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Cymbeline

Act V, Scene 3

Another part of the field.
 
[Enter POSTHUMUS LEONATUS and a British Lord]
 
LORD
        ,                 ,            ,          ,
      Camst thou | from where | they made | the stand?
 
POSTHUMUS LEONATUS
                                                          ,
                                                       I did,
              ,         ,       ,      2       ,
      Though you | it seems | come from the | fliers.
 
LORD
                                                         ,
                                                      I did.
 
POSTHUMUS LEONATUS
           ,              ,   ,         ,          ,
      No blame | be to / you sir,| for all | was lost,
       ,              ,          ,           ,         ,
      But that | the heav|ens fought:| the king | himself
        2      ,      ,      ,          ,      ,
      Of his wings | desti|tute, the | army | broken,
           ,          ,          ,        ,         ,      ->
      And but | the backs | of Brit|ons seen;| all fly||ing
             2       ,       ,         ,  2     ,     ,
      Through a / straight lane,| the en|emy* full-|hearted,
       ,               ,             ,      2     ,        ,
      Lolling | the tongue | with slaugh|tering: hav|ing work
        ,    ,                 ,      .   Tx      T     T
      More plen/tiful,| than tools | to do it: struck down
        ,   ,                   ,         ,             ,       ->
      Some mor/tally,| some* slight|ly touched,| some* fal||ling
        ,    2          ,                  ,       ,           ,
      Mere|ly through fear,| that the / straight pass | was dammed
             ,          ,        ,         ,        ,      2->
      With dead|men*, hurt | behind,| and cow|ards liv||ing
          ,            ,          ,
      To die | with length|ened shame.
 
LORD
                                              ,           ,
                                      Where* was | this lane?
 
POSTHUMUS LEONATUS
             ,        ,          ,             ,            ,
      Close^by | the bat|tle, ditched,| and walled | with turf,
              ,       ,        ,     x            ,
      Which^gave | advant|age to | an ancient | soldier
           ,       ,       ,         ,         ,
      (An hon|est one | I war|rant) who | deserved
           ,        ,          2        ,     ,       ,
      So long | a breed|ing, as his / white beard | came to,
           x       ,     2       ,            ,           ,
      In doing | this for his | country.| Athwart | the lane,
       ,                ,             ,            ,        ,
      He, with | two* strip|lings* (lads | more* like | to run
            ,        ,      ,    2     ,            ,
      The count|ry base,| than to com|mit such | slaughter,
            ,      ,          ,          ,       ,     2->
      With fac|es fit | for masks,| or rath|er fair||er
             ,          ,      ,        ,          ,
      Than those | for pre|serva|tion cased,| or shame)
             ,         ,          ,          ,            ,
      Made good | the pas|sage, cried | to those | that fled.
            ,           ,      ,   ,                  ,
      Our Brit|ain's hearts | die fly/ing, not | our men,
           ,         ,       T     .   T    T           ,
      To dark|ness fleet | souls that fly back|wards; stand,
          ,        ,        ,           ,          ,
      Or we | are Rom|ans, and | will give | you that
              ,                   ,    ,        ,         ,
      Like beasts,| which you / shun beast|ly, and | may save
         2     ,      T   .    T      T      T      T     T
      But to look | back in frown: stand,| stand. These three,
               ,        ,      ,        ,         x
      Three* thous|and con|fident,| in act | as many:
            ,         ,        ,          ,          ,
      For three | perform|ers are | the file,| when all
            ,         ,                       ,    ,      ,
      The rest | do noth|ing. With^this // word stand, stand,
         ,     ,      ,         ,             ,       2->
      Accom|moda|ted by | the place;| more* charm||ing
          2         ,   ,      ,            ,             ,
      With their / own nob|leness,| which could | have turned
         ,    ,            ,        Tx    T    T
      A dis|taff, to | a lance,| gilded pale looks;
              ,              x         ,       .    T     T    T      ->
      Part* shame,| part* spirit | renewed,| that some turned co||ward
       ,      2   ,       ,      ,        ,
      But | by examp|le (Oh | a sin | in war,
         ,              ,        ,         ,         ,
      Damned in | the first | begin|ners) gan | to look
           ,                 ,    ,         ,           x
      The way | that they / did, and | to grin | like lions
        ,          ,       2     ,          ,       ,
      Upon | the pikes | of the hunt|ers. Then | began
          ,      2     ,   ,           ,      ,
      A stop | in the cha|ser; a | retire:| anon
          ,        ,        ,            ,          ,
      A rout,| confus|ion thick:| forthwith | they fly
        ,             ,                    ,     ,          ,
      Chickens,| the way | which^they / stopped eag|les: slaves
             ,            ,         ,         ,         ,       ->
      The strides | they vic|tors made:| and now | our cow||ards
        ,      ,              ,     ,      2    ,
      Like | fragments | in hard | voyag|es became
            ,      2      ,      2      ,      .    T   T   Tx
      The life | of the need:| having found | the backdoor open
        2     ,   ,          T       Tx     T           ,
      Of the un|guarded | hearts: heavens, how | they wound,
              ,         ,           ,        ,             ,
      Some* slain | before;| some* dy|ing; some | their friends
           ,       2     ,        ,     T     T    T   ___
      Oreborne | in the form|er wave,| ten chased by | one,
           ,          ,           ,        ,         ,      o
      Are now | each one | the slaugh|ter-man | of twen|ty:    (hex with prev)
        ,                 ,        ,        ,          ,
      Those that | would die | or ere | resist | are grown
           ,        ,      2      ,
      The mort|al bugs | of the field.
 
LORD
                                                    ,       ,
                                      This was / strange chance:
         ,        ,        ,     T    .   T    T
      A nar|row lane,| an old | man, and two boys.
 
POSTHUMUS LEONATUS
       ,             ,       ,        ,          ,
      Nay, do | not wond|er at | it: you | are made
       ,           ,       ,          ,           ,
      Rather | to wond|er at | the things | you hear,
                  ,   ,      ,          ,       x
      Than to / work an|y. Will | you rhyme upon it,
            ,        ,        ,         ,        ,
      And vent | it for | a mocke|ry? Here | is one:
       T    T    .  T     T     T   .  T        ,
      Two boys, an old | man (twice a boy)| a lane,
            ,           ,        ,         ,         ,
      Preserved | the Brit|ons, was | the Rom|ans' bane.
 
LORD
       ,             ,      ,
      Nay, be | not ang|ry sir.
 
POSTHUMUS LEONATUS
                                  ,              ,
                               'Lack, to | what end?
            ,           ,          ,          ,          ,
      Who dares | not stand | his foe,| I'll be | his friend:
           ,          ,       ,        ,        ,
      For if | he'll do,| as he | is made | to do,
          ,            ,       ,          ,         ,
      I know | he'll quick|ly fly | my friend|ship too.
         2      ,        ,      ,
      You have put | me in|to rhyme.
 
LORD
                                          ,            ,     2->
                                    Farewell,| you're an||gry.
 
POSTHUMUS LEONATUS
               x       ,    2      ,         ,       ,  2
      Still* going?| This is a | lord: Oh | noble | misery
          ,     2      ,          ,           ,        ,
      To be | in the field,| and ask | what news | of me:
         ,     ,   ,         2         x            ,
      Today,| how ma/ny would have | given their | honors
        2       ,            ,      ,           ,         x
      To have saved | their car|casses?| Took^heel | to do it,
       .   T    T   T    ,   2        T   T     T
      And yet died too.| I in mine | own woe charmed
             ,           ,           ,         ,          ,
      Could not | find^death,| where I | did hear | him groan,
            ,        ,         ,      x       ,    ,
      Nor feel him where he struck. Being an ugly monster,  ????
              ,           ,        2     ,       T     T    T
      'Tis strange | he hides | him in fresh | cups, soft beds,
        ,     ,                 ,   ,                 ,
      Sweet words;/ or hath | more min/isters | than we
             ,           ,       2     ,      ,   2         ,
      That draw | his knives | in the war.| Well I will | find him:
            x      ,       ,  2      ,        ,
      For being | now a | favorer | to the | Briton,
           ,        ,      ,       2    ,        ,
      No more | a Brit|on, I | have resumed | again
            ,        ,          ,         ,         ,
      The part | I came | in. Fight | I will | no more,
            ,         ,        ,   2     ,           ,
      But yield | me to | the ver|iest hind,| that shall
        T    T    T     ,          ,            ,     2
      Once touch my | shoulder.| Great the | slaughter is
              ,      2     ,        ,          ,       ,
      Here* made | by the Rom|an; great | the ans|wer be
       ,               ,         ,       ,          ,
      Britons | must^take.| For me,| my rans|om's death,
           ,       ,        ,         ,           ,
      On eith|er side | I come | to spend | my breath;
              ,        ,           ,          ,       ,
      Which neith|er here | I'll keep,| nor bear | again,
           ,        ,          ,          ,   ,
      But end | it by | some means | for Im|ogen.
 
[Enter two British Captains and Soldiers]
 
FIRST CAPTAIN
        ,    ,               ,       ,            x
      Great Jup/iter | be praised,| Lucius | is taken,
              ,           ,     ,      2        ,           ,
      'Tis thought | the old | man, and his | sons, were | angels.
 
SECOND CAPTAIN
             ,         ,      ,     2     ,       ,
      There was | a fourth | man, in a | silly | habit,
             ,       2    ,       ,      2
      That gave | the affront | with them.
 
FIRST CAPTAIN
                                                 ,      ,
                                           So |'tis re|ported:
            ,      2     ,         ,       ,             ,
      But none | of 'em can | be found.| Stand, who's^th|ere?
 
POSTHUMUS LEONATUS
     
      A Roman,    \\
         2     ,     ,           ,          ,         ,
      Who had not | now been | drooping | here, if | seconds
           ,
      Had ans|wered him./
 
SECOND CAPTAIN
                           ,    ,      ,          ,
                          Lay hands | on him:| a dog,
         ,         ,           ,        ,         ,
      A leg | of Rome | shall not | return | to tell
             ,             ,            ,         ,          ,       2->
      What crows | have pecked | them here:| He brags | his ser||vice
          ,        ,         ,      ,           2      ,
      As if | he were | of note:| bring him | to the king.
 
[Enter CYMBELINE, BELARIUS, GUIDERIUS, ARVIRAGUS, PISANIO, Soldiers, Attendants, and Roman Captives. The Captains present POSTHUMUS LEONATUS to CYMBELINE, who delivers him over to a Jailer: then exeunt omnes]

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