Fore your queen died, she was more worth such gazes
Than what you look on now.
LEONTES. I thought of her
Even in these looks I made. [To FLORIZEL] But your petition
Is yet unanswer'd. I will to your father.
Your honour not o'erthrown by your desires,
I am friend to them and you. Upon which errand
I now go toward him;
therefore, follow me,
And mark what way I make. Come, good my lord. Exeunt
SCENE II.
Sicilia. Before the palace of LEONTES
Enter AUTOLYCUS and a GENTLEMAN
AUTOLYCUS. Beseech you, sir, were you present at this relation?
FIRST GENTLEMAN. I was by at the
opening of the fardel, heard the
old
shepherd deliver the manner how he found it;
whereupon, after
a little amazedness, we were all commanded out of the chamber;
only this,
methought I heard the
shepherd say he found the child.
AUTOLYCUS. I would most
gladly know the issue of it.
FIRST GENTLEMAN. I make a broken
delivery of the business; but the
changes I perceived in the King and Camillo were very notes of
admiration. They seem'd almost, with staring on one another, to
tear the cases of their eyes; there was speech in their dumbness,
language in their very
gesture; they look'd as they had heard of
a world ransom'd, or one destroyed. A
notablepassion of wonder
appeared in them; but the wisest beholder that knew no more but
seeing could not say if th' importance were joy or sorrow- but in
the
extremity of the one it must needs be.
Enter another GENTLEMAN
Here comes a gentleman that happily knows more. The news, Rogero?
SECOND GENTLEMAN. Nothing but bonfires. The
oracle is fulfill'd:
the King's daughter is found. Such a deal of wonder is broken out
within this hour that ballad-makers cannot be able to express it.
Enter another GENTLEMAN
Here comes the Lady Paulina's
steward; he can deliver you more.
How goes it now, sir? This news, which is call'd true, is so like
an old tale that the verity of it is in strong
suspicion. Has the
King found his heir?
THIRD GENTLEMAN. Most true, if ever truth were
pregnant by
circumstance. That which you hear you'll swear you see, there is
such unity in the proofs. The
mantle of Queen Hermione's; her
jewel about the neck of it; the letters of Antigonus found with
it, which they know to be his
character; the
majesty of the
creature in
resemblance of the mother; the
affection of nobleness
which nature shows above her
breeding; and many other evidences-
proclaim her with all
certainty to be the King's daughter. Did
you see the meeting of the two kings?
SECOND GENTLEMAN. No.
THIRD GENTLEMAN. Then you have lost a sight which was to be seen,
cannot be
spoken of. There might you have
beheld one joy crown
another, so and in such manner that it seem'd sorrow wept to take
leave of them; for their joy waded in tears. There was casting up
of eyes,
holding up of hands, with
countenance of such
distraction that they were to be known by
garment, not by favour.
Our king, being ready to leap out of himself for joy of his found
daughter, as if that joy were now become a loss, cries 'O, thy
mother, thy mother!' then asks Bohemia
forgiveness; then embraces
his son-in-law; then again worries he his daughter with clipping
her. Now he thanks the old
shepherd, which stands by like a
weather-bitten conduit of many kings' reigns. I never heard of
such another
encounter, which lames report to follow it and
undoes
description to do it.
SECOND GENTLEMAN. What, pray you, became of Antigonus, that carried
hence the child?
THIRD GENTLEMAN. Like an old tale still, which will have matter to
rehearse, though credit be asleep and not an ear open: he was
torn to pieces with a bear. This avouches the
shepherd's son, who
has not only his
innocence, which seems much, to justify him, but
a
handkerchief and rings of his that Paulina knows.
FIRST GENTLEMAN. What became of his bark and his followers?
THIRD GENTLEMAN. Wreck'd the same
instant of their master's death,
and in the view of the
shepherd; so that all the instruments
which aided to
expose the child were even then lost when it was
found. But, O, the noble
combat that 'twixt joy and sorrow was
fought in Paulina! She had one eye declin'd for the loss of her
husband, another elevated that the
oracle was fulfill'd. She
lifted the Princess from the earth, and so locks her in embracing
as if she would pin her to her heart, that she might no more be
in danger of losing.
FIRST GENTLEMAN. The
dignity of this act was worth the
audience of
kings and
princes; for by such was it acted.
THIRD GENTLEMAN. One of the prettiest touches of all, and that
which angl'd for mine eyes- caught the water, though not the
fish- was, when at the relation of the Queen's death, with the
manner how she came to't
bravely confess'd and lamented by the
King, how attentivenes wounded his daughter; till, from one sign
of dolour to another, she did with an 'Alas!'- I would fain say-
bleed tears; for I am sure my heart wept blood. Who was most
marble there changed colour; some swooned, all sorrowed. If all
the world could have seen't, the woe had been universal.
FIRST GENTLEMAN. Are they returned to the court?
THIRD GENTLEMAN. No. The Princess
hearing of her mother's
statue,
which is in the keeping of Paulina- a piece many years in doing
and now newly perform'd by that rare Italian master, Julio
Romano, who, had he himself
eternity and could put
breath into
his work, would
beguile nature of her custom, so
perfectly he is
her ape. He so near to Hermione hath done Hermione that they say
one would speak to her and stand in hope of answer-
thither with
all greediness of
affection are they gone, and there they intend
to sup.
SECOND GENTLEMAN. I thought she had some great matter there in
hand; for she hath
privately twice or
thrice a day, ever since
the death of Hermione, visited that removed house. Shall we
thither, and with our company piece the rejoicing?
FIRST GENTLEMAN. Who would be
thence that has the benefit of
access? Every wink of an eye some new grace will be born. Our
absence makes us unthrifty to our knowledge. Let's along.
Exeunt GENTLEMEN
AUTOLYCUS. Now, had I not the dash of my former life in me, would
preferment drop on my head. I brought the old man and his son
aboard the Prince; told him I heard them talk of a fardel and I
know not what; but he at that time over-fond of the
shepherd's
daughter- so he then took her to be- who began to be much
sea-sick, and himself little better,
extremity of weather
continuing, this
mystery remained undiscover'd. But 'tis all one
to me; for had I been the finder-out of this secret, it would not
have relish'd among my other discredits.
Enter SHEPHERD and CLOWN
Here come those I have done good to against my will, and already
appearing in the blossoms of their fortune.
SHEPHERD. Come, boy; I am past moe children, but thy sons and
daughters will be all gentlemen born.
CLOWN. You are well met, sir. You denied to fight with me this
other day, because I was no gentleman born. See you these
clothes? Say you see them not and think me still no gentleman
born. You were best say these robes are not gentlemen born. Give
me the lie, do; and try whether I am not now a gentleman born.
AUTOLYCUS. I know you are now, sir, a gentleman born.
CLOWN. Ay, and have been so any time these four hours.
SHEPHERD. And so have I, boy.
CLOWN. So you have; but I was a gentleman born before my father;
for the King's son took me by the hand and call'd me brother; and
then the two kings call'd my father brother; and then the Prince,
my brother, and the Princess, my sister, call'd my father father.
And so we wept; and there was the first gentleman-like tears that
ever we shed.
SHEPHERD. We may live, son, to shed many more.
CLOWN. Ay; or else 'twere hard luck, being in so preposterous
estate as we are.
AUTOLYCUS. I
humblybeseech you, sir, to
pardon me all the faults I
have committed to your
worship, and to give me your good report
to the Prince my master.
SHEPHERD. Prithee, son, do; for we must be gentle, now we are
gentlemen.
CLOWN. Thou wilt amend thy life?
AUTOLYCUS. Ay, an it like your good
worship.
CLOWN. Give me thy hand. I will swear to the Prince thou art as
honest a true fellow as any is in Bohemia.
SHEPHERD. You may say it, but not swear it.
CLOWN. Not swear it, now I am a gentleman? Let boors and franklins
say it: I'll swear it.
SHEPHERD. How if it be false, son?
CLOWN. If it be ne'er so false, a true gentleman may swear it in
the
behalf of his friend. And I'll swear to the Prince thou art a
tall fellow of thy hands and that thou wilt not be drunk; but I
know thou art no tall fellow of thy hands and that thou wilt be
drunk. But I'll swear it; and I would thou wouldst be a tall
fellow of thy hands.
AUTOLYCUS. I will prove so, sir, to my power.
CLOWN. Ay, by any means, prove a tall fellow. If I do not wonder
how thou dar'st
venture to be drunk not being a tall fellow,
trust me not. Hark! the kings and the
princes, our
kindred, are
going to see the Queen's picture. Come, follow us; we'll be thy
good masters. Exeunt
SCENE III.
Sicilia. A
chapel in PAULINA's house
Enter LEONTES, POLIXENES, FLORIZEL, PERDITA, CAMILLO,
PAULINA, LORDS and ATTENDANTS
LEONTES. O grave and good Paulina, the great comfort
That I have had of thee!
PAULINA. What,
sovereign sir,
I did not well, I meant well. All my services
You have paid home; but that you have vouchsaf'd,
With your crown'd brother and these your contracted
Heirs of your kingdoms, my poor house to visit,
It is a
surplus of your grace, which never
My life may last to answer.
LEONTES. O Paulina,
We honour you with trouble; but we came
To see the
statue of our queen. Your gallery
Have we pass'd through, not without much content
In many singularities; but we saw not
That which my daughter came to look upon,
The
statue of her mother.
PAULINA. As she liv'd peerless,
So her dead
likeness, I do well believe,
Excels
whatever yet you look'd upon
Or hand of man hath done;
therefore I keep it
Lonely, apart. But here it is. Prepare
To see the life as
lively mock'd as ever
Still sleep mock'd death. Behold; and say 'tis well.
[PAULINA draws a curtain, and discovers HERMIONE
standing like a
statue]
I like your silence; it the more shows off
Your wonder; but yet speak. First, you, my liege.
Comes it not something near?
LEONTES. Her natural posture!
Chide me, dear stone, that I may say indeed
Thou art Hermione; or rather, thou art she
In thy not chiding; for she was as tender
As
infancy and grace. But yet, Paulina,
Hermione was not so much wrinkled, nothing