The Winter’s Tale

1 Enter Leontes, Antigonus, Lords and other Attendants.
2 LEONTES.
3 Nor night nor day no rest: it is but weakness
4 To bear the matter thus, mere weakness. If
5 The cause were not in being,—part o’ th’ cause,
6 She th’ adultress; for the harlot king
7 Is quite beyond mine arm, out of the blank
8 And level of my brain, plot-proof. But she
9 I can hook to me. Say that she were gone,
10 Given to the fire, a moiety of my rest
11 Might come to me again. Who’s there?
12 FIRST ATTENDANT.
13 My lord.
14 LEONTES.
15 How does the boy?
16 FIRST ATTENDANT.
17 He took good rest tonight;
18 ’Tis hop’d his sickness is discharg’d.
19 LEONTES.
20 To see his nobleness,
21 Conceiving the dishonour of his mother.
22 He straight declin’d, droop’d, took it deeply,
23 Fasten’d and fix’d the shame on’t in himself,
24 Threw off his spirit, his appetite, his sleep,
25 And downright languish’d. Leave me solely: go,
26 See how he fares.
27 [_Exit First Attendant._]
28 Fie, fie! no thought of him.
29 The very thought of my revenges that way
30 Recoil upon me: in himself too mighty,
31 And in his parties, his alliance. Let him be,
32 Until a time may serve. For present vengeance,
33 Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes
34 Laugh at me; make their pastime at my sorrow:
35 They should not laugh if I could reach them, nor
36 Shall she, within my power.
37 Enter Paulina carrying a baby, with Antigonus, lords and servants.
38 FIRST LORD.
39 You must not enter.
40 PAULINA.
41 Nay, rather, good my lords, be second to me:
42 Fear you his tyrannous passion more, alas,
43 Than the queen’s life? a gracious innocent soul,
44 More free than he is jealous.
45 ANTIGONUS.
46 That’s enough.
47 SERVANT.
48 Madam, he hath not slept tonight; commanded
49 None should come at him.
50 PAULINA.
51 Not so hot, good sir;
52 I come to bring him sleep. ’Tis such as you,
53 That creep like shadows by him, and do sigh
54 At each his needless heavings,—such as you
55 Nourish the cause of his awaking. I
56 Do come with words as med’cinal as true,
57 Honest as either, to purge him of that humour
58 That presses him from sleep.
59 LEONTES.
60 What noise there, ho?
61 PAULINA.
62 No noise, my lord; but needful conference
63 About some gossips for your highness.
64 LEONTES.
65 How!
66 Away with that audacious lady! Antigonus,
67 I charg’d thee that she should not come about me.
68 I knew she would.
69 ANTIGONUS.
70 I told her so, my lord,
71 On your displeasure’s peril and on mine,
72 She should not visit you.
73 LEONTES.
74 What, canst not rule her?
75 PAULINA.
76 From all dishonesty he can. In this,
77 Unless he take the course that you have done,
78 Commit me for committing honour—trust it,
79 He shall not rule me.
80 ANTIGONUS.
81 La you now, you hear.
82 When she will take the rein I let her run;
83 But she’ll not stumble.
84 PAULINA.
85 Good my liege, I come,—
86 And, I beseech you hear me, who professes
87 Myself your loyal servant, your physician,
88 Your most obedient counsellor, yet that dares
89 Less appear so, in comforting your evils,
90 Than such as most seem yours—I say I come
91 From your good queen.
92 LEONTES.
93 Good queen!
94 PAULINA.
95 Good queen, my lord, good queen: I say, good queen,
96 And would by combat make her good, so were I
97 A man, the worst about you.
98 LEONTES.
99 Force her hence.
100 PAULINA.
101 Let him that makes but trifles of his eyes
102 First hand me: on mine own accord I’ll off;
103 But first I’ll do my errand. The good queen,
104 (For she is good) hath brought you forth a daughter;
105 Here ’tis; commends it to your blessing.
106 [_Laying down the child._]
107 LEONTES.
108 Out!
109 A mankind witch! Hence with her, out o’ door:
110 A most intelligencing bawd!
111 PAULINA.
112 Not so.
113 I am as ignorant in that as you
114 In so entitling me; and no less honest
115 Than you are mad; which is enough, I’ll warrant,
116 As this world goes, to pass for honest.
117 LEONTES.
118 Traitors!
119 Will you not push her out? [_To Antigonus._] Give her the bastard,
120 Thou dotard! Thou art woman-tir’d, unroosted
121 By thy Dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard,
122 Take’t up, I say; give’t to thy crone.
123 PAULINA.
124 For ever
125 Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou
126 Tak’st up the princess by that forced baseness
127 Which he has put upon ’t!
128 LEONTES.
129 He dreads his wife.
130 PAULINA.
131 So I would you did; then ’twere past all doubt
132 You’d call your children yours.
133 LEONTES.
134 A nest of traitors!
135 ANTIGONUS.
136 I am none, by this good light.
137 PAULINA.
138 Nor I; nor any
139 But one that’s here, and that’s himself. For he
140 The sacred honour of himself, his queen’s,
141 His hopeful son’s, his babe’s, betrays to slander,
142 Whose sting is sharper than the sword’s; and will not,
143 (For, as the case now stands, it is a curse
144 He cannot be compell’d to’t) once remove
145 The root of his opinion, which is rotten
146 As ever oak or stone was sound.
147 LEONTES.
148 A callat
149 Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband,
150 And now baits me! This brat is none of mine;
151 It is the issue of Polixenes.
152 Hence with it, and together with the dam
153 Commit them to the fire.
154 PAULINA.
155 It is yours;
156 And, might we lay th’ old proverb to your charge,
157 So like you ’tis the worse. Behold, my lords,
158 Although the print be little, the whole matter
159 And copy of the father: eye, nose, lip,
160 The trick of ’s frown, his forehead; nay, the valley,
161 The pretty dimples of his chin and cheek; his smiles;
162 The very mould and frame of hand, nail, finger:
163 And thou, good goddess Nature, which hast made it
164 So like to him that got it, if thou hast
165 The ordering of the mind too, ’mongst all colours
166 No yellow in ’t, lest she suspect, as he does,
167 Her children not her husband’s!
168 LEONTES.
169 A gross hag!
170 And, losel, thou art worthy to be hang’d
171 That wilt not stay her tongue.
172 ANTIGONUS.
173 Hang all the husbands
174 That cannot do that feat, you’ll leave yourself
175 Hardly one subject.
176 LEONTES.
177 Once more, take her hence.
178 PAULINA.
179 A most unworthy and unnatural lord
180 Can do no more.
181 LEONTES.
182 I’ll have thee burnt.
183 PAULINA.
184 I care not.
185 It is an heretic that makes the fire,
186 Not she which burns in ’t. I’ll not call you tyrant;
187 But this most cruel usage of your queen,
188 Not able to produce more accusation
189 Than your own weak-hing’d fancy, something savours
190 Of tyranny, and will ignoble make you,
191 Yea, scandalous to the world.
192 LEONTES.
193 On your allegiance,
194 Out of the chamber with her! Were I a tyrant,
195 Where were her life? She durst not call me so,
196 If she did know me one. Away with her!
197 PAULINA.
198 I pray you, do not push me; I’ll be gone.
199 Look to your babe, my lord; ’tis yours: Jove send her
200 A better guiding spirit! What needs these hands?
201 You that are thus so tender o’er his follies,
202 Will never do him good, not one of you.
203 So, so. Farewell; we are gone.
204 [_Exit._]
205 LEONTES.
206 Thou, traitor, hast set on thy wife to this.
207 My child? Away with’t. Even thou, that hast
208 A heart so tender o’er it, take it hence,
209 And see it instantly consum’d with fire;
210 Even thou, and none but thou. Take it up straight:
211 Within this hour bring me word ’tis done,
212 And by good testimony, or I’ll seize thy life,
213 With that thou else call’st thine. If thou refuse
214 And wilt encounter with my wrath, say so;
215 The bastard brains with these my proper hands
216 Shall I dash out. Go, take it to the fire;
217 For thou set’st on thy wife.
218 ANTIGONUS.
219 I did not, sir:
220 These lords, my noble fellows, if they please,
221 Can clear me in ’t.
222 LORDS
223 We can: my royal liege,
224 He is not guilty of her coming hither.
225 LEONTES.
226 You’re liars all.
227 FIRST LORD.
228 Beseech your highness, give us better credit:
229 We have always truly serv’d you; and beseech
230 So to esteem of us. And on our knees we beg,
231 As recompense of our dear services
232 Past and to come, that you do change this purpose,
233 Which being so horrible, so bloody, must
234 Lead on to some foul issue. We all kneel.
235 LEONTES.
236 I am a feather for each wind that blows.
237 Shall I live on to see this bastard kneel
238 And call me father? better burn it now
239 Than curse it then. But be it; let it live.
240 It shall not neither. [_To Antigonus._] You, sir, come you hither,
241 You that have been so tenderly officious
242 With Lady Margery, your midwife, there,
243 To save this bastard’s life—for ’tis a bastard,
244 So sure as this beard’s grey. What will you adventure
245 To save this brat’s life?
246 ANTIGONUS.
247 Anything, my lord,
248 That my ability may undergo,
249 And nobleness impose: at least thus much:
250 I’ll pawn the little blood which I have left
251 To save the innocent. Anything possible.
252 LEONTES.
253 It shall be possible. Swear by this sword
254 Thou wilt perform my bidding.
255 ANTIGONUS.
256 I will, my lord.
257 LEONTES.
258 Mark, and perform it, seest thou? for the fail
259 Of any point in’t shall not only be
260 Death to thyself, but to thy lewd-tongu’d wife,
261 Whom for this time we pardon. We enjoin thee,
262 As thou art liegeman to us, that thou carry
263 This female bastard hence, and that thou bear it
264 To some remote and desert place, quite out
265 Of our dominions; and that there thou leave it,
266 Without more mercy, to it own protection
267 And favour of the climate. As by strange fortune
268 It came to us, I do in justice charge thee,
269 On thy soul’s peril and thy body’s torture,
270 That thou commend it strangely to some place
271 Where chance may nurse or end it. Take it up.
272 ANTIGONUS.
273 I swear to do this, though a present death
274 Had been more merciful. Come on, poor babe:
275 Some powerful spirit instruct the kites and ravens
276 To be thy nurses! Wolves and bears, they say,
277 Casting their savageness aside, have done
278 Like offices of pity. Sir, be prosperous
279 In more than this deed does require! And blessing
280 Against this cruelty, fight on thy side,
281 Poor thing, condemn’d to loss!
282 [_Exit with the child._]
283 LEONTES.
284 No, I’ll not rear
285 Another’s issue.
286 Enter a Servant.
287 SERVANT.
288 Please your highness, posts
289 From those you sent to th’ oracle are come
290 An hour since: Cleomenes and Dion,
291 Being well arriv’d from Delphos, are both landed,
292 Hasting to th’ court.
293 FIRST LORD.
294 So please you, sir, their speed
295 Hath been beyond account.
296 LEONTES.
297 Twenty-three days
298 They have been absent: ’tis good speed; foretells
299 The great Apollo suddenly will have
300 The truth of this appear. Prepare you, lords;
301 Summon a session, that we may arraign
302 Our most disloyal lady; for, as she hath
303 Been publicly accus’d, so shall she have
304 A just and open trial. While she lives,
305 My heart will be a burden to me. Leave me,
306 And think upon my bidding.
307 [_Exeunt._]