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Must it be great; and, as his person's mighty,
Must it be violent; and as he does conceive

He is dishonour'd by a man which ever
Profess'd to him, why, his revenges must

In that be made more bitter. Fear o'ershades me.
Good expedition be my friend, and comfort

The gracious Queen, part of this theme, but nothing
Of his ill-ta'en suspicion! Come, Camillo;

I will respect thee as a father, if
Thou bear'st my life off hence. Let us avoid.

CAMILLO. It is in mine authority to command
The keys of all the posterns. Please your Highness

To take the urgent hour. Come, sir, away. Exeunt
ACT II. SCENE I.

Sicilia. The palace of LEONTES
Enter HERMIONE, MAMILLIUS, and LADIES

HERMIONE. Take the boy to you; he so troubles me,
'Tis past enduring.

FIRST LADY. Come, my gracious lord,
Shall I be your playfellow?

MAMILLIUS. No, I'll none of you.
FIRST LADY. Why, my sweet lord?

MAMILLIUS. You'll kiss me hard, and speak to me as if
I were a baby still. I love you better.

SECOND LADY. And why so, my lord?
MAMILLIUS. Not for because

Your brows are blacker; yet black brows, they say,
Become some women best; so that there be not

Too much hair there, but in a semicircle
Or a half-moon made with a pen.

SECOND LADY. Who taught't this?
MAMILLIUS. I learn'd it out of women's faces. Pray now,

What colour are your eyebrows?
FIRST LADY. Blue, my lord.

MAMILLIUS. Nay, that's a mock. I have seen a lady's nose
That has been blue, but not her eyebrows.

FIRST LADY. Hark ye:
The Queen your mother rounds apace. We shall

Present our services to a fine new prince
One of these days; and then you'd wanton with us,

If we would have you.
SECOND LADY. She is spread of late

Into a goodly bulk. Good time encounter her!
HERMIONE. What wisdom stirs amongst you? Come, sir, now

I am for you again. Pray you sit by us,
And tell's a tale.

MAMILLIUS. Merry or sad shall't be?
HERMIONE. As merry as you will.

MAMILLIUS. A sad tale's best for winter. I have one
Of sprites and goblins.

HERMIONE. Let's have that, good sir.
Come on, sit down; come on, and do your best

To fright me with your sprites; you're pow'rfull at it.
MAMILLIUS. There was a man-

HERMIONE. Nay, come, sit down; then on.
MAMILLIUS. Dwelt by a churchyard- I will tell it softly;

Yond crickets shall not hear it.
HERMIONE. Come on then,

And give't me in mine ear.
Enter LEONTES, ANTIGONUS, LORDS, and OTHERS

LEONTES. he met there? his train? Camillo with him?
FIRST LORD. Behind the tuft of pines I met them; never

Saw I men scour so on their way. I ey'd them
Even to their ships.

LEONTES. How blest am I
In my just censure, in my true opinion!

Alack, for lesser knowledge! How accurs'd
In being so blest! There may be in the cup

A spider steep'd, and one may drink, depart,
And yet partake no venom, for his knowledge

Is not infected; but if one present
Th' abhorr'd ingredient to his eye, make known

How he hath drunk, he cracks his gorge, his sides,
With violent hefts. I have drunk, and seen the spider.

Camillo was his help in this, his pander.
There is a plot against my life, my crown;

All's true that is mistrusted. That false villain
Whom I employ'd was pre-employ'd by him;

He has discover'd my design, and I
Remain a pinch'd thing; yea, a very trick

For them to play at will. How came the posterns
So easily open?

FIRST LORD. By his great authority;
Which often hath no less prevail'd than so

On your command.
LEONTES. I know't too well.

Give me the boy. I am glad you did not nurse him;
Though he does bear some signs of me, yet you

Have too much blood in him.
HERMIONE. What is this? Sport?

LEONTES. Bear the boy hence; he shall not come about her;
Away with him; and let her sport herself

[MAMILLIUS is led out]
With that she's big with- for 'tis Polixenes

Has made thee swell thus.
HERMIONE. But I'd say he had not,

And I'll be sworn you would believe my saying,
Howe'er you lean to th' nayward.

LEONTES. You, my lords,
Look on her, mark her well; be but about

To say 'She is a goodly lady' and
The justice of your hearts will thereto ad

'Tis pity she's not honest- honourable.'
Praise her but for this her without-door form,

Which on my faith deserves high speech, and straight
The shrug, the hum or ha, these petty brands

That calumny doth use- O, I am out!-
That mercy does, for calumny will sear

Virtue itself- these shrugs, these hum's and ha's,
When you have said she's goodly, come between,

Ere you can say she's honest. But be't known,
From him that has most cause to grieve it should be,

She's an adultress.
HERMIONE. Should a villain say so,

The most replenish'd villain in the world,
He were as much more villain: you, my lord,

Do but mistake.
LEONTES. You have mistook, my lady,

Polixenes for Leontes. O thou thing!
Which I'll not call a creature of thy place,

Lest barbarism, making me the precedent,
Should a like language use to all degrees

And mannerly distinguishment leave out
Betwixt the prince and beggar. I have said

She's an adultress; I have said with whom.
More, she's a traitor; and Camillo is

A federary with her, and one that knows
What she should shame to know herself

But with her most vile principal- that she's
A bed-swerver, even as bad as those

That vulgars give bold'st titles; ay, and privy
To this their late escape.

HERMIONE. No, by my life,
Privy to none of this. How will this grieve you,

When you shall come to clearer knowledge, that
You thus have publish'd me! Gentle my lord,

You scarce can right me throughly then to say
You did mistake.

LEONTES. No; if I mistake
In those foundations which I build upon,

The centre is not big enough to bear
A school-boy's top. Away with her to prison.

He who shall speak for her is afar off guilty
But that he speaks.

HERMIONE. There's some ill planet reigns.
I must be patient till the heavens look

With an aspect more favourable. Good my lords,
I am not prone to weeping, as our sex

Commonly are- the want of which vain dew
Perchance shall dry your pities- but I have

That honourable grief lodg'd here which burns
Worse than tears drown. Beseech you all, my lords,

With thoughts so qualified as your charities
Shall best instruct you, measure me; and so

The King's will be perform'd!
LEONTES. [To the GUARD] Shall I be heard?

HERMIONE. Who is't that goes with me? Beseech your highness
My women may be with me, for you see

My plight requires it. Do not weep, good fools;
There is no cause; when you shall know your mistress

Has deserv'd prison, then abound in tears
As I come out: this action I now go on

Is for my better grace. Adieu, my lord.
I never wish'd to see you sorry; now

I trust I shall. My women, come; you have leave.
LEONTES. Go, do our bidding; hence!

Exeunt HERMIONE, guarded, and LADIES
FIRST LORD. Beseech your Highness, call the Queen again.

ANTIGONUS. Be certain what you do, sir, lest your justice
Prove violence, in the which three great ones suffer,

Yourself, your queen, your son.
FIRST LORD. For her, my lord,

I dare my life lay down- and will do't, sir,
Please you t' accept it- that the Queen is spotless

I' th' eyes of heaven and to you- I mean
In this which you accuse her.

ANTIGONUS. If it prove
She's otherwise, I'll keep my stables where

I lodge my wife; I'll go in couples with her;
Than when I feel and see her no farther trust her;

For every inch of woman in the world,
Ay, every dram of woman's flesh is false,

If she be.
LEONTES. Hold your peaces.

FIRST LORD. Good my lord-
ANTIGONUS. It is for you we speak, not for ourselves.

You are abus'd, and by some putter-on
That will be damn'd for't. Would I knew the villain!

I would land-damn him. Be she honour-flaw'd-
I have three daughters: the eldest is eleven;

The second and the third, nine and some five;
If this prove true, they'll pay for 't. By mine honour,

I'll geld 'em all; fourteen they shall not see
To bring false generations. They are co-heirs;

And I had rather glib myself than they
Should not produce fair issue.

LEONTES. Cease; no more.
You smell this business with a sense as cold

As is a dead man's nose; but I do see't and feel't
As you feel doing thus; and see withal

The instruments that feel.


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