A moiety of the throne, a great king's daughter,
The mother to a hopeful prince,-here standing,
To prate and talk for life and honour 'fore
Who please to come and hear. For life, I prize it
As I weigh grief," which I would spare: for honour,
"T is a derivative from me to mine,
And only that I stand for. I appeal

To your own conscience, sir, before Polixenes
Came to your court, how I was in your grace,
How merited to be so; since he came,

Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not

At all acknowledge. For Polixenes,
(With whom I am accus'd) I do confess
I lov'd him, as in honour he requir'd,—
With such a kind of love as might become
A lady like me; with a love, even such,
So and no other, as yourself commanded:
Which not to have done, I think had been in me
Both disobedience and ingratitude

To you and toward your friend; whose love had spoke,

Even since it could speak, from an infant, freely,
That it was yours. Now, for conspiracy,
I know not how it tastes; though it be dish'd
For me to try how: all I know of it,
Is that Camillo was an honest man;

And why he left your court, the gods themselves,
Wotting no more than I, are ignorant.

LEON. You knew of his departure, as you know

What you have underta'en to do in 's absence.
HER. Sir,

You speak a language that I understand not:

My life stands in the level of your dreams, Which I'll lay down.

LEON.

Your actions are my dreams;
You had a bastard by Polixenes,
And I but dream'd it :-as you were past all
shame,

(Those of your fact are so,) so past all truth;
Which to deny, concerns more than avails; for as
Thy brat hath been cast out, like to itself,
No father owning it, (which is, indeed,
More criminal in thee than it) so thou
Shalt feel our justice; in whose easiest passage,
Look for no less than death.(1)

HER.
Sir, spare your threats;
The bug which you would fright me with, I seek.
To me can life be no commodity:

your favour,

The crown and comfort of my life,
I do give lost; for I do feel it gone,
But know not how it went: my second joy,
And first-fruits of my body, from his presence
I am barr'd, like one infectious: my third comfort,
Starr'd most unluckily, is from my breast,
The innocent milk in it most innocent mouth,
Hal'd out to murder: myself on every post
Proclaim'd a strumpet; with immodest hatred,
The child-bed privilege denied, which 'longs
To women of all fashion ;-lastly, hurried
Here to this place, i' the open air, before
I have got strength of limit. Now, my liege,
Tell me what blessings I have here alive,
That I should 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 shall be condemn'd
Upon surmises, all proofs sleeping else,
But what your jealousies awake,-I tell you
"T is rigour, and not law. Your honours all,
I do refer me to the oracle:
Apollo be my judge! (2)

1 LORD.

This your request
Is altogether just :-therefore, bring forth,
And in Apollo's name, his oracle.

[Exeunt certain Officers.
HER. The emperor of Russia was my father:
O, that he were alive, and here beholding
His daughter's trial! that he did but see
The flatness of my misery,-yet with eyes
Of pity, not revenge!

This is not remarkably perspicuous; the sense appears to be,→ By what unwarrantable familiarity have I lapsed, that I should be made to stand as a public criminal thus ?

c in the level-] To be in the level is to be within the range or compass;" and therefore when under his covert or perision he is gotten within his levell and hath the Winde fit and certaine, then hee shall make choice of his marke," &c.-MARKHAM'S Hunger's Prevention, 1621, p. 45.

d (Those of your fact-] Those of your crime. "Pericles," Act IV. Sc. 3,

"Becoming well thy fact."

e-in it most innocent mouth,-] See note (b), p. 214.

Thus, in

New woo my queen; recall the good Camillo,
Whom I proclaim a man of truth, of mercy;
For, being transported by my jealousies
To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chose
Camillo for the minister, to poison

My friend Polixenes: which had been done,
But that the good mind of Camillo tardied
My swift command, though I with death, and with
Reward, did threaten and encourage him,
Not doing it, and being done: he, most humane,
And fill'd with honour, to my kingly guest
Unclasp'd my practice; quit his fortunes here,
Which you knew great; and to the hazard
Of all incertainties himself commended.
No richer than his honour, how he glisters
Thorough my rust! and how his piety
Does my deeds make the blacker !

In leads or oils? what old or newer torture
Must I receive, whose every word deserves
To taste of thy most worst? Thy tyranny
Together working with thy jealousies,-
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'dst Polixenes, 't was nothing,-
That did but show thee of a fool, inconstant
And damnabled ingrateful; nor was 't much,
Thou wouldst have poison'd good Camillo's honour,
To have him kill a king;-poor trespasses,
More monstrous standing by: whereof I reckon
The casting forth to crows thy baby daughter,
To be or none, or little, though a devil
Would have shed water out of fire, ere done 't;
Nor is 't directly laid to thee, the death
Of the young prince, whose honourable thoughts
(Thoughts high for one so tender) cleft the heart
That could conceive a gross and foolish sire
Blemish'd his gracious dam: this is not, no,
Laid to thy answer: but the last,—O, lords,

"

and to the hazard
Of all incertainties himself commended,

No richer than his honour. How he glisters," &c.

e That did but show thee of a fool,-] Theobald proposed to read," of a soul;" and Warburton, -"show thee off, a fool;" but any change would be to destroy a form of speech characteristic of the author's time; "of a fool," is the same as "for a fool."

d And damnable ingrateful;] That is, “damnably ingrateful."