Complete Plays, The (39 page)

First Lord

Well done, my lord.

Leontes

Though I am satisfied and need no more
Than what I know, yet shall the oracle
Give rest to the minds of others, such as he
Whose ignorant credulity will not
Come up to the truth. So have we thought it good
From our free person she should be confined,
Lest that the treachery of the two fled hence
Be left her to perform. Come, follow us;
We are to speak in public; for this business
Will raise us all.

Antigonus

[Aside]
To laughter, as I take it,
If the good truth were known.

Exeunt

S
CENE
II. A
PRISON
.

Enter Paulina, a Gentleman, and Attendants

Paulina

The keeper of the prison, call to him; let him have knowledge who I am.

Exit Gentleman

Good lady,
No court in Europe is too good for thee;
What dost thou then in prison?

Re-enter Gentleman, with the Gaoler

Now, good sir,
You know me, do you not?

Gaoler

For a worthy lady
And one whom much I honour.

Paulina

Pray you then,
Conduct me to the queen.

Gaoler

I may not, madam:
To the contrary I have express commandment.

Paulina

Here’s ado,
To lock up honesty and honour from
The access of gentle visitors!
Is’t lawful, pray you,
To see her women? any of them? Emilia?

Gaoler

So please you, madam,
To put apart these your attendants, I
Shall bring Emilia forth.

Paulina

I pray now, call her.
Withdraw yourselves.

Exeunt Gentleman and Attendants

Gaoler

And, madam,
I must be present at your conference.

Paulina

Well, be’t so, prithee.

Exit Gaoler

Here’s such ado to make no stain a stain
As passes colouring.

Re-enter Gaoler, with Emilia

Dear gentlewoman,
How fares our gracious lady?

Emilia

As well as one so great and so forlorn
May hold together: on her frights and griefs,
Which never tender lady hath born greater,
She is something before her time deliver’d.

Paulina

A boy?

Emilia

 
A daughter, and a goodly babe,
Lusty and like to live: the queen receives
Much comfort in’t; says ‘My poor prisoner,
I am innocent as you.’

Paulina

I dare be sworn
These dangerous unsafe lunes i’ the king, beshrew them!
He must be told on’t, and he shall: the office
Becomes a woman best; I’ll take’t upon me:
If I prove honey-mouth’d let my tongue blister
And never to my red-look’d anger be
The trumpet any more. Pray you, Emilia,
Commend my best obedience to the queen:
If she dares trust me with her little babe,
I’ll show’t the king and undertake to be
Her advocate to the loud’st. We do not know
How he may soften at the sight o’ the child:
The silence often of pure innocence
Persuades when speaking fails.

Emilia

Most worthy madam,
Your honour and your goodness is so evident
That your free undertaking cannot miss
A thriving issue: there is no lady living
So meet for this great errand. Please your ladyship
To visit the next room, I’ll presently
Acquaint the queen of your most noble offer;
Who but to-day hammer’d of this design,
But durst not tempt a minister of honour,
Lest she should be denied.

Paulina

Tell her, Emilia.
I’ll use that tongue I have: if wit flow from’t
As boldness from my bosom, let ’t not be doubted
I shall do good.

Emilia

 
Now be you blest for it! I’ll to the queen: please you, come something nearer.

Gaoler

Madam, if’t please the queen to send the babe,
I know not what I shall incur to pass it,
Having no warrant.

Paulina

 
You need not fear it, sir:
This child was prisoner to the womb and is
By law and process of great nature thence
Freed and enfranchised, not a party to
The anger of the king nor guilty of,
If any be, the trespass of the queen.

Gaoler

I do believe it.

Paulina

 
Do not you fear: upon mine honour,
I will stand betwixt you and danger.

Exeunt

S
CENE
III. A
ROOM
IN
L
EONTES
’
PALACE
.

Enter Leontes, Antigonus, Lords, and Servants

Leontes

Nor night nor day no rest: it is but weakness
To bear the matter thus; mere weakness. If
The cause were not in being,— part o’ the cause,
She the adulteress; for the harlot king
Is quite beyond mine arm, out of the blank
And level of my brain, plot-proof; but she
I can hook to me: say that she were gone,
Given to the fire, a moiety of my rest
Might come to me again. Who’s there?

First Servant

My lord?

Leontes

How does the boy?

First Servant

 
He took good rest to-night;
’Tis hoped his sickness is discharged.

Leontes

To see his nobleness!
Conceiving the dishonour of his mother,
He straight declined, droop’d, took it deeply,
Fasten’d and fix’d the shame on’t in himself,
Threw off his spirit, his appetite, his sleep,
And downright languish’d. Leave me solely: go,
See how he fares.

Exit Servant

Fie, fie! no thought of him:
The thought of my revenges that way
Recoil upon me: in himself too mighty,
And in his parties, his alliance; let him be
Until a time may serve: for present vengeance,
Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes
Laugh at me, make their pastime at my sorrow:
They should not laugh if I could reach them, nor
Shall she within my power.

Enter Paulina, with a child

First Lord

You must not enter.

Paulina

Nay, rather, good my lords, be second to me:
Fear you his tyrannous passion more, alas,
Than the queen’s life? a gracious innocent soul,
More free than he is jealous.

Antigonus

That’s enough.

Second Servant

Madam, he hath not slept tonight; commanded
None should come at him.

Paulina

Not so hot, good sir:
I come to bring him sleep. ’Tis such as you,
That creep like shadows by him and do sigh
At each his needless heavings, such as you
Nourish the cause of his awaking: I
Do come with words as medicinal as true,
Honest as either, to purge him of that humour
That presses him from sleep.

Leontes

What noise there, ho?

Paulina

No noise, my lord; but needful conference
About some gossips for your highness.

Leontes

How!
Away with that audacious lady! Antigonus,
I charged thee that she should not come about me:
I knew she would.

Antigonus

 
I told her so, my lord,
On your displeasure’s peril and on mine,
She should not visit you.

Leontes

What, canst not rule her?

Paulina

From all dishonesty he can: in this,
Unless he take the course that you have done,
Commit me for committing honour, trust it,
He shall not rule me.

Antigonus

La you now, you hear:
When she will take the rein I let her run;
But she’ll not stumble.

Paulina

Good my liege, I come;
And, I beseech you, hear me, who profess
Myself your loyal servant, your physician,
Your most obedient counsellor, yet that dare
Less appear so in comforting your evils,
Than such as most seem yours: I say, I come
From your good queen.

Leontes

Good queen!

Paulina

Good queen, my lord,
Good queen; I say good queen;
And would by combat make her good, so were I
A man, the worst about you.

Leontes

Force her hence.

Paulina

Let him that makes but trifles of his eyes
First hand me: on mine own accord I’ll off;
But first I’ll do my errand. The good queen,
For she is good, hath brought you forth a daughter;
Here ’tis; commends it to your blessing.

Laying down the child

Leontes

Out!
A mankind witch! Hence with her, out o’ door:
A most intelligencing bawd!

Paulina

Not so:
I am as ignorant in that as you
In so entitling me, and no less honest
Than you are mad; which is enough, I’ll warrant,
As this world goes, to pass for honest.

Leontes

Traitors!
Will you not push her out? Give her the bastard.
Thou dotard! thou art woman-tired, unroosted
By thy dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard;
Take’t up, I say; give’t to thy crone.

Paulina

For ever
Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou
Takest up the princess by that forced baseness
Which he has put upon’t!

Leontes

He dreads his wife.

Paulina

So I would you did; then ’twere past all doubt
You’ld call your children yours.

Leontes

A nest of traitors!

Antigonus

I am none, by this good light.

Paulina

Nor I, nor any
But one that’s here, and that’s himself, for he
The sacred honour of himself, his queen’s,
His hopeful son’s, his babe’s, betrays to slander,
Whose sting is sharper than the sword’s; and will not —
For, as the case now stands, it is a curse
He cannot be compell’d to’t — once remove
The root of his opinion, which is rotten
As ever oak or stone was sound.

Leontes

A callat
Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband
And now baits me! This brat is none of mine;
It is the issue of Polixenes:
Hence with it, and together with the dam
Commit them to the fire!

Paulina

It is yours;
And, might we lay the old proverb to your charge,
So like you, ’tis the worse. Behold, my lords,
Although the print be little, the whole matter
And copy of the father, eye, nose, lip,
The trick of’s frown, his forehead, nay, the valley,
The pretty dimples of his chin and cheek,
His smiles,
The very mould and frame of hand, nail, finger:
And thou, good goddess Nature, which hast made it
So like to him that got it, if thou hast
The ordering of the mind too, ’mongst all colours
No yellow in’t, lest she suspect, as he does,
Her children not her husband’s!

Leontes

A gross hag
And, lozel, thou art worthy to be hang’d,
That wilt not stay her tongue.

Antigonus

Hang all the husbands
That cannot do that feat, you’ll leave yourself
Hardly one subject.

Leontes

Once more, take her hence.

Paulina

A most unworthy and unnatural lord
Can do no more.

Leontes

 
I’ll ha’ thee burnt.

Paulina

I care not:
It is an heretic that makes the fire,
Not she which burns in’t. I’ll not call you tyrant;
But this most cruel usage of your queen,
Not able to produce more accusation
Than your own weak-hinged fancy, something savours
Of tyranny and will ignoble make you,
Yea, scandalous to the world.

Leontes

On your allegiance,
Out of the chamber with her! Were I a tyrant,
Where were her life? she durst not call me so,
If she did know me one. Away with her!

Paulina

I pray you, do not push me; I’ll be gone.
Look to your babe, my lord; ’tis yours:
Jove send her
A better guiding spirit! What needs these hands?
You, that are thus so tender o’er his follies,
Will never do him good, not one of you.
So, so: farewell; we are gone.

Exit

Leontes

Thou, traitor, hast set on thy wife to this.
My child? away with’t! Even thou, that hast
A heart so tender o’er it, take it hence
And see it instantly consumed with fire;
Even thou and none but thou. Take it up straight:
Within this hour bring me word ’tis done,
And by good testimony, or I’ll seize thy life,
With what thou else call’st thine. If thou refuse
And wilt encounter with my wrath, say so;
The bastard brains with these my proper hands
Shall I dash out. Go, take it to the fire;
For thou set’st on thy wife.

Antigonus

I did not, sir:
These lords, my noble fellows, if they please,
Can clear me in’t.

Lords

 
We can: my royal liege,
He is not guilty of her coming hither.

Leontes

You’re liars all.

First Lord

Beseech your highness, give us better credit:
We have always truly served you, and beseech you
So to esteem of us, and on our knees we beg,
As recompense of our dear services
Past and to come, that you do change this purpose,
Which being so horrible, so bloody, must
Lead on to some foul issue: we all kneel.

Leontes

I am a feather for each wind that blows:
Shall I live on to see this bastard kneel
And call me father? better burn it now
Than curse it then. But be it; let it live.
It shall not neither. You, sir, come you hither;
You that have been so tenderly officious
With Lady Margery, your midwife there,
To save this bastard’s life,— for ’tis a bastard,
So sure as this beard’s grey,
—
what will you adventure
To save this brat’s life?