The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

by William Shakespeare

  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.

  He can stop me from doing anything dishonourable:

  in this matter, unless he follows your course,

  and imprisons me for being honourable, I can assure you

  that he will not tell me what to do.

  ANTIGONUS

  La you now, you hear:

  When she will take the rein I let her run;

  But she'll not stumble.

  There, you see how she talks:

  when I can control her I let her have her head;

  but she won't slip.

  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.

  My good lord, I am coming;

  and, I beg you, listen to me, who declares

  that I am your loyal servant, your doctor,

  your most obedient counsellor, but I dare

  to appear differently by not supporting your wrongdoing,

  which is more than most of your people will do: I tell you, I have come

  from your good queen.

  LEONTES

  Good queen!

  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.

  Good queen, my lord,

  good queen; I say good queen;

  I would prove her goodness in combat, if I were

  a man, even if I were the weakest of you all.

  LEONTES

  Force her hence.

  Throw her out.

  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

  If anyone doesn't care about his eyes,

  let him lay hands on me: I'll leave of my own accord;

  but first I'll do my errand. The good queen,

  for she is good, has produced a daughter for use;

  here it is; she asks you to bless it.

  LEONTES

  Out!

  A mankind witch! Hence with her, out o' door:

  A most intelligencing bawd!

  Get out!

  A mannish witch! Throw her out, out the door:

  a scheming slut!

  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.

  I am not:

  I am as ignorant of that as you are

  by calling me it, and I am as honourable

  as you are mad; which I think is enough,

  in the eyes of the world, to be seen as honourable.

  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.

  Traitors!

  Will you not throw her out? Give her the bastard.

  You old fool! You are henpecked, pushed off your perch

  by this old hen. Pick up the bastard;

  pick it up, I say; give it to your bleating wife.

  PAULINA

  For ever

  Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

  Takest up the princess by that forced baseness

  Which he has put upon't!

  Your hands will be for ever

  despised, if you

  pick up the princess under that foul name

  which he has given her!

  LEONTES

  He dreads his wife.

  He's afraid of his wife.

  PAULINA

  So I would you did; then 'twere past all doubt

  You'ld call your children yours.

  I wish you were; then you would definitely

  acknowledge your children as your own.

  LEONTES

  A nest of traitors!

  A nest of traitors!

  ANTIGONUS

  I am none, by this good light.

  I am not one, I swear.

  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.

  Nor am I, nor is anyone here

  but one, and that's him, for he

  has slandered, in terms sharper than a sword's sting,

  the sacred honour of himself, his queen,

  his son and heir, and his baby, and he will not–

  for as matters stand unfortunately

  he cannot be forced to do it–get rid of

  his wrong ideas, which are as rotten

  as oak and stone are 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!

  A harridan

  of endless words, who has just beaten her husband

  and now attacks me! This brat is nothing to do with me;

  Polixenes is its father:

  take it away, and throw it into the fire

  alongside its mother!

  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!

  It is yours,

  and, we might quote the old proverb to you,

  unluckily for it it is very like you. Look, my lords,

  although the picture is small, the whole substance

  and image of the father, eye, nose, lips,

  the same look in the frown, the forehead, the wrinkles,

  the pretty dimples of the chin and cheek,

  his smiles,

  the exact cast and shape of hand, nails and fingers:

  and you, good Goddess nature, have made it

  so like its father, if you also

  arranged its mind, don't allow

  any jealousy in there, in case she suspects, as he does,

  that her children are not her husband's.
/>   LEONTES

  A gross hag

  And, lozel, thou art worthy to be hang'd,

  That wilt not stay her tongue.

  A gross hag

  and you, worthless lout, you should be hanged

  for not keeping her quiet.

  ANTIGONUS

  Hang all the husbands

  That cannot do that feat, you'll leave yourself

  Hardly one subject.

  Hang all the husbands

  that can't manage that, and you'll have

  hardly anyone left in the country.

  LEONTES

  Once more, take her hence.

  I say again, take her away.

  PAULINA

  A most unworthy and unnatural lord

  Can do no more.

  This is a most unworthy and unnatural king;

  we can do no more.

  LEONTES

  I'll ha' thee burnt.

  I'll have you 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.

  I don't care:

  it would be a heretic that lit the fire,

  she who burnt in it would be none. I won't call you a tyrant;

  but this terrible cruel treatment of your queen,

  based on no more evidence

  than your own weak minded imagination, does look

  like tyranny and will make you dishonourable,

  and the world will be scandalised.

  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!

  By the oath you have sworn,

  throw her out of the room! If I were a tyrant,

  would she still be alive? If she knew I was one,

  she would not dare to call me one. Throw her out!

  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

  Please, do not push me; I'll go.

  Look at your baby, my lord; it is yours:

  may Jove give her

  a better guide than you! What use are these people?

  All of you, who play along with his madness,

  will never do him any good, not one of you.

  There it is: farewell; we are going.

  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.

  You, traitor, egged your wife on to do this.

  My child? A curse on it! I order you, who

  cares for it so much, to take it out

  and have it burnt at once;

  I order you and nobody else to do this. Pick it up at once:

  within the hour bring me word that is is done,

  and with good evidence, or I shall take your life

  and everything else belonging to you. If you refuse

  and want to take on my anger, say so;

  I shall bash out these bastard brains

  with my own good hands. Go on, take it to the fire;

  because it was you who encouraged your wife.

  ANTIGONUS

  I did not, sir:

  These lords, my noble fellows, if they please,

  Can clear me in't.

  I did not, sir:

  these lords, my noble peers, if they wish,

  can clear me of it.

  Lords

  We can: my royal liege,

  He is not guilty of her coming hither.

  We can: my royal lord,

  he is innocent of her coming here.

  LEONTES

  You're liars all.

  You're all liars.

  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.

  I beg your highness, give us more credit than that:

  we have always served you faithfully, and we beg you

  here on our knees to do us the honour,

  in return for the kind services

  we have done and will do you, that you change your mind,

  which is so horrible and bloody that it must

  come to a terrible end: we all kneel to you.

  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?

  I am a plaything for the fates:

  should I live on to see this bastard kneel

  and call me father? It's better to burn it now

  than to curse it then. But so be it; let it live.

  It shan't do that. You, sir, come here;

  you have been so softhearted,

  with that gabbling woman there,

  to save this bastard's life–for it is a bastard,

  as certainly as this beard is grey–

  what will you risk

  to say this brat's life?

  ANTIGONUS

  Any thing, my lord,

  That my ability may undergo

  And nobleness impose: at least thus much:

  I'll pawn the little blood which I have left

  To save the innocent: any thing possible.

  Anything, my lord,

  that I have the ability to do

  and that is honourable: I'll do at least this:

  I'll risk the life I have left

  to save the child: I'll do anything.

  LEONTES

  It shall be possible. Swear by this sword

  Thou wilt perform my bidding.

  This shall happen. Swear on this sword

  that you will do as I say.

  ANTIGONUS

  I will, my lord.

  I will, my lord.

  LEONTES

  Mark and perform it, see'st thou! for the fail

  Of any point in't shall not only be

  Death to thyself but to thy lewd-tongued wife,

  Whom for this time we pardon. We enjoin thee,

  As thou art liege-man to us, that thou carry />
  This female bastard hence and that thou bear it

  To some remote and desert place quite out

  Of our dominions, and that there thou leave it,

  Without more mercy, to its own protection

  And favour of the climate. As by strange fortune

  It came to us, I do in justice charge thee,

  On thy soul's peril and thy body's torture,

  That thou commend it strangely to some place

  Where chance may nurse or end it. Take it up.

  Listen and make sure you do it! If you

  miss out any point of it it won't only mean

  death to you but for your foulmouthed wife,

  whom I pardon for now. I order you,

  as you are sworn to obedience to me, that you take

  this female bastard away and carry it

  to some remote and deserted place outside

  my kingdom; you must leave it there,

  without doing anything more for it,

  to fend for itself. Since it came here

  via a foreigner, it's only justice that I order you,

  to save you from damnation for your soul and torture for your body,

  to leave it in some foreign place

  where fate may nurture it or kill it.

  ANTIGONUS

  I swear to do this, though a present death

  Had been more merciful. Come on, poor babe:

  Some powerful spirit instruct the kites and ravens

  To be thy nurses! Wolves and bears, they say

  Casting their savageness aside have done

  Like offices of pity. Sir, be prosperous

  In more than this deed does require! And blessing

  Against this cruelty fight on thy side,

  Poor thing, condemn'd to loss!

  Exit with the child

  I swear I'll do this, though an instant death

  would be more merciful. Come on, poor baby:

  may some powerful spirit order the kites and ravens

  to take care of you! They say that wolves and bears