SCENE

V.

Enter Paulina, with a child.

Lord. You must not enter.

Paul. Nay rather, good my Lords, be fecond to me. Fear you his tyrannous paffion more, alas,

Than the Queen's life? a gracious innocent foul,
More free than he is jealous.

Ant. That's enough.

Atten. [within] Madam, he hath not slept to-night, commanded

None fhould come at him.

Paul. Not fo hot, good Sir;

I come to bring him fleep. 'Tis fuch as you,
That creep like fhadows by him, and do figh
At each his needlefs heavings; fuch as you
Nourish the cause of his awaking. I

Do come with words, as medicinal as true,
Honeft as either, to purge him of that humour,
That preffes him from fleep.

Les. What noife there, ho?

Paul. No noife, my Lord, but needful conference, About fome goflips for your Highness.

Leo. How?

Away with that audacious lady.

-Antigonus,

I charg'd thee, that she should not come about me;

J knew he would.

Ant. I told her fo, my Lord,

On your difpleafure's peril and on mine,

She should not visit you.

Leo. What? can't not rule her?

Paul. From all dishonefty he can; in this,
(Unlefs he take the courfe that you have done,
Commit me, for committing honour), trust it,
He fhall not rule me.

Ant. Lo-you now, you hear,
When he will take the rein, I let her run,
But he'll not stumble.

Paul. Good my licge, I come

And I befeech you, hear me, who profefs
Myfelf your loyal fervant, your physician,
Your moft obedient counsellor; yet that dares
Lefs appear fo, in comforting your evils,

VOL. III.

U

Than fuch as moft feem your's. I fay, I come
From your good Queen.

Leo. Good Queen?

Paul. Good Queen, my Lord,
Good Queen, I fay, good Queen;

And would by combat make her good, fo were I
A man, on th' worst about you.

Leo. Force her hence.

Paul. Let him that makes but trifles of his eyes, First hand me on mine own accord I'll off; "But first I'll do my errand. The good Queen, For fhe is good, hath brought you forth a daughter, Here 'tis; commends it to your bleffing.

Leo. Out!

[Laying down the child.

A mankind witch! hence with her, out o'door:
A most intelligencing bawd!

Paul. Not fo;

I am as ignorant in that, as you

In fo intitling me; and no less honest

Than you are mad; which is enough, I'll warrant,
As this world goes, to pass for honest.

Leo. Traitors!

Will you not push her out? give her the bastard.
[To Antigonus.
Thou dotard, thou are woman-tyr'd; unroofted
By thy dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard,
Take 't up, I fay; give 't to thy croan.

Paul. For ever

Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

Take 'ft up the Princefs, by that forced * baseness
Which he has put upon 't!

Leo. He dreads his wife.

Paul. So I would you did: then 'twere paft all doubt,

You'd call your children y S.

Leo. A neft of traitors!

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,

forced, for unnatural.

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 stone 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 issue 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 worfe. Behold, my Lords,
Altho' the print be little, the whole matter
And copy of the father; eye, nofe, lip,

The trick of's frown, his forehead, nay, the valley,
The pretty dimples of his chin, and cheek, his fmiles,
The very mould and frame of hand, nail, finger.
And thou, good goddefs 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 she 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 stay her tongue.

Ant. Hang all the husbands

That cannot do that feat, you'll leave yourself
Hardly one fubject.

Leo. Once more, take her hence.

Paul. A moft unworthy and unnatural Lord

Can do no more.

Leo. I'll ha' thee burnt.

Paul. I care not;

It is an heretic that makes the fire,

Not the which burns in't. I'll not call you tyrant, But this most 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 I a tyrant,
Where were her life? fhe durft not call me fo,
If he did know me one. Away with her.

Paul. I pray you, do not pufh me, I'll be gone.
Look to your babe, my Lord, 'tis your's; Jove fend her
A better guiding fpirit! What need these 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, traitor, 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 else call 'st thine: if thou refufe,
And wilt encounter with my wrath, fay fo:
The baftard 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 lyars all.

Lords. 'Befeech your Highnefs, give us better credit.. We've always truly ferv'd you, and beseech you So to efteem of us and on our knees we beg,

(As recompence of our dear fervices

Paft and to come), that you do change this purpose, Which being fo horrible, fo bloody, must

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:

t fhall not neither.

-You, Sir, come you hither;

You, that have been so tenderly officious

[To Antigonus.

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 nobleness impose: 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 sword,
Thou wilt perform my bidding.

Ant. I will, my Lord.

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

Death to thyfelf, but to thy lewd-tongu'd wife,
Whom for this time we pardon. We injoin thee,
As thou art liege-man to us, that thou carry
This female bastard 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 its 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,
(Cafting their favagenefs afide) have done
Like offices of pity. Sir, be profperous

In more than this deed does require; and bleffing,
Againft this cruelty, fight on thy fide!

Poor thing condemn'd to lofs.

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

[Exit, with the child,