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 Of great Apollo's priest; and that, since then, Nor read the secrets in't. Cleo. Dion. All this we swear. Leo. Break up the seals, and read. Offi. [Reads.] Hermione is chaste, Polixenes blameless, Camillo a true subject, Leontes a jealous tyrant, his innocent babe truly begotten: and the king shall live without an heir, if that, which is lost, be not found. Lords. Now blessed be the great Apollo ! Her. Praised! Leo. Hast thou read truth? Offi. Ay, my lord; even so As it is here set down. Leo. There is no truth at all i' the oracle : Ser. My lord the king, the king! Leo. What is the business? Ser. O sir, I shall be hated to report it: The prince your son, with mere conceit and fear 9 Of the queen's speed, is gone. Leo. How gone? Ser. Is dead. Leo. Apollo's angry; and the heavens themselves Do strike at my injustice. [HERMIONE faints.]— How now there? Paul. This news is mortal to the queen :-look down, And see what death is doing. Leo. Take her hence: Her heart is but o'ercharg'd; she will recover.- 'Beseech you, tenderly apply to her Some remedies for life.-Apollo, pardon [Exeunt PAULINA and Ladies, with HERMIONE. My great profaneness 'gainst thine oracle ! [9] Of the event of the queen's trial: so we still say, he sped well or ill. JOHNS. I'll reconcile me to Polixenes : New woo my queen; recal the good Camillo ; To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chose My friend Polixenes: which had been done, Re-enter PAULINA. Paul. Wae the while! O, cut my lace; lest my heart, cracking it, 1 Lord. What fit is this, good lady? Paul. What studied torments, tyrant, hast for me? What wheels? racks? fires? What flaying? boiling In leads, or oils? what old, or newer torture Must I receive; whose every word deserves To taste of thy most worst? Thy tyranny Together working with thy jealousies,Fancies too weak for boys, too green and idle For girls of nine !-O, think, what they have done, And then run mad, indeed; stark mad! for all Thy by-gone fooleries, were but spices of it. That thou betray'dst Polixenes, 'twas nothing; That did but show thee, of a fool, inconstant, And damnable ungrateful: nor was't much, Thou wouldst have poison'd good Camillo's honour, To have him kill a king; poor trespasses, More monstrous standing by: whereof I reckon The casting forth to crows thy baby daughter, [1] This vehement retraction of Leontes, accompanied with the confession of more crimes than he was suspected of, is agreeable to our daily experi ence of the vicissitudes of violent tempers, and the eruptions of minds op. pressed with guilt. JOHNS. To be or none, or little; though a devil Of the young prince; whose honourable thoughts When I have said, cry, woe the queen, the queen, The sweetest, dearest creature's dead; and vengeance for't Not dropp'd down yet. 1 Lord. The higher powers forbid ! Paul. I say, she's dead; I'll swear't ; if word, nor oath, Prevail not, go and see: if you can bring Tincture, or lustre, in her lip, her eye, Heat outwardly, or breath within, I'll serve you Leo. Go on, go on: Thou canst not speak too much; I have deserv'd 1 Lord. Say no more; Howe'er the business goes, you have made fault Paul. I am sorry for't;3 All faults I make, when I shall come to know them, The rashness of a woman he is touch'd To the noble heart.-What's gone, and what's past help, Should be past 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, [2] i. e. a devil would have shed tears of pity o'er the damned, ere he would have committed such an action. STEEV. [3] This is another instance of the sudden changes incident to vehement and ungovernable minds. JOHNS. Sir, royal sir, forgive a foolish woman: The love I bore your queen,-lo, fool again !— Who is lost too: Take your patience to you, Leo. Thou didst 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 shall be for both; upon them shall The chapel where they lie; and tears, shed there, So long I daily vow to use it. Come, SCENE III. [Exeunt. Bohemia. A desert Country near the Sea. Enter ANTIGONUS with the Child, and a Mariner. Ant. Thou art perfect then, our ship hath touch'd upon The deserts of Bohemia ? Mar. Ay, my lord; and fear We have landed in ill time: the skies look grimly, Ant. Their sacred wills be done!-Go, get aboard; Look to thy bark; I'll not be long, before I call upon thee. Mar. Make your best haste; and go not Of prey, that keep upon't. Ant. Go thou away: I'll follow instantly. Mar. I am glad at heart To be so rid o' the business. [Exit. [4] Perfect is often used by Shakspeare for certain, well assured, or well informed. JOHNS. I have heard, (but not believ'd,) the spirits of the dead So fill'd, and so becoming in pure white robes, My cabin where I lay : thrice bow'd before me, There weep, and leave it crying; and, for the babe I pr'ythee, callt: for this ungentle business, I did in time collect myself; and thought I will be squar'd by this. I do believe, [Laying down the child There lie; and there thy character: there these ; [Laying down a bundle, Which may, if fortune please, both breed thee, pretty, To loss, and what may follow!-weep I cannot, The day frowns more and more; thou art like to have [5] Thy description; i. e. the writing afterwards discovered with Perdita. |