Enter Leontes.LEONTES Nor night nor day no rest. It is but weakness To bear the matter thus, mere weakness. If The cause were not in being—part o’ th’ cause, She th’ adult’ress, for the harlot king5 Is quite beyond mine arm, out of the blank And level of my brain, plot-proof. But she I can hook to me. Say that she were gone, Given to the fire, a moiety of my rest Might come to me again.—Who’s there?⌜Enter a⌝ Servant.SERVANT 10 My lord.
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LEONTES How does the boy?SERVANT He took good rest tonight. ’Tis hoped His sickness is discharged.LEONTES To see his nobleness,15 Conceiving the dishonor of his mother. He straight declined, drooped, took it deeply, Fastened and fixed the shame on ’t in himself, Threw off his spirit, his appetite, his sleep, And downright languished. Leave me solely. Go,20 See how he fares.⌜Servant exits.⌝ Fie, fie, no thought of him. The very thought of my revenges that way Recoil upon me—in himself too mighty, And in his parties, his alliance. Let him be25 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 she within my power.Enter Paulina, ⌜carrying the baby, with⌝ Servants,
Antigonus, and Lords.LORD 30 You must not enter.PAULINA 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.ANTIGONUS 35 That’s enough.SERVANT Madam, he hath not slept tonight, commanded None should come at him.PAULINA Not so hot, good sir. I come to bring him sleep. ’Tis such as you40 That creep like shadows by him and do sigh
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At each his needless heavings, such as you Nourish the cause of his awaking. I Do come with words as medicinal as true, Honest as either, to purge him of that humor45 That presses him from sleep.LEONTES ⌜What⌝ noise there, ho?PAULINA No noise, my lord, but needful conference About some gossips for your Highness.LEONTES How?—50 Away with that audacious lady. Antigonus, I charged thee that she should not come about me. I knew she would.ANTIGONUS I told her so, my lord, On your displeasure’s peril and on mine,55 She should not visit you.LEONTES What, canst not rule her?PAULINA From all dishonesty he can. In this, Unless he take the course that you have done— Commit me for committing honor—trust it,60 He shall not rule me.ANTIGONUS La you now, you hear. When she will take the rein I let her run, But she’ll not stumble.PAULINA Good my liege, I come—65 And I beseech you hear me, who professes Myself your loyal servant, your physician, Your most obedient counselor, yet that dares Less appear so in comforting your evils Than such as most seem yours—I say I come70 From your good queen.LEONTES Good queen?PAULINA Good queen, my lord, good queen, I say “good queen,”
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And would by combat make her good, so were I75 A man, the worst about you.LEONTES Force her hence.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,80 For she is good, hath brought you forth a daughter— Here ’tis—commends it to your blessing.⌜She lays down the baby.⌝LEONTES Out! A mankind witch! Hence with her, out o’ door.85 A most intelligencing bawd.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,90 As this world goes, to pass for honest.LEONTES Traitors, Will you not push her out? ⌜To Antigonus.⌝ Give her the bastard, Thou dotard; thou art woman-tired, unroosted95 By thy Dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard, Take ’t up, I say. Give ’t to thy crone.PAULINA, ⌜to Antigonus⌝ Forever Unvenerable be thy hands if thou Tak’st up the Princess by that forced baseness100 Which he has put upon ’t.LEONTES He dreads his wife.PAULINA So I would you did. Then ’twere past all doubt You’d call your children yours.LEONTES A nest of traitors!ANTIGONUS 105 I am none, by this good light.
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PAULINA Nor I, nor any But one that’s here, and that’s himself. For he The sacred honor of himself, his queen’s, His hopeful son’s, his babe’s, betrays to slander,110 Whose sting is sharper than the sword’s; and will not— For, as the case now stands, it is a curse He cannot be compelled to ’t—once remove The root of his opinion, which is rotten115 As ever oak or stone was sound.LEONTES A callet Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband And now baits me! This brat is none of mine.120 It is the issue of Polixenes. Hence with it, and together with the dam Commit them to the fire.PAULINA It is yours, And, might we lay th’ old proverb to your charge,125 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, his130 smiles, The very mold 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 colors135 No yellow in ’t, lest she suspect, as he does, Her children not her husband’s.LEONTES A gross hag!— And, losel, thou art worthy to be hanged That wilt not stay her tongue.ANTIGONUS 140 Hang all the husbands That cannot do that feat, you’ll leave yourself Hardly one subject.
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LEONTES Once more, take her hence.PAULINA A most unworthy and unnatural lord145 Can do no more.LEONTES I’ll ha’ thee 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;150 But this most cruel usage of your queen, Not able to produce more accusation Than your own weak-hinged fancy, something savors Of tyranny, and will ignoble make you,155 Yea, scandalous to the world.LEONTES, ⌜to Antigonus⌝ 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!PAULINA, ⌜to Lords⌝ 160 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.165 So, so. Farewell, we are gone.She exits.LEONTES, ⌜to Antigonus⌝ 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.170 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.
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175 The bastard brains with these my proper hands Shall I dash out. Go, take it to the fire, For thou sett’st on thy wife.ANTIGONUS I did not, sir. These lords, my noble fellows, if they please,180 Can clear me in ’t.LORDS We can, my royal liege. He is not guilty of her coming hither.LEONTES You’re liars all.LORD Beseech your Highness, give us better credit.185 We have always truly served you, and beseech 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, must190 Lead on to some foul issue. We all kneel.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.195 It shall not neither. ⌜To Antigonus.⌝ 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,200 So sure as this beard’s gray. What will you adventure To save this brat’s life?ANTIGONUS Anything, my lord, That my ability may undergo205 And nobleness impose. At least thus much: I’ll pawn the little blood which I have left To save the innocent. Anything possible.
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LEONTES It shall be possible. Swear by this sword Thou wilt perform my bidding.ANTIGONUS, ⌜his hand on the hilt⌝ 210 I will, my lord.LEONTES Mark, and perform it, seest 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,215 As thou art liegeman 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 it own protection220 And favor 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.ANTIGONUS 225 I swear to do this, though a present death Had been more merciful.—Come on, poor babe.⌜He picks up the baby.⌝ Some powerful spirit instruct the kites and ravens To be thy nurses! Wolves and bears, they say, Casting their savageness aside, have done230 Like offices of pity. ⌜To Leontes.⌝ Sir, be prosperous In more than this deed does require.—And blessing Against this cruelty fight on thy side, Poor thing, condemned to loss.He exits, ⌜carrying the baby.⌝LEONTES No, I’ll not rear235 Another’s issue.Enter a Servant.SERVANT Please your Highness, posts
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From those you sent to th’ oracle are come An hour since. Cleomenes and Dion, Being well arrived from Delphos, are both landed,240 Hasting to th’ court.LORD, ⌜to Leontes⌝ So please you, sir, their speed Hath been beyond account.LEONTES Twenty-three days They have been absent. ’Tis good speed, foretells245 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 have250 A just and open trial. While she lives, My heart will be a burden to me. Leave me, And think upon my bidding.They exit.
The Winter’s Tale
