I conjure thee by all the parts of man,
Which honour does acknowledge, (whereof the leaft
Is not this suit of mine,) that thou declare,
What incidency thou dost guess of harm
Is creeping towards me; how far off, how near ;
Which way to be prevented, if it be ;
If not, how beft to bear it.
Cam. Sir, I'll tell you,
Since I charg'd in honour, and by him
That I think honourable; therefore, mark my counsel;
Which must be ev'n as swiftly follow'd, as
I mean to utter it; or both yourself and me
Cry loft, and so good night.
Pol. On, good Camillo.
Cam. I am appointed him to murder you.
Pol. By whom, Camillo ?
Cam. By the King.
Pol. For what?
Cam. He thinks, nay, with all confidence he fwears,
As he had feen't, or been an instrument
To vice you to't, that you have toucht his Queen
Forbiddenly.
Pol, Oh, then my best blood turn
To an infected gelly, and my name
Be yoak’d with his, that did betray the best !
Turn then my freshest reputation to
A favour, that may strike the dulleft noftril
Where I arrive ; and my approach be fhund,
Nay, hated too, worse than the great'it infection
That e'er was heard, or read !
Cam. Swear this though over (7)
By each particular star in heaven, and
By all their influences ; you may as well
Forbid (7) Cam.
-Swear his thought over
By each particular far in beaven, &c.] The transposition of a fingle letter reconciles this passage to good sense; which is not so, as the text ftands in all the printed copies. Polixenes, in the precede ing speech, had been laying she deepest imprecations on himself, if he had ever abus'd Leontes in any familiarity with the Queen. To which Camillo very pertinéntly replies :
Swear this though over, &c.
Forbid the sea for to obey the moon,
As or by oath remove, or counsel shake,
The fabrick of his folly; whose foundation
Is pild upon his faith, and will continue
The standing of his body
.. Pol. How should this
Cam. I know not; but, I'm sure, 'tis safer to
Avoid what's grown, than question how 'tis born.
If therefore you dare truft my honesty,
That lies inclosed in this trunk, which you
Shall bear along impawn’d, away to-night;
Your followers I will whisper to the business;
And will by two's, and threes, at several pofterns,
Clear thèm o'th' city. For myself, I'll put
My fortunes to your service, which are here
By this discovery loft. Be not uncertain,
For by the honour of
my parents, I
Have utter'd truth; which if you seek to prove,
I dare not stand by; nor all you be safer,
Than one condemned by the King's own mouth; 49
Thereon his execution sworn.
Pol. I do believe thee';
I faw his heart in's face. Give me thy hand;
Be pilot to me, and thy places shall
Still neighbour mine. My lips are ready, and
My people did expect my hence departure
Two days ago. This jealousy
Is for a precious creature; as fhe's tare,
Must it be great; and, as his person's mighty,
Must it be violent; and, as he does conceive
He is dishonour'd by a man, which ever
Profess'd to him; why, his revenges mult
In that be made more bitter. Fear o'er-shades me :
Good expedition be my friend, and comfort
The gracious Queen ; part of his theam, 'but nothing
Of his ill-ta'en suspicion. Come Camillo,
i. e. Sir, though you should protest you r innocence never so often, and call every star and faint in heaven to witness to your adjuration; yet jealousy is fo rooted in my master's bofom, that all you can say and Swear will have no force to remove it.
1
I will respect thee as a father, if
Thou bear'ft my life off hence. Let us avoid.
Cam. It is in mine authority to command
The keys of all the posterns : please your Highness,
To take the urgent hour. Come, Sir, away. (Exeunt.
А ст. ІІ.
SCENE, the Palace.
Enter Hermione, Mamillius, and Ladies.
HERMIONE,
AKE the boy to you ; he so troubles me,
'Tis paft enduring.
1 Lady. Come, my gracious Lord.
Shall I be your play-fellow!
Mam. No, I'll none of you.
1 Lady. Why, my sweet Lord
Mam. You'll kiss me hard, and speak to me as if I were a baby ftill; I love you better.
2 Lady. And why so, my Lord ?
Mam. Not for because Your brows are blacker; (yet black brows, they says Become some women beft ; so that there be not Too much hair there, but in a semicircle, Or a half-moon made with a pen.)
2 Lady. Who taught you this?
Mám. I learn'd it out of women's faces : pray now) What colour be your eye-brows?
1 Lady, Blue, my Lord. Mam. Nay, that's a mock: I've feen a Lady's nofé That has been blue, but not her eye-brows,
i Lady. Hark ye; The Queen, your mother, rounds apace: we shall Present our services to a fine new Prince One of these days; and then you'll wanton with ds,
If we would have you.
2 iady. She is spread of fate Into a goodly bulk; (good time encounter her!)
Her. What wisdom stirs amongst you? come, Sir, now
I am for you again. Pray you fit by us,
And tell's a tale.
Mam. Merry, or sad, sall’t be?
Her. As merry as you
will.
Mam., A fad tale's best for winter.
I have one of sprights and goblins.
Her. Let's have that, good Sir. Come on, sit down. Come on, and do your best To fright me with your sprights: you're powerful at it. Mam. There was a man Her. Nay, come fit down ; then on,
Mam. Dwelt by a church-yard ;-I will tell it foftly: Yond crickets shall not hear it. Her. Come on then, and give't me in mine ear.
Enter Leontes, Antigonus, and Lords.
Leo. Was he met there? his train ? Camillo with him?
Lord. Behind the tuft of pines I met them; never
Saw I men fcowr so on their way: I ey'd them
Even to their ships.
Leo. How bleit am I
In my just censure! in my true opinion
Alack, for lefser knowledge, how accurs'd
In being fo bleft ! There may be in the cup
A spider fteep'd, and one may drink; depart,
And yet partake no venom ; for his knowledge
Is not infected: but if one present
Th' abhorr'd ingredient to his eye, make known
How he hath drunk, he cracks his gorge, his fides
With violent hefts. I have drank, and Teen the spidet:
Camillo was his help in this, his Pander :
There is a plot against my life, my crown ;
All's true, that is mistrutted that false villains
Whom I employ'd, was pre-employ'd by him :
He hath discover'd my design, and I
Remain a pinch'd thing; yea, a very trick
For
From them to play at will : how came the postern's
So easily open?
Lord. By his great authority,
Which often hath no less prevail'd than so
On your command.
Leo. I know't too well.
Give me the boy; I'm glad, you did not nurse him:
Though he does bear fome signs of me, yet you
Have too much blood in him.-
Her. What is this, fport?
Leo. Bear the boy hence, he shall not come about her;
Away with him, and let her sport herself
With that fhe's big with: for "tis Polixenes
Has made thee swell thus.
Her. But I'd say, he had not ;
And, I'll be sworn, you would believe my saying,'
Howe'er you lean to the nayward.
Leo. You, my Lords,
Look on her, mark her well ; be but about
To say, the is a goodly Lady, and
The justice of your hearts will thereto add,
'Tis pity, she's not honeft, honourable:
Praise her but for this her without-door form,
(Which on my faith deserves high speech,) and ftraight
The shrug, the hum, or ha,-(these petty-brands,
That calumny doth use : oh, I am out, -
That mercy do's; for calumny will fear
Virtue itself.) These shrugs, these hums, and ha's,
When you have faid she's goodly, come between,
Ere you can say he's honeft : but be't known,
(From him, that has moft cause to grieve it should be ;)
She's an adultress.
Her. Should a villain say fo,
The moft replenish'd villain in the world,
He were as much more villain ; you, my Lord,
Do but mistake.
Leo. You have mistook, my Lady,
Polixenes for Leontes. O thou thing,
Which I'll not call a creature of thy place,
Left barbarism, making me the precedent,
Should
|
