SCENE III.

Enter Leontes, Antigonus, Lords, and other Attendants.

Leo. Nor Night, nor Day, no reft; it is but Weakness To bear the Matter thus; mear Weakness, if

The Cause were not in Being; part o'th' Cause,
She, th' Adultrefs; for the Harlot-King

Is quite beyond mine Arm; out of the Blank
And Level of my Brain; Plot-proof; but the
I can hock to me: Say that the 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 do's the Boy?

Atten. He took good reft to Night; 'tis hop'd His Sickness is discharg'd.

Leo. To fee his Nobleness!

Conceiving the Dishonour of his Mother,
He ftraight declin'd, droop'd, took it deeply,
Faften'd, and fix'd the Shame on't in himself;
Threw off his Spirit, his Appetite, his Sleep,
And down-right languifh'd. Leave me folely; go,
See how he fares. Fie, fie, no Thought of him,
The very Thought of my Revenges that way
Recoyl upon me; in himself too Mighty;
Until a Time may ferve, for prefent Vengeance
Take it on her. Camillo, and Polixenes
Laugh at me, make their Paftime at my Sorrow;
They should not laugh, if I could reach them, nor
Shall fhe, within my Power.

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 Soul,

More free than he is jealous.

Ant. That's enough.

Atten. Madam, he hath not flept to Night; commanded None fhould come near him.

Pan.

Pan. Not fo hot, good Sir,

come to bring him Sleep. Tis fuch as you hat creep like Shadows by him, and do figh teach his needlefs heavings; fuch as you Nourish the Caufe 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 Sleep.

Leo. What noife there, ho?

Pau. No noife, my Lord, but needful Conference, About fome Goffips for your Highnefs.

Leo. How?

Away with that audacious Lady. Antigonus,
Icharg'd thee that she should not come about me,
I knew he would.

Ant. I told her fo, my Lord,

On your Difpleasures peril and on mine,
She should not vifit you.

Leo. What? canft not rule her?

Pan. From all Difhonefty he can; in this, Unless he take the courfe that you have done, Commit me, for committing Honour, truft it, He fhall not rule me.

Ant. La-you now, you hear,

When the will take the Rein, I let her run,
But she'll not stumble.

Pau. Good my Liege, I come

And I beseech you hear me, who profeffes
My felf your loyal Servant, your Physician,
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 Combate, make her good, were I
A Man, the worst about you.

Leo. Force her hence.

Pan. Let him that makes but Trifles of his Eyes Firft hand me: On mine own accord I'll off,

VOL. II.

G g

But

But first, I'll do my Errand. The good Queen,
For the is good, hath brought you forth a Daughter,
Here 'tis; commends it to your Bleffing.

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 entitling me; and no lefs honeft

Than you are mad; which is enough, I'll warrant,
As this World goes, to pafs for honeft.

Leo. Traitors!

Will you not push her out? Give her the Bastard. [To Att
Thou Dotard, thou art Womán-tyr'd; unroofted
By thy Dame Partlet here. Take up the Baftard,
Take't up, I fay, give't to the Croan.

Pau. For ever

Unvenerable be thy Hands, if thou

Take'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 paft all doubt You'ld call your Children yours.

Leo. A Neft of Traitors!

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 Sons, his Babes betrays to Slander,

Whofe Sting is fharper than the Swords; 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 Stone 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 Iffue of Polixenes.

Hence with it, and together with the Dam,
Commit them to the Fire.

Ран

Pan. It is yours;

And, might we lay th' old Proverb to your Charge,
So like you, 'tis the worfe. 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 Valley,
The pretty Dimples of his Chin, and Cheek, his Smiles,.
The very Mold, and frame of his Hand, Nail, Finger.
And thou good Goddefs Nature, which haft made it
So like to him that got it, if thou haft

The ordering of the Mind too, 'mongst all Colours
No Yellow in't, left the fufpect, as he does,
Her Children, not her Husbands.

Leo. A grofs Hag!

And Lozel, thou art worthy to be hang'd,
That wilt not ftay her Tongue.

Ant. Hang all the Husbands

That cannot do that Feat, you'll leave your felf
Hardly one Subject.

Leo. Once more take her hence.

Pau. A most 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 produce more Accufation

Than your own weak-hing'd Fancy) fometimes favours
Of Tyranny, and will ignoble make you,

Yea, fcandalous to the World.

Leo. On your Allegiance,

Out of the Chamber with her. Were I a Tyrant,
Where were her Life? She durft not call me fo,
If she 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 Spirit. What need thefe 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.

Gg 2

[Exit.

Le

Leo. Thou, Traitor, haft fet 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.

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

And by good Teftimony, or I'll feize thy Life,
With what thou elfe call'ft thine: If thou refufe,
And wilt encounter with my Wrath, fay fo;
The Baftard-brains with these my proper Hands
Shall I dafh out: Go take it to the Fire,
For thou fett'ft on thy Wife.

Ant. I did not, Sir:

Thefe Lords, my noble Fellows, if they please,
Can clear me in't.

Lord. We can, my Royal Liege,

He is not guilty of her coming hither,
Leo. You're Liars all,

Lords. 'Befeech your Highnefs give us better Credit.
We have always truly ferv'd you, and befeech you
So to efteem of us: And on our Knees we beg,
(As Recompence of our dear Services

Paft, and to come) that you do change this purpose,
Which being fo horrible, fo bloody, muft

Lead on to fome foul Iffue. We all kneel

Leo. I am a Father for each Wind that blows: Shall I live on, to fee this Baftard kneel,

And call me Father? better burn it now,

Than curfe it then.

But be it; let it live:

It shall not neither. You Sir, come you hither; [T• Ant You that have been fo tenderly officious

With Lady Margery, your Midwife there,

To fave this Baftard's Life; for 'tis a Baftard,

So fure as this Beard's grey: What will you adventure, To fave this Brat's Life?

Ant. Any thing, my Lord,

That my Ability may undergo,

And Noblenefs impofe: At leaft thus much;
I'll pawn the little Blood which I have left,
To fave the Innocent; any thing poffible.