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Free'd and infranchis'd; not a party to
The anger of the King, nor guilty of,
If any be, the trefpafs of the Queen.
Gao. I do believe it.

Paul. Do not you fear; upon mine honour I
Will ftand 'twixt you and danger.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

IV. Changes to the palace.

Enter Leontes, Antigonus; Lords, and other attendants.

[nefs

Leo, Nor night, nor day, no reft ; --~--~~~- it is but weakTo bear the matter thus: mere 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 fhe were gone, Given to the fire, a moiety of my rest Might come to me again. Who's there?

Enter an attendant.

Atter. My Lord.

Leo. How do's the boy?

Atten. He took good rest to-night; 'tis hop'd His fickness is difcharge'd.

Leo. To fee his nobleness!

Conceiving the difhonour of his mother,
He ftraight declin'd, droop'd, took it deeply;
Faften'd, and fix'd the thame on't in himself;
Threw off his fpirit, his appetite, his fleep,
And down-right languifh'd. Leave me folely; go,
[Exit attendant.
See how he fares.-Fie, fie, no thought of him.-
The very thought of my revenges that way
Recoil upon me; in himfelf too mighty,
And in his parties, his alliance; let him be,
Until a time may ferve. For prefent vengeance,
Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes

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

SCENE

SCENE V. Enter Paulina, with a child.

Lord. You must not enter.

Paul. 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. [within] Madam, he hath not flept to-night, commanded

None should come at him.

Paul. Not fo hot, good Sir;

I come to bring him fleep. 'Tis fuch 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?

Paul. No noife, my Lord, but needful conference, About fome goflips for your Highness.

Leo. How?

Away with that audacious lady.-Antigonus,

I charge'd thee, that she should not come about me; I knew fhe would.

Ant. I told her fo, my Lord,

On your displeasure's peril and on mine,
She should not visit you.

Leo. What? can't not rule her?

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

Ant. Lo-you now, you hear,

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

Paul. Good my Liege, I come

And I beseech you, hear me, who profefs
Myfelf your loyal fervant, your phyfician,
Your most obedient counsellor; yet that dares
Lefs appear fo, in comforting your evils,

Than

Than fuch as most seem your's. I fay, I come
From your good Queen.

Leo. Good Queen?

Paul. Good Queen, my Lord, Good Queen, I fay, good Queen;

And would by combat make her good, fo were I
A man, on th' worst about you.

Leo. Force her hence.

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 fhe 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!

Paul. Not fo;

I am as ignorant in that, as you

In fo intitling me; and no lefs honeft

Than you are mad; which is enough, I'll warrant, As this world goes, to pass for honest.

Leo. Traitors!

Will you not push her out? give her the bastard. ¿
[To Antigonus.
Thou dotard, thou art woman-tyr'd; unroofted!
By thy dame Partlet here. Take up the baftard,
Take't up, I fay give't to thy croan.

Paul. For ever

Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

Take'ft up the Princefs, by that forced bafenefs
Which he has put upon't!

Les. He dreads his wife.

Paul. So I would you did: then 'twere paft all doubt,

You'd call your children your's.

Leo. A neft of traitors!

Ant. I am none, by this good light.

Paul. Nor I; nor any

But one that's here; and that's himself. For he
The facred honour of himself, his Queen's,

*Forced, for unnatural,

His

His hopeful fon's, his babe's, betrays to flander,
Whofe fting is fharper than the sword'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 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.

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

Paul. It is your's;

;

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, nose, lip,
The trick of's frown, his forehead, nay, the valley,
The pretty dimples of his chin, and cheek, his fimiles,
The very mould and frame of hand, nail, finger.
And thou, good goddess 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 fhe fufpect, as he does,
Her children not her husband's.

Leo. A grofs hag!

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

That wilt not stay her tongue.

Ant. Hang all the husbands

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

Leo. Once more, take her hence.

Paul. A moft unworthy and unnatural Lord

Can do no more.

Leo. I'll ha' thee burnt,

Paul. I care not;

It is an heretic that makes the fire,

Not the which burn's 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-hinge'd fancy) fomething favours Of tyranny; and will ignoble make you,

Yea,

Yea, fcandalous to 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 fhe did know me one. Away with her.

Paul. I pray you do not push me, I'll be gone.
Look to your babe, my Lord, 'tis your's; Jove fend her
A better guiding fpirit! 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.

SCENE VI.

[Exit,

Leo. Thou, traitor, haft set on thy wife to this. My child? away with't. Even thou, thou that haft A heart fo tender o'er it, take it hence,

And see it inftantly confum'd with fire;

Even thou, and none but thou. Take it up ftraight:
Within this hour bring me word it is done,
And by good teftimony, or I'll feize thy life,
With what thou else call'ft thine: if thou refuse,
And wilt encounter with my wrath, fay fo:
The bastard brains with these my proper hands

Shall I dash 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 lyars all.

Lords. 'Befeech your hignefs, give us better eredit. We've always truly ferv'd you, and befeech you So to esteem of us and on our knees we beg,

(As recompenfe of our dear fervices

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 feather for each wind that blows:

Shall I live on, to fee this bastard kneel,
And call me father? better burn it now,

Than curfe it then. But be it; let it live:

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