Mine and your mistress! O my lord Posthumus,

You ne’er killed Innogen till now. Help, help!

(To Innogen) Mine honoured lady.

CYMBELINE

Does the world go round?

POSTHUMUS

How comes these staggers on me?

PISANIO (to Innogen)

Wake, my mistress.

CYMBELINE

If this be so, the gods do mean to strike me

To death with mortal joy.

PISANIO (to Innogen) How fares my mistress?

INNOGEN O, get thee from my sight!

Thou gav’st me poison. Dangerous fellow, hence.

Breathe not where princes are.

CYMBELINE

The tune of Innogen.

PISANIO

Lady, the gods throw stones of sulphur on me if

That box I gave you was not thought by me

A precious thing. I had it from the Queen.

CYMBELINE

New matter still.

INNOGEN

It poisoned me.

CORNELIUS

O gods!

I left out one thing which the Queen confessed

(To Pisanio) Which must approve thee honest. ’If Pisanio

Have‘, said she, ‘given his mistress that confection

Which I gave him for cordial, she is served

As I would serve a rat.’

CYMBELINE What’s this, Cornelius?

CORNELIUS

The Queen, sir, very oft importuned me

To temper poisons for her, still pretending

The satisfaction of her knowledge only

In killing creatures vile, as cats and dogs

Of no esteem. I, dreading that her purpose

Was of more danger, did compound for her

A certain stuff which, being ta‘en, would cease

The present power of life, but in short time

All offices of nature should again

Do their due functions. (To Innogen) Have you ta’en

of it?

INNOGEN

Most like I did, for I was dead.

BELARIUS (aside to Guiderius and Arviragus) My boys,

There was our error.

GUIDERIUS

This is sure Fidele.

INNOGEN (to Posthumus)

Why did you throw your wedded lady from you?

Think that you are upon a lock, and now

Throw me again.

She throws her arms about his neck

POSTHUMUS

Hang there like fruit, my soul,

Till the tree die.

CYMBELINE (to Innogen) How now, my flesh, my child?

What, mak’st thou me a dullard in this act?

Wilt thou not speak to me?

INNOGEN (kneeling)

Your blessing, sir.

BELARIUS (aside to Guiderius and Arviragus)

Though you did love this youth, I blame ye not.

You had a motive for’t.

CYMBELINE

My tears that fall

Prove holy water on thee!

⌈He raises her⌉

Innogen,

Thy mother’s dead.

INNOGEN

I am sorry for’t, my lord.

CYMBELINE

O, she was naught, and ’long of her it was

That we meet here so strangely. But her son

Is gone, we know not how nor where.

PISANIO

My lord,

Now fear is from me I’ll speak truth. Lord Cloten,

Upon my lady’s missing, came to me

With his sword drawn, foamed at the mouth, and

swore

If I discovered not which way she was gone

It was my instant death. By accident

I had a feigned letter of my master’s

Then in my pocket, which directed him

To seek her on the mountains near to Milford,

Where in a frenzy, in my master’s garments,

Which he enforced from me, away he posts

With unchaste purpose, and with oath to violate

My lady’s honour. What became of him

I further know not.

GUIDERIUS

Let me end the story.

I slew him there.

CYMBELINE

Marry, the gods forfend!

I would not thy good deeds should from my lips

Pluck a hard sentence. Prithee, valiant youth,

Deny’t again.

GUIDERIUS I have spoke it, and I did it.

CYMBELINE He was a prince.

GUIDERIUS

A most incivil one. The wrongs he did me

Were nothing prince-like, for he did provoke me

With language that would make me spurn the sea

If it could so roar to me. I cut off ’s head,

And am right glad he is not standing here

To tell this tale of mine.

CYMBELINE

I am sorrow for thee.

By thine own tongue thou art condemned, and must

Endure our law. Thou’rt dead.

INNOGEN

That headless man

I thought had been my lord.

CYMBELINE (to soldiers)

Bind the offender,

And take him from our presence.

BELARIUS

Stay, sir King.

This boy is better than the man he slew,

As well descended as thyself, and hath

More of thee merited than a band of Clotens

Had ever scar for. Let his arms alone;

They were not born for bondage.

CYMBELINE

Why, old soldier,

Wilt thou undo the worth thou art unpaid for

By tasting of our wrath? How of descent

As good as we?

ARVIRAGUS

In that he spake too far.

CYMBELINE ⌈to Belarius⌉

And thou shalt die for’t.

BELARIUS

We will die all three

But I will prove that two on ’s are as good

As I have given out him. My sons, I must

For mine own part unfold a dangerous speech,

Though haply well for you.

ARVIRAGUS

Your danger’s ours.

GUIDERIUS

And our good his.

BELARIUS

Have at it then. By leave,

Thou hadst, great King, a subject who

Was called Belarius.

CYMBELINE

What of him? He is

A banished traitor.

BELARIUS

He it is that hath

Assumed this age. Indeed, a banished man;

I know not how a traitor.

CYMBELINE (to soldiers)

Take him hence.

The whole world shall not save him.

BELARIUS

Not too hot.

First pay me for the nursing of thy sons,

And let it be confiscate all so soon

As I have received it.

CYMBELINE

Nursing of my sons?

BELARIUS

I am too blunt and saucy. (Kneeling) Here’s my knee.