It came to us, I do in justice charge thee,
On thy foul's peril and thy body's torture,
That thou commend it to some stranger place,
Where chance may nurfe or end it. Take it up.
Ant. I fwear to do this; tho' a present death
Had been more merciful. Come on, poor babe,
Some powerful spirit inftruct the kites and ravens
To be thy nurfes! Wolves and bears, they say,
(Cafting their favageness afide) have done
Like offices of pity. Sir, be profperous

In more than this deed does require! and bleffing
Against this cruelty fight on thy fide,
Poor thing condemn'd to lofs!

Leo. No; I'll not rear

Another's iffue.

Enter a Meflenger.

Mef. Please your Highness, pofts

[Exit with the Child.

From those you fent to th' Oracle, are 'come
An hour fince. Cleomines and Dion,

Being well arriv'd from Delphos, are both landed,
Hafting to th' Court.

Lord. So please you, Sir, their speed

Hath been beyond account.

Leo. Twenty three days

They have been abfent: this good speed foretels
The great Apollo fuddenly will have

The truth of this appear. Prepare you, Lords,
Summon a feffion, that we may arraign
Our moft difloyal Lady; for as the hath
Been publickly accus'd, fo fhall fhe have
A juft and open tryal. While the lives,
My heart will be a burthen to me.
And think upon my bidding.

Leave me,

[Exeunt feverally.

ACT III.

SCENE I.

Cle. T

A Part of Sicily.

Enter Cleomines and Dion.

HE climate's delicate, the air most sweet,

Fertile the foil, the temple much furpaffing

The common praise it bears.

Dion. I fhall report,

For moft they caught me, the celeftial habits,
Methinks I fo fhould term them, and the reverence
Of the grave wearers. O, the facrifice ;
How ceremonious, folemn, and unearthly
It was i'th' offering!

Cleo. But of all, the burst

And the ear-deafning voice o'th' Oracle,
Kin to Jove's thunder, fo furpris'd my fenfe
That I was nothing.

Dion. If th' event o'th' journey

Prove as fuccessful to the Queen (O be't fo!)
As it hath been to us rare, pleasant, speedy;
The ufe is worth the time on't.

Cle. Great Apollo,

Turn all to th' beft! thefe proclamations,
So forcing faults upon Hermione,

I little like.

Dion. The violent carriage of it

Will clear or end the bufinefs, when the Oracle
Thus by Apollo's great Divine feal'd up,
Shall the contents difcover: fomething rare

Even then will rush to knowledge. Go; fresh horfes.
And gracious be the iffue!

[Exeunt.
SCENE II. A Court of Justice.
Leontes, Lords, and Officers, appear properly feated.
Leo. This feffion, to our great grief, we pronounce,
Even pushes 'gainst our heart. The party try'd,
The daughter of a King, our wife, and one
of us too much belov'd; let us be clear'd
Of being tyrannous, fince we fo openly
Proceed in juftice, which shall have due course,
Even to the guilt, or the purgation.

Produce the prifoner.

Offi. It is his Highness' pleasure, that the Queen
Appear in perfon here in Court. Silence!

Hermione is brought in guarded; Paulina and Ladies.
Leo. Read the indictment.

Offi. Hermione, Queen to the worthy Leontes, King of Sicilia, thou art bere accused and arraigned of high treason,

in

in committing adultery with Polixenes King of Bithynia, and confpiring with Camillo to take away the life of our foves reign Lord the King, thy royal bufband; the presence whereof being by circumstances partly laid open, thou, Hermione, con trary to the faith and allegiance of a true fubject, didft conn fel and aid them, for their better fafety, to fly away by night. Her. Since what I am to fay, must be but that Which contradicts my accufation, and

The teftimony on my part no other

But what comes from my felf, it fhall fcarce boot me
To fay, not guilty: mine integrity

Being counted falfhood, fhall, as I express it,
Be fo receiv'd. But thus: if powers divinė
Behold our human actions, as they do,

I doubt not then but innocence fhall make
Falfe accufations blush, and tyranny

Tremble at patience. You, my Lord, best know,
Who leaft will feem to do fo, my paft life
Hath been as continent, as chafte, as true,
As I am now unhappy; which is more
Than history can pattern, tho' devis'd
And play'd to take fpectators. 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 ftanding
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 fpare: for honour,
"Tis a derivative from me to mine,

And only that I ftand for. I appeal

To your own confcience, Sir, before Polinenes
Came to your Court, how I was in your grace,
How merited to be fo: fince he came,
With what encounter fo uncurrant have
Iftrain' t'appear thus? if one jot beyond
The bounds of honour, or in act or will
That way enclining, hardned be the hearts
Of all that hear me, and my near'ft of kis®
Cry fie upon my grave!

Lea

Leo. I ne'er heard yet

That any of those bolder vices wanted

Lefs impudence to gain-fay what they did
Than to perform it firft.

Her. That's true enough,

Tho' 'tis a faying, Sir, not due to me.
Leo. You will not own it.

Her. More than I'm mistress of,

Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not
At all acknowledge. For Prolixenes,
With whom I am accus'd, I do confefs
I lov'd him, as in honour he requir'd;
With fuch a kind of love, as might become
A Lady like me; with a love, even fuch,
So and no other, as your felf commanded
Which not to have done, I think had been in me
Both difobedience and ingratitude

To you, and towards your friend; whofe love had spoke,
Even fince it could fpeak, from an infant, freely,

That it was yours. Now for confpiracy,

I know not how it taftes, tho' it be difh'd
For me to try how; all I know of it,
Is, that Camillo was an honeft man ;

And why he left your Court, the Gods themselves,
Wotting no more than I, are ignorant.

Leo. You knew of his departure, as you know
What you have underta'en to do in's abfence.
Her. Sir,

You fpeak a language that I understand not ;
My life ftands in the level of your dreams,
Which I'll lay down.

Leo. Your actions are my dreams.

You had a baftard by Polixenes,

And I but dream'd it: as you are paft all fhame,
(Thofe of your fact are) fo you're past all truth;
Which to deny concerns more than avails:
For as thy brat's caft out, like to it felf,
No father owning it, (which is indeed
More criminal in thee than it) fo thou
Shalt feel our juftice, in whose easiest paffage
Look for no less than death.

Her

Her. Sir, fpare your threats;

The bug which you would fright me with I feek :
To me can life be no commodity;

The crown and comfort of my life, your favour,
I do give loft, for I do feel it gone,

But know not how it went. My fecond joy,
The firft-fruits of my body, from his prefence
I'm barr'd like one infectious. My third comfort,
Starr'd most unluckily, is from my breast
(The innocent milk in its most innocent mouth)
Hal'd out to murder; my felf on every poft
Proclaim'd a ftrumpet with immodeft hatred;
The child-bed privilege deny'd which 'longs
To women of all fafhion: laftly, hurried
Here to this place, i'th' open air, before
I have got ftrength of limbs. And now, my Liege,
Tell me what bleifings I have here alive,
That I fhould fear to die? therefore proceed:
But yet hear this; mistake me not; no! life,
I prize it not a ftraw, but for mine honour.
Which I would free; if I thall be condemn'd
Upon furmifes, all proofs fleeping elfe
But what your jealoufies awake, I tell you
'Tis rigour and not law. Your honours all,
I do refer me to the Oracle:

Apollo be my judge.

SCENE

III. Enter Dion and Cleomines.

Lord. This your requeft

Is altogether just; therefore bring forth,
And in Apollo's name, his Oracle.

Her. The Emperor of Ruffia was my father,
Oh that he were alive, and here beholding
His daughter's tryal; that he did but fee
The flatnefs of my mifery; yet with eyes
Of pity, not revenge!

Off. You here fhall fwear upon the fword of justice,
That you, Cleomines and Dion, have

Been both at Delphos, and from thence have brought
This feal'd-up Oracle, by the hand deliver'd
Of great Apollo's Prieft; and that fince then

You