The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 438
Added to their familiarity,
Which was as gross as ever touch'd conjecture,
That lack'd sight only, nought for approbation
But only seeing, all other circumstances
Made up to the deed, doth push on this proceeding:
Yet, for a greater confirmation,
For in an act of this importance 'twere
Most piteous to be wild, I have dispatch'd in post
To sacred Delphos, to Apollo's temple,
Cleomenes and Dion, whom you know
Of stuff'd sufficiency: now from the oracle
They will bring all; whose spiritual counsel had,
Shall stop or spur me. Have I done well?
How could I have done that?
Either you've got stupid with age,
or you were born a fool. Camillo's flight,
added to their friendliness,
which was as obvious as anything which ever gave grounds for suspicion,
only lacking actual visual proof, needing no other proof
but seeing it, and all the other things
which added up to make it certain the deed had been done–
make what I'm doing right.
But, for even more confirmation–
for in a matter of such importance it would be
very wrong to act rashly–I have sent messengers
to sacred Delphos, to Apollo's Temple,
Cleomenes and Dion, whom you know
are fully qualified for the task. Now they will bring back
everything the Oracle says; once I've received that spiritual counsel
that will either stop me or spur me on. Have I done right?
First Lord
Well done, my lord.
You have done well, 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.
Although I am satisfied and need no more
evidence than what I have, the Oracle shall
put the minds of others at rest, the ones
whose credulous ignorance stops them
from saying the truth. So I thought it best
that she should be locked away from me,
in case the treachery planned by the two who have fled
should be committed by her. Come, follow me;
I shall speak to the public; for this business
will provoke everybody.
ANTIGONUS
[Aside]
To laughter, as I take it,
If the good truth were known.
Exeunt
To laughter, I should think,
if the real truth were known.
SCENE 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?
Call the jailer,
Tell him who I am.
Good lady,
there is no court in Europe that is too good for you;
so what are you doing in prison?
Now, good sir,
you know who I am, don't you?
Gaoler
For a worthy lady
And one whom much I honour.
I know you are a good lady
and one whom I very much respect.
PAULINA
Pray you then,
Conduct me to the queen.
Please, then,
take me to the queen.
Gaoler
I may not, madam:
To the contrary I have express commandment.
I cannot, madam:
I have specific orders not to.
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?
Here's a nice thing,
to lock honesty and honour away from
the access of gentle visitors!
Am I allowed, may I ask,
to see her women? Any of them? Emilia?
Gaoler
So please you, madam,
To put apart these your attendants, I
Shall bring Emilia forth.
If you wouldn't mind, madam,
sending away your attendants, I
will bring Emilia here.
PAULINA
I pray now, call her.
Withdraw yourselves.
Exeunt Gentleman and Attendants
Please, call her.
You go outside.
Gaoler
And, madam,
I must be present at your conference.
And, madam,
I must stay while you talk.
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?
Well, if that's how you want it.
Here is such a business that it turns spotlessness into a stain
that could never be covered up.
Dear gentlewoman,
how are things with 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.
They are as well as can be expected when one
so great is brought so low: due to her frights and sorrow,
the like of which no gentle lady has ever had to suffer more,
she has given birth somewhat ahead of her time.
PAULINA
A boy?
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.'
A daughter, and a good baby,
healthy and likely to survive: the queen takes
much comfort from it; she says, ‘my poor prisoner,
I am as 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.
Curse these dangerous insane notions of the king!
He must be told of it, and he shall be: the job
is best done by woman; I'll take
it on:
if I talk sweetly to him may my tongue blister
and never be the agent of broadcasting
my anger again. Please, Emilia,
give the Queen my best regards:
if she dares to trust me with her little baby,
I'll show it to the king and promise to be
her loudest supporter. We do not know
that he may soften when he sees the child:
often the silence of pure innocence
can be persuasive when speech has failed.
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.
Most worthy madam,
your honour and your goodness is so obvious
that this task you undertake cannot help but
achieve success: there is no lady alive
so suitable for this great mission. If your ladyship
would please go into the next room, I'll shortly
tell the queen about your most noble offer;
just today she was talking of something like this,
but didn't dare to put it to the test,
in case she should fail.
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.
Tell her, Emilia.
I'll use my skill in speaking: if the wisdom of my tongue
matches the courage in my heart, do not doubt
that I will do good.
EMILIA
Now be you blest for it!
I'll to the queen: please you,
come something nearer.
May God bless you for it!
I'll go to the queen: please,
come a little closer.
Gaoler
Madam, if't please the queen to send the babe,
I know not what I shall incur to pass it,
Having no warrant.
Madam, if the queen wants to send the baby,
I don't know what will happen to me for letting it go,
as I have no permission to do so.
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.
You need not worry, sir:
this child was a prisoner in the womb and has been
by law and the great processes of nature freed
from there; she was not the subject of
the king's anger, nor guilty of,
if there is any guilt, any wrongdoing by the queen.
Gaoler
I do believe it.
I believe that.
PAULINA
Do not you fear: upon mine honour,
I will stand betwixt you and danger.
Exeunt
Don't be afraid: I promise you,
I will intervene between you and danger.
SCENE III. A room in LEONTES' 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?
I can't sleep, night or day: it's just weakness
to let it affect me like this; just weakness. If
the reason was no longer in existence–part of the reason,
she is the adulteress; the fornicating king
is quite out of my reach, out of the range
of my shots, plot–proof; but I can
deal with her: what if she were gone,
burned alive, maybe a portion of my rest
might come back to me. Who's there?
First Servant
My lord?
My lord?
LEONTES
How does the boy?
How is the boy?
First Servant
He took good rest to-night;
'Tis hoped his sickness is discharged.
He had a good sleep tonight;
we hope that the illness is passed.
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
See how noble he is!
Seeing the shame of his mother,
he fell straight into a decline, drooped, took it very hard,
assumed all the guilt of it for himself,
became low spirited, lost his appetite, could not sleep,
and completely weakened. Leave me alone.
Go and see how he is.
Come on now, don't think about him!
The very thought of taking my revenge in that way
is ridiculous: he is too mighty on his own,
and he has allies. Let him be
until the time is right; for the moment take revenge
on her. Camillo and Polixenes
laugh at me, my sorrow is their entertainment.
They would not laugh if I could get at them, and
as she is within my power she shall not laugh.
First Lord
You must not enter.
You can't come in.
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.
No, my good lords, support me:
alas, are you too afraid to face his tyrannous anger
when the queen's life is at stake? She is a gracious innocent
who is as guiltless as he is jealous.
ANTIGONUS
That's enough.
That's enough.
Second Servant
Madam, he hath not slept tonight; commanded
None should come at him.
Madam, he has not slept tonight; he ordered
that nobody should disturb 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 t
he 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.
Don't be so hasty, good sir:
I have come to help him sleep. It's people like you,
that tiptoe around him and pity
all his needless commotion, your type
is feeding the thing which keeps him awake: I
have come with words which are as good for him as they are true,
as honest as you could wish for, to drive out the mood
that keeps him from his sleep.
LEONTES
What noise there, ho?
What's the racket out there?
PAULINA
No noise, my lord; but needful conference
About some gossips for your highness.
No racket, my lord; just a necessary discussion
about some godparents 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.
What!
Take that cheeky lady away! Antigonus,
I ordered you that she should not come near me:
I knew she would try.
ANTIGONUS
I told her so, my lord,
On your displeasure's peril and on mine,
She should not visit you.
I told her so, my lord,
I told her that she should not visit you
or she would face your anger and mine.
LEONTES
What, canst not rule her?
What, can't you control her?