And tak'ft it all for jeft.
Cam. My gracious Lord,
I may be negligent, foolish and fearful;
In every one of these no man is free,
But that his negligence, his folly, fear,
Amongst the infinite doings of the world,
Sometime puts forth in your affairs, my Lord,
If ever I were wilful negligent,
It was my folly; if injuriously
I play'd the fool, it was my negligence,
Not weighing well the end; if ever fearful
To do a thing, where I the iffue doubted,
Whereof the execution did cry out
Againft the non-performance, 'twas a fear
Which oft infects the wifeft: thefe, my Lord,
Are fuch allow'd infirmities, that honesty
Is never free of. But 'befeech your Grace,
Be plainer with me, let me know my trefpafs
By its own vifage; if I then deny it,
'Tis none of mine.
Leo. Ha' not you feen, Camillo,
(But that's paft doubt; you have, or your eye-glafs Is thicker than a cuckold's horn) or heard,
(For to a vifion fo apparent, rumour
Cannot be mute) or thought, (for cogitation
Refides not in that man, that does not think't)
My wife is flippery? if thou wilt, confess,
(Or elfe be impudently negative,
To have nor eyes, nor ears, nor thought) then fay,
My wife's a hobby-horfe, deferves a name
As rank as any flax wench, that puts to
Before her troth-plight: fay't and justify't.
Cam. I would not be a ftander-by, to hear
My fovereign miftrefs clouded fo, without
My prefent vengeance taken; 'fhrew my heart,
You never spoke what did become you lefs
Than this, which to reiterate, were fin
As deep as that, tho' true.
Leo. Is whifpering nothing?
Is leaning cheek to cheek? is meeting noses ?
Kiffing with infide lip? ftopping the career
Of laughter with a figh? (a note infallible
Of breaking honefty:) horfing foot on foot?
Skulking in corners? wishing clocks more swift?
Hours minutes? the noon midnight? and all eyes
Blind with the pin and web, but theirs; theirs only,
That would unfeen be wicked? is this nothing?
Why then the world, and all that's in't, is nothing;
The covering fky is nothing, Bithynia nothing,
My wife is nothing, nor nothing have these nothings,
If this be nothing.
Cam. Good my Lord, be car'd
Of this difeas'd opinion, and betimes,
For 'tis moft dangerous.
Leo. Say it be, 'tis trues
Cam. No, no, my Lord..
Leo. It is; you lie, you lie
I fay thou lieft, Camillo, and I hate thee,
Pronounce thee a grofs lowt, a mindless slave,
Or else a hovering temporizer, that
Canft with thine eyes at once fee good and evil,
Inclining to them both were my wife's liver
Infected, as her life, fhe would not live
The running of one glass..
Cam. Who do's infect her ?
Lee. Why, he that wears her like her medal, hanging About his neck, Bithynia; who, if I
Had fervants true about me, that bear eyes
To fee alike mine honour, as their profits,
Their own particular thrifts; they would do that
Which should undo more doing: I, and thou
His cup-bearer, whom I from meaner form
Have bench'd, and rear'd to worship, who may'ft fee
Plainly, as heav'n fees earth, and earth fees heav'n,
How I am gall'd, thou might'ft be-fpice a cup,
To give mine enemy a lasting wink,
Which draught to me were cordial.
Cam. Sir, my Lord,
I could do this, and that with no rafh potion,
But with a lingring dram, that should not work,
Like a malicious poifen but I cannot
Believe this crack to be in my dread mistress,
So fovereignly being honourable
102JWS 29013 M go
Leo. Make that thy queftion, and go rot:
Do'ft think I am fo muddy, fo unfettled,
To appoint my felf in this vexation Sully
The purity and whiteness of my theets,
Which to preferve, is fleep; which being spotted,
Is goads, and thorns, nettles, and tails of wafps:
Give fcandal to the blood o'th' Prince, my fon,
Who, I do think, is mine, and love as mine,
Without ripe moving to't would I do this?
Could man fo-blench?
Cam. I must believe you, Sir,
I do, and will fetch off Bithynia for t
Provided that when he's remov'd your Highnes
Will take again your Queen, as yours at firft,
Even for your fon's fake, and thereby for fealing
The injury of tongues, in Courts and Kingdoms
Known and ally'd to yours.
Leo. Thou doft advise me,
Even fo as I mine own course have let down:
I'll give no blernish to her honour, none.
Cam. My Lord,
Go then; and with a countenance as clear
As friendship wears at feafts, keep with Bithynia,
And with your Queen: Fam his cup-bearer;
If from me he have wholefome beveridge,
Account me not your fervant.
Leo. This is all.
Do't, and thou haft the one half of my heart s
Do't not, thou fplit'ft thine own.
Cam. I'll do't, my Lord.
Lea. I will feem friendly, as thou haft advis'd me. [Exit.
Cam. O miferable Lady! but for me,
What case stand I in? I must be the poifoner'
Of good Polixenes, and my ground to do't
Is the obedience to a master, one,
Who in rebellion with himself, will have
All that are his, fo too. To do this deed
Promotion follows. If I could find example
Of thousands that had ftruck anointed Kings,
And flourish'd after, I'd not do't: but fince
Nor brafs, nor ftone, nor parchment bears not one,
Let villainy it felf forfwear't. I muft
Forfake the Court; to do't or no, is certain
To me a break-neck. Happy ftar, reign now!
Here comes Bitbynia.
Pol. This is ftrange ! methinks
My favour here begins to warp. Not speak?
Good day, Camillo !
Cam. Hail, moft royal Sir !
Pol. What is the news i'th' Court?
Cam. None rare, my Lord.
Pol. The King hath on him fuch a countenance,
As he had loft fome province, and a region
Lov'd, as he loves himself: even now I met him
With cuftomary compliment, when he
Wafting his eyes to th' contrary, and falling
A lip of much contempt, fpeeds from me, and
So leaves me to confider what is breeding,
That changes thus his manners.
Cam. I dare not know.
Pol. How, dare not? dare not? you do know, and dare
Be intelligent to me: 'tis thereabouts :
For to your felf, what you do know, you must,
And cannot fay, you dare not.
Your chang'd complexions are to me a mirror,
Which fhews me mine chang'd too; for I must be
A party in this alteration, finding
My felf thus alter'd with it.
Cam. There is a fickness
Which puts fome of us in diftemper; but
I cannot name the difeafe, and it is caught
Of you that yet are well.
Pol. How caught of me?
Make me not fighted like the bafilisk.
I've look'd on thoufands, who have fped the better
VOL. IV.
By my regard, but kill'd none fo: Camillo,
As you are certainly a gentleman,
Clerk-like experienc'd, (which no less adorns
Our gentry, than our parents noble names,
In whofe fuccefs we are gentle) I befeech you,
If you know ought which does behove my knowledge
Thereof to be inform'd, imprifon't not
In ignorant concealment.
Pol. A ficknefs caught of me, and yet I well?
I must be anfwer'd. Doft thou hear, Camillo,
I conjure thee by all the parts of man,
Which honour does acknowledge, whereof the leaft
Is not this fuit of mine, that thou declare
What incidency thou doft guefs of harm
Is creeping towards me; how far off, how near,
Which way to be prevented, if to be
If not, how beft to bear it."
Cam. Sir, I'll tell you,
Since I am charg'd in honour, and by him
That I think honourable; therefore mark my counfel,
Which must be ev'n as fwiftly follow'd as
I mean to utter it; or both your felf and me
Cry loft, and fo good night."
Pol. On, good Camillo.
Cam. I am appointed, Sir, to murder you.
Pal. By whom, Camillo ?
Cam. By the King.
Pol. For what?
Cam. He thinks, nay, with all confidence he fwears,
As he had feen't, or been an inftrument
To vice you to't, that you have toucht his Queen
Forbiddenly.
Pol. Oh then, my best blood turn
To an infected gelly, and my name
Be yoak'd with his that did betray the best!
Turn then my fresheft reputation to
A favour, that may ftrike the dulleft noftril
Where I arrive; and my approach be fhun'd,
Succefs here is to be understood in the fame fenfe as Succefon.
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