So soon as yours, could win me: so it should now,
Were there necessity in your request, although
"Twere needful I denied 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 save both,
Farewell, our brother.

Leon.

Tongue-tied, our queen? speak you. Her. I had thought, sir, to have held my peace, until You had drawn oaths from him, not to stay. You, sir, Charge him too coldly: Tell him, you are sure,

All in Bohemia's well: this satisfaction

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

Leon.

Well said, Hermione.

Her. To tell, he longs to see his son, were strong;

But let him say so then, and let him go;

But let him say so, and he shall not stay,

We'll thwack him hence with distaffs.

[To Polixenes.] Yet of your royal presence I'll adventure The borrow of a week. When at Bohemia

You take my lord, I'll give him my commission,
To let him there a month, behind the gest

Prefix'd for his parting: yet, good deed,3 Leontes,
I love thee not a jar o' the clock behind
What lady she her lord. -You'll stay?

Pol.

Her. Nay, but you will.

Pol.

Her. Verily!

No, madam.

I may not, verily,

You put me off with limbers vows: But I,

Though you would seek to unsphere the stars with oaths,

Should yet say, 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 guest; so you shall pay your fees,

When you depart, and save your thanks. How say you? My prisoner? or my guest? by your dread verily,

One of them you shall be.

Pol.

Your guest then, madam:

To be your prisoner, should import offending;
Which is for me less easy to commit,

Than you to punish.

Her.

Not your gaoler then,

But your kind hostess. Come, I'll question you
Of my lord's tricks, and yours, when you were boys:
You were pretty lordlings then.

Pol.

We were, fair queen, Two lads, that thought there was no more behind,

But such a day to-morrow as to-day,

And to be boy eternal.

1 Retard.

2 Stages during a royal progress.

3 Indeed.

5 Pliant.

4 Tick.

Her. Was not my lord the verier wag o' the two?

Pol. We were as twinn'd lambs, that did frisk i' the sun, And bleat the one at the 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 pursued that life,

And our weak spirits ne'er been higher rear'd

With stronger blood, we should have answer'd heaven
Boldly, Not Guilty: the imposition clear'd,

Hereditary ours.

Her.

By this we gather,

You have tripp'd since.
Pol.
O my most sacred lady.
Temptations have since then been born to us: for
In those unfledg'd days was my wife a girl;
Your precious self had then not cross'd the eyes
Of my young play-fellow.

Her.
Grace to boot!
Of this make no conclusion; lest you say,
Your queen and I are devils: Yet, go on;
The offences we have made you do, we'll answer;
If you first sinn'd with us, and that with us
You did continue fault, and that you slipp'd not
With any but with us.

Leon.

Is he won yet? Her. He'll stay, my lord.

Leon.

At my request, he would not.

Hermione, my dearest, thou never spok'st

To better purpose.

Her.

Leon.

Never?

Never, but once.

Her. What? have I twice said well? when was 't before?
I pr'ythee, tell me : Cram us with praise, and make us
As fat as tame things: One good deed, dying tongueless,
Slaughters a thousand, waiting upon that..

Our praises are our wages: You may ride us,
With one soft kiss, a thousand furlongs, ere
With spur we heat an acre. But to the goal;—
My last good deed was, to entreat his stay;
What was my first? it has an elder sister,

Or I mistake you: O, would her name were Grace
But once before I spoke to the purpose: When?
Nay, let me have 't, I long.

Leon.

Why, that was when

Three crabbed months had sour'd themselves to death,
Ere I could make thee open thy white hand,

And clap thyself my love; then didst thou utter,

Why, lo you now, I have spoke to the purpose twice:
The one for ever earn'd a royal husband;

The other, for some while a friend.

Leon. [Aside.]

[Giving her hand to Polixenes.

Too hot, too hot:

To mingle friendship far, is mingling bloods.
I have tremor cordis1 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 bosom,
And well become the agent: it may, I grant:
But as now they are, making practis'd smiles,
As in a looking-glass; and then to sigh, as 'twere
The mort o' the deer2; 0, that is entertainment
My bosom likes not, nor my brows. - Mamillius,
Art thou my boy?

Mam.

Leon.

Ay, my good lord.

I'fecks?

Why that's my bawcock.3 What, hast smutch'd thy nose?They say, it's a copy out of mine. Come, captain,

We must be neat; not neat, but cleanly, captain:

And yet the steer, the heifer, and the calf,

Are all call'd, neat,--Still virginalling4

[Observing Polixenes and Hermione.

Upon his palm?-How now, you wanton calf?

Art thou my calf?

Mam.

Yes, if you will, my lord.

Leon. Thou want'st a rough pash, and the shoots that I have," To be full like me :-yet, they say we are

Almost as like as eggs; women say so,

That will say any thing: but were they false
As o'er-died blacks, as wind, as waters; false
As dice are to be wish'd, by one that fixes

No bourn' 'twixt his and mine; yet were it true
To say this boy were like me.-Come, sir page,
Look on me with your welkin' eye: Sweet villain!
Most dear'st! my collop!-Can thy damı?-may't be?
Affection! thy intention" stabs the center :

Thou dost make possible, things not so held,
Communicat'st with dreams;-(How can this be?)--
With what's unreal thou co-active art,

And fellow'st nothing: Then 'tis very credent,10
Thou may'st co-join with something; and thou dost :
(And that beyond commission; and I find it,)

And that to the infection of my brains,

And hardening of my brows.

Pol.

Her. He something seems unsettled.

What means Sicilia?

How, my lord?

You look,

Pol.
What cheer? how is't with you, best brother?

Her.
As if you held a brow of much distraction:

Are you mov'd, my lord?

Leon.

No, in good earnest.

How sometimes nature will betray its folly,
Its tenderness, and make itself a pastime

1 Trembling of the heart. 2 The tune played at the death of the deer.

3 Fine fellow.

4 Playing on a spinet.
5 Head.

6 Budding horns.
7 Boundary.

8 Blue, like the sky.

9 Eagerness. 10 Credible.

To harder bosoms! Looking on the lines
Of my boy's face, methoughts, I did recoil
Twenty-three years: and saw myself unbreech'd,
In my green velvet coat; my dagger muzzled,
Lest it should bite its master, and so prove,
As ornaments oft do, too dangerous.

How like, methought, I then was to this kernal,

This squash, this gentleman :-Mine honest friend,
Will you take eggs for money? 2

Mam. No, my lord, I'll fight.

Leon. You will? why, happy man be his dole !3--My brother, Are you so fond of your young prince, as we

Do seem to be of ours?

He's all my exercise, my mirth, my matter:
Now my sworn friend, and then mine enemy;
My parasite, my soldier, statesman, all:
He makes a July's day short as December;
And, with its varying childness, cures in me
Thoughts that would thick my blood.
So stands this squire

Leon.

Offic'd with me: We two will walk, my lord,
And leave you to your graver steps-Hermione,
How thou lov'st us, show in our brother's welcome;
Let what is dear in Sicily be cheap:

Next to thyself, and my young rover, he's

Apparent to my heart.
Her.

If you would seek us,

We are yours i' the garden: Shall's attend

you there?

Leon. To your own bents dispose you: you'll be found, Be you beneath the sky:-I am angling now,

Though you perceive me not how I give line.

Go to, go to! [Aside. Observing Pol. and Her.]
How she holds up the neb," the bill to him,
And arms her with the boldness of a wife,

To her allowing husband! Gone already.

[Exeunt Polixenes, Hermione, and Attendants.]

Go, play, boy, play ;-thy mother plays, and I

Play too; but so disgrac'd a part, whose issue

Will hiss me to my grave; contempt and clamour

Will be my knell.-Go, play, boy, play;-There have been,
Or I am much deceiv'd, cuckolds ere now;

And many a man there is, even at this present,
Now, while I speak this, holds his wife by the arm,
That little thinks she's false: Should all despair,
That have revolted wives, the tenth of mankind
Would hang themselves; but many a thousand of us
Have the disease and feel't not.-How now, boy?
Mam. I am like you, they say.

Leon.

Why, that's some comfort.-

What! Camillo there?

Cam. Ay, my good lord.

1 Pea-cod

2 Will you be cajoled?

3 Lot.

4 Heir-apparent.

5 Mouth.
Approving.

Leon. Go play, Mamillius; thou'rt an honest man.

[Exit Mamillius.

Camillo, this great sir will yet stay longer.
Cam. You had much ado to make his anchor hold,
When you cast out it still came home.

Cam. He would not stay at your petitions; made His business more material.

Leon.

Didst perceive it?

They're here with me already; whispering, rounding,1
Sicilia is a so-forth: "Tis far gone,

When I shall gust2 it last.-How came't, Camillo,
That he did stay?

Cam.

At the good queen's entreaty.

Leon. At the queen's be 't: good should be pertinent; But so it is, it is not. Was this taken

By any understanding pate but thine?

For thy conceit is soaking, will draw in

More than the common blocks:-Not noted, is't,
But of the finer natures? by some severals

Of head-piece extraordinary? lower messes,
Perchance, are to this business purblind: say.

Cam. Business, my lord? I think, most understand
Bohemia stays here longer.

Leon.

Cam.

Ha?

Stays here longer.

Leon. Ay, but why?

Cam. To satisfy your highness, and the entreaties Of our most gracious mistress.

Satisfy

Leon.
The entreaties of your mistress?- -satisfy?
Let that suffice. I have trusted thee, Camillo,
With all the nearest things to my heart, as well
My chamber-councils: wherein, priest-like, thou
Hast cleans'd my boson: I from thee departed
Thy penitent reformed: but we have been
Deceiv'd in thy integrity, deceiv'd

In that which seems so.

Leon. To bide upon 't;-Thou art not honest: or, If thou inclin'st that way, thou art a coward;

Which hoxes honesty behind, restraining

From course required: Or else thou must be counted

A servant, grafted in my serious trust,

And therein negligent; or else a fool,

That seest a game play'd home, the rich stake drawn,
And tak'st it all for jest.

In

Cam.

My gracious lord,
I may be negligent, foolish, and fearful;
every one of these no man is free,
But that his negligence, his folly, fear,
Amongst the infinite doings of the world,