Enter Servant.

Ser. My lord the king, the king!.

Leo. What is the business?

Ser. O fir, I fhall be hated to report it : The prince your fon, with mere conceit and fear "Of the queen's speed, is gone.

Leo. How! gone?

Ser. Is dead.

Leo. Apollo's angry; and the heavens themselves Do strike at my injuftice.How now there?

[Hermione faints.

Paul. This news is mortal to the queen :-Look down, And fee what death is doing.

Leo. Take her hence:

Her heart is but o'er-charg'd; fhe will recover.

[Exeunt Paulina and ladies, with Hermione.

I have too much believ'd mine own fufpicion

'Beseech you, tenderly apply to her
Some remedies for life.-Apollo, pardon
My great profaneness 'gainst thine oracle!
I'll reconcile me to Polixenes;

New woo my queen; recall the good Camillo;
Whom I proclaim a man of truth, of mercy:
For, being transported by my jealoufies

To bloody thoughts and to revenge, 1 chofe
Camillo for the minister, to poison

My friend Polixenes: which had been done,
But that the good mind of Camillo tardy'd
My fwift command; though I with death, and with
Reward, did threaten and encourage him,

Not doing it, and being done: he, most humane,
And fill'd with honour, to my kingly guest

Of the queen's Speed,]-Of the event of her trial.

Rr 2

Unclafp'd

1

Unclafp'd my practice; * I quit his fortunes here,
Which you knew great; and to the * certain hazard
Of all incertainties himself commended,

с

b

No richer than his honour :-How he glifters
Through my dark ruft! and how his piety
Does my deeds make the blacker!

Re-enter Paulina.

Paul. Woe the while!

O, cut my lace; left my heart, cracking it,
Break too!

Lord. What fit is this, good lady?

Paul. What ftudied torments, tyrant, haft for me?
What wheels? racks? fires? What flaying? boiling?
In leads, or oils? what old or newer torture

Must I receive; whofe every word deferves
To tafte of thy moft worft? Thy tyranny,
Together working with thy jealoufies,

d

Fancies too weak for boys, too green and idle
For girls of nine !-O, think, what they have done,
And then run mad, indeed; ftark mad! for all
Thy by-gone fooleries were but fpices of it.
That thou betray'dft Polixenes, 'twas nothing;
That did but fhew thee, of a fool, inconftant,
And damnable ungrateful: nor was't much,
Thou would'ft have poison'd good Camillo's honour,
To have him kill a king; poor trefpaffes,
More monftrous ftanding by: whereof I reckon
The cafting forth to crows thy baby daughter,
To be or none, or little; though a devil

z quit]-quitted.

a fearful. b commended,]-committed. No richer than his honour:]-rich only in; no better equipped than with his integrity; furnished with no other safeguard.

of a fool, inconftant,]-firft a fool, then inconftant.

Would

Would have fhed water out of fire, ere don't:
Nor is't directly laid to thee, the death

Of the young prince; whofe honourable thoughts
(Thoughts high for one so tender) cleft the heart,
That could conceive a grofs and foolish fire
Blemish'd his gracious dam: this is not, no,
Laid to thy answer: But the laft,-O, lords,
When I have faid, cry, woe !-the queen, the queen,
The sweeteft, deareft, creature's dead; and vengeance for't
Not drop't down yet.

Lord. The higher powers forbid !

Paul. I fay, she's dead; I'll fwear't: if word, nor oath, Prevail not, go and fee: if you can bring

Tincture, or luftre, in her lip, her eye,

Heat outwardly, or breath within, I'll ferve you
As I would do the gods.-But, O thou tyrant!
Do not repent these things; for they are heavier
Than all thy woes can ftir: therefore betake thee
To nothing but defpair. A thousand knees,
Ten thousand years together, naked, fafting,
Upon a barren mountain, and still winter
In storm perpetual, could not move the gods
To look that way thou wert.

Leo. Go on, go on :

Thou canst not fpeak too much; I have deferv'd
All tongues to talk their bittereft.

Lord. Say no more;

Howe'er the business goes, you have made fault

I'the boldness of your speech.

Paul. I am forry for❜t;

All faults I make, when I fhall come to know them,
I do repent: Alas, I have fhew'd too much

The rafhness of a woman: he is touch'd

e

water out of fire,]-tears of pity e'en in flames.

To the noble heart.-What's gone, and what's paft help, Should be past grief: Do not receive affliction

At my petition, I beseech you; rather

Let me be punish'd, that have minded you

children;

Of what you should forget. Now, good my liege,
Sir, royal fir, forgive a foolish woman:
The love I bore your queen,-lo, fool again!--
I'll speak of her no more, nor of your
I'll not remember you of my own lord,
Who is loft too: Take your patience to you,
And I'll say nothing.

Leo. Thou didft fpeak but well,

When most the truth; which I receive much better
Than to be pitied of thee. Pr'ythee, bring me
To the dead bodies of my queen, and son:
One grave shall be for both; upon them shall
The causes of their death appear, unto
Our shame perpetual: Once a day, I'll vifit
The chapel where they lie; and tears, shed there,
Shall be my recreation: fo long as nature

Will bear up with this exercise, so long
I daily vow to use it. Come,

And lead me to these sorrows.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

III.

Bohemia. A defert Country near the Sea.

Enter Antigonus with the Child, and a Mariner.

Ant. Thou art perfect then, our ship hath touch'd upon The deferts of Bohemia?

Mar. Ay my lord; and fear

We have landed in ill time: the fkies look grimly,

And threaten prefent blufters. In my conscience,

f perfect]-pofitive, certain.

The

The heavens with that we have in hand are angry,

And frown upon us.

Ant. Their facred wills be done!-Go, get aboard; Look to thy bark; I'll not be long, before I call upon thee.

Mar. Make your best hafte; and go not

Too far i'the land: 'tis like to be loud weather;
Befides, this place is famous for the creatures
Of prey, that keep upon't.

Ant. Go thou away; I'll follow inftantly.

Mar. I am glad at heart To be fo rid o'the business.

Ant. Come, poor babe :

[Exit.

I have heard, (but not believ'd) the fpirits of the dead
May walk again: if fuck thing be, thy mother
Appear'd to me laft night; for ne'er was dream
So like a waking. To me comes a creature,
Sometimes her head on one fide, fome another,
I never saw a veffel of like forrow,

So fill'd, and fo becoming: in pure white robes,
Like
very fanctity, she did approach

My cabin where I lay thrice bow'd before me;
And, gafping to begin fome fpeech, her eyes
Became two fpouts: the fury spent, anon
Did this break from her: Good Antigonus,-
Since fate, against thy better difpofition,
Hath made thy person for the thrower-out
Of my poor babe, according to thine oath,-
Places remote enough are in Bohemia,

There weep, and leave it crying; and, for the babe
Is counted loft for ever, Perdita,

I pr'ythee, call't: for this ungentle business,
Put on thee by my lord, thou ne'er shalt fee