me.

Cam. O miserable lady!-But, for me, What case stand I in? I must be the poisoner Of good Polixenes: and my ground to do't Is the obedience to a master; one, Who, in rebellion with himself, will have All that are his, so too.-To do this deed, Promotion follows: If I could find example Of thousands, that had struck anointed kings, And flourish'd after, I'd not do't: but since Nor brass, nor stone, nor parchment, bears not one, Let villany itself forswear't. I must Forsake the court: to do't, or no, is certain To me a break-neck. Happy star, reign now! Here comes Bohemia.

Enter Polixenes.

Pol.
This is strange! methinks,
My favour here begins to warp. Not speak?-
Good-day, Camillo.
Cam.

Hail, most royal sir!
Pol. What is the news i'the court?
Cam.

None rare, my lord.
Pol. The king hath on him such a countenance,
As he had lost some province, and a region,
Lov'd as he loves himself: even now I met him
With customary compliment; when he,
Wafting his eyes to the contrary, and falling
A lip of much contempt, speeds from me; and
So leaves me to consider what is breeding,
That changes thus his manners.

Cam. I dare not know, my lord.

Pol. How! dare not? do not. Do you know, and dare not

Be intelligent to me? 'Tis thereabouts;
For, to yourself, what you do know, you must;
And cannot say, you dare not. Good Camillo,
Your chang'd complexions are to me a mirror
Which shows me mine chang'd too: for I must be
A party in this alteration, finding
Myself thus alter'd with it.

Cam.

There is a sickness
Which puts some of us in distemper; but
I cannot name the disease; and it is caught
Of you that yet are well.
Pol.
How! caught of me?
Make me not sighted like the basilisk:

I have look'd on thousands, who have sped the better
By my regard, but kill'd none so. Camillo,-
As you are certainly a gentleman; thereto
Clerk-like, experienc'd, which no less adorns
Our gentry, than our parents' noble names,
In whose success' we are gentle,2-I beseech you,
If you know aught which does behove my know-
ledge

Thereof to be inform'd, imprison it not
In ignorant concealment.

Cam.

I may not answer.

Pol. A sickness caught of me, and yet I well!
I must be answer'd.-Dost thou hear, Camillo,
I conjure thee, by all the parts of man,
Which honour does acknowledge,-whereof the
least

Is not this suit of mine,-that thou declare
What incidency thou dost guess of harm

Is creeping toward me; how far off, how near;
Which way to be prevented, if to be;
If not, how best to bear it.
Cam.

(1) For succession.

Sir, I'll tell you;

(2) Gentle was opposed to simple; well born.

counsel;

Which must be even as swiftly follow'd, as
I mean to utter it; or both yourself and me
Cry, lost, and so good-night.
Pol.
On, good Camillo.
Cam. I am appointed Him to murder you.'
Pol. By whom, Camillo ?

Cam.

Pol.

By the king.

For what?

Cam. He thinks, nay, with all confidence he

swears,

As he had seen't, or been an instrument

To vice you to't,-that you have touch'd his queen Forbiddenly.

Pol.

O, then my best blood turn
To an infected jelly; and my name
Be yok'd with his, that did betray the best!
Turn then my freshest reputation to

A savour, that may strike the dullest nostril
Where I arrive; and my approach be shunn'd,
Nay, hated too, worse than the great'st infection
That e'er was heard, or read!
Cam.
Swear his thought over
By each particular star in heaven, and
By all their influences, you may as well
Forbid the sea for to obey the moon,
As or, by oath, remove, or counsel, shake
The fabric of his folly; whose foundation
Is pil'd upon his faith, and will continue
The standing of his body.

Pol.
How should this grow?
Cam. I know not: but, I am sure, 'tis safer to
Avoid what's grown, than question how 'tis born.
If therefore you dare trust my honesty,-
That lies enclosed in this trunk, which you
Shall bear along impawn'd,-away to-night.
Your followers I will whisper to the business;
And will, by twos, and threes, at several posterns,
Clear them o' the city: For myself, I'll put
My fortunes to your service, which are here
By this discovery lost. Be not uncertain;
For, by the honour of my parents, I

Have utter'd truth: which if you seek to prove,
I dare not stand by; nor shall you be safer
Than one condemn'd by the king's own mouth,

thereon

His execution sworn.

Pol.

I do believe thee:

I saw his heart in his face. Give me thy hand;
Be pilot to me, and thy places shall
Still neighbour mine: My ships are ready, and
My people did expect my hence departure
Two days ago.-This jealousy

Is for a precious creature: as she's rare,
Must it be great; and, as his person's mighty,.
Must it be violent; and as he does conceive
He is dishonour'd by a man which ever
Profess'd to him, why, his revenges must
In that be made more bitter. Fear o'ershades me:
Good expedition be my friend, and comfort
The gracious queen, part of his theme, but nothing
Of his ill-ta'en suspicion! Come, Camillo;
I will respect thee as a father, if
Thou bear'st my life off hence: Let us avoid.
Cam. It is in mine authority, to command
The keys of all the posterns: Please your highness
To take the urgent hour: come, sir, away.

Saw I men scour so on their way: I cy'd them
Even to their ships.
Leon.

How bless'd am I
In my just censure?' in my true opinion?-
Alack, for lesser knowledge! How accurs'd,
In being so blest!-There may be in the cup
A spider' steep'd, and one may drink; depart,
And yet partake no venom; for his knowledge
Is not infected: but if one present

The abhorr'd ingredient to his eye, make known How he hath drank, he cracks his gorge, his sides,

With violent hefts :^-1 have drank, and seen the spider.

Camillo was his help in this, his pander :-
There is a plot against my life, my crown;
All's true that is mistrusted:-that false villain,
Whom I employ'd, was pre-employ'd by him:
He has discover'd my design, and I

Remain a pinch'd thing: yea, a very trick
For them to play at will:-How came the posterns
So easily open?
By his great authority;
Which often hath no less prevail'd than so,
On your command.

1 Lord.

Leon.

I know't too well.—

Give me the boy; I am glad, you did not nurse him: Though he docs bear some signs of me, yet you Have too much blood in him.

Her.

What is this? sport? Leon. Bear the boy hence, he shall not come about her;

Away with him:-and let her sport herself
With that she's big with; for 'tis Polixenes
Has made thee swell thus.
Her.
But I'd say, he had not,
And, I'll be sworn you would believe my saying,
Howe'er you lean to the nayward.
You, my lords,
Look on her, mark her well; be but about
To say, she is a goodly lady, and

Leon.

The justice of your hearts will thereto add,
'Tis pity she's not honest, honourable :
Praise her but for this her without-door form,
(Which, on my faith, deserves high speech,) and
straight

The shrug, the hum, or ha; these petty brands,
That calumny doth use:-0, I am out,
That mercy docs; for calumny will sear
Virtue itself:-These shrugs, these hums, and ha's,
When you have said, she's goodly, come between,
Ere you can say she's honest: But be it known,
From him that has most cause to grieve it should be,
She's an adultress.
Should a villain say so,
The most replenish'd villain in the world,
He were as much more villain: you, my lord,
Do but mistake.

Her.

Leon. You have mistook, my lady, Polixenes for Leontes: 0 thou thing, Which I'll not call a creature of thy place, Lest barbarism, making me the precedent, Should a like language use to all degrees, And mannerly distinguishment leave out Betwixt the prince and beggar!--I have said, She's an adultress; I have said with whom : More, she's a traitor; and Camillo is A federary with her; and one that knows What she should shame to know herself, But with her most vile principal, that she's A bed-swerver, even as bad as those That vulgars give bold titles; ay, and privy To this their late escape.

Her.

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.

Leon.

No, no; if I mistake In those foundations which I build upon,

(4) Heavings.

(5) A thing pinched out of clouts, a puppel. (6) Brand as infamous. (7) Confederate. (8) Only.

But she'll not stumble.
Paul.
Good my liege, I come,-
And, I beseech you, hear me, who profess
Myself your loyal servant, your physician,
Your most obedient counsellor; yet that dare
Less appear so, in comforting your evils,
Than such as most seem yours:-I say, I come
From your good queen.
Leon.
Good queen!

Paul. Good queen, my lord, good queen: I say, good queen;

And would by combat make her good, so were I A man, the worst2 about you.

Force her hence.

Leon. Paul. 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 she is good, hath brought you forth a daughter; Here 'tis; commends it to your blessing. [Laying down the child. Out! A mankind' witch! Hence with her, out o'door: A most intelligencing bawd!

Leon.

Paul.

Not so:

I am as ignorant in that, as you

In so entitling me: and no less honest

On your allegiance,

tir'd, unroosted

By thy dame Partlet here,-take up the bastard; Tak't up, I say; giv't to thy crone.'

Paul.

Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

For ever

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

Leon.

He dreads his wife.

Paul. So I would you did; then, 'twere past all doubt,

You'd call your children yours.
Leon.

A nest of traitors!
Nor I; nor any,
But one, that's here; and that's himself: for he
The sacred honour of himself, his queen's,
His hopeful son's, his babe's, betrays to slander,
Whose sting is sharper than the sword's; and will
not

Ant. I am none, by this good light.
Paul.

(For, as the case now stands, it is a curse
He cannot be compell'd to't,) once remove
The root of his opinion, which is rotten,
As ever oak, or stone, was sound.

Leon.

A callat,'

Of boundless tongue: who late hath beat her hus

band,

And now baits me !-This brat is none of mine;
It is the issue of Polixenes :

Hence with it; and, together with the dam,
Commit them to the fire.

Paul.
It is yours;
And, might we lay the old proverb to your charge,
So like you, 'tis the worse.-Behold, my lords,
Although the print be little, the whole matter
And copy of the father: eye, nose, lip,

The trick of his frown, his forehead; nay, the valley, The pretty dimples of his chin, and cheek; his smiles;

(1) Abetting your ill courses.

(3) Masculine.

(2) Lowest.

(4) Pecked by a woman; hen-pecked. (5) Worn-out old woman.

her

A better guiding spirit!-What need these hands?-
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 'tis 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.

We have always truly serv'd you; and beseech
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 pur pose;

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? Better burn it now,
Than curse it then. But be it; let it live:
It shall not neither.-You, sir, come you hither;
[To Antigonu
You, that have been so tenderly officious

(6) Forced is false; uttered with violence to truth. (7) Trull. (8) The colour of jealousy. (9) Worthless fellow.