And let the stinking elder, grief, untwine
His perishing root, with the increasing vine!
Bel. It is great morning. Come; away. - Who's
there?

Enter CLOTEN.

Clo. I cannot find those runagates; that villain Hath mock'd me: I am faint.

Bel.

Those runagates!

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.

Clo.

[Exeunt BELARIUS and ARVIRAGUS.
Soft! What are you

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.

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.

Thou villain base,

Know'st me not by my clothes?

Gui.

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

The man that gave them thee. Thou art some

fool;

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.

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.

Clo. Die the death: 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, rustick 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 blurr❜d those lines of favour 2

2 Countenance.

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,
he is so fell.

You say
Bel.
Being scarce made up,
I mean, to man, he had not apprehension
Of roaring terrors; for the effect of judgment
Is oft the cause 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

Could have knock'd 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 call'd me traitor, mountaineer; and swore, With his own single hand he'd take us in,+

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

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;

3 I am well-informed, what.

+ Conquer, subdue.

For 5 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 hu

mour

Was nothing but mutation 6; ay, and that
From one bad thing to worse; not frenzy, not
Absolute madness could so far have rav'd,
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.

Arv.

Let ordinance

Come as the gods foresay it: howsoe'er,
My brother hath done well.

I had no mind

Bel.
To hunt this day: the boy Fidele's sickness

Did make my way long forth. 7

With his own sword,

Gui. Which he did wave against my throat, I have ta'en His head from him: I'll throw't into the creek Behind our rock; and let it to the sea,

And tell the fishes, he's the queen's son, Cloten: That's all I reck, s

I fear, 'twill be reveng'd:

Bel.

5 For, for because.

7 Did make my walk tedious.

[Exit.

6 Change, alteration.

8 Care.

'Would Polydore, thou had'st not done't! though valour

Becomes thee well enough.

Arv.

'Would I had done't,

So the revenge alone pursued me! - Polydore,
I love thee brotherly; but envy much,

Thou hast robb'd me of this deed: I would, re

venges,

That possible strength might meet, would seek us

through,

And put us to our answer.

Bel.
Well, 'tis done:
We'll hunt no more to-day, nor seek for danger
Where there's no profit. I pr'ythee to our rock;
You and Fidele play the cooks: I'll stay

Till hasty Polydore return, and bring him
To dinner presently.

Arv.

Poor sick Fidele !

I'll willingly to him: To gain 9 his colour,
I'd let a parish of such Clotens blood,
And praise myself for charity.

[Exit.

Bel.
O thou goddess,
Thou divine Nature, how thyself thou blazon'st
In these two princely boys! They are as gentle
As zephyrs, blowing below the violet,

Not wagging his sweet head: and yet as rough,
Their royal blood enchaf'd, as the rud'st wind,
That by the top doth take the mountain pine,
And make him stoop to the vale. "Tis wonderful,
That an invisible instínct should frame them
To royalty unlearn'd: honour untaught;
Civility not seen from other; valour,

That wildly grows in them, but yields a crop
As if it had been sow'd! Yet still it's strange

9 Regain, restore.