have put aside their savagery to do
similar acts of care. Sir, may you have more luck
than you deserve for doing this deed! And may you
find mercy that outweighs this cruelty,
Poor baby, condemned to destruction!
LEONTES
No, I'll not rear
Another's issue.
Enter a Servant
No, I will not raise
someone else's child.
Servant
Please your highness, posts
From those you sent to the oracle are come
An hour since: Cleomenes and Dion,
Being well arrived from Delphos, are both landed,
Hasting to the court.
Your Highness, messages
have come an hour ago from the ones you sent
to the Oracle: Cleomenes and Dion,
having made a good journey from Delphos, have both landed,
and are hurrying to the court.
First Lord
So please you, sir, their speed
Hath been beyond account.
Well, sir, that's an amazingly
quick journey.
LEONTES
Twenty-three days
They have been absent: 'tis good speed; foretells
The great Apollo suddenly will have
The truth of this appear. Prepare you, lords;
Summon a session, that we may arraign
Our most disloyal lady, for, as she hath
Been publicly accused, so shall she have
A just and open trial. While she lives
My heart will be a burthen to me. Leave me,
And think upon my bidding.
Exeunt
They have been gone
twenty-three days: they've made good time; it shows
that great Apollo wants the truth of this to appear
quickly. Make preparations, lords;
call the court together, so we can charge
my disloyal wife, for, as she has
been publicly accused, she shall also have
a fair and open trial. My heart will always be heavy
as long as she is alive. Leave me,
and get on with my orders.
SCENE I. A sea-port in Sicilia.
Enter CLEOMENES and DION
CLEOMENES
The climate's delicate, the air most sweet,
Fertile the isle, the temple much surpassing
The common praise it bears.
The climate is moderate, the air is beautiful,
the island is fertile, and the temple is even greater
than the praise one hears of it.
DION
I shall report,
For most it caught me, the celestial habits,
Methinks I so should term them, and the reverence
Of the grave wearers. O, the sacrifice!
How ceremonious, solemn and unearthly
It was i' the offering!
I shall report
that the thing which most caught my eye was the heavenly clothes,
which is what I think is I should call them, and the holiness
of the grave ones who wore them. Oh, the sacrifice!
Have dignified, solemn and unearthly
the offering was.
CLEOMENES
But of all, the burst
And the ear-deafening voice o' the oracle,
Kin to Jove's thunder, so surprised my sense,
That I was nothing.
But out of everything, the eruption
of the deafening voice of the Oracle,
seeming like Jove's thunder, astonished me,
so I felt like nothing.
DION
If the event o' the journey
Prove as successful to the queen,--O be't so!--
As it hath been to us rare, pleasant, speedy,
The time is worth the use on't.
If the outcome of the journey
it is as successful for the queen–please let it be so!–
As it has been for us, exciting, pleasant and quick,
then the time has been well spent.
CLEOMENES
Great Apollo
Turn all to the best! These proclamations,
So forcing faults upon Hermione,
I little like.
May great Apollo
make everything turn out for the best!
I don't like these proclamations
which attribute all these faults to Hermione.
DION
The violent carriage of it
Will clear or end the business: when the oracle,
Thus by Apollo's great divine seal'd up,
Shall the contents discover, something rare
Even then will rush to knowledge. Go: fresh horses!
And gracious be the issue!
Exeunt
The rushed way it is being dealt with
will either throw out or finish the business: when
the contents of this prediction are revealed,
which was sealed up by Apollo's great priest,
something amazing will come to light. Let's go: bring fresh horses!
And may things turn out well!
SCENE II. A court of Justice.
Enter LEONTES, Lords, and Officers
LEONTES
This sessions, to our great grief we pronounce,
Even pushes 'gainst our heart: the party tried
The daughter of a king, our wife, and one
Of us too much beloved. Let us be clear'd
Of being tyrannous, since we so openly
Proceed in justice, which shall have due course,
Even to the guilt or the purgation.
Produce the prisoner.
I announce this trial with great sadness,
it pulls at my heartstrings: the person being tried
is the daughter of a king , my wife, someone
I loved too much. Do not let me be accused
of being a tyrant, since we are holding
an open trial, which will follow due procedures,
whether it produces a guilty verdict or an acquittal.
Bring out the prisoner.
Officer
It is his highness' pleasure that the queen
Appear in person here in court. Silence!
Enter HERMIONE guarded; PAULINA and Ladies attending
It is his Highness' order that the queen
should appear in person here in court. Silence!
LEONTES
Read the indictment.
Read the indictment.
Officer
[Reads] Hermione, queen to the worthy
Leontes, king of Sicilia, thou art here accused and
arraigned of high treason, in committing adultery
with Polixenes, king of Bohemia, and conspiring
with Camillo to take away the life of our sovereign
lord the king, thy royal husband: the pretence
whereof being by circumstances partly laid open,
thou, Hermione, contrary to the faith and allegiance
of a true subject, didst counsel and aid them, for
their better safety, to fly away by night.
Hermione, queen of the worthy
Leontes, king of Sicily, you are hereby accused and
charged with high treason, by committing adultery
with Polixenes, king of Bohemia, and conspiring
with Camillo to murder our royal
lord the king, your royal husband: as the plan
was partly discovered,
you, Hermione, going against the faith and loyalty
of the true subject, did advise and help them, for
their own safety, to flee in the night.
HERMIONE
Since what I am to say must be but that
Which contradicts my accusation and
The testimony on my part no other
&
nbsp; But what comes from myself, it shall scarce boot me
To say 'not guilty:' mine integrity
Being counted falsehood, shall, as I express it,
Be so received. But thus: if powers divine
Behold our human actions, as they do,
I doubt not then but innocence shall make
False accusation blush and tyranny
Tremble at patience. You, my lord, best know,
Who least will seem to do so, my past life
Hath been as continent, as chaste, as true,
As I am now unhappy; which is more
Than history can pattern, though devised
And play'd to take spectators. For behold me
A fellow of the royal bed, which owe
A moiety of the throne a great king's daughter,
The mother to a hopeful prince, here standing
To prate and talk for life and honour 'fore
Who please to come and hear. For life, I prize it
As I weigh grief, which I would spare: for honour,
'Tis a derivative from me to mine,
And only that I stand for. I appeal
To your own conscience, sir, before Polixenes
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 to appear thus: if one jot beyond
The bound of honour, or in act or will
That way inclining, harden'd be the hearts
Of all that hear me, and my near'st of kin
Cry fie upon my grave!
Since what I have to say has to be
a rebuttal of this accusation, and
as the only testimony in my favour
is what comes from me, it won't help me
to say ‘not guilty ‘: my integrity
being doubted, it will be seen as false
when I say it. But I do say, if the heavenly powers
observe our human actions (as they do),
I have no doubts that innocence will put
false accusations to shame, and tyranny
will shake in the face of steadfastness. You, my lord, know best
(even this at the moment you seem to know least) that my past life
has been as moderate, as chaste, as loyal
as I am now unhappy; and that is more
than a story can tell, even if it was
written and played out for spectators. For look at me,
who had a share of the royal bed, who owns
a share of the throne, a great king's daughter,
the mother of an inheriting prince, standing here
to uselessly talk to try and save my life and honour in front of
anyone who cares to come and listen. As for life, I value it
as I value grief (which I could well do without): but honour
is something that my children will inherit from me,
and that's the only thing I'm fighting for. I appeal
to your own conscience, Sir; before Polixenes
came to your court, remember how much you loved me,
and how much I deserved it; since he came,
what behaviour so out of the ordinary and so
wrong have I committed to put me in this position: if I've gone
a single inch over the boundaries of honour, or have looked
as if I was going that way in thought or deed, may all the hearts that
hear me be hardened, and may my closest family
disrespect my grave!
LEONTES
I ne'er heard yet
That any of these bolder vices wanted
Less impudence to gainsay what they did
Than to perform it first.
Everyone knows
that the worst sinners have just as much
cheek in denying what they have done
as they had to do it in the first place.
HERMIONE
That's true enough;
Through 'tis a saying, sir, not due to me.
That's true enough;
though it is saying, sir, that you can't apply to me.
LEONTES
You will not own it.
You won't admit to it.
HERMIONE
More than mistress of
Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not
At all acknowledge. For Polixenes,
With whom I am accused, I do confess
I loved him as in honour he required,
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:
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,
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.
I won't admit to anything
except for that which I am now being accused of
being at fault in. With reference to Polixenes,
my fellow accused, I admit
that I loved him as his position demanded,
with the kind of love which is suitable for
a lady like me; with the kind of love, indeed,
and no other, that you ordered me to show:
if I had not done so I think I would have been
both disobedient and ungrateful
to you, and towards your friend, who had,
from a child, ever since he could speak, freely
offered you his love. Now, as for conspiracy,
I don't know what it's like, in fact I
wouldn't be able to recognise it in front of me: all I know about it,
is that Camillo was an honest man;
and as to why he left your court, the gods themselves
(if they know no more than I do) do not know.
LEONTES
You knew of his departure, as you know
What you have underta'en to do in's absence.
You knew about his departure, as you know
what you have promised to do while he is away.
HERMIONE
Sir,
You speak a language that I understand not:
My life stands in the level of your dreams,
Which I'll lay down.
Sir,
you are speaking a language I can't understand:
my life is at the mercy of your delusions,
and I'll lay it 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
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.
What you call my delusions are things you have done;
you had a bastard with Polixenes,
and you call it a delusion! As you are beyond all shame–
criminals like you always are–so you are beyond all truth:
by denying it you're only making it worse for yourself;
just as your brat has been thrown out, left to itself,
with no father claiming it–which is, of course,
more your fault than its–so you
will feel my justice, and the lightest sentence
you can hope fo
r is death.
HERMIONE
Sir, spare your threats:
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
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 its most innocent mouth,
Haled out to murder: myself on every post
Proclaimed a strumpet: with immodest hatred
The child-bed privilege denied, which 'longs
To women of all fashion; lastly, hurried
Here to this place, i' the open air, before
I have got strength of limit. Now, my liege,
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
Upon surmises, all proofs sleeping else
But what your jealousies awake, I tell you
'Tis rigor and not law. Your honours all,
I do refer me to the oracle:
Apollo be my judge!
Sir, save your threats:
the terror you are trying to frighten me with, I wish for.
To me life is now useless;
the pride and joy of my life, your love,
I have given up as lost, for I can feel it has gone,
though I do not know why it went. My second joy
is my firstborn, and I am banned from his presence
like someone with an infectious disease. My third comfort
(born under an unlucky star) has been torn from my breast
(with the innocent milk still in its most innocent mouth)
and thrown out to die; I am declared
a whore on every side, excessive hatred
has taken from me the privilege of the maternity bed, which belongs
to all women of every rank; lastly I have been hurried here,
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 440