He straight declin'd, and droop'd, took it most deeply,
Fasten'd and fix'd the shame on't in himself;
Threw off his spirit, his appetite, his fleep,
And down-right languish'd. Leave me solely; go,
See how he fares. Fie, fie, no thought of him;

[Ex. Attend.

The very thought of my revenges that way
Recoils upon me; in himself too mighty,
And in his parties, his alliance; let him
Be 'till a time may serve. For present vengeance,
Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes

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

SCENE V. Enter Paulina with a Child.
Lord. You must not enter.

Pau. Nay rather, good my Lords, be second to mes

Fear you his tyrannous paffion more, alas,

Than the Queen's life? a gracious innocent soul,

More free than he is jealous.

Ant. That's enough.

Atten. Madam, he hath not slept to-night; commanded None should come at him.

Pau. Not so hot, good Sir,

I come to bring him sleep. 'Tis such as you
That creep like shadows by him, and do figh
At each his needless heavings, such 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 presses him from sleep.

Leo. What noise there, ho?

Pau. No noise, my Lord, but needful conference,

About some goffips for your Highness.

Leo. How?

Away with that audacious Lady. Antigonus,
I charg'd thee that she should not come about me.

I knew she would.

Ant. I told her so, my Lord,

On your difpleasure's peril and on mine,

Vqz; IV.

D

She

She should not vifit you.

Leo. What? canst not rule her?

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

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

Pau. Good my Liege, I come
And I beseech you hear me, who profefs
My felf your loyal fervant, your physician,
Your most obedient counsellor: yet that dares
Less appear so, in comforting your evils,
Than such as most seem yours. I say, I come
From your good Queen...
Leo. Good Queen?

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

And would by combat make her good, so were I
A man, the worst about you.

Leo. Force her hence.

Pau. Let him that makes but trifes 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 bleffing.

Leo. Out!

[Laying down the Child.

:

A mankind witch! hence with her out o' door:

A most intelligencing bawd.

Pau. Not fo,

I am as ignorant in that as you,

In so intit'ling me; and no less honeft

Than you are mad; which is enough, I'll warrant,

As this world goes, to pass for honest.

Leo. Traytors!

Will you not push her out? give her the bastard. [To Ant.

Thou dotard, thou art women-tyr'd; unreofted

By thy dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard,

- Take't

Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

Tak'st up the Princess, by that forced baseness

Which he has put upon't!

Leo. He dreads his wife.

Pau. So I would you did: then 'twere past all doubt

You'd call your children yours.

Leo. A nest of traytors!

Ant. I am none by this good light.

Pau. Nor I; nor any

But one that's here; and that's himself. For he,
The sacred honour of himself, his Queen's,
His hopeful fon's, his babe's, betrays to slander,
Whose sting is sharper than the sword's; and will not
(For as the cafe 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 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 issue of Polixenes.

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

Pau. It is yours;

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, nofe, lip,

The trick of's frown, his forehead, nay, the valleys,
The dimples of his chin, and cheek, his smiles,
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 hast

The ordering of the mind too, 'mongst all colours
No yellow in't! lest she suspect, as he does,
Her children not her husband's.

Leo. A gross hag!

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

D2

:

:

That

That wilt not stay her tongue.

Ant. Hang all the husbands

That cannot do that feat, you'll leave your self

Hardly one fubject.

Leo. Once more take her hence.

Pau. A most unworthy and unnatural Lord

Can do no more.

Leo. I'll ha' thee burnt.

Pau. I care not;

It is an heretick that makes the fire,

Not she which burns in't. I'll not call you tyrant,

But this most cruel usage of your Queen (Not able to produce more accusation

Than your own weak-hing'd fancy) something favours

Of tyranny, and will ignoble make you,
Yea, scandalous to all the world.

Leo. On your allegiance,

Out of the chamber with her. Were I a tyrant,
Where were her life? she durst not call me so,
If she did know me one. Away with her!

Pau. I pray you, do not push me, I'll be gone.
Look to your babe, my Lord, 'tis yours; Jove send her
A better guiding spirit! What need these hands?
You that are thus so tender o'er his follies,

Will never do him good, not one of you.
So, so: farewel, we are gone.

SCENE VI.

Leo. Thou, traytor, hast set on thy wife to this.

My child? away with't. Even thou that hast
A heart so tender o'er it, take it hence,
And see it instantly confum'd with fire;

Even thou, and none but thou. Take it up straight:

Within this hour bring me word 'tis done,
And by good testimony, or I'll seize

Thy life, with all that's thine: if thou refuse,
And wilt encounter with my wrath, say so;
The bastard-brains with these my proper hands
Shall I dash out: go take it to the fire,

For thou sett'd'st on thy wife,

Ant. I did not, Sir:

[Exit.

The

The 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.

Lord. 'Beseech your Highness, give us better credit.

We've always truly serv'd you, and beseech you
So to esteem of us: and on our knees.
We beg (as recompence of our dear service
Past, and to come) that you do change this purpose,
Which being so horrible, so bloody, muft
Lead on to some foul issue. We all kneel

Leo. I am a feather for each wind that blows:

Shall I live on to see this bastard kneel

And call me father? better burn it now,

Than curse it then. But be it; let it live:

It shall not neither. You, Sir, come you hither; [To Ant.

You that have been so tenderly officious

With Lady Margery, your midwife there,

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

Ant. Any thing, my Lord,

That my ability may undergo
And nobleness impose: at least thus much;
I'll pawn the little blood which I have left,
To lave the innocent; what's possible.

Leo. It shall be poffible;" swear by this sword

Thou wilt perform my bidding.
Ant. I will, my Lord.

Leo. Mark and perform it; seest thou? for the fail
Of any point in't shall not only be
Death to thy felf, but to thy lewd-tongu'd wife,
Whom for this time we pardon. We enjoyn thee,
As thou art liege-man to us, that thou carry
This female bastard hence, and that thou bear it
To some remote and desart 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 strange fortune