crutches, ere he was born, defire yet their life to fee him a man.

Arch. Would they elfe be content to die!

Cam. Yes, if there were no other excufe why they fhould defire to live.

Arch. If the King had no fon, they would defire to live on crutches 'till he had one.

SCENE opens to the Prefence.

Enter Leontes, Hermione, Mamillius, Polixenes, and

Attendants.

Pol. Nine changes of the watry star hath been
The fhepherd's note, fince 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 cypher,
Yet ftanding in rich place, I multiply

With one, we thank you, many thousands more
That go before it.

Leo. Stay your thanks awhile;
And pay them, when you part.

Pol, Sir, that's to-morrow:

I'm queftion'd by my fears, of what may chance,
Or breed upon our abfence, that may blow
No fneaping winds at home, to make us fay,
"This is put forth too truly." Befides, I have stay'd
To tire your royalty.

Leo. We are tougher, brother,

Than you can put us to't.

Pol. No longer ftay.

Leo. One fev'n-night longer.

Pol. Very footh, to-morrow.

Leo. We'll part the time between's then: and in that,

I'll no gain-faying.

Pol. Prefs me not, 'befeech you, fo;

There is no tongue that moves, none, none i'th' world,
So foon as yours, could win me: fo it fhould now,
Were there neceffity in your request, altho'
L

'Twere

"Twere needful I deny'd 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 fave both,
Farewel, our brother.

Lea. Tongue-ty'd, our Queen? fpeak you.

Her. I had thought, Sir, to've held my peace, untik
You 'ad drawn oaths from him not to stay you, Sir,
Charge him too coldly. Tell him, you are fure,
All in Bohemia's well: this fatisfaction

The by-gone day proclaim'd; fay this to him,
He's beat from his beft ward.

Leo. Well faid, Hermione.

Her. To tell, he longs to fee his fon, were ftrong,

But let him fay fo then, and let him go;

But let him fwear fo, and he fhall not stay;
'We'll thwack him hence with diftaffs.

Yet of your royal prefence I'll adventure [To Polixenes.
The borrow of a week. When at Bohemia,
You take my Lord, I'll give him my commiffion,
To let him there a month, behind the geft (2)
Prefix'd for's parting: yet, (good deed) Leontes,
I love thee not a jar o'th' clock behind

What Lady the her Lord.

Pal. No, madam.

Her. Nay, but you will.

Pol. I may not, verily.
Her. Verily?

You'll stay?

You put me off with limber vows; but I,

Tho' you would feek t'unfphere the flars with oaths,

(2)

-bebind the geft

Preferib'd for's parting:] I have not ventur'd to alter the text, tho', I feely own, I can neither trace, nor understand, the phrase. I have suspected, that the peet wrote;

-bebind the just

Preferib'd for's parting.

i.e. the juft, precife, time; the inftant; (where time is likewife underflood) by an Ellipfis practis'd in all us to fay, I'll do fuch a thing juft now. French use their adverb justement (eo ipfo

1.omme.

tongues. It is familiar with And in the fame manner the tempore) precisement, a point

Should

Should yet fay," Sir, no going: verily,
"You shall not go;" a Lady's verily is
As potent as a Lord's. Will you go, yet?
Force me to keep you as a prisoner,

Not like a gueft? fo you fhall pay your fees,

When you depart, and fave your thanks. How fay you?
My prifoner or my gueft? by your dread verily,
One of them you shall be.

Pol. Your gueft then, madam :

To be your prifoner, fhould import offending;
Which is for me lefs easy to commit,

Than you to punish.

Her. Not your goaler then,

But your kind hoftefs; come, I'll question you
Of my Lord's tricks, and yours, when you were boys :
You were pretty lordings then?

Pol. We were, fair Queen,

Two lads, that thought there was no more behind,
But fuch a day to-morrow as to-day,

And to be boy eternal.

Her. Was not my Lord

The verier wag o'th' two?

Pol. We were as twinn'd lambs, that did frifk i'th' fun, And bleat the one at th' other: what we chang'd,

Was innocence for innocence; we knew not
'The doctrine of ill-doing; no, nor dream'd,
That any did: had we purfu'd that life,
And our weak fpirits ne'er been higher rear'd
With ftronger blood, we should have answer'd heaven
Boldly, Not guilty; th' impofition clear'd (3),
Hereditary ours.

Her. By this we gather,

You have tript fince.

Pol. O my moft facred Lady,

Temptations have fince then been born to's: for

(3)

th' impofition clear'd,

Hereditary ours. i. e. fetting afide original fin: bating that im pofition from the offence of our firft parents, we might have boldly protefted our innocence to heaven, against any guilt committed y Qurfelves.

In thofe unfledg'd days was my wife a girl;
Your precious felf had then not cross'd the eyes
Of my young play-fellow.

Her. 'Grace to boot!

Of this make no conclufion, left you say,
Your Queen and I are devils. Yet, go on;
Th' offences we have made you do, we'll anfwer;
If you firft finn'd with us, and that with us
You did continue fault; and that you flipt not,
With any but with us.

Leo. Is he won yet?

Her. He'll stay, my Lord.

Leo. At my requeft he would not: Hermione, my deareft, thou ne'er spok'st To better purpose.

Her. Never?

Leo. Never, but once.

Her. What? have I twice faid well ? when was't before? I pr'ythee, tell me; cram's with praife, and make's As fat as tame things: one good deed, dying tongueless, Slaughters a thoufand, waiting upon that.

Our praises are our wages.

You may ride's With one foft kifs a thousand furlongs, ere With fpur we heat an acre.

But to th' gaol :

My laft good deed was to intreat his ftay;
What was my
fifter? it has an elder fifter,

Or 1 mistake you; O, would her name were Grace!
But once before I fpake to th' purpose ! when?

Nay, let me hav't; I long.

Leo. Why, that was when

Three crabbed months had fower'd themselves to death,

Ere I could make thee open thy white hand,

And clepe thyfelf my love; then didst thou utter,

"I am yours forever."

Her. 'Tis grace, indeed.

Why, lo you now; I've fpoke to th' purpose twice;
The one for ever earn'd a royal husband;

Th' other, for fome while a friend.

Leo. Too hot, too hot

To mingle friendship far, is mingling bloods.

[Afide

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 bofom,
And well become the agent: 't may, I grant;
But to be padling palms, and pinching fingers,
As now they are, and making practis'd fmiles,
As in a looking-glass- -and then to figh, as 'twere
The mort o' th' deer (4); oh, that is entertainment
My bofom likes not, nor my brows-Manillius,
Art thou my boy?

Mam. Ay, my good Lord.

Leon. I' fecks!

Why, that's my bawcock; what? haft fmutch'd thy nofe?
They fay, it is a copy out of mine. Come, captain,›
We must be neat; not neat, but cleanly, captain;
And yet the fteer, the heifer, and the calf,

Are all call'd neat.

Upon his palm

Art thou my calf?

Still virginalling

[Obferving Polixenes and Hermione. how now, you wanton calf!

Mam. Yes, if you will, my Lord.

Leo. Thou want'ft a rough pafh, and the shoots that I

To be full like me. Yet they fay, we are

Almost as like as eggs; women fay fo,

[have,

That will fay any thing;- but were they false,
As o'er-dy'd blacks, as winds, as waters; falfe
As dice are to be wifh'd, by one that fixes
No bourne 'twixt his and mine; yet were it true
To fay, this boy were like me. Come, Sir page,
Look on me with your welkin-eye, fweet villain.
Moft dear'ft, my collop-can thy dam ?—may't be-
Imagination! thou doft ftab to th' center.
Thou doft make poffible things not be fo held,
Communicat'ft with dreams--(how can this be?) ▼
With what's unreal, thou coactive art,

And fellow't nothing. Then 'tis very credent,

(4) The mort o' th' deer.] To blow a mort, is a hunting phrafe, ignifying, to found a particular air, call'd a mort, to give notice that the deer, which was hunted, is run down, and killing, or kill'd.

L 6

Thou