Paul. Well; be it fo, prythee.

Enter Emilia.
Here's such Ado to make no stain a stain,
As paffes colouring. Dear gentlewoman,
How fares our gracious lady?

Emil. As well, as one fo Great and fo forlorn
May hold together; On her frights and griefs,
(Which never tender lady hath borne greater,)
She is, something before her time, deliver'd.

Paul. A boy?

Emil. A daughter, and a goodly babe,
Lufty, and like to live: the Queen receives
Much comfort in't. Says, My poor Prisoner,
I'm innocent as you.

Paul. I dare be sworn:
These dangerous, unsafe lunes i'ch' King! beshrew

them, (10)
He must be told on't, and he shall; the office
Becomes a woman best. I'll take't upon mc.
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 the dares trust me with her little babe,
I'll shey't the King, and undertake to be
Her advocate to th' loud'ft. We do not know,
How he may soften at the fight o'th' child:
The silence often of pure innocence
Persuades, when speaking fails.

Emil. Moft worthy Madam,
Your honour and your goodness is so evident,
That your free undertaking cannot miss
A thriving issue : there is no lady living

(10) These dang’rous, unsafe Lunes i'th King! I have no where, but in our Author, obferv'd this Word adopted in our Tongue, to fignify, Frenzy, Lunacy. But it is a Mode of Expresfion with the Arench. Il y a de la lune : (i. e. He has got the Moon in his Head; he is frantick.) COTGRAVE. Lune. folie, Les femmes ont des lunes dans la tête. RICHELET.

So

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 durft not tempt a minister of honour,
Left she should be deny'd.

Paul. 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.

Emil. Now be you blest for it!
I'll to the Queen: please you, come something nearer.
Gea. Madam, it't please the Queen to send the

babe,
I know not what I fall incur, to pass it,
Having no warrant.

Paul. You need not fear it, Sir ;
The child was prisoner to the womb, and is
By law and process of great nature thence,
Free'd and enfranchis'd; not a party to
The anger of the King, nor guilty of,
If any be, the trespass of the Queen.

Goa. I do believe it.

Paul. Do not, you fear; upon mine Honour, I Will stand 'twixt you and danger.

(Exeunt,

SCENE changes to the Palace.

Enter Leontes, Antigonus, Lords and other attendants.

.
Leo. Nzomm

NOR
TOR night, nor day, no Reft ; it is but

weakness
To bear the matter thus ; meer weakness, if
The cause were not in being i part o'th' cause,
She, the adultress; for the harlor-King
Is quite beyond mine arm; out of the blank
And level of my brain; plot-proof; but the
I can hook to me : say, that the were gone,
Given to the fire, a moiety of my Reft
Might come to me again. Who's there?

Enter

Enter an Attendant.
Atten. My lord.
Leo. How do's the boy?

Atten. He took good Reft to night; 'tis hop'd,
His sickness is discharg'd.

Leo. To see his nobleness!
Conceiving the dishonour of his mother,
He straight declin’d, droop’d, took it deeply;
Fasten'd, and fix'd the shame on’t in himself;
Threw off his fpirit, his appetite, his sleep,
And down-right languish'd. Leave me solely; go,

[Exit Attendant.
See how he fares. - Fie, fie, no thought of him
The very thought of my revenges that way
Recoyl 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 the, within my power.

Enter Paulina, with a child.
Lord. You must not enter.

Paul. 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.

Ant. That's enough.
Atten. [within.] Madam, he hath not slept to night;

commanded,
None should come at him.

Paul. Not so hot, good Sir;
I come to bring him sleep. 'Tis such as you,
That creep like shadows by him, and do ligh
At each his needless heavings ; such as you
Nourish the cause of his awaking. I
Do come with words, as medicinal, as true ;

(Honest,

(Honest, as either ;) to purge him of that humour, That presses him from fleep.

Leo. What noise there, ho?

Pau. No noise, my lord, but needful conference, About some gossips for your Highness.

Leo. How?
Away with that audacious lady.Antigonus,
I charg'd thee, that she should not come about me;
I knew, she would.

Ant. I told her so, my lord,
On your displeasure's peril and on mine,
She should not visit you.

Leo.' What? can’st not rule her?
Pau. 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.

Ant. Lo-you now, you hear,
When she will take the rein, I let her run,
But she'll not stumble.

Pau. Good my liege, I come-
And I beseech you hear me, who profess
My self your loyal servant, your physician,
Your most obedient counsellor: yet that dares
Less appear so, in comforting your evils,
Than such as most seems yours. I say, I come
From your good Queen.

Leo. Good Queen?

Pau. Good Queen, my lord,
Good Queen, I say, good Qucen;
And would by combat make her good, so were I
A man, the worst about you.

Leo. Force her hence.

Pau. 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.

Leo.

Leo. Out!
A mankind witch! (11) hence with her, out o' door :
A most intelligencing bawd!

Pau. Not so,
I am as ignorant in That as you,
In so intit’ling me; and no less honest,
Than you are mad; which is enough, I'll warranty
As this world goes, to pass for honcft.

Leo. Traitors!
Will you not push her out? give her the bastard.

[To Ant.
Thou dotard, thou art woman-tyr'd; unroosted
By thy dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard,
Take't

upg I say; give't to thy Croan.
Pau. For ever!
Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou,
Take'st up the Princess, by that forced baseness
Which he has put upon't !

Leo. He dreads his wife.

Pau. So, I would, you did : then 'twere part all doubt,
You'd call your children yours.

Leo. A neft of traytors!
Ånt. I am none, by this good light.

Pau. Nor I, nor any
But one, that's here, and that's himself. For he
The facred honour of himself, his Queen's,
His hopeful son's, his babe's, betrays to Dander,
Whose sting is sharper than the sword's; and will not
(For as the case now stands, it is a curse
He cannot be compellid to't) once remove
The root of his opinion, which is rotten,
As ever oak or stone was found.

Leo. A callat
Of boundless rongue, who lare hath beat her husband,

(11) A Mankind Witcb! i. e. One as bold and masculine, as if She were a Man. So in B. Jonson's Silent Woman, when Morose is teiz'd by his new Wife's She-friends, he cries out in Deteftation of their Boldness;

O mankind Generation !
And fo Beaumont and Fletcher in their Monsieur Thomas.

I do not bleed'; 'twas a found Knock she gave me ;
A plaguy mankind Girl!

And