D

And firft-fruits of my body, from his prefence
I am barr'd, like one infectious: My third comfort,
3 Starr'd most unluckily, is from my breaft.,
The innocent milk in its moft innocent mouth,
Hal'd out to murder: Myfelf on every poft
Proclaim'd a ftrumpet; with immodeft hatred, O
The child-bed privilege deny'd, which 'longs
To women of all fashion ;-Lastly, hurried
Here to this place, i'the open air, before
I have got ftrength of limit. Now, my liege,
Tell me what bleffings I have here alive,
That I fhould fear to die? Therefore, proceed.
But yet hear this; mistake me not;No! life,
I prize it not a straw :-but for mine honour,
(Which I would free) if I fhall be condemn'd
Upon furmifes; all proofs fleeping elfe,
But what your jealoufies awake, I tell you,
'Tis rigour, and not law.-Your honours all,
I do refer me to the oracle;

Apollo be my judge.

Enter Dion, and Cleomenes.

Lord. This your request

Is altogether juft: therefore, bring forth,
And in Apollo's name, his oracle.

3 Starr'd most unluckily,

i. e, born under an inaufpicious planet. STEEVENS.

4 I have got ftrength of limit.

I know not well how ftrength of limit can mean firength to pass the limits of the child-bed chamber, which yet it must mean in this place, unless we read in a more eafy phrase, ftrength of limb, And now, &c. JOHNSON..

I have got ftrength of limit.

From the following paffage in the black letter history of Titand and Thefeus (of which I have no earlier edition than that in 1636) it appears that limit was anciently ufed for limb:

66

thought it very ftrange that nature fhould endow fo fair a face with fo hard a heart, fuch comely limits with fuch perverfe conditions." STEEVENS.

Her. The emperor of Ruffia was my father:
Oh, that he were alive, and here beholding
His daughter's trial! that he did but fee
The flatness of my mifery; yet with eyes
Of pity, not revenge!

Offi. You here fhall swear upon the sword of juftice, That you, Cleomenes and Dion, have

Been both at Delphos; and from thence have brought
This feal'd-up oracle, by the hand deliver'd
Of great Apollo's prieft; and that, fince then,
You have not dar'd to break the holy feal,
Nor read the fecrets in't. f

Cleo. Dion. All this we fwear.

Leo. Break up the feals, and read.

Offi. Hermione is, chafte, Polixenes blamelefs, Camillo a true fubject, Leontes a jealous tyrant, his innocent babe truly begotten; and the king shall live without an heir, if that, which is loft, be not found.

Lords. Now bleffed be the great Apollo !

Her. Praised!

Leo. Haft thou read truth?

Offi. Ay, my lord; even fo as it is here fet down. Leo. There is no truth at all i'the oracle: 1 The feffion fhall proceed; this is mere falfehood. Enter Servant.

Ser. My lord the king, the king!

Leo. What is the bufinefs?

Ser. O fir, I fhall be hated to report it :
The prince your fon, with mere conceit and fear

Of the queen's fpeed, is gone.]

5 The flatness of my mifery;-]

That is, how low, how fat I am laid by my calamity. JOHNSON. So, Milton, Par. Loft, b. ii:

66

-Thus repuls'd, our final hope

"Is flat defpair." MALONE.

Of the queen's Speed,

Of the event of the queen's trial: fo we ftill fay, he fped well or ill.

JOHNSON.

Leo.

Leo. How! gone?

Ser. Is dead.

Leo. Apollo's angry; and the heavens themselves Do ftrike at my injuftice.

How now there? O
[Hermione faints.

Paul. This news is mortal to the queen :-Look

down,

And fee what death is doing.

Leo. Take her hence:

Her heart is but o'er-charg'd; fhe will recover.

[Exeunt Paulina and ladies, with Hermione. I have too much believ'd mine own fufpicion:- ( 'Beseech you, tenderly apply to her Some remedies for life.Apollo, pardon My great profanenefs 'gainst thine oracle! I'll reconcile me to Polixenes;

New woo my queen; recall the good Camillo; f
Whom I proclaim a man of truth, of mercy
For, being transported by my jealoufies

To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chofe AT
Camillo for the minifter, to poison

My friend Polixenes: which had been done,
But that the good mind of Camillo tardy'd

My swift command; though I with death, and with
Reward, did threaten and encourage him,

Not doing it, and being done: he, moft humane,
And fill'd with honour, to my kingly guest
Unclafp'd my practice; quit his fortunes here,
Which you knew great; and to the certain hazard.
Of all incertainties himself commended,
No richer than his honour :-How he glifters
Through my dark ruft! and how his piety
Does my deeds make the blacker?!

? Does my deeds make the blacker!]

This vehement retraction of Leontes, accompanied with the coh feffion of more crimes than he was fufpected of, is agreeable to our daily experience of the viciffitudes of violent tempers, and the eruptions of minds oppreffed with guilt. JOHNSON",loof e

Re-enter

Re-enter Paulina.

Paul. Woe the while!

O, cut my lacey left my heart, cracking it,
Break too!

Lord. What fit is this, good lady?

Paul. What ftudied torments, tyrant, haft for me?
What wheels? racks? fires? What flaying? boiling?
In leads, or oils? what old, or newer torture
Muft I receive; whofe every word deferves
To tafte of thy moft worft? Thy tyranny,
Together working with thy jealoufies,

Fancies too weak for boys, too green and idle
For girls of nine!O, think, what they have done,
And then run mad, indeed; stark mad! for all
Thy by-gone fooleries were but spices of it.
That thou betray'dft Polixenes, 'twas nothing;
That did but fhew thee, of a fool, inconftant",
And damnable ungrateful: nor was't much,
Thou would't have poifon'd good Camillo's honour,
To have him kill a king; poor trefpaffes,

That thou betray'dft Polixenes, was nothing
That did but fhew thee, of a fool inconftant,
And damnable ungrateful:

-1

I have ventured at a flight alteration here, against the authority of all the copies, and for fool read foul. It is certainly too grofs and blunt in Paulina, though the might impeach the king of fooleries in fome of his past actions and conduct, to call him downright a fool. And it is much more pardonable in her to arraign his morals, and the qualities of his mind, than rudely to call him idiot to his face.. THEOBALD.

-fhew thee of a fool,

So all the copies. We fhould read:

-fhew thee off, a fool,

i. e. represent thee in thy true colours; a fool, an inconftant, &c. WARBURTON.

Poor Mr. Theobald's courtly remark cannot be thought to deserve much notice. Dr. Warburton too might have fpared his fagacity if he had remembered, that the prefent reading, by a mode of fpeech anciently much used, means only, It fhew'd thee first a fool, then inconftant and ungrateful. JOHNSON.

More

More monftrous ftanding by: whereof I reckon
The cafting forth to crows thy baby daughter,
To be or none, or little; though a devil
Would have fhed water out of fire, ere don't:
Nor is't directly laid to thee, the death

Of the young prince; whofe honourable thoughts
(Thoughts high for one fo tender) cleft the heart,
That could conceive, a grofs and foolish fire
Blemish'd his gracious dam: this is not, no,
Laid to thy answer: But the last,—O, lords,
When I have faid, cry, woe!-the queen, the queen,
The sweeteft, deareft, creature's dead; and ven-
geance for't

Not drop down yet.

Lord. The higher powers forbid!

Paul. I fay, fhe's dead; I'll fwear't: if word, nor
oath,

Prevail not, go and fee: if you can bring
Tincture, or luftre, in her lip, her eye,
Heat outwardly, or breath within, I'll ferve you
As I would do the gods.-But, O thou tyrant!
Do not repent these things; for they are heavier
Than all thy woes can ftir: therefore betake thee
To nothing but defpair. A thousand knees,
Ten thoufand years together, naked, fafting,
Upon a barren mountain, and still winter
In ftorm perpetual, could not move the gods
To look that way thou wert.

Leo, Go on, go on:

Thou canst not fpeak too much; I have deferv'd
All tongues to talk their bittereft.

Lord. Say no more;

Howe'er the bufinefs goes, you have made fault

9

-though a devil

Would have fhed water out of fire, ere don't:]

i. e. a devil would have fhed tears of pity o'er the damn'd, ere he would have committed fuch an action. STEEVENS.