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, 5
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. 10 | The Roman ambassador Caius Lucius has not come to Britain on a friendly visit: he wants to know why Cymbeline has not paid the tribute money to Rome yet. Lucius fills us in on the history of the tribute. Back when Julius Caesar conquered Britain, he set up a tribute in the sum of 3,000 pounds to be paid every year to Rome. In return, Rome would refrain from invading Britain. |
QUEEN And, to kill the marvel,
Shall be so ever. CLOTEN There be many Caesars
Ere such another Julius. Britain’s a world
By itself, and we will nothing pay 15
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 20
The natural bravery of your isle, which stands
As Neptune’s park, ribbed and palèd in
With rocks unscalable and roaring waters,
With sands that will not bear your enemies’ boats
But suck them up to th’ topmast. A kind of conquest 25
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 30
Like eggshells moved upon their surges, cracked
As easily ’gainst our rocks. For joy whereof
The famed Cassibelan, who was once at point—
O, giglet Fortune!—to master Caesar’s sword,
Made Lud’s Town with rejoicing fires bright 35
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 40
straight arms, none. CYMBELINE Son, let your mother end. CLOTEN We have yet many among us can grip as hard
as Cassibelan. I do not say I am one, but I have a
hand. Why tribute? Why should we pay tribute? If 45
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. | The Queen jumps in and says the fee will never be paid again. Hmm… that seems like a decision Cymbeline should make, doesn't it? Always looking for a chance to make a fool of himself, Cloten blunders through some reasons why Britain shouldn't pay. |
CYMBELINE, to Lucius You must know,
Till the injurious Romans did extort 50
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 color here
Did put the yoke upon ’s, which to shake off
Becomes a warlike people, whom we reckon 55
Ourselves to be. We do 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, 60
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. 65 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 70
In Caesar’s name pronounce I ’gainst thee. Look
For fury not to be resisted. Thus defied,
I thank thee for myself. | Cymbeline finally puts a stop to the madness, mainly because no one can really understand what Cloten is going on about. Cymbeline refuses to pay the money, and Lucius declares Britain an enemy. He's sorry to do it, but it has to be done. |
CYMBELINE Thou art welcome, Caius.
Thy Caesar knighted me; my youth I spent 75
Much under him. Of him I gathered honor,
Which he to seek of me again perforce
Behooves me keep at utterance. I am perfect
That the Pannonians and Dalmatians for
Their liberties are now in arms, a precedent 80
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 85
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. 90 CYMBELINE
I know your master’s pleasure, and he mine.
All the remain is welcome. They exit. | Cymbeline knows that this means war, and he hates the thought of it. He wants peace with Rome. Cloten, however, is boastful and taunts Lucius all the more. |