“Fear no more the heat o’ the sun,
Nor the furious winter’s rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages:
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.
“Fear no more the frown o’ the great;
Thou art past the tyrant’s stroke;
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak;
The sceptre, learning, physic, must
All follow this, and come to dust.
“Fear no more the lightning flash,
Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone,
Fear not slander, censure rash,
Thou hast finished joy and moan:
All lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee, and come to dust.
“No exorciser harm thee!
Nor no witchcraft charm thee
Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have;
And renowned be thy grave!”
Grief for the loss of Imogen had for a moment caused the death of
Cloten to be forgotten; but Belarius reminded the young Princes that,
after all, he was a Queen’s son, and though they had killed him
as a foe, they must bury him as a Prince. Fetching the dead body,
therefore, they placed it not far from the bier where Imogen lay, and
strewed both with flowers.
Soon after the mourners had retired, Imogen woke from the sleep into
which the drug had thrown her. As she recovered her dazed senses,
she presently became aware that near at hand lay a dead man, and
recognising the garments of Leonatus, she at once took for granted
that it was indeed her husband who had been thus cruelly slain. Struck
to the heart by this new sorrow, she flung herself half fainting
on the body, and there soon afterwards she was found by the Roman
General, Lucius. Pitying her desolate condition, for he thought this
lad in his page’s dress was weeping over his dead master, Lucius took
Imogen into his own service.
On hearing of Cymbeline’s refusal to pay tribute, the Roman Emperor
lost no time in sending over an army to enforce his demand. The rival
forces met near Milford Haven, not far from the cave of Belarius.
Hearing the noise of warfare, Belarius first suggested flight to the
upper mountains for better security, but the noble spirit of the
two young Princes scorned such cowardly counsel, and they boldly
determined to throw in their lot with the British in fighting the
enemy of their country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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