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The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

Page 567

by William Shakespeare


  And only that I stand for. I appeal

  To your own conscience, sir, before Polixenes

  45

  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 t’appear thus: if one jot beyond

  The bound of honour, or in act or will

  50

  That way inclining, harden’d be the hearts

  Of all that hear me, and my near’st of kin

  Cry fie upon my grave!

  LEONTES I ne’er heard yet

  That any of these bolder vices wanted

  Less impudence to gainsay what they did

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  Than to perform it first.

  HERMIONE That’s true enough,

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

  LEONTES You will not own it.

  HERMIONE More than mistress of

  Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not

  At all acknowledge. For Polixenes,

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  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:

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  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,

  70

  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.

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  LEONTES You knew of his departure, as you know

  What you have underta’en to do in’s absence.

  HERMIONE Sir,

  You speak a language that I understand not:

  My life stands in the level of your dreams,

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  Which I’ll lay down.

  LEONTES Your actions are my dreams.

  You had a bastard by Polixenes,

  And I but dream’d it! As you were past all shame

  (Those of your fact are so) so past all truth,

  Which to deny, concerns more than avails; for as

  85

  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.

  HERMIONE Sir, spare your threats:

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  The bug 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,

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  And first-fruits of my body, from his presence

  I am barr’d, like one infectious. My third comfort

  (Starr’d most unluckily) is from my breast

  (The innocent milk in it most innocent mouth)

  Hal’d out to murder; myself on every post

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  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’th’ open air, before

  I have got strength of limit. Now, my liege,

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  Tell me what blessings I have here alive,

  That I should fear to die? Therefore proceed.

  But yet hear this: mistake me not: no life,

  I prize it not a straw, but for mine honour,

  Which I would free: if I shall be condemn’d

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  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!

  A LORD This your request

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  Is altogether just: therefore bring forth,

  And in Apollo’s name, his Oracle.

  Exeunt certain Officers.

  HERMIONE The Emperor of Russia was my father:

  O that he were alive, and here beholding

  His daughter’s trial! that he did but see

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  The flatness of my misery, yet with eyes

  Of pity, not revenge!

  Enter Officers, with CLEOMENES and DION.

  OFFICER

  You here shall swear upon this sword of justice,

  That you, Cleomenes and Dion, have

  Been both at Delphos, and from thence have brought

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  This seal’d-up Oracle, by the hand deliver’d

  Of great Apollo’s priest; and that since then

  You have not dared to break the holy seal,

  Nor read the secrets in’t.

  CLEOMENES, DION All this we swear.

  LEONTES Break up the seals and read.

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  OFFICER [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!

  HERMIONE Praised!

  135

  LEONTES Hast thou read truth?

  OFFICER Ay, my lord, even so

  As it is here set down.

  LEONTES There is no truth at all i’th’ Oracle:

  The sessions shall proceed: this is mere falsehood.

  Enter Servant.

  SERVANT My lord the king, the king!

  LEONTES What is the business?

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  SERVANT O sir, I shall be hated to report it!

  The prince your son, with mere conceit and fear

  Of the queen’s speed, is gone.

  LEONTES How! gone?

  SERVANT Is dead.

  LEONTES Apollo’s angry, and the heavens themselves

  Do strike at my injustice.

  [Hermione faints.] How now there?

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  PAULINA This news is mortal to the queen: look down

  And see what death is doing.

  LEONTES Take her hence:

  Her heart is but o’ercharg’d: she will recover.

  I have too much believ’d mine own suspicion:

  Beseech you, tenderly apply to her

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  Some remedies for life.

  Exeunt Paulina and Ladies, with Hermione.

  Apollo, pardon

  My great profaneness ’gainst thine Oracle!

  I’ll reconcile me to Polixenes,

  New woo my queen, recall the good Camillo,

  Whom I proclaim a man of truth, of mercy:

  155

  For being transported by my jealousies

  To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chose

  CAMILLO for the minister to poison

  My friend Polixenes: which had been done,

  But that the good mind of Camillo tardied

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  My swift command; though I with death, and with

  Reward, did threaten and encourage him,

  Not doing it, and being done. He (most humane

  And fill’d with honour) to my kingly guest

  Unclasp’d my practice, quit his fortunes here

  165

  (Which you knew great) and to the certain hazard

  Of all incertainties, himself commended,<
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  No richer than his honour: how he glisters

  Thorough my rust! and how his piety

  Does my deeds make the blacker!

  Enter PAULINA.

  PAULINA Woe the while!

  170

  O cut my lace, lest my heart, cracking it,

  Break too!

  A LORD What fit is this, good lady?

  PAULINA What studied torments, tyrant, hast for me?

  What wheels? racks? fires? what flaying? boiling?

  In leads or oils? What old or newer torture

  175

  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,

  180

  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 ingrateful: nor was’t much,

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  Thou would’st 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,

  To be or none or little; though a devil

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  Would have shed water out of fire, ere done’t:

  Nor is’t directly laid to thee the death

  Of the young prince, whose honourable thoughts

  (Thoughts high for one so tender) cleft the heart

  That could conceive a gross and foolish sire

  195

  Blemish’d his gracious dam: this is not, no,

  Laid to thy answer: but the last – O lords,

  When I have said, cry ‘woe!’ – the queen, the queen,

  The sweet’st, dear’st creature’s dead: and vengeance for’t

  Not dropp’d down yet.

  A LORD The higher powers forbid!

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  PAULINA

  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

  As I would do the gods. But, O thou tyrant!

  205

  Do not repent these things, for they are heavier

  Than all thy woes can stir: therefore betake thee

  To nothing but despair. A thousand knees

  Ten thousand years together, naked, fasting,

  Upon a barren mountain, and still winter

  210

  In storm perpetual, could not move the gods

  To look that way thou wert.

  LEONTES Go on, go on:

  Thou canst not speak too much; I have deserv’d

  All tongues to talk their bitt’rest.

  A LORD Say no more:

  Howe’er the business goes, you have made fault

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  I’th’ boldness of your speech.

  PAULINA I am sorry for’t:

  All faults I make, when I shall come to know them,

  I do repent. Alas! I have show’d too much

  The rashness of a woman: he is touch’d

  To th’ noble heart. What’s gone and what’s past help

  220

  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,

  Sir, royal sir, forgive a foolish woman:

  225

  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 lost too): take your patience to you,

  And I’ll say nothing.

  LEONTES Thou didst speak but well

  230

  When most the truth: which I receive much better

  Than to be pitied of thee. Prithee, bring me

  To the dead bodies of my queen and son:

  One grave shall be for both: upon them shall

  The causes of their death appear, unto

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  Our shame perpetual. Once a day I’ll visit

  The chapel where they lie, and tears shed there

  Shall be my recreation. So long as nature

  Will bear up with this exercise, so long

  I daily vow to use it. Come, and lead me

  240

  To these sorrows. Exeunt.

  3.3 Enter ANTIGONUS with the babe, and a Mariner.

 

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