SCENE II.—A Room of State in the Palace.
Enter LEONTES, POLIXENES, HERMIONE, MAMILLIUS, CAMILLO, and Attendants.
Pol. Nine changes of the watʼry star have been The shepherd's note, since we have left our throne Without a burden: time as long again
Would be fill'd up, my brother, with our thanks;
And yet we should, for perpetuity,
Go hence in debt: And therefore, like a cipher,
Yet standing in rich place, I multiply,
With one we-thank-you, many thousands more
That go before it.
Leon.
Stay your thanks awhile;
And pay them when you part.
Pol.
Sir, that's to-morrow.
I am question'd by my fears, of what may chance,
Or breed upon our absence: That may blow
No sneaping winds at home, to make us say,
This is put forth too truly! Besides, I have stay'd
To tire your royalty.
We are tougher, brother,
Than you can put us to't. Pol.
Leon. One seven-night longer.
Pol.
Very sooth, to-morrow. Leon. We'll part the time between's then: and
I'll no gain-saying. Pol.
Press me not, 'beseech you so: There is no tongue that moves, none, none i'the world,
So soon as yours, could win me: so it should now,
Were there necessity in your request, although
"Twere needful I denied it. My affairs
Do even drag me homeward: which to hinder,
Were, in your love, a whip to me; my stay,
To you a charge, and trouble: to save both,
Farewell, our brother.
Leon. Tongue-tied, our queen? speak you.
Her. I had thought, sir, to have held my peace,
You had drawn oaths from him, not to stay. You, sir,
Charge him too coldly: Tell him, you are sure,
All in Bohemia's well: this satisfaction
The by-gone day proclaim'd: say this to him,
He's beat from his best ward.
Though you would seek to unsphere the stars with caths,
Should yet say, Sir, no going. Verily,
You shall not go; a lady's verily is
Force me to keep you as a prisoner,
As potent as a lord's. Will you go yet?
Not like a guest; so you shall pay your fees,
When you depart, and save your thanks. How
say you?
My prisoner? or my guest? by your dread verily,
One of them you shall be.
Pol. Your guest then, madam: To be your prisoner, should import offending; Which is for me less easy to commit, Than you to punish. Her.
Not your gaoler then, But your kind hostess. Come, I'll question you Of my lord's tricks, and yours, when you were boys: You were pretty lordlings' then.
Grace to boot! Of this make no conclusion; lest you say, Your queen and I are devils: Yet, go on; The offences we have made you do, we'll answer; If you first sinn'd with us, and that with us You did continue fault, and that you slipp'd not With any but with us.
Is he won yet?
Her. He'll stay, my lord.
Leon.
At my request, he would not.
Hermione, my dearest, thou never spok'st
To better purpose.
Her. What? have I twice said well? when
As fat as tame things:
I pr'ythee, tell me: Cram us with praise, and make us
One good deed, dying
Slaughters a thousand, waiting upon that.
Our praises are our wages: You may ride us,
With one soft kiss, a thousand furlongs, ere
With spur we heat an acre. But to the goal;-
My last good deed was, to entreat his stay;
What was my first? it has an elder sister,
Or I mistake you: O, would her name weie Grace!
But once before I spoke to the purpose: When?
Nay, let me have't, I long.
Three crabbed months had sour'd themselves to
death
Ere I could make thee open thy white hand
And clap thyself my love; then didst thou utter,
I am yours for ever.
Her.
In my green velvet coat; my dagger muzzled,
Lest it should bite its master, and so prove,
As ornaments oft do, too dangerous.
How like, methought, I then was to this kernel,
This squash, this gentleman :-Mine honest friend,
Will you take eggs for money ??
Mam. No, my lord, I'll fight.
Leon. You will? why, happy man be his dole !9
-My brother,
Why, lo you now, I have spoke to the purpose twice: Are you so fond of your young prince, as we
The one for ever earned a royal husband;
The other, for some while, a friend.
[Giving her hand to POLIXENES.
Leon.
Too hot, too hot: [Aside.
To mingle friendship far, is mingling bloods.
I have tremor cordis on me :-my heart dances;
But not for joy,-not joy.-This entertainment
May a free face put on: derive a liberty
From heartiness, from bounty, fertile bosom,
And well become the agent: it may, I grant:
But to be paddling palms, and pinching fingers,
As now they are; and making practis'd smiles,
As in a looking-glass; and then to sigh, as 'twere
The mort o' the deer;9 0 that is entertainment
My bosom likes not, nor my brows.-Mamillius,
Art thou my boy?
Why, that's my bawcock. What, hast smutch'd
thy nose?-
They say it's a copy out of mine. Come, captain,
We must be neat; not neat, but cleanly, captain:
And yet the steer, the heifer, and the calf,
Are all call'd, neat.-Still virginalling2
[erving POLIXENES and HERMIONE.
Upon his palm ?-How now, you wanton calf?
Art thou my calf?
Yes, if you will, my lord.
Leon. Thou want'st a rough pash, and the shoots
that I have,3
To be full like me :-yet, they say we are
Almost as like as eggs; women say, so,
That will say any thing: but were they false
As o'er-died blacks, as wind, as waters; false
As dice are to be wish'd, by one that fixes
No bourn 'twixt his and mine; yet were it true
To say this boy were like me.-Come, sir page,
Look on me with your welkin' eye: Sweet villain!
Most dear'st! my collop!-Can thy dam?-may't be?
Affection! thy intention stabs the centre:
Thou dost make possible, things not so held,
Communicat'st with dreams;-(How can this be?)
With what's unreal thou co-active art,
And fellow'st nothing: Then, 'tis very credents
Thou may'st co-join with something; and thou dost:
(And that beyond commission; and I find it:)
And that to the infection of my brains,
And hardening of my brows.
Pol.
What means Sicilia?
Her. He something seems unsettled.
Pol.
How, my lord?
What cheer? how is't with you, best brother?
Her.
You look,
As if you held a brow of much distraction:
Are you moved, my lord?
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Do seem to be of ours?
Pol.
If at home, sir,
He's all my exercise, my mirth, my matter:
Now my sworn friend, and then mine enemy;
My parasite, my soldier, statesman, all:
He makes a July's day short as December;
And, with his varying childness, cures in me
Thoughts that would thick my blood.
Leon.
So stands this squire
Officed with me: we two will walk, my lord,
And leave you to your grayer steps.-Hermione,
How thou lov'st us, show in our brother's welcome,
Let what is dear in Sicily be cheap:
Next to thyself, and my young rover, he's
Apparent to my heart.
We are yours i' the garden: Shall's attend you
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[Exeunt POLIXenes, Hermione, and Attendants.
Go, play, boy, play ;-thy mother plays, and I
Play too; but so disgraced a part, whose issue
Will hiss me to my grave; contempt and clamor
Will be my knell.-Go, play, boy, play :-There
have been,
Or I am much deceiv'd, cuckolds ere now;
And many a man there is, even at this present,
Now, while I speak this, holds his wife by the arm,
That little thinks she has been sluiced in his absence,
And his pond fish'd by his next neighbor, by
Sir Smile, his neighbor; nay, there's comfort in't,
Whiles other men have gates; and those gates
open'd,
As mine, against their will: Should all despair,
That have revolted wives, the tenth of mankind
Would hang themselves. Physic for't there is none;
It is a bawdy planet, that will strike
Where 'tis predominant; and 'tis powerful, think it,
From east, west, north, and south: be it concluded,
No barricado for a belly; know it;
It will let in and out the enemy,
With bag and baggage: many a thousand of us
Have the disease, and feel't not.-How now,
boy?
Mam. I am like you, they say.
Leon.
Why, that's some comfort.
Leon. Go play, Mamillius; thou'rt an honest
Camillo, this great sir will yet stay longer.
Cam. You had much ado to make his anchor hold: When you cast out, it still came home.
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