a

(Which was as gross as ever touch'd conjecture,
That lack'd, sight only, nought for approbation; "
But only seeing, all other circumstances
Made up to the deed) doth push on this proceeding:
Yet, for a greater confirmation,
(For, in an act of this importance, 't were
Most piteous to be wild) I have dispatch'd in post
To sacred Delphos, to Apollo's temple,
Cleomenes and Dion, whom you know
Of stuff'd sufficiency. Now, from the oracle
They will bring all; whose spiritual counsel had,
Shall stop, or spur me. Have I done well?
1 LORD. Well done, my lord.

LEON. Though I am satisfied, and need no more
Than what I know, yet shall the oracle
Give rest to the minds of others; such as he
Whose ignorant credulity will not

Come up to the truth. So have we thought it

good,

From our free person she should be confin'd, Lest that the treachery of the two fled hence Be left her to perform. Come, follow us; We are to speak in public; for this business Will raise us all.

ANT. [Aside.] To laughter, as I take it, If the good truth were known.

[Exeunt.

a That lack'd, sight only, nought for approbation;] The meaning is,-That wanted, seeing excepted, nothing for proof.

SCENE II.-The same.

Prison.

The outer Room of a

He must be told on 't, and he shall: the office
Becomes a woman best; I'll take 't upon me:
If I prove honey-mouth'd, let my tongue blister,
And never to my red-look'd anger be
The trumpet any more.-Pray you, Emilia,
Commend my best obedience to the queen;
If she dares trust me with her little babe,
I'll show 't the king, and undertake to be
Her advocate to the loudest. We do not know
How he may soften at the sight o' the child;
The silence often of pure innocence
Persuades, when speaking fails.

EMIL.

[ship

Most worthy madam, 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 ladyTo 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 't, As boldness from my bosom, let 't not be doubted I shall do good. EMIL. Now be you bless'd for it! I'll to the queen: please you, come something [the babe,

nearer.

GAOL. Madam, if 't please the queen to send I know not what I shall incur to pass it, Having no warrant.

a These dangerous unsafe lunes-] To remedy the apparent tautology in this line, Mr. Collier's annotator would have us read, -still more tautologically,—

"These dangerous unsane lunes," &c.

But the old text needs no alteration; " dangerous," like its syno

He took good rest to-night; 'Tis hop'd his sickness is discharg'd.

LEON.

To see his nobleness!
Conceiving the dishonour of his mother,
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 solely:-go,
See how he fares. [Exit Attend.]-Fic, fie! 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.

"Blank" and "level" are terms in gunnery; the former means mark, the latter range.

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

e

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

LEON.

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

LEON.
What, canst not rule her?
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.
La you now ! you hear:
When she will take the rein, I let her run;
But she 'll not stumble.

PAUL. Good my liege, I come,And, I beseech you, hear me, who professes Myself your loyal servant, 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 From your good queen.

Good queen!

come

LEON. 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.

Force her hence.

LEON.

He dreads his wife!

It is yours;

And, might we lay the old proverb to your charge,
So like you, 't is the worse.-Behold, my lords,
Although the print be little, the whole matter
And copy of the father,-eye, nose, lip;
The trick of 's 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
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!

LEON.
A gross hag!-
And, losel, 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 subject.

LEON. Once more, take her hence! PAUL. A most unworthy and unnatural lord Can do no more.

LEON. PAUL.

I'll have thee burn'd.

I care not: It is an heretic that makes the fire, Not she which burns in't. I'll not call you tyrant;

f And, might we lay the old proverb to your charge, So like you, 'tis the worse.-]

Overbury quotes this "old proverb" in his character of "A Sargeant":-"The devill cals him his white sonne; he is so like him, that he is the worse for it, and hee lokes after his father."OVERBURY's Works, Ed. 1616.

glosel,-] Said to be derived from the Saxon Losian, to lose, and to mean an abandoned, worthless fellow.

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!

PAUL. I pray you, do not push me; I'll be gone. Look to your babe, my lord; 't is yours: Jove send her [hands?

A better guiding spirit!-What needs these
You, that are thus so tender o'er his follies,
Will never do him good, not one of you.
So, so-farewell; we are gone.

[Exit.

LEON. Thou, traitor, 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 consum'd with fire; Even thou, and none but thou. Take it up straight: Within this hour bring me word 't is done, (And by good testimony) or I'll seize thy life, With what thou else call'st 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'st on thy wife.

ANT.

I did not, sir: These lords, my noble fellows, if they please, Can clear me in 't.

[credit:

purpose,

1 LORD. Beseech your highness, give us better
We have always truly serv'd you; and beseech a
So to esteem of us and on our knees we beg,
(As recompense of our dear services
Past and to come) that you do change this
Which being so horrible, so bloody, must
Lead on to some foul issue: we all kneel.
LEON. I am a feather for each wind that blows:-
Shall I live on, to see this bastard kneel
And call me father?
Than curse it then.
It shall not neither.

Better burn it now,
But be it; let it live :-
You, sir, come you hither;
[TO ANTIGONUS.

You that have been so tenderly officious
With lady Margery, your midwife, there,
To save this bastard's life,-for 't is a bastard,
So sure as this beard's grey," what will you ad-

venture

To save this brat's life?

aand beseech-] Here again in the old text the elision of you is marked by an apostrophe; thus, beseech '.

b So sure as this beard's grey,-] Unless we read according to a marginal annotation in Lord Ellesmere's copy of the first folio, -"thy beard," we must suppose the king to point to, or touch the beard of Antigonus; he himself, who twenty-three years before the play began was unbreeched, could hardly have a grey beard.

That my ability may undergo,
And nobleness impose:—at least, thus much,
I'll pawn the little blood which I have left
To save the innocent :-anything possible.
LEON. It shall be possible. Swear by this sword,
Thou wilt perform my bidding.

ANT.
I will, my lord.
LEON. Mark, and perform it, seest thou; for
the fail

Of any point in 't shall not only be
Death to thyself, but to thy lewd-tongu'd wife,
Whom for this time we pardon. We enjoin thee,
As thou art liegeman to us, that thou carry
This female bastard hence; and that thou bear it
To some remote and desert 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
It came to us, I do in justice charge thee,
On thy soul's peril, and thy body's torture,
That thou commend it strangely to some place,
Where chance may nurse or end it. Take it up.
ANT. I swear to do this, though a present