Cymbeline (6 page)

LADY
    The queen, madam,

Desires your highness’ company.

INNOGEN
    Those things I bid you do, get them dispatched.

I will attend the queen.

PISANIO
    Madam, I shall.

IACHIMO
    Believe it, sir, I have seen him in Britain; he was then

of a crescent note
²
, expected to prove so worthy as since he

hath
been allowed the name of.
³
But I could then have looked

on him
without the help of admiration
⁴
, though the

catalogue of his
endowments
had been
tabled
⁵
by his side and

I to peruse him by items.

PHILARIO
    You speak of him when he was less furnished than

now he is with that which makes him both without and

within.

FRENCHMAN
    I have seen him in France: we had very many there

could
behold the sun with as firm eyes as he.
¹¹

IACHIMO
    This matter of marrying his king’s daughter,

wherein he must be
weighed
¹³
rather by her value than his

own,
words him, I doubt not, a great deal from the matter.
¹⁴

FRENCHMAN
    And then his banishment.

IACHIMO
    Ay, and the
approbation
¹⁶
of those that weep this

lamentable
divorce
under her colours
¹⁷
are wonderfully to

extend him,
be it but
to
fortify
¹⁸
her judgement, which else an

easy
battery
¹⁹
might lay flat, for taking a beggar without less

quality. But how comes it he is to
sojourn
²⁰
with you? How

creeps acquaintance?
²¹

PHILARIO
    His father and I were soldiers together, to whom I

have been often bound for no less than my life.

Here comes the Briton. Let him be so entertained amongst

you as
suits
with gentlemen of your
knowing
²⁵
to a stranger of

his quality. I beseech you all be better known to this

gentleman, whom I commend to you as a noble friend of

mine. How worthy he is I will leave to appear hereafter,

rather than
story him in his own hearing.
²⁹

FRENCHMAN
    Sir,
we have known together
³⁰
in Orleans.

POSTHUMUS
    Since when I have been debtor to you for courtesies,

which I will be ever to pay, and yet pay still.
³²

FRENCHMAN
    Sir, you o’errate my poor kindness, I was glad I did

atone
³⁴
my countryman and you: it had been pity you should

have been
put together
, with so
mortal
³⁵
a purpose as then

each bore, upon importance of so slight and trivial a nature.

POSTHUMUS
    By your pardon, sir, I was then a young traveller,

rather shunned to go even with what I heard than in
³⁸

my every action to be guided by others’ experiences: but

upon my mended judgement — if I offend not to say it is

mended — my quarrel was not altogether slight.

FRENCHMAN
    Faith, yes, to be put to the
arbitrament of
⁴²
swords,

and by such two that would by all likelihood have

confounded one the other, or have fallen both.

IACHIMO
    Can we, with manners, ask what was the

difference?

FRENCHMAN
    Safely, I think: ’twas a contention in public, which

may, without contradiction,
suffer the report.
⁴⁸
It was much

like an argument that
fell out
⁴⁹
last night, where each of us fell

in praise of
our country mistresses.
⁵⁰
This gentleman at that

time
vouching
—
and upon warrant of bloody affirmation
⁵¹
—

his to be more fair, virtuous, wise, chaste, constant, qualified

and less
attemptable
⁵³
than any the rarest of our ladies in

France.

IACHIMO
    That lady is not now living; or this gentleman’s

opinion,
by this, worn out.
⁵⁶

POSTHUMUS
    She
holds
her virtue still, and I my
mind.
⁵⁷

IACHIMO
    You must not so far prefer her ’fore ours of Italy.

POSTHUMUS
    Being so far provoked as I was in France, I would

abate her nothing
, though I
profess myself
⁶⁰
her adorer, not

her friend.

IACHIMO
    As fair and as good — a kind of
hand-in-hand
⁶²

comparison — had been something too fair and too good for

any lady in Britain. If she
went before
⁶⁴
others I have seen as

that diamond of yours outlustres many I have beheld, I could

not but believe she excelled many: but I have not seen the

most precious diamond that is, nor you the lady.

POSTHUMUS
    I praised her as I
rated
⁶⁸
her: so do I my stone.

IACHIMO
    What do you
esteem
⁶⁹
it at?

POSTHUMUS
    More than the world
enjoys.
⁷⁰

IACHIMO
    Either your
unparagoned
⁷¹
mistress is dead, or she’s

outprized by a trifle.
⁷²

POSTHUMUS
    You are mistaken: the one may be sold
or
⁷³
given, or if

there were wealth enough for the purchase, or merit for the

gift. The other is not a thing for sale, and only the gift of the

gods.

IACHIMO
    Which the gods have given you?

POSTHUMUS
    Which by their graces I will keep.

IACHIMO
    
You may wear her in title yours
⁷⁹
: but you know

strange fowl light upon neighbouring ponds.
Your
ring
⁸⁰
may

be stolen too, so your
brace
of
unprizable estimations
⁸¹
, the

one is but
frail
and the other
casual.
⁸²
A cunning thief, or a

that-way-accomplished courtier
⁸³
, would hazard the winning

both of first and last.

POSTHUMUS
    Your Italy contains none so accomplished a courtier

to
convince
⁸⁶
the honour of my mistress, if in the holding or

loss of that you term her frail. I do nothing doubt you have

store
⁸⁸
of thieves, notwithstanding, I fear not my ring.

PHILARIO
    Let us
leave here
⁸⁹
, gentlemen.

POSTHUMUS
    Sir, with all my heart. This worthy signior, I thank

him, makes no stranger of me, we are
familiar at first.
⁹¹

IACHIMO
    With five times so much conversation, I should
get
⁹²

ground of your fair mistress, make her go back, even to the

yielding, had I admittance and opportunity to
friend.
⁹⁴

POSTHUMUS
    No, no.

IACHIMO
    I dare thereupon
pawn the moiety
of my estate,
to
⁹⁶

your ring, which in my opinion o’ervalues it
something
⁹⁷
: but

I make my wager rather against your confidence than her

reputation. And to
bar your offence
⁹⁹
herein too, I durst

attempt it against any lady in the world.

POSTHUMUS
    You are a great deal
abused
¹⁰¹
in too bold a

persuasion
, and I doubt not
you sustain what you’re worthy
¹⁰²

of by your attempt.

IACHIMO
    What’s that?

POSTHUMUS
    A repulse, though your attempt, as you call it,

deserve more: a punishment too.

PHILARIO
    Gentlemen, enough of this, it
came in
¹⁰⁷
too suddenly.

Let it die as it was born, and I pray you be better acquainted.

IACHIMO
    Would I had
put my estate
¹⁰⁹
and my neighbour’s on

th’approbation
¹¹⁰
of what I have spoke.

POSTHUMUS
    What lady would you choose to assail?

IACHIMO
    Yours, whom in constancy you think stands so safe.

I will lay you
ten thousand ducats
¹¹³
to your ring, that

commend
¹¹⁴
me to the court where your lady is, with no more

advantage than the opportunity of a second
conference
¹¹⁵
, and

I will bring from thence that honour of hers which you

imagine so
reserved.
¹¹⁷

POSTHUMUS
    I will
wage
¹¹⁸
against your gold, gold to it: my ring I

hold dear as my finger, ’tis part of it.

IACHIMO
    You are a
friend, and therein the wiser
¹²⁰
: if you buy

ladies’ flesh at a million a
dram
, you cannot
preserve
¹²¹
it from

tainting.
But I see you have some religion in you
,
that
¹²²
you

fear.

POSTHUMUS
    This is
but a custom in your tongue
¹²⁴
: you bear a

graver
¹²⁵
purpose I hope.

IACHIMO
    I am the master of my speeches, and would
undergo
¹²⁶

what’s spoken, I swear.

POSTHUMUS
    Will you? I shall but lend my diamond till your

return: let there be
covenants drawn between’s.
¹²⁹
My mistress

exceeds in goodness the hugeness of your unworthy

thinking. I dare you to this match: here’s my ring.

PHILARIO
    I will
have it no lay.
¹³²

IACHIMO
    By the gods, it is one. If I bring you no sufficient

testimony
¹³⁴
that I have enjoyed the dearest bodily part of your

mistress, my ten thousand ducats are yours, so is your

diamond too. If I
come off
¹³⁶
, and leave her in such honour as

you have trust in, she your jewel, this your jewel and my gold

are yours, provided I have your
commendation
¹³⁸
for my more

free entertainment.
¹³⁹

POSTHUMUS
    I embrace these conditions, let us have
articles
¹⁴⁰

betwixt us. Only thus far you shall answer: if you
make your
¹⁴¹

voyage upon her and give me directly to understand you

have prevailed, I am no further your enemy, she is not worth

our debate. If she remain unseduced, you not making it

appear otherwise, for your ill opinion and th’assault you

have made to her chastity, you shall answer me with your

sword.

IACHIMO
    Your hand, a
covenant
¹⁴⁸
: we will have these things

set down by lawful counsel, and straight away for Britain,

lest the bargain should catch cold and starve
¹⁵⁰
: I will fetch my

gold and have our two wagers recorded.

POSTHUMUS
    Agreed.

FRENCHMAN
    
Will this hold
¹⁵³
, think you?

PHILARIO
    Signior Iachimo will not
from it.
¹⁵⁴
Pray let us follow

’em.