Puslapio vaizdai
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HERMIONE is brought in, guarded; PAULINA and Ladies, attending.

Leon. Read the indictment.

Offi. Hermione, queen to the worthy Leontes, king of Sicilia, thou art here accused and arraigned of high treason, in committing adultery with Polixenes, king of Bohemia; and conspiring with Camillo to take away the life of our sovereign lord the king, thy royal husband; the pretence1 whereof being by circumstances partly laid open, thou, Hermione, contrary to the faith and allegiance of a true subject, didst counsel and aid them, for their better safety, to fly away by night.

Her. Since what I am to say, must be but that Which contradicts my accusation; and

The testimony on my part, no other

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

divine

Being counted falsehood, shall, as I express it,
Be so receiv'd. But thus,-If powers
Behold our human actions (as they do),

I doubt not then, but innocence shall make
False accusation blush, and tyranny

Tremble at patience.-You, my lord, best know
(Who least will seem to do so), my past life
Hath been as continent, as chaste, as true,
As I am now unhappy; which 3 is more
Than history can pattern, though devis'd,

1 i. e. the design. Shakspeare often uses the word for design or intention. So in The Two Gentlemen of Verona: 'publisher of this pretence.' And in Macbeth:

'Against the undivulg'd pretence I fight

Of treason's malice.'

2 i. e. my virtue being accounted wickedness, my assertion of it will pass but for a lie. Falsehood means both treachery and lie. Which, that is, which unhappiness.

And play'd, to take spectators: For behold me,-
A fellow of the royal bed, which owe1

A moiety of the throne, a great king's daughter,
The mother to a hopeful prince,-here standing
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 spare 5: for honour, 'Tis a derivative from me to mine,

And only that I stand for. I appeal

To your own conscience, sir, before Polixenes
Came to your court, how I was in your grace,
How merited to be so; since he came,

With what encounter so uncurrent I

Have strain'd, to appear thus: if one jot beyond
The bound of honour; or, in act, or will,
That way inclining; harden'd be the hearts
Of all that hear me, and my near'st of kin
Cry, Fye upon my grave!

Leon.

That

I ne'er heard yet,
any of these bolder vices wanted
Less impudence to gainsay what they did,
Than to perform it first7.

4 Own, possess.

5 I prize my life no more than I value grief, which I would willingly spare. This sentiment, which is probably derived from Ecclesiasticus, iii. 11, cannot be too often impressed on the female mind: The glory of a man is from the honour of his father; and a mother in dishonour is a reproach to her children.' 6 Encounter so uncurrent is unallowed or unlawful meeting.Strain'd means swerv'd or gone astray from the line of duty. So in Romeo and Juliet:

'Nor aught so good, but strain'd from that fair use,
Revolts.'

appear thus is to seem guilty.

It is to be observed that originally in our language, two negatives did not affirm, but only strengthen the negation. Examples of similar phraseology occur in several of our author's plays, and even in the first act of this very drama: in this passage, Johnson observes that, according to the present use of words, less should be more, or wanted should be had.

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Her.

That's true enough;

Though 'tis a saying, sir, not due to me.

Leon. You will not own it.

More than mistress of,

Her. Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not At all acknowledge. For Polixenes, (With whom I am accus'd) I do confess, I lov'd him, as in honour he requir'd; With such a kind of love, as might become A lady like me; with a love, even such, So, and no other, as yourself commanded : Which not to have done, I think, had been in me Both disobedience and ingratitude,

To you, and toward your friend; whose love had spoke,

Even since it could speak, from an infant freely,
That it was yours. Now, for conspiracy,

I know not how it tastes; though 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.

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

You speak a language that I understand not:
My life stands in the level of your dreams,
Which I'll lay down.

Leon.

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

8 See note 1, p. 38. To stand within the level of a gun is to stand in a direct line with its mouth, and in danger of being hurt by its discharge. This expression often occurs in Shakspeare; take one instance from K. Henry VIII. Act i. Sc. 2:

'I stood i'the level

Of a full charg'd confederacy, and give thanks
To you that chok'd it.'

10

And I but dream'd it :-As you were past all shame
(Those of
your fact 9 are so), so past all truth:
Which to deny, concerns more than avails: for as
Thy brat hath been cast out, like to itself,
No father owning it (which is, indeed,
More criminal in thee, than it), so thou

Shalt feel our justice; in whose easiest passage,
Look for no less than death.

Her.

Sir, spare your threats;

The bug 11, which you would fright me with, I seek.
To me can life be no commodity:

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

But know not how it went: My second joy,
And first-fruits of my body, from his presence
I am barr'd, like one infectious: My third comfort,
Starr'd most unluckily 12, is from my breast,
The innocent milk in its most innocent mouth,
Haled out to murder: Myself on every post
Proclaim'd a strumpet; with immodest hatred,
The child-bed privilege denied, which 'longs.
To women of all fashion:-Lastly, hurried
Here to this place, i'the open air, before
I have got strength of limit 13. Now, my liege,
Tell me what blessings I have here alive,
That I should fear to die? Therefore, proceed.

9 i. e. they who have done like you. Shakspeare had this from Dorastus and Fawnia, ' it was her part to deny such a monstrous crime, and to be impudent in forswearing the fact, since she had passed all shame in committing the fault.'

10 It is your business to deny this charge; but the mere denial will be useless, will prove nothing.

11 Bugbear.

12Starr'd most unluckily.' Ill starred; born under an inauspicious planet.

13 Strength of limit, i. e. the degree of strength which it is customary to acquire before women are suffered to go abroad after child-bearing.

-No! life,

But yet hear this; mistake me not;-
I prize it not a straw :—but for mine honour
(Which I would free), if I shall be condemn'd
Upon surmises; all proofs sleeping else,
But what your jealousies awake; I tell you,
'Tis rigour, and not law. Your honours all,
I do refer me to the oracle;

Apollo be my judge.

1 Lord.

This your request

Is altogether just: therefore, bring forth,
And in Apollo's name, his oracle.

[Exeunt certain Officers.
Her. The emperor of Russia was my father:
O, that he were alive, and here beholding
His daughter's trial! that he did but see
The flatness 14 of my misery; yet with eyes
Of pity, not revenge!

Re-enter Officers with CLEOMENES and DION. Offi. You here shall swear upon this sword of justice,

That

you, Cleomenes and Dion, have

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

Cleo. Dion.

All this we swear.

Leon. Break up the seals, and read.

Offi. [Reads.] Hermione is chaste, Polixenes blameless, Camillo a true subject, Leontes a jealous

14 The flatness of my misery,' that is absoluteness, the completeness of my misery. So Milton, P. L. b. ii:

'Thus repuls'd, our final hope

Is flat despair.'

i. e. complete or downright despair.

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