Paul. Nay rather, good my Lords, be fecond to me: Fear you his tyrannous paflion 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 slept to-night; commanded,

None fhould 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 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 fleep.

Leo. What noife there, ho?

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

Leo. How?

Away with that audacious Lady.-Antigenus,

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

Ant. I told her fo, my Lord,

On your difpleafure's peril and on mine,
She should not vifit you.

Leo. What? can't not rule her?

Paul. From all difhonefty 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 the 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 moft feems yours. 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, the 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 (11)! hence with her, out o' door : A moft intelligencing bawd!

Paul. Not fo,

I am as ignorant in that as you,

In fo intit❜ling me; and no lefs honest,

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

Leo. Traitors!

Will you not push her out? give her the baftard. [To Ant
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't up the Princefs, by that forced baseness
Which he has put upon't!

Leo. He dreads his wife.

Paul. So, I would, you did: then 'twere paft all doubt, You'd call your children yours.

(11) A mankind witch!] i. e. One as bold and mafculine, as if she were a man. So in B. Jonfon's Silent Woman, when Morofe is teiz'd by his new wife's fhe-friends, he cries out in deteftation of their boldness; O mankind generation!

And fo Beaumont and Fletcher in their Monfieur Thomas.

I don t bleed; 'twas a found knock she gave me;

A plaguy mankind girl!

M 5

Lea

Leo. A neft of traytors!

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,

His hopeful fon's, his babe's, betrays to flander,
Whofe fting is sharper than the fword'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 ftone 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.

Paul. It is yours;

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, nofe, lip,

The trick of's frown, his forehead, nay, the valley,
The pretty dimples of his chin, and cheek, his fmiles,
The very mold and frame of 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 husband's.

Leo. A grofs hag!

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

That wilt not ftay her tongue.

Ant. Hang all the hufbands,

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

Paul. I care not;

It is an heretick that makes the fire,

Not she which burns in't. I'll not call you tyrant,
But this most cruel ufage of your Queen

(Not able to produce more accufation

Than your own weak-hing'd fancy) fomething 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? fhe durft not call me fo,
If she did know me one. Away with her.

Paul. I pray you, do not pufh me, I'll be gone.
Look to your babe, my Lord, 'tis yours; Jove fend hr
A better guiding fpirit! What need these 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.

[Exit.

Leo. Thou, traytor, haft fet 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 fee 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 elfe call'ft thine: if thou refufe,
And wilt encounter with my wrath, say so:
The bastard 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've always truly ferv'd you, and befeech you So to efteem of us: and on our knees we beg,

(As recompence of our dear fervices

M 6

Paft,

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 curse it then. But be it; let it live:

It shall not neither.You, Sir, come you hither;

You, that have been so tenderly officious
With Lady Margery, your midwife there,

[To Antigonus.

To fave this baftard's life; (for 'tis a bastard,
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 nobleness impofe: at leaft, thus much
I'll pawn the little blood which I have left,
To fave the innocent; any thing poffible.
Leo. It shall be poffible; fwear by this fword,
Thou wilt perform my bidding.

Ant. I will, my Lord.

Leo. Mark and perform it; feeft thou? for the fail Of any point in't fhall not only be

Death to thyfelf, but to thy lewd-tongu'd wife,
Whom for this time we pardon. We enjoin thee,
As thou art liege-man to us, that thou carry
This female bastard hence, and that thou bear it
To fome remote and defart place, quite out
Of our dominions; and that there thou leave it,
(Without more mercy,) to it's own protection
And favour of the climate. As by ftrange fortune
It came to us, I do in juftice charge thee,
On thy foul's peril and thy body's torture,
That thou commend it ftrangely to fome place,
Where Chance may nurfe, or end it. Take it up.
Ant. I fwear to do this: tho' a prefent death
Had been more merciful. Come on, poor babe;
Some powerful fpirit inftruct the kites and ravens
To be thy nurfes! wolves and bears, they fay,

(Cafting