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'Tis pity, the's not honeft, honourable :

Praife her but for this her without-door form,
(Which on my faith deserves high speech,) and straight
The fhrug, the hum, or ha,(these petty-brands,
That Calumny doth ufe: oh, I am out,-
That Mercy do's; for calumny will fear

Virtue it self.) Thefe fhrugs, these hums, and ha's,
When you have faid fhe's goodly, come between,
Ere you can fay fhe's honeft: but be't known,
(From him, that has most cause to grieve it should be ;)
She's an adultrefs.

Her. Should a villain fay fo,

The most replenish'd villain in the world,
He were as much more villain: you, my lord,
Do but mistakė.

Leo. You have miftook, my lady,
Polixenes for Leontes. O thou thing,
Which I'll not call a creature of thy Place,
Left Barbarifm, making me the precedent,
Should a like language ufe to all degrees;
And mannerly diftinguishment leave out
Betwixt the Prince and Beggar. —I have said,
She's an adultrefs; I have faid with whom:
More; fhe's a traitor, and Camillo is
A federary with her, and one that knows
What the fhould fhame to know her felf,
But with her moft vile principal, that he's
A bed-fwerver, even as bad as those

That Vulgars give bold'ft titles; ay, and privy
To this their late escape,

Her. No, by my life,

Privy to none of this: how will this grieve you,
When you fhall come to clearer knowledge, that
You thus have publish'd me? gentle my lord,
You scarce can right me throughly then, to fay
You did mistake.

Leo. No, if I mistake.

In these foundations which I build upon,
The center is not big enough to bear

A fchool-boy's top. Away with her to prison:

He, who shall speak for her, is far of guilty, (8)
But that he speaks.

i

my lords,

Her. There's fome ill planet reigns;
I must be patient, 'till the heavens look
With an afpect more favourable. Good
I am not prone to weeping; (as our fex
Commonly are,) the want of which vain dew,
Perchance, fhall dry your pities; but I have
That honourable grief lodg'd here, which burns
Worfe than tears drown: 'befeech you all, my lords,
With thoughts fo qualified as your charities

Shall beft inftruct you, measure me; and fa
The King's Will be perform'd! -

Leo. Shall I be heard?

Her. Who is't, that goes with me? 'befcech your Highness,

My women may be with me, for, you fee,

My plight requires it. Do not weep, good fools,
There is no caufe; when you shall know, your mistress
Has deferv'd prifon, then abound in tears,
As I come out, this action, I now go on,
Is for my better grace. Adieu, my lord,
I never wifh'd to fee you forry; now,
I truft, I fhall. My women,

come, you've leave. Leo. Go, do our bidding; hence.

[Exit Queen, guarded; and Ladies. Lord. 'Beseech your Highness call the Queen again, Ant. Be certain what you do, Sir, left your justice Prove violence; in the which three Great ones fuffer, Your felf, your Queen, your fon.

Lord. For her, my lord,

I dare my life lay down, and will do't, Sir,
Please you t'accept it, that the Queen is spotless

(8) He, who shall speak for her, is far off guilty,

But that he fpeaks.] This cannot be the Speaker's Meaning. Leontes would fay, I fhall hold the Perfon in a great Measure guilty, who fhall dare to intercede for her: And this, I believe, Shakespeare ventur'd to express thus:

He, who shall speak for her, is far of guilty, &c. i. e. partakes far, deeply, of her Guilt.

I'th' eyes of heaven, and to you, (I mean,
In this which you accuse her.)

Ant. If it prove

She's otherwise, I'll keep my ftables where

I lodge my wife, I'll go in couples with her :
Than when I feel, and see her, no further trust her;
For every inch of woman in the world,

Ay, every dram of woman's flesh is falfe,

If the be.

Leo. Hold your peaces.

Lord. Good my lord,

Ant. It is for you we fpeak, not for our felves;
You are abus'd, and by fome putter-on,

That will be damn'd for't; 'would, I knew the villain,
I would land-damn him: be the honour-flaw'd,
I have three daughters, the eldest is eleven; (9)
The fecond, and the third, nine, and fome five;
If this prove true, they'll pay for't. By mine honour,
I'll geld 'em all: fourteen they fhall not fee,
To bring falfe generations: they are co-heirs,
And I had rather glib my felf, than they
Should not produce fair issue.

Leo. Ceafe; no more:

You smell this bufinefs with a fenfe as cold
As is a dead man's nofe; I fee't and feel't,
As you feel doing thus; and fee withal

The Inftruments that feel.

(9)

I have three Daughters; the Eldeft is eleven;
The Second and the Third, nine; and Sons five;

If this prove true, they'll pay for't.] The 2d Folio Edition led Mr. Roze first inadvertently to fix five Sons upon Antigonus, more than the Poet ever defign'd him and Mr. Pope ftumbled implicitly into the Miftake. But what increases the Jeft, these three Daughters, and five Sons were Cobeirs: If This was ever according to the Laws of Sicily, 'tis fo peculiar, that Goltzius, Fazellus, or Cluverius would have thought it worthy of a fhort Notice. But the Reading of the ft Folio Edition, which I have reftor'd to the Text, makes no mention of any Sons, and fo the Girls remain properly Coheirs; the Eldeft, eleven years of Age; the second, Nine; and the Third, fome five. I'll fubjoin two Inftances of this manner of Expreffion from our Author's K. Lear,

But I have a Son, Sir, by order of Law, fome Year elder than this; For that I am fome twelve or fourteen Moon-fhines Lag of a Brother?

G 4

Ant.

Ant. If it be fo,

We need no grave to bury honefty;
There's not a grain of it, the face to sweeten
Of the whole dungy earth.

Leo. What? lack I credit?

Lord. I had rather you did lack than I, my lord, Upon this ground; and more it would content me To have her honour true, than your fufpicion; Be blam'd for't, how you might.

Leo. Why, what need we

Commune with you of this? but rather follow
Our forceful inftigation? our prerogative
Calls not your counfels, but our natural goodness
Imparts this; which, if you, (or ftupified,
Or feeming fo, in skill,) cannot, or will not
Relish a truth like us; inform your felves,
We need no more of your advice; the matter,
The lofs, the gain, the ord'ring on't, is all
Properly ours.

Ant. And I wifh, my liege,

You had only in your filent judgment try'd it,
Without more overture.

Leo. How could That be?

Either thou art moft ignorant by age,

Or thou wert born a fool.

Added to their familiarity,

Camillo's flight,

(Which was as grofs as ever touch'd conjecture, That lack'd fight only; nought for approbation, But only feeing; all other circumstances

Made up to th' deed) doth push on this Proceeding; Yet for a greater confirmation,

(For, in an act of this importance, 'twere

Moft piteous to be wild) I have dispatch'd in poft, To facred Delphos, to Apollo's Temple,

Cleomines and Dion, whom you know

Of ftuff'd fufficiency: Now, from the Oracle
They will bring all: whofe fpiritual counsel had,
Shall ftop, or fpur me. Have I done well?
Lord. Well done, my lord.

Leo.

Leo. Tho' I am fatisfy'd, and need no more
Than what I know, yet fhall the Oracle
Give Reft to th' minds of others; fuch as he,
Whose ignorant credulity will not

Come up to th' truth. So have we thought it good
From our free perfon, she should be confin'd;
Left that the treachery of the two, fled hence,
Be left her to perform. Come, follow us,
We are to speak in publick; for this business
Will raise us all.

Ant. To laughter, as I take it,
If the good truth were known.

SCENE changes to a Prifon.

Enter Paulina and a Gentleman.

[Exeunt.

Paul. THE keeper of the prison, call to him:

[Exit Gent. Let him have knowledge who I am. Good lady, No Court in Europe is too good for thee; What doft thou then in Prifon? now, good Sir, You know me, do you not?

[Re-enter Gentleman with the Goaler.

Goa. For a worthy lady,

And one whom much I honour.

Paul. Pray you then,

Conduct me to the Queen.

Goa. I may not, Madam,

To the contrary I have express commandment.
Paul. Here's Ado to lock up honefty and honour from
Th' accefs of gentle vifitors! Is't lawful, pray you,
To see her women? any of them? Emilia?

Goa. So please you, Madam,

To put a-part these your attendants, I

Shall bring Emilia forth.

Paul. I pray you now, call her:

Withdraw your felves.

Goa. And, Madam,

I must be present at your conference.

[Exeunt Gent. &c.

Paul.

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