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Arv. Grow, patience!

And let the stinking elder, grief, untwine

His perishing root, with the increasing vine! Bel. It is great morning. Come; away.Who's there?

Enter CLOTEN.

Clot. I cannot find those runagates; that villain Hath mock'd me :-I am faint.

Bel. Those runagates!

Means he not us? I partly know him; 'tis
Cloten, the son o' the queen. I fear some ambush.
I saw him not these many years, and yet

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I know 'tis he:-We are held as outlaws:-Hence. Guid. He is but one :- -You and my brother search What companies are near: pray you, away;

Let me alone with him.

[Exeunt BELARIUS, and ARVIRAGUS.

Clot. Soft! What are you

That fly me thus? some villain mountaineers ?
I have heard of such.-What slave art thou?
Guid. A thing

More slavish did I ne'er, than answering

A slave without a knock.

Clot. Thou art a robber,

A law-breaker, a villain: Yield thee, thief.

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Guid. To who? to thee? What art thou? Have

not I

An arm as big as thine? a heart as big?

Thy words, I grant, are bigger; for I wear not

My

My dagger in my mouth. Say, what thou art;
Why I should yield to thee ?

Clot. Thou villain base,

Know'st me not by my clothes?

Guid. No, nor thy tailor, rascal,

Who is thy grandfather ;- he made those clothes,

Which, as it seems, make thee,

Clot. Thou precious varlet,

My tailor made them not,

Guid. Hence then, and thank

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The man that gave them thee. Thou art some fool;

I am loth to beat thee.

Clot. Thou injurious thief,

Hear but my name, and tremble,

Guid. What's thy name?

Clot. Cloten, thou villain,

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Guid. Cloten, thou double villain, be thy name, I cannot tremble at it; were it toad, adder, spider,

'Twould move me sooner.

Clot. To thy further fear,

Nay, to thy mere confusion, thou shalt know,

I am son to the queen.

Guid. I am sorry for't; not seeming

So worthy as thy birth,

Clot. Art not afeard?

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Guid. Those that I reverence, those I fear; the

wise:

At fools I laugh, not fear them.

Clot. Die the death:

When I have slain thee with my proper hand,

I'll follow those that even now fled hence,
And on the gates of Lud's town set your heads:

Yield, rustic mountaineer.

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[Fight, and exeunt.

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Bel. No company's abroad,

Aru. None in the world: You did mistake him,

sure.

Bel. I cannot tell: Long is it since I saw him, 160 But time hath nothing blurr'd those lines of favour Which then he wore; the snatches in his voice, And burst of speaking, were as his: I am absolute, 'Twas very Cloten.

Ary. In this place we left them :

I wish my brother make good time with him,
You say he is so fell.

Bel. Being scarce made up,

I mean, to man, he had not apprehension
Of roaring terrors: For the effect of judgment
Is oft the cause of fear-But see, thy brother.

Re-enter GUIDERIUS, with CLOTEN's Head.

Guid. This Cloten was a fool; an empty purse,

There was no money in't: not Hercules

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Could have knock'd out his brains, for he had none : Yet I not doing this, the fool had borne i

My head, as I do his.

Bel. What hast thou done?

Guid. I am perfect, what cut off one Cloten's

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head,

Son

Son to the queen, after his own report;

Who call'd me traitor, mountaineer; and swore,
With his own single hand he'd take us in,

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Displace our heads, where thank the gods, they grow, And set them on Lud's town.

Bel. We are all undone.

Guid. Why, worthy father, what have we to lose, But, that he swore to take, our lives? The law Protects not us; Then why should we be tender To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us? Play judge, and executioner, all himself? For we do fear the law? What company. Discover you abroad?

Bel. No single soul

Can we set eye on, but, in all safe reason,

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He must have some attendants. Though his honour
Was nothing but mutation; ay, and that
From one bad thing to worse; not frenzy, not
Absolute madness could so far have rav'd,
To bring him here alone: Although, perhaps,
It may be heard at court, that such as we

Cave here, hunt here, are out-laws, and in time 200
May make some stronger head; the which he hearing
(As it is like him), might break out, and swear
He'd fetch us in yet is't not probable

To come alone, either he' so undertaking,

Or they so suffering: then on good ground we fear,

If we do fear this body hath a tail

More perilous than the head,

ATU.

Aru. Let ordinance

Come as the gods foresay it: howsoe'er,

My brother hath done well,

Bel. I had no mind

To hunt this day: the boy Fidele's sickness

Did make my way long forth.

Guid. With his own sword,

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Which he did wave against my throat, I have ta’en
His head from him: I'll throw it into the creek
Behind our rock; and let it to the sea,

And tell the fishes, he's the queen's son, Cloten :
That's all I reck.

Bel. I fear, 'twill be reveng'd:

[Exit.

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'Would, Polydore, thou had'st not done't! though valour

Becomes thee well enough.

Arv. 'Would I had done't,

So the revenge alone pursu'd me !-Polydore,

I love thee brotherly; but envy much,

Thou hast robb'd me of this deed: I would, revenges, That possible strength might meet, would seek us through,

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We'll hunt no more to-day, nor seek for danger 230 Where there's no profit. I pr'ythee, to our rock; You and Fidele play the cooks: I'll stay

'Till hasty Polydore return, and bring him

To dinner presently.

Arv. Poor sick Fidele !

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