Lords. Now, bleffed be the great Apollo!

Her. Praifed!

Leo. Haft thou read truth?

Off. Ay, my Lord, even fo as it is here fet down.
Leo. There is no truth at all i' th' oracle;

The feffion fhall proceed; this is mere falsehood.
Enter Servant.

Ser. My Lord the King, the King,—
Leo. What is the bufinefs?

Ser. O Sir, I fhall be hated to report it.
The Prince your fon, with mere conceit and fear
Of the Queen's fpeed, is gone.

*

Leo. How gone?

Ser. Is dead.

Leo. Apollo's angry, and the heav'ns themselves Do strike at my injuftice.How now, there?

[Her. faints. Paul. This news is mortal to the Queen: look down, And fee what death is doing.

Leo. Take her hence;

Her heart is but o'ercharg'd; fhe will recover.

[Exeunt Paulina and Ladies with Hermione.

I have too much believ'd mine own fufpicion :
'Befeech you, tenderly apply to her
Some remedies for life. Apollo, pardon
My great profanenefs 'gainst thine oracle!
I'll reconcile me to Polixenes,

New woo my Queen, recal the good Camillo,
Whom I proclaim a man of truth, of mercy.
For being transported by my jealoufies
To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chofe
Camillo for the minifter, to poison

My friend Polixenes; which had been done,
But that the good mind of Camillo tardied

My fwift command; though I with death, and with
Reward, did threaten and encourage him,

Not doing it, and being done; he (moft humane,
And fill'd with honour) to my kingly guest

Unclafp'd my practice, quit his fortunes here,

Which you knew great, and to the certain hazard
Of all uncertainties himself commended,
No richer than his honour: how he glifters
Through my dark ruft! and how his piety
Does my deeds make the blacker!

SCENE V. Enter Paulina.

Paul. Woe the while!

cut my lace, left my heart, cracking it, Break too.

Lord. What fit is this, good Lady?

Paul. What studied torments, tyrant, haft for me? What wheels? racks? fires? what flaying? boiling?

burning

In leads or oils? what old or newer torture
Muft I receive? whofe every word deferves
To taste of thy moft worst. Thy tyranny
Together working with thy jealoufies,

(Fancies too weak for boys, too green and idle
For girls of nine)! O think what they have done,
And then run mad indced; ftark mad, for all
Thy bygone fooleries were but fpices of it.
That thou betray'dft Polixenes, 'twas nothing;
That did but thew thee off, a fool, inconftant,
And damnable ungrateful: nor was 't much,
Thou would't have poifon'd good Camillo's honour,
To have him kill a King: poor trepaffes,
More monftrous ftanding by; whereof I reckon
The cafting forth to crows thy baby-daughter,
To be, or none, or little; though a devil
Would have fhed water out of fire, ere don't :
Nor is 't directly laid to thee the death

Of the young Prince, whofe honourable thoughts
(Thoughts high for one fo tender) cleft the heart,
That could conceive a grofs and foolish fire
Blemish'd his gracious dam: this is not, no,
Laid to thy anfwer: but the laft, O Lords,

When I have faid, cry, Woe! the Queen, the Queen,-
The fweeteft, deareft, creature's dead; and vengeance
Not dropt down yet.

Lord. The higher powers forbid!

[for 't

[oath,

Paul. I fay, fhe's dead: I'll fwear't: if word, nor
Prevail not, go and fee: if you can bring
Tincture or luftre in her lip, her eye,

Heat outwardly, or breath within, I'll ferve you
As I would do the gods. But, O thou tyrant!
• Do not repent these things; for they are heavier
⚫ Than all thy woes can ftir: therefore betake thee
• To nothing but defpair. A thousand knees,
• Ten thousand years together, naked, fafting,
Upon a barren mountain, and still winter

• In ftorm perpetual, could not move the gods To look that way thou wert.

Leo. Go on, go on :

Thou canst not speak too much; I have deferv'd
All tongues to talk their bitterest.

Lord. Say no more;

Howe'er the business goes, you have made fault
I' th' boldness of your speech,'

Paul. I am forry for❜t.

All faults I make, when I fhall come to know them, I do repent: alas, I've fhew'd too much

The rashness of a woman; he is touch'd

To th' noble heart. What's gone, and what's paft help, Should be paft grief. Do not receive affliction

At my petition, I beseech you; rather

Let me be punish'd, that have minded you

Of what you should forget. Now, good my Liege,
Sir, Royal Sir, forgive a foolish woman;

The love I bore your Queen-lo, fool again!-
I'll speak of her no more, nor of your children:
I'll not remember you of my own Lord,

Who is loft too. Take you your patience to you,
And I'll fay nothing.

Leo. Thou didft speak but well,

When most the truth; which I receive much better
Than to be pitied of thee. Pr'ythee, bring me

To the dead bodies of my Queen and son;
One grave fhall be for both. Upon them shall
The caufes of their death appear unto
Our fhame perpetual; once a day I'll vifit
The chapel where they lie, and tears, fhed there,
Shall be my recreation. So long as nature
VOL. III.

X

1

Changes to Bithynia. A defart country; the fea at little diftance.

Enter Antigonus with a child, and a Mariner.

Ant. Thou art perfect then, our fhip hath touch'd The defarts of Bithynia?

Mar. Ay, my Lord; and fear,

We've landed in ill time: the fkies look grimly,
And threaten prefent blufters. In my confcience,
The heav'ns with that we have in hand are angry,
And frown upon 's.

[upon

Ant. Their facred wills be done! get thee aboard, Look to thy bark, I'll not be long before

I call upon

thee.

Mar. Make your best hafte, and go not

Too far i' th' land; 'tis like to be loud weather,
Befides, this place is famous for the creatures

Of prey that keep upon't.

Ant. Go thou away.

I'll follow instantly.

Mar. I'm glad at heart

To be fo rid o' th' bufinefs.

Ant. Come, poor babe;

[Exit.

I have heard, but not believ'd, the fpirits of the dead
May walk again; if fuch thing be, thy mother
Appear'd to me laft night; for ne'er was dream
So like a waking. To me comes a creature,
Sometimes her head on one fide, fome another;
I never faw a veffel of like forrow

So fill'd, and fo becoming; in pure white robes,
Like very fanctity, fhe did approach

My cabbin where I lay; thrice bow'd before me,
And, gafping to begin fome fpeech, her eyes
Became two fpouts; the fury spent, anon
Did this break from her. Good Antigonus,
Since fate, against thy better difpofition,

Hath made thy perfon for the thrower-out
Of my poor babe, according to thine oath,
Places remote enough are in Bithynia,

There weep, and leave it crying; and for the babe
Is counted loft for ever and ever, Perdita,

I pr'ythee, call't. For this ungentle business,
Put on thee by my Lord, thou ne'er fhalt fee
Thy wife Paulina more.
She melted into air.

And fo, with fhrieks,

Affrighted much,

I did in time collect myfelf, and thought

This was footh, and no slumber. Dreams are toys;
Yet for this once, yea, fuperftitiously,

I will be fquar'd by this. I do believe
Hermione hath fuffer'd death; and that
Apollo would, this being indeed the issue
Of King Polixenes, it fhould here be laid,
Either for life or death, upon the earth
Of its right father. Bloffom, fpeed thee well!
[Laying down the child.
There lie, and there thy character: there these,"
Which may, if fortune please, both breed thee, pretty

one,

And still reft thine. The ftorm begins;

Poor

That for thy mother's fault art thus expos'd [wretch,
To lofs, and what may follow. (Weep I cannot,
But my heart bleeds: and moft accurs'd am. I

To be by oath injoin'd to this).

Farewel!

The day frowns more and more; thou art like to have A lullaby too rough: I never faw

The heav'ns fo dim by day.

A favage clamour!
Well may I get aboard this is the chace;
I am gone for ever.

[Exit, purfued by a bear? SCENE VII. Enter an old Shepherd. Shep. "I would there were no age between ten and "three and twenty, or that youth would fleep out the reft for there is nothing in the between but getting "wenches with child, wronging the ancientry, stealling, fighting. -hark you now!--would any but thefe boil'd brains of nineteen, and two and twenty, hunt this weather? They have fcar'd away "two of my beft fheep, which I fear the wolf will