Leo. A neft, of traytors!

Ant. I am none, by this good light.
Paul. Nor I; nor any

But one, that's here; and that's himself.

The facred honour of himself, his Queen's,

For he

His hopeful fon's, his babe's, betrays to flander,

Whofe fting is fharper than the fword's; and will not
(For as the cafe now ftands, it is a curfe
He cannot be compell'd to't). once remove
The root of his opinion, which is rotten,
As ever oak or ftone was found.

Leo. A callat

Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband,. And now baits me! This brat is none of mine;

It is the iffue of Polixenes.

Hence with it, and together with the dam,
Commit, them to the fire.

Paul. It is your's;

And, might we lay th' old proverb to your charge,.
So like you, 'tis the worse. Behold, my Lords,
Altho' the print be little, the whole matter
And copy of the father; eye, nose, lip,

The trick of's frown, his forehead, nay, the valley,
The pretty dimples of his chin, and cheek, his fmiles,,
The very mold and frame of hand, nail, finger.
And thou, good goddess Nature, which haft made it
So like to him that got it, if thou haft

The ordering of the mind too, 'mongst all colours
No yellow in't; left fhe fufpect, as he does,
Her children not her husband's.

Leo. A grofs hag!

And lozel, thou art worthy to be hang'd,

That wilt not ftay her tongue.

Ant. Hang all the hufbands,

That cannot do that feat, you'll leave yourself

Hardly one fubject.

Lea. Once more, take her hence.

Paul. A moft unworthy and unnatural Lord Can do no more.

Leo, I'll ha' thee burnt.

Bayle

Paul. I care not;

It is an heritick that makes the fire,

Not the which burns in't. I'll not call you tyrant,
But this moft cruel ufage of your Queen

(Not able to produce more accufation

Than your own weak-hing'd fancy) fomething favours.

Of tyranny; and will ignoble make you,

Yea, fcandalous to the world.

Leo. On your allegiance,

Out of the chamber with her. Were La tyrant,
Where were her life? she durft.not cali me lo,
If the did know me one. Away with her.

Paul. I pray you, do not push me, I'll be gone.
Look to your babe, my Lord, 'tis your's: Jove fend her
A better guiding fpirit! What need thefe hands
You, that are thus fo tender o'er his follies,
Will never do him good, not one of you.
So, fo: farewel, we are gone..

[Exit.

Leo. Thou, traytor, haft fet on thy wife to this.
My child away with't. Even thou, thou that haft
A heart fo tender o'er it, take it hence,.
And fee it inftantly confum'd with fire;

Even thou, and none but thou. Take it up ftraight
Within this hour bring me word it is done,
And by good teftimony, or I'll feize thy life,
With what thou elfe, call'ft thine: if thou refuse,
And wilt encounter with my wrath, fay fo:
The bastard brains with thefe my proper hands
Shall I dash out: go take it to the fire,
For thou fett'ft on thy wife..

Ant. I did not, Sir:

Thefe Lords, my noble fellows, if they please,.
Can clear me in't.

Lord. We can; my royal Liege,

He is not guilty of her coming hither.

Leo. You're liars all.

Lords. 'Befeech your Highness give us better credit. We've always truly ferv'd you, and befeech you So to efteem of us and on our knees we bg, As recompence of our dear fervices

Paft,

Paft, and to come) that you do change this purpose,
Which being fo horrible, fo bloody, muft
Lead on to fome foul iffue. We all kneel-
Leo. I am a feather for each wind that blows:
Shall I live on, to fee this baftard kneel
And call me father? better burn it now,
Than curfe it then. But be it; let it live:

It fhall not neither.-

-You, Sir, come you hither;

[To Antigonus.

You, that have been fo tenderly officious
With Lady Margery, your midwife there,

To fave this baftard's life; (for 'tis a bastard,
So fure as this beard's grey) what will you adventure
To fave this brat's life?

Ant. Any thing, my Lord,

That my ability may undergo,

And noblenefs impofe: at leaft, thus much;

I'll pawn the little blood which I have left,

To fave the innocent; any thing poffible.

Leo. It fhall be poffible; fwear by this fword, Thou wilt perform my bidding.

Ant. I will, my Lord.

Leo. Mark and perform it; feeft thou? for the fail Of any point in': fhall not only be

Death to thy felf, but to thy lewd-tongu'd wife,
Whom for this time we pardon. We enjoin thee,
As thou art liege-man to us, that thou carry
This female ballard hence, and that thou bear it
To fome remote and defart place, quite out
Of our dominions; and that there thou leave it,
(Without more mercy,) to it's own protection
And favour of the climate. As by ftrange fortune
It came to us, I do in juftice charge thee,
On thy foul's peril and thy body's torture,
That thou commend it ftrangely to fome place,
Where Chance may nurfe, or end it. Take it up.
Ant. I fwear to do this: tho' a prefent death
Had been more merciful. Come on, poor babe;
Some powerful fpirit inftruct the kites and ravens.
To be thy nurfes! wolves and bears, they fay,

2

(Cafting,

(Cafting their favagenefs afide) have done. Like offices of pity. Sir, be profperous

In more than this deed does require; and bleffing,
Against this cruelty, fight on thy fide!
Poor thing, condemn'd to lofs.-

Leo. No; I'll not rear Another's iffae.

[Exit, with the child.

Enter a Meffenger.

Mef. Please your Highness, pofts,

From thofe you fent to th' oracle, are come
An hour fince. Cleomines and Dion,

Being well arriv'd from Delphos, are both landed,
Hafting to th' court.

Lord. So please you, Sir, their speed
Hath been beyond account.

Leo. Twenty-three days

They have been abfent: this good fpeed foretels,
The great Apollo fuddenly will have

The truth of this appear. Prepare you, Lords,,
Summon a feffion, that we may arraign
Our most difloyal Lady; for as the hath
Been publickly accus'd, fo fhall the have
A juft and open trial. While fhe lives,
My heart will be a burden to me.
And think upon my bidding.

A CT

Leave me,

[Exeunt, feverally,

III.

SCENE, a Part of Sicily near the Sea fide.
Enter Cleomines and Dion.

CLEOMINES.

HE climate's delicate, the air moft fweet, (12)
Fertile the ifle, the temple much furpaffing

The common praise it bears.

Dion.

(12) The climate's delicate, the air moft feet,

Fertile the ide

-] I must fubjoin a very reasonable con

jecture

Dion. I fhall report, (13).

For moft it caught me, the celestial habits,

jecture of my friend upon this paffage. "But the temple of "Apollo at Delphi was not in an island, but in Phocis on the continent. "It's plain,, the blundering transcribers had their heads running on.. "Delos, an island of the Cyclades. So that the true reading is un❝doubtedly;

The climate's delicate, the air most facet,

Fertile the foil;

Soil might with a very easy tranfpofition of the letters be corrupted to ifle. But the true reading manifefts itfelf likewife on this ac "count; that, in a defcription, the fweetness of air, and fertility of "foil, is much more terfe and elegant than air and ifle.

་་

Mr. Warburton.

But to confefs the truth, I am very fufpicious that our author, not-withstanding, wrote ifle, and for this reafon. The ground-work and incidents of his play are taken from an old ftory, call'd, The pleafant. and delectable Hiftory of Doraftus and Fawnia; written by Mr. Robert Green, a Master of Arts in Cambridge, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth: and there the Queen begs of her Lord, in the rage of his jealousy, That it would pleafe bis Majeßy to fend fix of bis Nobles, whom be beft trufted, to the isle of Delphos, there to enquire of the oracle of Apollo, &c. Another palpable abfurdity our author has copied from the fame Tale, in making Bobemia a maritime country, which is known to be inland, and in the heart of the main continent.

(13) Dion.

-I fhall reports

For moft it caught me, &c.] What will he report? And what means this reafon of his report, viz. that the celeftial babits first caught his obfervation? I do not know, whether his declaration of reporting, be more obfcure, or his reafon for it more ridiculous. The fpeaker feems to be under thofe circumstances, which his brother ambaffador in the next speech talks of,

So urpriz'd my fenfe, that I was nothing.

But if we may fuppofe him recover'd from his furprize, we may be. affur'd he faid;,

It fhames report,

Foremost it caught me, the celeftial habits, &c.

Cleomines had faid, the temple much furpafs'd the common praise itbore, Dion replies, Yes, it fhames report by so far exceeding what report had pretended to fay of it: and then goes on to particularize the wonders of the place. The first thing, fays he, that ftruck me, was the priest's habits, &c. And, by the bye, it is worth obfervings. that the wonders are particulariz'd in their exact order: first, the ha bits of the priests, who were ready to meet enquirers; then, the. priefts behaviour; then, the facrifice; and then, the pronouncing the oracle. The reader may fee Van Dale de Oraculis Ethnicorum; and be fatisfied of this, Mr. Warburton.

(Methinks,