suffer like this and don't know about it. What, boy?
MAMILLIUS
I am like you, they say.
They say I am like you.
LEONTES
Why, that's some comfort. What, Camillo there?
Well, that's some comfort. Hello, is that Camillo there?
CAMILLO
Ay, my good lord.
Yes, my good lord.
LEONTES
Go play, Mamillius; thou'rt an honest man.
Exit MAMILLIUS
Camillo, this great sir will yet stay longer.
Go and play, Mamillius; you're a good man.
Camillo, this great lord will stay with us a little while longer.
CAMILLO
You had much ado to make his anchor hold:
When you cast out, it still came home.
You made a great effort to anchor him:
you threw it out, but it still came back.
LEONTES
Didst note it?
You noticed it?
CAMILLO
He would not stay at your petitions: made
His business more material.
He wouldn't stay when you asked him:
he said he had other business.
LEONTES
Didst perceive it?
Aside
They're here with me already, whispering, rounding
'Sicilia is a so-forth:' 'tis far gone,
When I shall gust it last. How came't, Camillo,
That he did stay?
You noticed that?
They're here with me already, whispering, passing on
‘Sicily is a such and such:’ the business is much advanced,
and I'm the last to know. How did it happen, Camillo,
that he ended up staying?
CAMILLO
At the good queen's entreaty.
Because the good queen begged him.
LEONTES
At the queen's be't: 'good' should be pertinent
But, so it is, it is not. Was this taken
By any understanding pate but thine?
For thy conceit is soaking, will draw in
More than the common blocks: not noted, is't,
But of the finer natures? by some severals
Of head-piece extraordinary? lower messes
Perchance are to this business purblind? say.
The queen begged him: “good" should be applicable
but as things stand it is not. Was this noticed
by any observant mind apart from yours?
For you pick things up quickly, you notice
more than the common blockheads: it isn't noticed, is it,
except by the keener minds? By a few people
with excellent brains? The mob
are quite blind to this business, aren't they? Tell me.
CAMILLO
Business, my lord! I think most understand
Bohemia stays here longer.
Business, my lord! I think most people understand
that Bohemia will be staying here for longer.
LEONTES
Ha!
Ha!
CAMILLO
Stays here longer.
He stays here longer.
LEONTES
Ay, but why?
Yes, but why?
CAMILLO
To satisfy your highness and the entreaties
Of our most gracious mistress.
To please your Highness and the pleas
of our most gracious mistress.
LEONTES
Satisfy!
The entreaties of your mistress! satisfy!
Let that suffice. I have trusted thee, Camillo,
With all the nearest things to my heart, as well
My chamber-councils, wherein, priest-like, thou
Hast cleansed my bosom, I from thee departed
Thy penitent reform'd: but we have been
Deceived in thy integrity, deceived
In that which seems so.
Satisfy!
The pleas of your mistress! Satisfy!
Let that be enough. I have trusted you, Camillo,
with all my innermost secrets, my
intimate confidences, and like a priest
you have eased my burden, I left you
like a reformed sinner: but I have been
misled as to your honesty, tricked
by what you seemed to be.
CAMILLO
Be it forbid, my lord!
Heaven forbid, my lord!
LEONTES
To bide upon't, thou art not honest, or,
If thou inclinest that way, thou art a coward,
Which hoxes honesty behind, restraining
From course required; or else thou must be counted
A servant grafted in my serious trust
And therein negligent; or else a fool
That seest a game play'd home, the rich stake drawn,
And takest it all for jest.
To explain, you are not honest, or,
if you are, you are a coward,
which holds honesty back, preventing it taking
the necessary action; either you are
my trusted servant, in which case
you are negligent; or else you're a fool,
who sees a game played to a finish, a rich prize won,
and thinks it's all in fun.
CAMILLO
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,
Among 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 industriously
I play'd the fool, it was my negligence,
Not weighing well the end; if ever fearful
To do a thing, where I the issue doubted,
Where of the execution did cry out
Against the non-performance, 'twas a fear
Which oft infects the wisest: these, my lord,
Are such allow'd infirmities that honesty
Is never free of. But, beseech your grace,
Be plainer with me; let me know my trespass
By its own visage: if I then deny it,
'Tis none of mine.
My gracious lord,
I may be negligent, stupid and cowardly:
no man can ever be completely free of these things,
and amidst all the many happenings of the world
his negligence, stupidity and cowardice
will sometimes appear. In doing your business, my lord,
if I was ever deliberately negligent
it was through stupidity; if in my work
I played the fool, it was negligent of me,
not thinking of the outcome; if I was ever afraid
to do anything because I feared the outcome,
when it was proved right once done, that's a fear
which often takes hold of the wisest. My lord,
these are common weaknesses that an honest man
can never be free of. But, I beg your grace,
be straight with me, let me know exactly
what I've done wrong; if I then deny it,
you can be sure I didn't do it.
LEONTES
Ha' not you seen, Camillo,--
But that's past doubt, you have, or your eye-glass
Is thicker than a cuckold's horn,--or heard,--
For to a vision so apparent rumour
Cannot be mute,--or thought,--for cogitation
Resides not in that man that does not think,--
My wife is slippery? If thou wilt confess,
Or else be impudently negative,
To have nor eyes nor ears nor thought, then say
My wife's a hobby-horse, deserves a name
As rank as any flax-wench that puts t
o
Before her troth-plight: say't and justify't.
Haven't you seen, Camillo–
but you must have done, if your glasses
are thinner than a cuckold's horn–or heard–
for with your sharp ears you must pick up
the rumours–or thought–for speculation
doesn't happen in the mind of the unthinking man–
that's my wife is unfaithful? If you will admit it–
because otherwise you would have to boldly deny
things that you can see, hear and think–then say
my wife's a tart, deserving a reputation
as bad as any flighty girl who puts out
before she is married: say it and explain it.
CAMILLO
I would not be a stander-by to hear
My sovereign mistress clouded so, without
My present vengeance taken: 'shrew my heart,
You never spoke what did become you less
Than this; which to reiterate were sin
As deep as that, though true.
I won't stand by to listen to
my royal mistress being so insulted
without responding: damn me sir,
you never let yourself down so badly
as you do in saying this; repeating it
is a sin as bad as the one you're describing.
LEONTES
Is whispering nothing?
Is leaning cheek to cheek? is meeting noses?
Kissing with inside lip? stopping the career
Of laughing with a sigh?--a note infallible
Of breaking honesty--horsing foot on foot?
Skulking in corners? wishing clocks more swift?
Hours, minutes? noon, midnight? and all eyes
Blind with the pin and web but theirs, theirs only,
That would unseen be wicked? is this nothing?
Why, then the world and all that's in't is nothing;
The covering sky is nothing; Bohemia nothing;
My wife is nothing; nor nothing have these nothings,
If this be nothing.
Does whispering mean nothing?
Does leaning cheek to cheek? Does rubbing noses?
Kissing on the lips? Breaking off from laughing
to sigh?–a sure sign
of dishonesty. Playing footsie?
Hiding in corners? Wishing time would speed up?
Wishing hours were minutes? That noon was midnight?
That all eyes were covered with cataracts except theirs, only theirs,
so they could be with cute undetected–is this nothing?
Well, then the world and everything in it is nothing;
the sky above is nothing; Bohemia is nothing;
my wife is nothing; and there is nothing in these nothings,
if this is nothing.
CAMILLO
Good my lord, be cured
Of this diseased opinion, and betimes;
For 'tis most dangerous.
My good lord, drop
this horrible thought, and quickly;
it is dangerous.
LEONTES
Say it be, 'tis true.
Say I'm right, it's true.
CAMILLO
No, no, my lord.
No, no, my lord.
LEONTES
It is; you lie, you lie:
I say thou liest, Camillo, and I hate thee,
Pronounce thee a gross lout, a mindless slave,
Or else a hovering temporizer, that
Canst with thine eyes at once see good and evil,
Inclining to them both: were my wife's liver
Infected as her life, she would not live
The running of one glass.
It is; you lie, you lie:
I say you are lying, Camillo, and I hate you,
call you a gross lout, a mindless slave,
unless you are a two-faced waverer, who
can see both good and evil at the same time
and treat them both the same: if my wife's liver
was as diseased as her lifestyle, she would not live
another hour.
CAMILLO
Who does infect her?
Who has given her this disease?
LEONTES
Why, he that wears her like a medal, hanging
About his neck, Bohemia: who, if I
Had servants true about me, that bare eyes
To see alike mine honour as their profits,
Their own particular thrifts, they would do that
Which should undo more doing: ay, and thou,
His cupbearer,--whom I from meaner form
Have benched and reared to worship, who mayst see
Plainly as heaven sees earth and earth sees heaven,
How I am galled,--mightst bespice a cup,
To give mine enemy a lasting wink;
Which draught to me were cordial.
Why, the one who wears her like a medal, hanging
round his neck, Bohemia: the one who, if I
had loyal servants, who had an eye
to my honour as well as their own profits,
their own benefit, they would do something
to stop his carrying on: yes, and you,
his cupbearer–whom I promoted from a
low position to be in my service, who can see,
as plainly as heaven sees earth and vice versa,
how I am tormented–might slip something in a cup,
to give my enemy a permanent sleep.
That would be tasty drink to me.
CAMILLO
Sir, my lord,
I could do this, and that with no rash potion,
But with a lingering dram that should not work
Maliciously like poison: but I cannot
Believe this crack to be in my dread mistress,
So sovereignly being honourable.
I have loved thee,--
Sir, my lord,
I could do this, and not with some harsh potion
but with a sweet tasting drop that would not
work horribly like poison: but I cannot
believe that my awe-inspiring mistress has such a flaw,
being of such royal honour.
I have loved you–
LEONTES
Make that thy question, and go rot!
Dost think I am so muddy, so unsettled,
To appoint myself in this vexation, sully
The purity and whiteness of my sheets,
Which to preserve is sleep, which being spotted
Is goads, thorns, nettles, tails of wasps,
Give scandal to the blood o' the prince my son,
Who I do think is mine and love as mine,
Without ripe moving to't? Would I do this?
Could man so blench?
If you doubt it, then go to hell!
Do you think I am so filthy, so mad,
to lay this burden on myself, dirty
the purity and whiteness of my sheets,
which if clean let me sleep, if dirty
then they become a bed of nails,
call into question the paternity of my son the prince,
who I think is mine and love as mine,
unless I had good reason for it? Would I do this?
Could any man be so far wrong?
CAMILLO
I must believe you, sir:
I do; and will fetch off Bohemia for't;
Provided that, when he's removed, your highness
Will take again your queen as yours at first,
Even for your son's sake; and thereby for sealing
The injury of tongues in courts and kingdoms
Known and allied to yours.
I must believe you, sir:
I do; and I will kill Bohemia for it;
provided that, once he's gone, your Highness
will take your queen back into your arms,
at least for your son's sak
e; and in that way
you will stop the gossip in the courts and kingdoms
that are known and allied to yours.
LEONTES
Thou dost advise me
Even so as I mine own course have set down:
I'll give no blemish to her honour, none.
This advice of yours
is exactly what I was going to do:
I will not put any stain on her honour, none.
CAMILLO
My lord,
Go then; and with a countenance as clear
As friendship wears at feasts, keep with Bohemia
And with your queen. I am his cupbearer:
If from me he have wholesome beverage,
Account me not your servant.
Go then my lord,
and with an open smiling face
such as a friend shows on holiday, stay with Bohemia
and your queen. I am his cupbearer:
if he gets a healthy drink from me,
you can say I am not your servant.
LEONTES
This is all:
Do't and thou hast the one half of my heart;
Do't not, thou split'st thine own.
This is the deal:
do it and you have won half of my heart;
don't do it, and your own will be torn.
CAMILLO
I'll do't, my lord.
I'll do it, my lord.
LEONTES
I will seem friendly, as thou hast advised me.
Exit
I'll pretend to be friendly, as you have advised me.
CAMILLO
O miserable lady! But, for me,
What case stand I in? I must be the poisoner
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 so too. To do this deed,
Promotion follows. If I could find example
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 435