Your honour, and your goodness, is so evident,
That your free undertaking cannot miss

A thriving issue; there is no lady living,

So meet for this great errand: Please your ladyship
To visit the next room, I'll presently

Acquaint the queen of your most noble offer;
Who, but to-day, hammer'd of this design;
But durst not tempt a minister of honour,
Lest she should be denied.

Paul.

Tell her, Emilia,
I'll use that tongue I have: if wit flow from it,
As boldness from my bosom, let it not be doubted
I shall do good.

Emil.

Now be you blest for it!

I'll to the queen: Please you, come something nearer. Keep. Madam, if't please the queen to send the babe, I know not what I shall incur, to pass it,

Having no warrant.

Paul. You need not fear it, sir :

The child was prisoner to the womb; and is,

By law and process of great nature, thence
Free'd and enfranchis'd: not a party to

The anger of the king; nor guilty of,
If any be, the trespass of the queen.
Keep. I do believe it.

Paul.

Do not you fear : upon

[Exeunt.

Mine honour, I will stand 'twixt you and danger.

SCENE III.

The same.

A Room in the Palace.

Enter LEONTES, ANTIGONUS, Lords, and other

Attendants.

Leon. Nor night, nor day, no rest: It is but weakness To bear the matter thus; mere weakness, if

The cause were not in being;

part o'the cause,
She, the adultress; for the harlot king
Is quite beyond mine arm, out of the blank
And level of my brain, plot-proof: but she

I
can hook to me: Say that she were gone,
Given to the fire, a moiety of my rest

Might come to me again.

1 Atten.

Leon. How does the boy?

1 Atten.

Who's there?

My lord? [Advancing.

He took good rest to-night;

'Tis hop'd, his sickness is discharg❜d.

Leon.

His nobleness!

Conceiving the dishonour of his mother,

To see,

He straight declin'd, droop'd, took it deeply;
Fasten'd and fix'd the shame on't in himself;
Threw off his spirit, his appetite, his sleep,

And downright languish'd. Leave me solely9:-go, See how he fares. [Exit Attend.]-Fye, fye, no thought of him;

The very thought of my revenges that way
Recoil upon me: in himself too mighty:

And in his parties, his alliance, — Let him be,

Until a time may serve: for present vengeance,
Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes

Laugh at me; make their pastime at my sorrow:
They should not laugh, if I could reach them; nor
Shall she, within my power.

1 Lord.

Enter PAULINA, with a Child.

You must not enter.

Paul. Nay, rather, good my lords, be second to me: you his tyrannous passion more, alas,

Fear

J Leave me solely:] That is, leave me alone.

Than the queen's life? a gracious innocent soul;
More free, than he is jealous.

Ant.

That's enough.

1 Atten. Madam, he hath not slept to-night; com

manded

None should come at him.

Paul.
Not so hot, good sir;
I come to bring him sleep. 'Tis such as you,—
That creep like shadows by him, and do sigh
At each his needless heavings, such as you
Nourish the cause of his awaking: I

Do come with words as med'cinal as true;
Honest, as either; to purge him of that humour,
That presses him from sleep.

Leon.

What noise there, ho?

Paul. No noise, my lord; but needful conference, About some gossips for your highness.

Leon.

Away with that audacious lady: Antigonus,

How?

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

Ant.

I told her so, my lord,

What, canst not rule her?

On your displeasure's peril, and on mine,
She should not visit you.

Leon.

Paul. From all dishonesty, he can: in this,
(Unless he take the course that you have done,
Commit me, for committing honour,) trust it,
He shall not rule me.

Ant.

When she will take the rein, I let her run;
But she'll not stumble.

Paul.

Lo you now; you hear!

Good my liege, I come,

And, I beseech you, hear me, who profess +
Myself your loyal servant, your physician,
Your most obedient counsellor; yet that dare

Less appear so, in comforting your evils,'
Than such as most seem yours: I

From your good queen.
Leon.

say, I come

Good queen!

Paul. Good queen, my lord, good queen: I say, good

queen.

And would by combat make her good, so were I

A man, the worst about you.

Leon.

2

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 she is good, hath brought you forth a daughter; Here 'tis; commends it to your blessing.

Leon.

[Laying down the child.

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

I am as ignorant in that, as you

In so entitling me: and no less honest

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

Leon.

Traitors!

Out!

Will you not push her out? Give her the bastard: Thou dotard, [to ANTIGONUS,] thou art woman-tir'd,*

unroosted

By thy dame Partlet here, - take up the bastard;
Take't up, I say; give't to thy crone.

5

1-in comforting your evils,] Comforting is here used in the legal sense of comforting and abetting in a criminal action.

2 · the worst about you.] Were I the weakest of your servants,

I would yet claim the combat against any accuser.

3 A mankind witch!] i. e. masculine.

4

thou art woman-tir'd,] Woman-tir'd, is peck'd by a woman; hen-pecked.

5

thy crone.] i. e. thy old worn-out woman, A croan is an old toothless sheep: thence an old woman.

Paul.

• For ever

Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

Tak'st up the princess, by that forced baseness"
Which he has put upon't!

Leon.

He dreads his wife.

Paul. So, I would, you did; then 'twere past all doubt, You'd call your children yours.

Leon.

A nest of traitors!

Nor I; nor any,

Ant. I am none, by this good light.
Paul.

But one, that's here; and that's himself: for he
The sacred honour of himself, his queen's,

His hopeful son's, his babe's betrays to slander,

Whose sting is sharper than the sword's; and will not
(For, as the case now stands, it is a curse
He cannot be compell'd to't, once remove
The root of his opinion, which is rotten,
As ever oak, or stone, was sound.

Leon.

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.

And, might we lay the old proverb to your charge,

So like
'tis the worse.
you,
Behold, my lords,
Although the print be little, the whole matter
And copy of the father: eye, nose, lip,

The trick of his frown, his forehead; nay, the valley,
The pretty dimples of his chin, and cheek; his smiles;
The very mould and frame of hand, nail, finger:-
And, thou, good goddess nature, which hast made it

6 Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

Tak'st up the princess, by that forced baseness-] Leontes had ordered Antigonus to take up the bastard; Paulina forbids him to touch the princess under that appellation. Forced is false, uttered with violence to truth. JOHNSON.