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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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05_04
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1991-04-10
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266 lines
An open Place near the British Camp.
Enter POSTHUMUS and 1st and 2nd GAOLERS.
1st Gaoler [Chaining POSTHUMUS to a post.]
You shall not now be stol'n, you have locks upon you;
So graze, as you find pasture.
2nd Gaoler Ay, or a stomach.
[Exeunt GAOLERS.
Posthumus Most welcome, bondage, for thou art a way,
I think, to liberty. Yet am I better
Than one that's sick o'th' gout, since he had rather
Groan so in perpetuity than be cured
By th' sure physician Death, who is the key
To unbar these locks. My conscience, thou art fettered
More than my shanks and wrists. You good gods, give me
The penitent instrument to pick that bolt,
Then - free for ever! Is't enough I am sorry?
So children temporal fathers do appease;
Gods are more full of mercy. Must I repent,
I cannot do it better than in gyves,
Desired more than constrained. To satisfy,
If of my freedom 'tis the main part, take
No stricter render of me than my all.
I know you are more clement than vile men
Who of their broken debtors take a third,
A sixth, a tenth, letting them thrive again
On their abatement; that's not my desire.
For Innogen's dear life take mine, and though
'Tis not so dear, yet 'tis a life; you coined it.
'Tween man and man they weigh not every stamp;
Though light, take pieces for the figure's sake;
You rather mine, being yours. And so, great powers,
If you will take this audit, take this life,
And cancel these cold bonds. O Innogen,
I'll speak to thee in silence.
[Sleeps.
Solemn music.
Enter, as in an apparition, SICILIUS LEONATUS, father to Posthumus, an old
man attired like a warrior, leading in his hand an ancient matron,
his wife, and MOTHER to Posthumus, with music before them.
Then, after other music, follow the two young Leonati,
BROTHERS to Posthumus, with wounds as they died in the wars.
They circle Posthumus round as he lies sleeping.
Sicilius No more, thou thunder-master, show
Thy spite on mortal flies;
With Mars fall out, with Juno chide,
That thy adulteries
Rates and revenges.
Hath my poor boy done aught but well,
Whose face I never saw?
I died whilst in the womb he stayed
Attending nature's law;
Whose father then - as men report
Thou orphans' father art-
Thou shouldst have been, and shielded him
From this earth-vexing smart.
Mother Lucina lent not me her aid,
But took me in my throes,
That from me was Posthumus ripped,
Came crying 'mongst his foes,
A thing of pity.
Sicilius Great nature like his ancestry
Moulded the stuff so fair
That he deserved the praise o'th' world
As great Sicilius' heir.
1st Brother When once he was mature for man,
In Britain where was he
That could stand up his parallel,
Or fruitful object be
In eye of Innogen, that best
Could deem his dignity?
Mother With marriage wherefore was he mocked,
To be exiled, and thrown
From Leonati seat, and cast
From her his dearest one,
Sweet Innogen?
Sicilius Why did you suffer Iachimo,
Slight thing of Italy,
To taint his nobler heart and brain
With needless jealousy,
And to become the geck and scorn
O'th' other's villainy?
2nd Brother For this from stiller seats we came,
Our parents and us twain
That striking in our country's cause
Fell bravely, and were slain:
Our fealty and Tenantius' right
With honour to maintain.
1st Brother Like hardiment Posthumus hath
To Cymbeline performed;
Then, Jupiter, thou king of gods,
Why hast thou thus adjourned
The graces for his merits due,
Being all to dolours turned?
Sicilius Thy crystal window ope; look out;
No longer exercise
Upon a valiant race thy harsh
And potent injuries.
Mother Since, Jupiter, our son is good,
Take off his miseries.
Sicilius Peep through thy marble mansion; help,
Or we poor ghosts will cry
To th' shining synod of the rest
Against thy deity.
Both Brothers Help, Jupiter, or we appeal,
And from thy justice fly.
JUPITER descends in thunder and lightning, sitting upon an eagle.
He throws a thunderbolt. The GHOSTS fall on their knees.
Jupiter No more, you petty spirits of region low,
Offend our hearing. Hush! How dare you ghosts
Accuse the thunderer whose bolt, you know,
Sky-planted, batters all rebelling coasts?
Poor shadows of Elysium, hence, and rest
Upon your never-withering banks of flowers.
Be not with mortal accidents opprest;
No care of yours it is, you know 'tis ours.
Whom best I love I cross, to make my gift,
The more delayed, delighted. Be content,
Your low-laid son our godhead will uplift;
His comforts thrive, his trials well are spent;
Our Jovial star reigned at his birth, and in
Our temple was he married. Rise, and fade.
He shall be lord of lady Innogen,
And happier much by his affliction made.
This tablet lay upon his breast, wherein
Our pleasure his full fortune doth confine.
[Gives a book.
And so away; no further with your din
Express impatience, lest you stir up mine.
Mount, eagle, to my palace crystalline.
[Ascends.
Sicilius He came in thunder; his celestial breath
Was sulphurous to smell; the holy eagle
Stooped, as to foot us; his ascension is
More sweet than our blest fields; his royal bird
Prunes the immortal wing and cloys his beak,
As when his god is pleased.
All Thanks, Jupiter!
Sicilius The marble pavement closes, he is entered
His radiant roof. Away! And, to be blest,
Let us with care perform his great behest.
[The GHOSTS lay the book on Posthumus, and vanish.
Posthumus [Waking.] Sleep, thou hast been a grandsire and begot
A father to me; and thou hast created
A mother and two brothers. But, O scorn,
Gone! They went hence so soon as they were born;
And so I am awake. Poor wretches that depend
On greatness' favour dream as I have done,
Wake, and find nothing. But, alas, I swerve;
Many dream not to find, neither deserve,
And yet are steeped in favours; so am I,
That have this golden chance and know not why.
What fairies haunt this ground? A book? O rare one,
Be not, as is our fangled world, a garment
Nobler than that it covers. Let thy effects
So follow to be most unlike our courtiers,
As good as promise.
[Reads.] "When as a lion's whelp shall, to himself unknown,
without seeking find, and be embraced by a piece of tender
air; and when from a stately cedar shall be lopped branches
which, being dead many years, shall after revive, be
jointed to the old stock, and freshly grow; then shall
Posthumus end his miseries, Britain be fortunate and
flourish in peace and plenty."
'Tis still a dream; or else such stuff as madmen
Tongue, and brain not; either both, or nothing,
Or senseless speaking, or a speaking such
As sense cannot untie. But what it is,
The action of my life is like it, which
I'll keep, if but for sympathy.
Re-enter GAOLERS.
1st Gaoler Come, sir, are you ready for death?
Posthumus Overroasted rather; ready long ago.
1st Gaoler Hanging is the word, sir; if you be ready for that, you are
well cooked.
Posthumus So, if I prove a good repast to the spectators, the dish
pays the shot.
1st Gaoler A heavy reckoning for you, sir. But the comfort is you
shall be called to no more payments, fear no more tavern
bills, which are often the sadness of parting, as the
procuring of mirth: you come in faint for want of meat,
depart reeling with too much drink; sorry that you have
paid too much, and sorry that you are paid too much; purse
and brain both empty; the brain the heavier for being too
light, the purse too light, being drawn of heaviness: O, of
this contradiction you shall now be quit. O, the charity of
a penny cord! It sums up thousands in a trice. You have no
true debitor and creditor but it - of what's past, is, and
to come, the discharge. Your neck, sir, is pen, book, and
counters; so the acquittance follows.
Posthumus I am merrier to die than thou art to live.
1st Gaoler Indeed, sir, he that sleeps feels not the toothache; but a
man that were to sleep your sleep, and a hangman to help
him to bed, I think he would change places with his
officer; for look you, sir, you know not which way you
shall go.
Posthumus Yes indeed do I, fellow.
1st Gaoler Your death has eyes in's head, then. I have not seen him so
pictured. You must either be directed by some that take
upon them to know, or to take upon yourself that which I am
sure you do not know, or jump the after-inquiry on your own
peril; and how you shall speed in your journey's end, I
think you'll never return to tell one.
Posthumus I tell thee, fellow, there are none want eyes to direct
them the way I am going, but such as wink and will not use
them.
1st Gaoler What an infinite mock is this, that a man should have the
best use of eyes to see the way of blindness! I am sure
hanging's the way of winking.
Enter A MESSENGER.
Messenger Knock off his manacles, bring your prisoner to the king.
Posthumus Thou bring'st good news; I am called to be made free.
1st Gaoler I'll be hanged then.
Posthumus Thou shalt be then freer than a gaoler; no bolts for the
dead.
[Exeunt all but 1st GAOLER.
1st Gaoler Unless a man would marry a gallows and beget young gibbets,
I never saw one so prone. Yet, on my conscience, there are
verier knaves desire to live, for all he be a Roman; and
there be some of them too, that die against their wills. So
should I, if I were one. I would we were all of one mind,
and one mind good. O, there were desolation of gaolers and
gallowses! I speak against my present profit, but my wish
hath a preferment in't.
[Exit.