About his neck; Bohemia,-who, if I
Had fervants true about me, that bare eyes
To fee alike mine honour, as their profits,
Their own particular thrifts, they would do that
Which fhould undo more doing: I, and thou
His cup-bearer, (whom I from meaner form
Have bench'd, and rear'd to worship; who may'st fee
Plainly, as heav'n fees earth, and earth fees heav'n,
How I am gall'd ;) thou might'ft be-spice a cup,
To give mine enemy a lafting wink;

Which draught to me were cordial.

Cam. Sir, my Lord,

I could do this, and that with no rash potion,
But with a lingring dram, that should not work,
Maliciously, like poifon but I cannot (6)
Believe this crack to be in my dread miftrefs,
So fovereignly being honourable.

Leo. I've lov'd thee.Make't thy queftion,and go rots Do'ft think, I am fo muddy, fo unfettled,

To appoint myself in this vexation? Sully
The purity and whitenefs of my fheets,
(Which to preferve, is fleep; which being spotted,
Is goads, thorns, nettles, tails of wafps :)

Give fcandal to the blood o'th' Prince, my fon,
Who I do think, is mine, and love as mine,

(6)

but I cannot

Believe this crack to be in my dread miftrefs,

So fovereignly being bonourable.

I have lov'd thee.

Leo. Make that thy quefien and go rot.] This paffage wants very little weighing, to determine fafely upon it, that the laft hemiftich affign'd to Camillo, muft have been mistakenly placed to him. It is a ftrange inftance of difrefpect and infolence in Camillo to his king and matter, to tell him that he has once lov'd him.-But fenfe and reason will eafily acquit our Poet from fuch an impropriety. I have ventur'd at a tranfpofition, which feems felf-evident. Camillo will not be perfuaded into a fufpicion of the difloyalty imputed to his mif. trefs. The King, who believes nothing but his jealousy, provok'd that Camillo is fo obftinately diffident, finely ftarts into a rage and cries; I've lov'd thee. -Make't thy queftion, and go rot. i. e. I have tender'd thee well, Camillo, but I here cancel ali former respect at If thou any longer make a question of my wife's difloyalty; go from my presence, and perdition overtake thee for thy ftubbornness. Without

once.

Without ripe moving to't? would I do this?
Could man fo blench?

Cam. I muft believe you, Sir;

I do, and will fetch off Bohemia for❜t :

Provided, that, when he's remov'd, your Highnefa
Will take again your Queen, as yours at first,
Even for your fon's fake, and thereby for fealing
The injury of tongues, in courts and kingdoms
Known and ally'd to yours.

Leo. Thou doft advise me,

Even fo as I mine own courfe have fet down :
I'll give no blemish to her honour, none.
Cam. My Lord,

Go then; and with a countenance as clear
As friendship wears at feafts, keep with Bohemia,
And with your Queen: I am his cup-bearer;
If from me he have wholesome beveridge,
Account me not your fervant.

Leo. This is all;

Do't, and thou haft the one half of my heart;
Do't not, thou fplit'ft thine own.

Cam. I'll do't, my Lord.

Leo. I will feem friendly, as thou haft advis'd me. [Exit.
Cam. O miferable Lady! but for me,

What cafe ftand I in? I must be the poifoner
Of good Polixenes, and my ground to do't
Is the obedience to a mafter; one,
Who, in rebellion with himself, will have
All that are his, fo too. To do this deed,
Promotion follows. If I could find example
Of thousands, that had ftruck anointed Kings,
And flourish'd after, I'd not do't: but fince
Nor brafs, nor tone, nor parchment, bears not one;
Let villainy itself forfwear't. I must

Forfake the court; to do't, or no, is certain
To me a break-neck. Happy ftar, reign now!
Here comes Bohemia.

Enter Polixenes.

Pol. This is ftrange! methinks,

My

My favour here begins to warp. Not speak?
Good day, Camillo.

Cam. Hail, moft royal Sir!

Pol. What is the news i'th' court?
Cam. None rare, my Lord.

Pol. The King hath on him fuch a countenance,
As he had loft fome province, and a region
Lov'd, as he loves himself: even now I met him
With customary compliment, when he,
Wafting his eyes to th' contrary, and falling
A lip of much contempt, speeds from me, and
So leaves me to confider 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 fay, you dare not.

Good Camillo,

Your chang'd complexions are to me a mirror,
Which fhews me mine chang'd too; for I must be
A party in this alteration, finding

Myfelf thus alter'd with it.

Cam. There is a fickness

Which puts fome of us in diftemper; but
I cannot name the disease, and it is caught
Of you that yet are well.

Pol. How caught of me?
Make me not fighted like the bafilisk.

I've look'd on thousands, who have fped the better
By my regard, but kill'd none fo: Camillo,

As you are certainly a gentleman,

Clerk-like experienc'd, (which no less adorns
Our gentry, than our parents' noble names,

In whofe fuccefs we are gentle ;) I beseech you,
If you know ought, which does behove my knowledge
Thereof to be inform'd, imprifon't not

In ignorant concealment.

Cam. I may not answer.'

Pol A fickness caught of me, and yet I well? I must be anfwer'd. Doft thou hear, Camillo,

I conjure thee by all the parts of man,

Which honour does acknowledge, (whereof the leaft
Is not this fuit of mine,) that thou declare,
What incidency thou doft guefs of harm

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

Cam. Sir, I'll tell you,

Since I charg'd in honour, and by him

That I think honourable; therefore, mark my counfel; Which must be ev'n as swiftly follow'd, as

I mean to utter it; or both yourself and me

Cry loft, and fo good night.

Pol. On, good Camillo.

Cam. I am appointed him to murder you.

Pol. By whom, Camille?

Cam. By the King.

Pol. For what?

Cam. He thinks, nay, with all confidence he fwears,

As he had feen't, or been an inftrument

To vice you to't, that you have toucht his Queen

Forbiddenly.

Pol. Oh, then my best blood turn

To an infected gelly, and my name

Be yoak'd with his, that did betray the best !-
Turn then my freshest reputation to

A favour, that may strike the dullest noftril
Where I arrive; and my approach be fhun'd,
Nay, hated too, worfe than the great'ft infection
That e'er was heard, or read!

Cam. Swear this though over (7)

By each particular ftar in heaven, and
By all their influences; you may as well

(7) Cam.

Swear his thought over

Forbid

By each particular flar in beaven, &c.] The tranfpofition of a fingle letter reconciles this paffage to good fenfe; which is not fo, as the text ftands in all the printed copies. Polixenes, in the preced. ing fpeech, had been laying the deepest imprecations on himself, if he had ever abus'd Leontes in any familiarity with the Queen. To which Camillo very pertinently replies:

Swear this though over, &c.

Forbid the fea for to obey the moon,
As or by oath remove, or counsel shake,
The fabrick of his folly; whofe foundation
Is pil'd upon his faith, and will continue
The ftanding of his body.

Pol. How fhould this grow?

Cam. I know not; but, I'm fure, 'tis fafer to
Avoid what's grown, than question how 'tis born.
If therefore you dare truft my honefty,

That lies inclosed in this trunk, which you
Shall bear along impawn'd, away to-night;
Your followers I will whisper to the bufinefs;
And will by two's, and threes, at feveral posterns,
Clear them o'th' city. For myself, I'll put
My fortunes to your service, which are here
By this difcovery loft. Be not uncertain,
For by the honour of my parents, I

Have utter'd truth; which if you feek to prove,
I dare not stand by; nor fhall you be fafer,
Than one condemned by the King's own mouth;
Thereon his execution fworn.

Pol. I do believe thee;

I faw his heart in's face.

Give me thy hand;
Be pilot to me, and thy places fhall

Still neighbour mine. My fhips are ready, and
My people did expect my hence departure

Two days ago.This jealoufy

Is for a precious creature; as fhe's rare,

Muft it be great; and, as his perfon's mighty,
Muft it be violent; and, as he does conceive
He is dishonour'd by a man, which ever
Profefs'd to him; why, his revenges mult

In that be made more bitter. Fear o'er-shades me?
Good expedition be my friend, and comfort

The gracious Queen; part of his theam, but nothing
Of his ill-ta'en fufpicion. Come Camillo,

i. e. Sir, though you should proteft your innocence never so often, and call every ftar and faint in heaven to witness to your adjuration; yet jealoufy is fo rooted in my mafter's bofom, that all you can say and fwear will have no force to remove it.