Soft! what are you

Clo.
That fly me thus? Some villain mountaineers?
I have heard of such. What slave art thou?
Gui.

More slavish did I ne'er, than answering

A slave, without a knock.1

Clo.

A thing

Thou art a robber,

A law-breaker, a villain. Yield thee, thief.

Gui. To who? to thee? What art thou? Have

not I

An arm as big as thine? a heart as big?
Thy words, I grant, are bigger; for I wear not
My dagger in my mouth. Say, what thou art;
Why I should yield to thee?

Clo.

Know'st me not by my clothes?

Gui.

Thou villain base,

No, nor thy tailor, rascal,

Who is thy grandfather; he made those clothes,
Which, as it seems, make thee.

Clo.

My tailor made them not.

Gui.

Thou precious varlet,

Hence, then, and thank

them thee. Thou art some fool;

The man that gave them thee.
I am loath to beat thee.

Clo.

Thou injurious thief,

What's thy name?

Hear but my name, and tremble.

Gui.

Clo. Cloten, thou villain.

Gui. Cloten, thou double villain, be thy name,

I cannot tremble at it; were't toad, or adder, spider, 'Twould move me sooner.

1 i. e. than answering that abusive word slave.

Clo.

To thy further fear,

Nay, to thy mere confusion, thou shalt know

I'm son to the queen.
Gui.

So worthy as thy birth.

Clo.

I'm sorry for't; not seeming

Art not afeard?

Gui. Those that I reverence, those I fear-the

wise;

At fools I laugh, not fear them.

Die the death.

Clo.
When I have slain thee with my proper hand,
I'll follow those that even now fled hence,

And on the gates of Lud's town set your heads.
Yield, rustic mountaineer.

[Exeunt, fighting.

Enter BELARIUS and ARVIRagus.

Bel. No company's abroad.

Arv. None in the world; you did mistake him, sure. Bel. I cannot tell. Long is it since I saw him, But time hath nothing blurred those lines of favor Which then he wore; the snatches in his voice, And burst of speaking, were as his. I am absolute 'Twas very Cloten.

Arv.

In this place we left them.
I wish my brother make good time with him,
You say he is so fell.

Bel.
Being scarce made up,
I mean, to man, he had not apprehension

Of roaring terrors; for defect of judgment
Is oft the cure of fear. But see, thy brother.

Re-enter GUIDERIUS, with CLOTEN's head.

Gui. This Cloten was a fool; an empty purse, There was no money in't. Not Hercules

1 The old copy reads, "Is oft the cause of fear;" but Belarius is assigning a reason for Cloten's foolhardy desperation, not accounting for his cowardice. The emendation adopted is Hanmer's.

Could have knocked out his brains, for he had none: Yet, I not doing this, the fool had borne

My head, as I do his.

Bel.

What hast thou done?

Gui. I am perfect,' what: cut off one Cloten's head;

Son to the queen, after his own report;

Who called me traitor, mountaineer; and swore,
With his own single hand he'd take us in,2

Displace our heads, where, (thank the gods!) they

grow,

And set them on Lud's town.

Bel.

We are all undone.

Gui. Why, worthy father, what have we to lose,
But that he swore to take-our lives? The law
Protects not us; then why should we be tender
To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us;
Play judge, and executioner, all himself;
For 3 we do fear the law? What company
Discover you abroad?

Bel.

No single soul
Can we set eye on, but, in all safe reason,

He must have some attendants. Though his humor
Was nothing but mutation; ay, and that
From one bad thing to worse; not frenzy, not
Absolute madness could so far have raved,
To bring him here alone. Although, perhaps,
It may be heard at court, that such as we
Cave here, hunt here, are outlaws, and in time
May make some stronger head; the which he hearing,
(As it is like him,) might break out, and swear
He'd fetch us in; yet is't not probable

To come alone, either he so undertaking,

Or they so suffering. Then on good ground we fear, If we do fear this body hath a tail

More perilous than the head.

1 "I am well informed what."

2 i. e. conquer, subdue us.

3 For again in the sense of cause.

4 The old copy reads, "his honor." The emendation is Theobald's.