Her.

Leon.

Her.

That vulgars give bold'st titles; ay, and privy
To this their late escape.

No, by my life,

Privy to none of this. How will this grieve you,
When you shall come to clearer knowledge, that
You thus have publish'd me! Gentle my lord,
You scarce can right me throughly then to say
You did mistake.

No; if I mistake

In those foundations which I build upon,
The centre is not big enough to bear

A school-boy's top. Away with her, to prison!
He who shall speak for her is afar off guilty
But that he speaks.

95

100

"There's some ill planet reigns: 105

I must be patient till the heavens look

With an aspect more favourable." Good my lords,
I am not prone to weeping, as our sex
Commonly are; the want of which vain dew

Perchance shall dry your pities: but I have
That honourable grief lodged here which burns

IIO

Leon.

Worse than tears drown: beseech you all, my lords,
With thoughts so qualified as your charities
Shall best instruct you, measure me; and so
The king's will be perform'd!

Her. Who is 't that goes with me?

My women may be with me; for you see

My plight requires it. Do not weep, good fools;

I 20

There is no cause: when you shall know your mistress
Has deserved prison, then abound in tears
As I come out: this action now go on
Is for my better grace. Adieu, my lord:

94. That vulgars] That vulgar F 4, Rowe; The vulgar Hanmer. than to Rowe. 104. afar off] a farre-off Ff 1, 2; afar off F 3; far off Pope; far of Theobald. 105. But] In Hanmer.

99. then to] afar-off F 4;

I never wish'd to see you sorry; now

Leon. Go, do our bidding; hence!

I trust I shall. My women, come; you have leave.

[Exit Queen, guarded; with Ladies. First Lord. Beseech your highness, call the queen again. Ant. Be certain what you do, sir, lest your justice

Prove violence; in the which three great ones suffer,
Yourself, your queen, your son.

For her, my lord,
I dare my life lay down and will do 't, sir,
Please you to accept it, that the queen is spotless
I' the eyes of heaven and to you; I mean,
In this which you accuse her.

She's otherwise, I'll keep my stables where
I lodge my wife; I'll go in couples with her;
Than when I feel and see her no farther trust her;
For every inch of woman in the world,

Ay, every dram of woman's flesh is false,

Hold your peaces.

Ant. It is for you we speak, not for ourselves:

You are abused, and by some putter-on
That will be damn'd for 't; would I knew the villain,
I would land-damn him. Be she honour-flaw'd,

125. [Exit Queen .] Theobald; omit Ff. 127. lest] Ff 3, 4; least Ff 1, 2. 134. stables] stable F 4; my stable-stand Hanmer; me stables Collier MS.; my stabler, or stablers Camb. Edd. 136. Than] Pope; Then Ff. 136. farther] FI; further Ff 2, 3, 4. 141. abused, and by] F 1; abus'd, by Ff 2, 3, 4; abused by Rowe. 143. land-damn] F 4; Land-damne Ff 1, 2, 3; land-damm Hanmer; lamback Collier; laudanum Farmer; live-damn Walker; half-damn Heath.

I have three daughters; the eldest is eleven;

The second and the third, nine, and some five;

145

Leon.

Ant.

If this prove true, they 'll pay for 't: by mine honour,
I'll geld 'em all; fourteen they shall not see,
To bring false generations: they are co-heirs,
And I had rather glib myself than they
Should not produce fair issue.

You smell this business with a sense as cold

As is a dead man's nose: but I do see 't and feel't,
As you feel doing thus; and see withal
The instruments that feel.

If it be so,

We need no grave to bury honesty:

There's not a grain of it the face to sweeten
Of the whole dungy earth.

What! lack I credit?

Leon.
First Lord. I had rather you did lack than I, my lord,
Upon this ground; and more it would content me
To have her honour true than your suspicion,
Be blamed for 't how you might.

Leon.

155

160

Why, what need we Commune with you of this, but rather follow

145. nine, and some five] nine: and sonnes five, Ff 2, 3, 4. Rowe (2). 162. of] F 1; for Ff 2, 3, 4.

ing line may account for the printer's
repetition of the word in the form land-
damn in line 143. But much may be said
for the view that Shakespeare is here
making use of an obsolete dialect word,
and a correspondent to Notes and
Queries (7th ser. xii. 160) asserts that
"near half a century ago the word
land-damn was not unknown in the
folk-speech of the West Riding of York-
shire." Dr. Joseph Wright records the
forms landam and landan, as well as
the compounds landam-lantan and lan-
tan-rantan as obsolete words of Glou-
cestershire speech, the meaning of
which is "to abuse with rancour.'
This meaning would suit well with the
present passage. See English Dialect
Dictionary and Huntley's Glossary of
the Cotswold Dialect.
148. false generations] bastard chil-
dren.

149. glib] geld.

160. her] your

153. As you feel doing thus] The meaning of this and of the following words is obscure. Henley's suggestion is that Leontes makes with his fingers the sign of cuckoldry on Antigonus' forehead; see I. ii. 217, and note. E. M. Dey, on the other hand, argues that doing thus plainly refers to Antigonus, and not to Leontes, and interprets the words "as you (Antigonus) feel (in) doing thus," ie. in making it impossible for your daughters to bring false generations.

153-4. and see . . . . . The instruments that feel] If Henley's interpretation be accepted, we must understand that the reference here is to the fingers. On the other hand, Dey interprets the line as follows: "And, what is more, I see those things in present conditions which are instrumental in making me feel."

159. Upon this ground] in this matter,

Our forceful instigation? Our prerogative

Calls not your counsels, but our natural goodness
Imparts this; which if you, or stupified,

165

Ant.

Or seeming so, in skill, cannot or will not
Relish a truth like us, inform yourselves
We need no more of your advice: the matter,
The loss, the gain, the ordering on 't, is all
Properly ours.

You had only in your silent judgement tried it,
Without more overture.

And I wish, my liege,

170

Leon.

How could that be?

Either thou art most ignorant by age,
Or thou wert born a fool. Camillo's flight,
Added to their familiarity,

175

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,

180

For in an act of this importance 'twere

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

185

They will bring all; whose spiritual counsel had,
Shall stop or spur me. Have I done well?

First Lord. Well done, my lord.

Leon, Though I am satisfied and need no more (Than what I know, yet shall the oracle

190

169-70. on 't, is all Properly] Theobald; on 't, Is all properly Ff; on 't Is 182. I have] I hane F 1. 184. Cleomenes] The Ff read Dion] F 1; Deon Ff 2, 3, 4. 187. me]

properly all Pope.

Cleomines here and throughout:

me on Hanmer.

164. Calls] calls for.

166. skill] The word is used here in
its original sense of discernment.
172. overture] publicity, discovery.
Compare King Lear, III. vii. 89:-
"It was he

That made the overture of thy
treasons to us."

176. as ever touch'd conjecture] as conjecture ever put to the test. Compare Othello, Iv. iii. 81:

"I have a suit,

Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed."

177. approbation] proof.

182-3. I have dispatch'd... temple] In Pandosto messengers are sent to "the Isle of Delphos," not at the suggestion of the jealous husband, but at that of the wrongly accused wife.

185. stuff'd sufficiency] abundant ability.

186. had] when received.

Ant.

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 confined,
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.

[Aside] To laughter, as I take it,

If the good truth were known.

SCENE II.-A prison.

Enter PAULINA, a Gentleman, and Attendants.

Paul. The keeper of the prison, call to him;
Let him have knowledge who I am.

195

[Exeunt.

[Exit Gent.

Good lady,

No court in Europe is too good for thee;
What dost thou then in prison?

Re-enter Gentleman, with the Gaoler.

To the contrary I have express commandment. Paul. Here's ado,

To lock up honesty and honour from

193. have we] Ff 1, 2; we have Ff 3, 4.

ΙΟ

198. [Aside] Hanmer.

Enter Paulina . . .] Hanmer; 2. who] F 1; whom Ff 2, who] Ff 1; whom Ff 2, 3, 4. one line in Ff.

Igr. he] The reference may be, as 1. ii. 19: "Those are the raised father Fumess thinks, to Antigonus, but and his friends." Shakespeare also used the pronoun in an indefinite sense-any man.

194. free] accessible to everybody.

195-6. treacheryle to

perform] Leontes implies that Hermione is a conspirer with Polixenes and Camillus in the plot against his crown and life. 198. raise] rouse. Compare Othello,

SCENE II.

2. who] "The change by F 2 of this 'who' to 'whom' seems to show that not until nine years after F I was printed, were compositors fully aware that in certain cases the relative pronoun must be inflected" (Furness).