But what comes from myself, it shall scarce boot me Being counted falsehood, shall, as I express it, I doubt not, then, but innocence shall make Tremble at patience.-You, my lord, best know, A moiety of the throne, a great king's daughter, For life, I prize it As I weigh grief, which I would spare: for honour, 'Tis a derivative from me to mine, And only that I stand for. I appeal To your own conscience, sir, before Polixenes Have strain'd, t' appear thus: if one jot beyond Leon. Her. That's true enough; More than mistress of, Leon. You will not own it. Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not At all acknowledge. For Polixenes, (With whom I am accus'd,) I do confess, I lov'd him, as in honour he requir'd, With such a kind of love as might become A lady like me; with a love, even such, To you, and toward your friend, whose love had spoke, I know not how it tastes, though it be dish'd And why he left your court, the gods themselves, Leon. You knew of his departure, as you know What you have underta'en to do in 's absence. Her. Sir, You speak a language that I understand not: Leon. And I but dream'd it.-As you were past all shame, Her. Sir, spare your threats: The bug, which you would fright me with, I seek. To me can life be no commodity: The crown and comfort of my life, your favour, But know not how it went. My second joy, I am barr'd, like one infectious. My third comfort, The innocent milk in its most innocent mouth. 1 Lord. This your request Is altogether just. Therefore, bring forth, [Exeunt several Officers. Re-enter Officers, with CLEOMENES and DION. Offi. You here shall swear upon the sword of justice, That you, Cleomenes and Dion, have Been both at Delphos; and from thence have brought Of great Apollo's priest; and that, since then, Cleo. Dion. Offi. [Reads.] "Hermione is chaste, Polixenes blameless, Camillo a true subject, Leontes a jealous tyrant, his innocent babe truly begotten; and the king shall live without an heir, if that which is lost be not found." Lords. Now, blessed be the great Apollo! Leon. Hast thou read truth? Offi. As it is here set down. Praised! Ay, my lord; even so Paul. This news is mortal to the queen.-Look down, And see what death is doing. Leon. Take her hence: Her heart is but o'ercharg'd: she will recover.I have too much believ'd mine own suspicion :Beseech you, tenderly apply to her Some remedies for life.-Apollo, pardon [Exeunt PAULINA and Ladies, with HERMIONE. My great profaneness 'gainst thine oracle!— I'll reconcile me to Polixenes, New woo my queen, recall the good Camillo, My friend Polixenes: which had been done, O, cut my lace, lest my heart, cracking it, 1 Lord. What fit is this, good lady? Not dropp'd down yet. 1 Lord. Prevail not, go and see. If you can bring Than all thy woes can stir; therefore, betake thee Say no more: Should be past grief: do not receive affliction Leon. [Exeunt. SCENE III.-Bohemia. A Desert Country near the Sea. Enter ANTIGONUS, with the Babe; and a Mariner. Ant. Thou art perfect, then, our ship hath touch'd upon The deserts of Bohemia? Mar. Ay, my lord; and fear We have landed in ill time: the skies look grimly, And threaten present blusters. In my conscience, The heavens with that we have in hand are angry, And frown upon us. Ant. Their sacred wills be done!-Go, get aboard; Look to thy bark: I'll not be long, before I call upon thee. Mar. Make your best haste, and go not Too far i' the land: 'tis like to be loud weather; Besides, this place is famous for the creatures Of prey that keep upon't. Ant. I'll follow instantly. Mar. Go thou away: I am glad at heart To be so rid o' the business. Ant. [Exit. Come, poor babe :— I have heard, (but not believ'd,) the spirits o' the dead I pr'ythee, call't: for this ungentle business, "Put on thee by my lord, thou ne'er shalt see 66 Thy wife Paulina more:"-and so, with shrieks She melted into air. Affrighted much, I did in time collect myself, and thought To be by oath enjoin'd to this.-Farewell! The heavens so dim by day. [Bear roars.] A savage clamour? Well may I get aboard!-This is the chase; Shep. I would there were no age between ten and three-and-twenty, or that youth would sleep out the rest; for there is nothing in the between but getting wenches with child, wronging the ancientry, stealing, fighting.-Hark you now!-Would any but these boiled-brains of nineteen, and two-andtwenty, hunt this weather? They have scared away two of my best sheep; which, I fear, the wolf will sooner find, than the master: if anywhere I have them, 'tis by the sea-side, browzing of ivy. Good luck, an't be thy will! what have we here? [Taking up the Child.] Mercy on 's, a barn, a very pretty barn! A boy, or a child, I wonder? A pretty one, a very pretty one. Sure some scape: though I am not bookish, yet I can read waitinggentlewoman in the scape. This has been some stair-work, some trunk-work, some behind-doorwork they were warmer that got this, than the poor thing is here. I'll take it up for pity; yet I'll} tarry till my son come; he hallood but even now.Whoa, họ hoa! Clo. Hilloa, loa! Enter Clown. Shep. What! art so near? If thou' it see a thing to talk on when thou art dead and rotten, come hither. What ail'st thou, man? Clo. I have seen two such sights, by sea, and by land!—but I am not to say it is a sea, for it is now the sky betwixt the firmament and it you cannot thrust a bodkin's point. Shep. Why, boy, how is it? Clo. I would, you did but see how it chafes, how it rages, how it takes up the shore! but that's not to the point. O, the most piteous cry of the poor souls! sometimes to see 'em, and not to see 'em: now the ship boring the moon with her mainmast; and anon swallowed with yest and froth, as you'd thrust a cork into a hogshead. And then for the land service:-to see how the bear tore out his shoulder bone; how he cried to me for help, and said, his name was Antigonus, a nobleman.-But to make an end of the ship:-to see how the sea flap-dragoned it ;-but, first, how the poor souls roared, and the sea mocked them;-and how the poor gentleman roared, and the bear mocked him, both roaring louder than the sea, or weather. Shep. Name of mercy! when was this, boy? Clo. Now, now; I have not winked since I saw these sights: the men are not yet cold under water, nor the bear half dined on the gentleman: he's at it now. Shep. Would I had been by, to have helped the old man! Clo. I would you had been by the ship's side, to have helped her: there your charity would have lacked footing. Shep. Heavy matters! heavy matters! but look thee here, boy. Now bless thyself: thou met'st with things dying, I with things new born. Here's a sight for thee: look thee, a bearing-cloth for a squire's child! Look thee here: take up, take up, boy; open't. So, let's see. It was told me, I should be rich by the fairies: this is some changeling.— Open't: what's within, boy? Clo. You're a made old man: if the sins of your youth are forgiven you, you're well to live. Gold! all gold! Shep. This is fairy gold, boy, and 'twill prove so: up with it, keep it close; home, home, the next way. We are lucky, boy; and to be so still requires nothing but secrecy.-Let my sheep go.Come, good boy, the next way home. Clo. Go you the next way with your findings: I'll go see if the bear be gone from the gentleman, and how much he hath eaten: they are never curst, but when they are hungry. If there be any of him left, I'll bury it. Shep. That's a good deed. If thou may'st discern by that which is left of him, what he is, fetch me to the sight of him. Clo. Marry, will I; and you shall help to put him i' the ground. Shep. 'Tis a lucky day, boy, and we'll do good deeds on't. [Exeunt. Enter TIME, the Chorus. Time. I, that please some, try all; both joy, and terror, Of good and bad; that make, and unfold error,- I mention'd a son o' the king's, which Florizel Be known, when 'tis brought forth :-a shepherd's daughter, And what to her adheres, which follows after, [Exit. SCENE 1.-The Same. A Room in the Palace of POLIXENES. Enter POLIXENES and CAMILLO. Pol. I pray thee, good Camillo, be no more importunate: 'tis a sickness denying thee any thing, a death to grant this. Cam. It is fifteen years, since I saw my country: though I have, for the most part, been aired abroad, I desire to lay my bones there. Besides, the penitent king, my master, hath sent for me; to whose feeling sorrows I might be some allay, or I o'er ween to think so, which is another spur to my departure. Pol. As thou lovest me, Camillo, wipe not out the rest of thy services, by leaving me now. The need I have of thee, thine own goodness hath made: better not to have had thee, than thus to want thee. Thou, having made me businesses, which none without thee can sufficiently manage, must either stay to execute them thyself, or take away with thee the very services thou hast done; which if I have not enough considered, (as too much I cannot,) to be more thankful to thee shall be my study, and my profit therein, the heaping friendships. Of that fatal country, Sicilia, pr'ythee speak no more, whose very naming punishes me with the remembrance of that penitent, as thou call'st him, and reconciled king, my brother; whose loss of his most precious queen, and children, are even now to be afresh lamented. Say to me, when saw'st thou the prince Florizel, my son? Kings are no less unhappy, their issue not being gracious, than they are in losing them when they have approved their virtues. Cam. Sir, it is three days, since I saw the prince. What his happier affairs may be, are to me unknown; but I have missingly noted, he is of late much retired from court, and is less frequent to his princely exercises than formerly he hath appeared. Pol. I have considered so much, Camillo, and with some care; so far, that I have eyes under my service, which look upon his removedness: from whom I have this intelligence; that he is seldom from the house of a most homely shepherd; a man, they say, that from very nothing, and beyond the imagination of his neighbours, is grown into an unspeakable estate. Cam. I have heard, sir, of such a man, who hath a daughter of most rare note: the report of her is extended more, than can be thought to begin from such a cottage. Pol. That's likewise part of my intelligence, but, I fear, the angle that plucks our son thither. Thou shalt accompany us to the place, where we will, not appearing what we are, have some question with the shepherd; from whose simplicity, I think it not uneasy to get the cause of my son's resort thither. Pr'ythee, be my present partner in this business, and lay aside the thoughts of Sicilia. Cam. I willingly obey your command. Pol. My best Camillo!-We must disguise ourselves. [Exeunt. |