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The Illustrated Works of Shakespeare
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Illustrated Works of Shakespeare, The (1990)(Animated Pixels)[!][CDTV-PC].iso
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27
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03_01
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1991-04-10
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113 lines
Britain. A Room of State in Cymbeline's Palace.
Enter in state, CYMBELINE, QUEEN, CLOTEN, and LORDS, at one door,
and at another, CAIUS LUCIUS and ATTENDANTS.
Cymbeline Now say, what would Augustus Caesar with us?
Lucius When Julius Caesar - whose remembrance yet
Lives in men's eyes, and will to ears and tongues
Be theme and hearing ever - was in this Britain,
And conquered it, Cassibelan, thine uncle-
Famous in Caesar's praises no whit less
Than in his feats deserving it - for him
And his succession granted Rome a tribute,
Yearly three thousand pounds, which by thee lately
Is left untendered.
Queen And, to kill the marvel,
Shall be so ever.
Cloten There be many Caesars
Ere such another Julius. Britain is
A world by itself, and we will nothing pay
For wearing our own noses.
Queen That opportunity,
Which then they had to take from's, to resume
We have again. Remember, sir my liege,
The kings your ancestors, together with
The natural bravery of your isle, which stands
As Neptune's park, ribbed and paled in
With rocks unscaleable and roaring waters,
With sands that will not bear your enemies' boats,
But suck them up to th' topmast. A kind of conquest
Caesar made here, but made not here his brag
Of 'Came, and saw, and overcame'. with shame-
The first that ever touched him - he was carried
From off our coast, twice beaten; and his shipping-
Poor ignorant baubles! - on our terrible seas,
Like egg-shells moved upon their surges, cracked
As easily 'gainst our rocks; for joy whereof
The famed Cassibelan, who was once at point-
O giglot fortune! - to master Caesar's sword,
Made Lud's Town with rejoicing fires bright,
And Britons strut with courage.
Cloten Come, there's no more tribute to be paid. Our kingdom is
stronger than it was at that time, and, as I said, there is
no more such Caesars. Other of them may have crooked noses,
but to owe such straight arms, none.
Cymbeline Son, let your mother end.
Cloten We have yet many among us can gripe as hard as Cassibelan.
I do not say I am one, but I have a hand. Why tribute? Why
should we pay tribute? If Caesar can hide the sun from us
with a blanket, or put the moon in his pocket, we will pay
him tribute for light; else, sir, no more tribute, pray you
now.
Cymbeline You must know,
Till the injurious Romans did extort
This tribute from us, we were free. Caesar's ambition,
Which swelled so much that it did almost stretch
The sides o'th' world, against all colour here
Did put the yoke upon's, which to shake off
Becomes a warlike people, whom we reckon
Ourselves to be.
Cloten We do.
Cymbeline Say then to Caesar,
Our ancestor was that Mulmutius which
Ordained our laws, whose use the sword of Caesar
Hath too much mangled, whose repair and franchise
Shall, by the power we hold, be our good deed,
Though Rome be therefore angry. Mulmutius made our laws,
Who was the first of Britain which did put
His brows within a golden crown, and called
Himself a king.
Lucius I am sorry, Cymbeline,
That I am to pronounce Augustus Caesar-
Caesar, that hath more kings his servants than
Thyself domestic officers - thine enemy.
Receive it from me, then. War and confusion
In Caesar's name pronounce I 'gainst thee; look
For fury not to be resisted. Thus defied,
I thank thee for myself.
Cymbeline Thou art welcome, Caius.
Thy Caesar knighted me; my youth I spent
Much under him; of him I gathered honour,
Which he to seek of me again, perforce,
Behoves me keep at utterance. I am perfect
That the Pannonians and Dalmatians for
Their liberties are now in arms; a precedent
Which not to read would show the Britons cold.
So Caesar shall not find them.
Lucius Let proof speak.
Cloten His majesty bids you welcome. Make pastime with us a day or
two, or longer. If you seek us afterwards in other terms,
you shall find us in our saltwater girdle. If you beat us
out of it, it is yours; if you fall in the adventure, our
crows shall fare the better for you; and there's an end.
Lucius So, sir.
Cymbeline I know your master's pleasure, and he mine.
All the remain is 'Welcome'.
[Exeunt.