Enter a Meffenger.

Me. Pleafe your Highness, pofts,

From thofe you fent to th' oracle, are come
An hour fince. Cleomenes and Dion,

Being well arriv'd from Delphos, are both landed,
Hafting to th' court.

Lord. So pleafe you, Sir, their speed.

Hath been beyond account.

Leo. Twenty-three days.

They have been abfent: this good speed foretels,.
The great Apollo fudde..y will have

The truth of this appear. Prepare you, Lords.
Summon a feffion, that we may arraign
Our most disloyal Lady; for as the hath
Been publicly accus'd, fo fhall fhe have
A juft and open trial. While fhe lives,
My heart will be a burthen to me.
And think upon my bidding.

Leave me,

[Exeunt feverally..

ACT

III.

SCENE I

Clen.

A part of Sicily, near the fea-fide.

T

Enter Cleomenes, and Dion.

HE climate's delicate, the air most sweet, Fertile the ifle, the temple much furpaffing The common praise it bears.

Dion. It fhames report.

Foremoft it caught me, the celeftial habits,

(Methinks I fo fhould term them), and the reverence Of the grave wearers. O, the facrifice

How ceremonious, folemn, and unearthly
It was i' th' offering!

Cleo. But of all, the burft

But the temple of Apollo at Delphi was not in an island, but in Phocis, on the continent. Either Shakefpear or his editors, had their heads running on Delos, an island of the Cyclades. If it was the editors blunder, then Shakespear wrote,

Fertile the foi',

which is more elegant too, than the prefent reading. Mr Warlurten)

And the ear-deaf'ning voice o' th' oracle,
Kin to Jove's thunder, fo furpris'd my fenfe,
That I was nothing.

Dion. If th' event o' th' journey

Prove as fuccefsful to the Queen (O be't fo!)
As it hath been to us, rare, pleasant, speedy,
The ufe is worth the time on't.

Cleo. Great Apollo,

Turn all to th' beft! thefe proclamations,
So forcing faults upon Hermione,
I little like.

Dion. The violent carriage of it

Will clear, or end the business; when the oracle,
(Thus by Apollo's great divine feal'd up),
Shall the contents difcover: fomething rare

Even then will rufh to knowledge. Go; fresh horfes And gracious be the iffue!

[Exeunt.
SCENE II. Reprefents a court of Justice.
Leontes, Lords, and Officers appear properly seated.
Leo. This feffion, (to our great grief we pronounce),
Ev'n pufhes 'gainft our heart. The party try'd,,
The daughter of a King, our wife, and one

Of us too much belov 'd;-let us be clear'd
Of being tyrannous, fince we so openly
Proceed in juftice, which fhall have due courfe,.
Even to the guilt, or the purgation.

Produce the prifoner.

Off. It is his Highnefs' pleasure, that the Queen Appear in perfon here in court. Silence!

Hermione is brought in, guarded; Paulina, and Ladies attending.

Leo. Read the indictment..

Off. Hermione, Queen to the worthy Leontes, King of Sicilia, thou art here accufed and arraigned of high trea fon, in committing adultery with Polixenes, King of Bithynia, and confpiring with Camillo to take away the life of our Sovereign Lord the King, thy royal husband; the pretence whereof being by circumstances partly laid open, thou, Hermione, contrary to the faith and allegiance of

a true fubject, didft counsel and aid them, for their better fafety, to fly away by night.

Her. Since what I am to fay, muft be but that Which contradicts my accufation; and

The teftimony on my part no other

But what comes from myself; it shall scarce boot me
To fay, Not guilty: mine integrity,

Being counted falfehood, fhall, as I express it,
Be fo receiv'd. But thus, if powers divine
Behold our human actions, as they do,

I doubt not then, but innocence shall make
Falfe accufation blush, “ and tyranny

"Tremble at patience.- -You, my Lord, best know,
Who leaft will feem to do fo, my past life
Hath been as continent, as chaste, as true,
As I am now unhappy; which is more
Than history can pattern, tho' devis'd,
And play'd, to take fpectators. For behold me
A fellow of the royal bed, which owe

A moiety of the throne, a great King's daughter,
The mother to a hopeful Prince, here ftanding
To prate and talk for life and honour, 'fore
Who please to come and hear. For life, I prize it
As I weigh grief which I would fpare; for honour,
"Tis a derivative from me to mine,

And only that I ftand for. I appeal

To your own confcience, Sir, before Polixenes
Came to your court, how I was in your grace,
How merited to be fo; fince he came,
With what encounter fo uncurrent I

Have ftrain'd t'appear thus; if one jot beyond
The bounds of honour, or in act or will
That way inclining, hard'ned be the hearts
Of all that hear me, and my near'ft of kin
Cry, Fie, upon my grave!

Leo. I ne'er heard yet,

That any of those bolder vices wanted
Lefs impudence to gainfay what they did,

Than to perform it first.

Her. That's true enough;

Tho' 'tis a faying, Sir, not due to me.
Leo. You will not own it.

Her. More than miftrefs of,

What comes to me in name of fault, I muft not
At all acknowledge. For Polixenes,
With whom I am accus'd, I do confefs,
I lov'd him, as in honour he requir'd;
With fuch a kind of love, as might become
A Lady like me; with a love, even fuch,
So and no other, as yourfelf commanded :
Which not to have done, I think had been in me
Both difobedience and ingratitude

To you, and towards your friend; whofe love had fpoke,

Even fince it could fpeak, from an infant, freely,
That it was your's.

Now for confpiracy,.

I know not how it taftes, tho' it be dish'd

For me to try how; all I know of it,
Is, that Camillo was an honest man;
And why he left your court, the gods themselves
Wotting no more than I, are ignorant.

Leo. You knew of his departure, as you know
What you have underta'en to do in 's abfence.
Her. Sir,

You fpeak a language that I understand not;
My life ftands in the level of your dreams,
Which I'll lay down.

Leo. Your actions are my dreams.
You had a bastard by Polixenes,

And I but dream'd it

(Those of

as you were past all shame,

your fact are fo), fo paft all truth;

Which to deny, concerns more than avails: for as

Thy brat hath been caft out, like to itself,

No father owning it, (which is, indeed,.

More criminal in thee than it), fo thou

Shalt feel our juftice; in whofe eafieft paffage.
Look for no lefs than death.

Her. Sir, fpare your threats;

The bug which you would fright me with, I feek:
To me can life be no commodity.

The crown and comfort of my life, your favour,
I do give loft; for I do feel it gone,

But know not how it went. My fecond joy,.
The firft-fruits of my body, from his prefence.

I'm barr'd like one infectious. My third comfort,
(Starr'd moft unluckily), is from my breast
(The innocent milk in its most innocent mouth)
Hal'd out to murder; myself on every post
Proclaim'd a ftrumpet with immodeft hatred;
The child-bed privilege deny'd, which 'longs
To women of all fashion: lastly, hurried
Here to this place, i' th' open air, before
I have got ftrength of limit. Now, my Liege,
Tell me what bleffings I have here alive,
That I fhould fear to die? therefore proceed :
But yet hear this; mistake me not; no life,-
I prize it not a ftraw; but for mine honour,
Which I would free, if I shall be condemn'd
Upon furmifes, (all proofs fleeping elfe,
But what your jealoufies awake), I tell you,
'Tis rigour, and not law. Your honours all
I do refer me to the oracle :

Apollo be my judge.

SCENE III.

Enter Dion and Cleomenes.

Lord. This your requeft

Is altogether juft; therefore bring forth,
And in Apollo's name, his oracle.

Her. The Emperor of Ruffia was my father,
Oh that he were alive, and here beholding
His daughter's trial; that he did but fee
The flatnefs of my mifery; yet with eyes
Of pity, not revenge!

Off. You here shall fwear upon the fword of juftice, That you, Cleomenes and Dion, have

Been both at Delphos,, and from thence have brought
This feal'd-up oracle, by the hand deliver'd
Of great Apollo's Prieft; and that fince then
You have not dar'd to break the holy feal,
Nor read the fecrets in 't.

Cleo. Dion. All this we fwear.

Leo. Break up the feals, and read.

Off. Hermione is chafte, Polixenes blameless, Camillo a true fubject, Leontes a jealous tyrant, his innocent babe truly begotten; and the King fhall live without an heir, if that which is loft be not found.