Acquaint the Queen of your most noble offer,
Who but to-day hammer'd on this defign,
But durft not tempt a minister of honour,
Left she should be deny'd.

Pau. Tell her, Emilia,

I'll ufe that tongue I have; if wit flow from't
As boldness from my bofom, let't not be doubted
I fhall do good.

Emil. Now be you bleft for it!

I'll to the Queen: pleafe you, come fomething nearer. Goa. Madam, if't please the Queen to fend the babe, I know not what I fhall incur to pass it,

Having no warrant.

Pau. You need not fear it, Sir;

The child was prifoner to the womb, and is
By law and procefs 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 trefpafs of the Queen.
Goa. I do believe it.

Pau. Do not you fear; upon mine honour, I
Will ftand 'twixt you and darger.

SCENE IV. The Palace.

[Exeunt.

Enter Leontes, Antigonus, Lords and other Artendants. Leo. Nor night, nor day, no reft; it is but weakness To bear the matter thus; meer weakness, if The cause were not in being; part o'th' cause She, the adult'refs; for the harlot-King Is quite beyond mine arm; out of the blank And level of my brain; plot-proof; but the I can hook to me: fay that she were gone, Given to the fire, a moiety of my reft Might come to me again. Who's there? Enter an Attendant.

Atten. My Lord.

Leo. How does the boy?

Atten. He took good rest

To-night, 'tis hop'd, his fickness is discharg'd.

Leo. To fee his nobleness!

Conceiving the difhonour of his mother,

He

He ftraight declin'd, and droop'd, took it moft deeply,
Faften'd and fix'd the fhame on't in himself;
Threw off his fpirit, his appetite, his fleep,

And down-right languifh'd. Leave me folely; 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 ferve, For prefent vengeance,
Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes

Laugh at me, make their paftime at my forrow;
They should not laugh, if I could reach them, nor
Shall fhe within my power.

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

Pau. Nay rather, good my Lords, be fecond to me:
Fear you his tyrannous paffion more, alas,

Than the Queen's life? a gracious innocent foul,
More free than he is jealous.

Ant. That's enough.

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

Pau. Not fo hot, good Sir,

I come to bring him fleep. 'Tis such as you
That creep like fhadows by him, and do figh
At each his needlefs heavings, fuch 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 preffes him from fleep.

Leo. What noise there, ho?

Pau. No noife, my Lord, but needful conference, About fome 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 fo, my Lord,

On your difpleafure's peril and on mine,

VOL. IV.

D

She

She fhould not vifit you.

Leo. What? canft not rule her?

Pau. From all dishonesty he can in this,
(Unless he take the courfe that you have done,
Commit me for committing honour,) trust me,
He fhall not rule me.

Ant. Lo-you now, you hear,

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

Pau. Good my Liege, I come

And I beseech you hear me, who profefs
My felf your loyal fervant, your phyfician,
Your most obedient counsellor: yet that dares
Lefs appear fo, in comforting your evils,
Than fuch as moft feem yours. I fay, 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, fo were 1
A man, the worst about you.

Leo. Force her hence,

Pau. 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 fhe is good, hath brought you forth a daughter,
Here 'tis commends it to your blefling.

Leo. Out!

[Laying down the child.

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

A moft intelligencing bawd.

Pau. Not fo,

I am as ignorant in that as you,

In fo intit❜ling me; and no lefs 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 baftard. [To Ant. Thou dotard, thou art woman-tyr'd; unroofted

By thy dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard,

Take't

Take't up, I fay, give't to thy croan,

Pau. For ever

Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

Tak'ft up the Princefs, 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 neft 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 facred honour of himself, his Queen's,

His hopeful fon's, his babe's, betrays to flander,
Whofe fting is fharper than the fword's; and will not
(For as the cafe now ftands, it is a curfe
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 iffué 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 fmiles,
The very mould and frame of hand, nail, finger.
And thou, good Goddefs 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! left the fufpect, as he does,
Her children not her husband's.

Leo. A grofs hag!

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

D 2

That

That wilt not ftay her tongue.

Ant. Hang all the husbands

That cannot do that feat, you'll leave your felf
Hardly one fubject.

Leo. Once more take her hence.

Pau. A moft 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 the which burns in't. I'll not call you tyrant,
But this moft cruel ufage of your Queen

(Not able to produe more accufation

Than your own week-hing'd fancy) fomething favours
Of tyranny, and will ignoble make you,
Yea, fcandalous to all the world,

Leo. On your allegiance,

Out of the chamber with her. Were I a tyrant,
Where were her life? fhe durft not call me fo,
If the 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 fend her
A better guiding fpirit! What need these hands?
You that are thus fo tender o'er his follies,

Will never do him good, not one of you.

So, fo, farewel, we are gone.

SCENE VI.

Leo. Thou, traytor, haft set on thy wife to this.
My child? away with't. Even thou that haft
A heart fo tender o'er it, take it hence,
And fee it inftantly confum'd with fire ;

[Exit.

Even thou, and none but thou. Take it up fraight:
Within this hour bring me word 'tis done,

And by good teftimony, or I'll feize

Thy life, with all that's thine: if thou refuse,
And wilt encounter with my wrath, fay fo;
The baftard-brains with these my proper hands
Shall I dash out go take it to the fire,
For thou fett'd'ft on thy wife.

Ant. I did not, Sir':

The