EnterLeontes,Cleomenes,Dion,Paulina,and Servants.Cleo.Sir, you have done enough, and have perform'dA saint-like sorrow: no fault could you make,Which you have not redeem'd; indeed, paid downMore penitence than done trespass: at the last,5Do as the heavens have done, forget your evil;With them forgive yourself.Leon.Whilst I rememberHer and her virtues, I cannot forgetMy blemishes in them, and so still think ofThe wrong I did myself: which was so much,10That heirless it hath made my kingdom; andDestroy'd the sweet'st companion that e'er manBred his hopes out of.Paul.True, too true,my lord:If, one by one, you wedded all the world,Or from the all that are took something good,15To make a perfect woman, she you kill'dWould be unparallel'd.Leon.I think so. Kill'd!She I kill'd!I did so: but thou strikest meSorely, to say I did; it is as bitterUpon my tongue as in my thought: now, good now,Say so but seldom.20Cleo.Not at all, good lady:You might havespokena thousand things that wouldHave done the time more benefit and gracedYour kindness better.Paul.You are one of thoseWould have him wed again.Dion.If you would notso,25You pity not the state, nor the remembranceOf his most sovereignname; considerlittleWhat dangers, by his highness' fail of issue,May drop upon his kingdom and devourIncertain lookers on. What were more holy30Than to rejoice the formerqueen is well?What holier than, for royalty's repair,For present comfort and for future good,To bless the bed of majesty againWith a sweet fellow to't?Paul.There is none worthy,35Respecting her that's gone. Besides, the godsWill havefulfill'dtheir secret purposes;For has not the divine Apollosaid,Is't not the tenor of his oracle,That King Leontes shall not have an heir40Till his lost child be found? which that it shall,Is all as monstrous to our human reasonAs myAntigonusto break his graveAnd come again to me; who, on my life,Did perish with the infant. 'Tis your counsel45My lord should to the heavens becontrary,Oppose against their wills.[To Leontes.]Care not for issue;The crown will find an heir: great AlexanderLeft his to the worthiest; so his successorWas like to be the best.Leon.GoodPaulina,50Who hast the memory of Hermione,I know, in honour, O, that ever IHad squared me to thy counsel!—then, even now,I might have look'd upon my queen's full eyes;Have taken treasure from herlips,—PaulAnd left themMore rich for what they yielded.55Leon.Thou speak'st truth.No more such wives; therefore, no wife: one worse,And better used, would make her sainted spiritAgain possess her corpse, and on thisstage,Where we offenders now, appear soul-vex'd,And begin, 'Why to me?'60Paul.Had she such power,She had justcause.Leon.She had; and would incense meTo murder her I married.Paul.I should so.Were I the ghost thatwalk'd, I'ld bid you markHer eye, and tell me for what dull part in't65You chose her; then I'ld shriek, that even your earsShould rift to hear me; and the words that follow'dShould be 'Remember mine.'Leon.Stars, stars,And all eyes else dead coals! Fear thou no wife;I'll have no wife, Paulina.Paul.Will you swear70Never to marry but by my free leave?Leon.Never, Paulina; so beblestmy spirit!Paul.Then, good my lords, bear witness to his oath.Cleo.You tempt him over-much.Paul.Unless another,As like Hermione as is her picture,Affront his eye.Cleo.Good madam,—75Paul.I have done.Yet, if my lord will marry,—if you will, sir,No remedy, but you will,—give me the officeTo chooseyou aqueen: she shall not be so youngAs was your former; but she shall be such80As, walk'd your first queen's ghost, it should take joyTo see her in your arms.Leon.My true Paulina,We shall not marry till thou bid'st us.Paul.ThatShall be when your first queen's again in breath;Never till then.Enter aGentleman.85Gent.One that givesout himselfPrince Florizel,Son of Polixenes, with his princess, sheThefairest I haveyet beheld, desires accessTo your high presence.Leon.What with him? he comes notLike to his father's greatness: his approach,90So out of circumstance and sudden, tells us'Tis not a visitation framed, but forcedBy need and accident. What train?Gent.But few,And those but mean.Leon.His princess, say you, with him?Gent.Ay,the most peerless piece of earth, I think,That e'er the sun shone bright on.95Paul.O Hermione,As every present time doth boast itselfAbove a better gone, so must thygraveGive way to what's seen now! Sir, you yourselfHave said and writ so, but your writing now100Is colderthanthat theme, 'She had not been,Nor was not to be equall'd;'—thus your verseFlow'd with her beauty once: 'tis shrewdly ebb'd,To sayyou haveseen a better.Gent.Pardon, madam:The one I have almost forgot,—your pardon,—105The other, when she has obtain'd your eye,Will have your tongue too.This isacreature,Would she begin a sect, might quench the zealOf all professors else; make proselytesOfwhoshe butbidfollow.Paul.How! not women?110Gent.Women will love her, that she is a womanMore worth than any man; men, that she isThe rarest of all women.Leon.Go, Cleomenes;Yourself, assisted with your honour'd friends,Bring them to our embracement. Still, 'tis strange[Exeunt Cleomenesand others.He thus should steal upon us.115Paul.Had our prince,Jewel of children, seen this hour, he had pair'dWell with this lord: there was notfull amonthBetween their births.Leon.Prithee, no more; cease; thou know'st120He dies to me again when talk'd of: sure,When I shall see this gentleman, thy speechesWill bring me to consider that which mayUnfurnish me of reason. They are come.Re-enterCleomenesand others, withFlorizelandPerdita.Your mother was most true to wedlock,prince;125For she did print your royal father off,Conceiving you: were I but twenty one,Your father's image is so hit in you,His very air, that I should call you brother,As I did him, and speak of something wildly130By us perform'd before. Most dearly welcome!Andyourfairprincess,—goddess!—O, alas!I lost a couple, that 'twixt heaven and earthMight thus have stood begetting wonder, asYou, gracious couple, do: and then I lost,135All mine own folly, the society,Amity too, of your brave father,whom,Though bearing misery, I desire my lifeOnce more to lookon him.Flo.Byhis commandHave I here touch'd Sicilia, and from him140Give you all greetings, that a king,at friend,Can send his brother: and, but infirmityWhich waits upon worn times hath something seizedHis wish'd ability, he had himselfThe lands and waters 'twixt your throne and his145Measured to look upon you; whom he loves,He bade me say so, more than all the sceptresAnd those that bear them living.Leon.O my brother,Good gentleman! the wrongs I have done thee stirAfresh within me; and these thy offices,150So rarely kind, are as interpretersOf my behind-hand slackness! Welcome hither,As is the spring to the earth. And hath he tooExposed this paragon to the fearful usage,At least ungentle, of the dreadful Neptune,155To greet a man not worth her pains, much lessThe adventure of her person?Flo.Good my Lord,She came fromLibya.Leon.Where the warlike Smalus,That noble honour'd lord, is fear'd and loved?Flo.Mostroyal sir, from thence; from him, whose daughter160His tears proclaim'dhis, partingwith her: thence,A prosperous south-wind friendly, we have cross'd,To execute the charge my father gave me,For visiting your highness: my best trainI have from your Sicilian shores dismiss'd;165Who for Bohemia bend, to signifyNot only my success in Libya, sir,But my arrival, and my wife's, in safetyHere wherewe are.Leon.The blessedgodsPurge all infection from our air whilst you170Do climate here! You have aholyfather,A graceful gentleman; against whose person,So sacred as it is, I have done sin:For which the heavens, taking angry note,Have left me issueless; and your father'sblest,175As he from heaven merits it, with youWorthy his goodness. What might I have been,Might I a son and daughter now have look'd on,Such goodly things as you!Enter aLord.Lord.Most noble sir,That which I shall report will bear no credit,180Were not the proof so nigh. Please you, great sir,Bohemia greets you from himself by me;Desires you to attach his son, who has—His dignity and duty both cast off—Fled from his father, from his hopes, and withA shepherd's daughter.185Leon.Where's Bohemia? speak.Lord.Here inyourcity; I now came from him:I speak amazedly; and it becomesMy marvel and my message. To your courtWhileshe was hastening, in the chase, it seems,190Of this fair couple, meets he on the wayThe father of this seeming lady andHer brother, having both their country quittedWith this young prince.Flo.Camillo has betray'd me;Whose honour and whose honesty till nowEndured all weathers.195Lord.Lay't so to his charge:He's with the king your father.Leon.Who? Camillo?Lord.Camillo, sir; I spake with him; who nowHas these poor men in question. Never saw IWretches so quake: they kneel, they kiss the earth;200Forswear themselves as often as they speak:Bohemia stops his ears, and threatens themWith divers deaths in death.Per.O my poor father!The heavensets spies uponus, will not haveOur contract celebrated.Leon.You are married?205Flo.We are not, sir, nor are we like to be;The stars, I see, will kiss the valleys first:The odds for high and low's alike.Leon.My lord,Is this the daughter of a king?Flo.She is,When once she is my wife.210Leon.That 'once,' I see by your good father's speed,Will come on very slowly. I am sorry,Most sorry, you have broken from his likingWhere you were tied in duty, and as sorryYour choice is not so rich inworthas beauty,That you might well enjoy her.215Flo.Dear, look up:ThoughFortune, visiblean enemy,Should chase us with my father, power no jotHath she to change our loves. Beseech you, sir,Remember since you owed no more to time220Than I do now: with thought of suchaffections,Step forth mine advocate; at your requestMy father will grant precious things as trifles.Leon.Would he do so, I'ld beg your precious mistress,Which he counts but a trifle.Paul.Sir, my liege,225Your eye hath too much youth in't: not a month'Fore your queen died, she was more worth such gazesThan what you look on now.Leon.I thought of her,Even in these looks I made.[To Florizel.]But your petitionIs yet unanswer'd. I will to your father:230Your honour not o'erthrown by your desires,I amfriendto them and you: upon which errandI now go toward him; therefore follow meAnd mark what way I make: come, good my lord.[Exeunt.
EnterLeontes,Cleomenes,Dion,Paulina,and Servants.Cleo.Sir, you have done enough, and have perform'dA saint-like sorrow: no fault could you make,Which you have not redeem'd; indeed, paid downMore penitence than done trespass: at the last,5Do as the heavens have done, forget your evil;With them forgive yourself.Leon.Whilst I rememberHer and her virtues, I cannot forgetMy blemishes in them, and so still think ofThe wrong I did myself: which was so much,10That heirless it hath made my kingdom; andDestroy'd the sweet'st companion that e'er manBred his hopes out of.Paul.True, too true,my lord:If, one by one, you wedded all the world,Or from the all that are took something good,15To make a perfect woman, she you kill'dWould be unparallel'd.Leon.I think so. Kill'd!She I kill'd!I did so: but thou strikest meSorely, to say I did; it is as bitterUpon my tongue as in my thought: now, good now,Say so but seldom.20Cleo.Not at all, good lady:You might havespokena thousand things that wouldHave done the time more benefit and gracedYour kindness better.Paul.You are one of thoseWould have him wed again.Dion.If you would notso,25You pity not the state, nor the remembranceOf his most sovereignname; considerlittleWhat dangers, by his highness' fail of issue,May drop upon his kingdom and devourIncertain lookers on. What were more holy30Than to rejoice the formerqueen is well?What holier than, for royalty's repair,For present comfort and for future good,To bless the bed of majesty againWith a sweet fellow to't?Paul.There is none worthy,35Respecting her that's gone. Besides, the godsWill havefulfill'dtheir secret purposes;For has not the divine Apollosaid,Is't not the tenor of his oracle,That King Leontes shall not have an heir40Till his lost child be found? which that it shall,Is all as monstrous to our human reasonAs myAntigonusto break his graveAnd come again to me; who, on my life,Did perish with the infant. 'Tis your counsel45My lord should to the heavens becontrary,Oppose against their wills.[To Leontes.]Care not for issue;The crown will find an heir: great AlexanderLeft his to the worthiest; so his successorWas like to be the best.Leon.GoodPaulina,50Who hast the memory of Hermione,I know, in honour, O, that ever IHad squared me to thy counsel!—then, even now,I might have look'd upon my queen's full eyes;Have taken treasure from herlips,—PaulAnd left themMore rich for what they yielded.55Leon.Thou speak'st truth.No more such wives; therefore, no wife: one worse,And better used, would make her sainted spiritAgain possess her corpse, and on thisstage,Where we offenders now, appear soul-vex'd,And begin, 'Why to me?'60Paul.Had she such power,She had justcause.Leon.She had; and would incense meTo murder her I married.Paul.I should so.Were I the ghost thatwalk'd, I'ld bid you markHer eye, and tell me for what dull part in't65You chose her; then I'ld shriek, that even your earsShould rift to hear me; and the words that follow'dShould be 'Remember mine.'Leon.Stars, stars,And all eyes else dead coals! Fear thou no wife;I'll have no wife, Paulina.Paul.Will you swear70Never to marry but by my free leave?Leon.Never, Paulina; so beblestmy spirit!Paul.Then, good my lords, bear witness to his oath.Cleo.You tempt him over-much.Paul.Unless another,As like Hermione as is her picture,Affront his eye.Cleo.Good madam,—75Paul.I have done.Yet, if my lord will marry,—if you will, sir,No remedy, but you will,—give me the officeTo chooseyou aqueen: she shall not be so youngAs was your former; but she shall be such80As, walk'd your first queen's ghost, it should take joyTo see her in your arms.Leon.My true Paulina,We shall not marry till thou bid'st us.Paul.ThatShall be when your first queen's again in breath;Never till then.Enter aGentleman.85Gent.One that givesout himselfPrince Florizel,Son of Polixenes, with his princess, sheThefairest I haveyet beheld, desires accessTo your high presence.Leon.What with him? he comes notLike to his father's greatness: his approach,90So out of circumstance and sudden, tells us'Tis not a visitation framed, but forcedBy need and accident. What train?Gent.But few,And those but mean.Leon.His princess, say you, with him?Gent.Ay,the most peerless piece of earth, I think,That e'er the sun shone bright on.95Paul.O Hermione,As every present time doth boast itselfAbove a better gone, so must thygraveGive way to what's seen now! Sir, you yourselfHave said and writ so, but your writing now100Is colderthanthat theme, 'She had not been,Nor was not to be equall'd;'—thus your verseFlow'd with her beauty once: 'tis shrewdly ebb'd,To sayyou haveseen a better.Gent.Pardon, madam:The one I have almost forgot,—your pardon,—105The other, when she has obtain'd your eye,Will have your tongue too.This isacreature,Would she begin a sect, might quench the zealOf all professors else; make proselytesOfwhoshe butbidfollow.Paul.How! not women?110Gent.Women will love her, that she is a womanMore worth than any man; men, that she isThe rarest of all women.Leon.Go, Cleomenes;Yourself, assisted with your honour'd friends,Bring them to our embracement. Still, 'tis strange[Exeunt Cleomenesand others.He thus should steal upon us.115Paul.Had our prince,Jewel of children, seen this hour, he had pair'dWell with this lord: there was notfull amonthBetween their births.Leon.Prithee, no more; cease; thou know'st120He dies to me again when talk'd of: sure,When I shall see this gentleman, thy speechesWill bring me to consider that which mayUnfurnish me of reason. They are come.Re-enterCleomenesand others, withFlorizelandPerdita.Your mother was most true to wedlock,prince;125For she did print your royal father off,Conceiving you: were I but twenty one,Your father's image is so hit in you,His very air, that I should call you brother,As I did him, and speak of something wildly130By us perform'd before. Most dearly welcome!Andyourfairprincess,—goddess!—O, alas!I lost a couple, that 'twixt heaven and earthMight thus have stood begetting wonder, asYou, gracious couple, do: and then I lost,135All mine own folly, the society,Amity too, of your brave father,whom,Though bearing misery, I desire my lifeOnce more to lookon him.Flo.Byhis commandHave I here touch'd Sicilia, and from him140Give you all greetings, that a king,at friend,Can send his brother: and, but infirmityWhich waits upon worn times hath something seizedHis wish'd ability, he had himselfThe lands and waters 'twixt your throne and his145Measured to look upon you; whom he loves,He bade me say so, more than all the sceptresAnd those that bear them living.Leon.O my brother,Good gentleman! the wrongs I have done thee stirAfresh within me; and these thy offices,150So rarely kind, are as interpretersOf my behind-hand slackness! Welcome hither,As is the spring to the earth. And hath he tooExposed this paragon to the fearful usage,At least ungentle, of the dreadful Neptune,155To greet a man not worth her pains, much lessThe adventure of her person?Flo.Good my Lord,She came fromLibya.Leon.Where the warlike Smalus,That noble honour'd lord, is fear'd and loved?Flo.Mostroyal sir, from thence; from him, whose daughter160His tears proclaim'dhis, partingwith her: thence,A prosperous south-wind friendly, we have cross'd,To execute the charge my father gave me,For visiting your highness: my best trainI have from your Sicilian shores dismiss'd;165Who for Bohemia bend, to signifyNot only my success in Libya, sir,But my arrival, and my wife's, in safetyHere wherewe are.Leon.The blessedgodsPurge all infection from our air whilst you170Do climate here! You have aholyfather,A graceful gentleman; against whose person,So sacred as it is, I have done sin:For which the heavens, taking angry note,Have left me issueless; and your father'sblest,175As he from heaven merits it, with youWorthy his goodness. What might I have been,Might I a son and daughter now have look'd on,Such goodly things as you!Enter aLord.Lord.Most noble sir,That which I shall report will bear no credit,180Were not the proof so nigh. Please you, great sir,Bohemia greets you from himself by me;Desires you to attach his son, who has—His dignity and duty both cast off—Fled from his father, from his hopes, and withA shepherd's daughter.185Leon.Where's Bohemia? speak.Lord.Here inyourcity; I now came from him:I speak amazedly; and it becomesMy marvel and my message. To your courtWhileshe was hastening, in the chase, it seems,190Of this fair couple, meets he on the wayThe father of this seeming lady andHer brother, having both their country quittedWith this young prince.Flo.Camillo has betray'd me;Whose honour and whose honesty till nowEndured all weathers.195Lord.Lay't so to his charge:He's with the king your father.Leon.Who? Camillo?Lord.Camillo, sir; I spake with him; who nowHas these poor men in question. Never saw IWretches so quake: they kneel, they kiss the earth;200Forswear themselves as often as they speak:Bohemia stops his ears, and threatens themWith divers deaths in death.Per.O my poor father!The heavensets spies uponus, will not haveOur contract celebrated.Leon.You are married?205Flo.We are not, sir, nor are we like to be;The stars, I see, will kiss the valleys first:The odds for high and low's alike.Leon.My lord,Is this the daughter of a king?Flo.She is,When once she is my wife.210Leon.That 'once,' I see by your good father's speed,Will come on very slowly. I am sorry,Most sorry, you have broken from his likingWhere you were tied in duty, and as sorryYour choice is not so rich inworthas beauty,That you might well enjoy her.215Flo.Dear, look up:ThoughFortune, visiblean enemy,Should chase us with my father, power no jotHath she to change our loves. Beseech you, sir,Remember since you owed no more to time220Than I do now: with thought of suchaffections,Step forth mine advocate; at your requestMy father will grant precious things as trifles.Leon.Would he do so, I'ld beg your precious mistress,Which he counts but a trifle.Paul.Sir, my liege,225Your eye hath too much youth in't: not a month'Fore your queen died, she was more worth such gazesThan what you look on now.Leon.I thought of her,Even in these looks I made.[To Florizel.]But your petitionIs yet unanswer'd. I will to your father:230Your honour not o'erthrown by your desires,I amfriendto them and you: upon which errandI now go toward him; therefore follow meAnd mark what way I make: come, good my lord.[Exeunt.
EnterLeontes,Cleomenes,Dion,Paulina,and Servants.
EnterLeontes,Cleomenes,Dion,Paulina,and Servants.
Cleo.Sir, you have done enough, and have perform'dA saint-like sorrow: no fault could you make,Which you have not redeem'd; indeed, paid downMore penitence than done trespass: at the last,5Do as the heavens have done, forget your evil;With them forgive yourself.
Cleo.Sir, you have done enough, and have perform'd
A saint-like sorrow: no fault could you make,
Which you have not redeem'd; indeed, paid down
More penitence than done trespass: at the last,
Do as the heavens have done, forget your evil;
With them forgive yourself.
Leon.Whilst I rememberHer and her virtues, I cannot forgetMy blemishes in them, and so still think ofThe wrong I did myself: which was so much,10That heirless it hath made my kingdom; andDestroy'd the sweet'st companion that e'er manBred his hopes out of.
Leon.Whilst I remember
Her and her virtues, I cannot forget
My blemishes in them, and so still think of
The wrong I did myself: which was so much,
That heirless it hath made my kingdom; and
Destroy'd the sweet'st companion that e'er man
Bred his hopes out of.
Paul.True, too true,my lord:If, one by one, you wedded all the world,Or from the all that are took something good,15To make a perfect woman, she you kill'dWould be unparallel'd.
Paul.True, too true,my lord:
If, one by one, you wedded all the world,
Or from the all that are took something good,
To make a perfect woman, she you kill'd
Would be unparallel'd.
Leon.I think so. Kill'd!She I kill'd!I did so: but thou strikest meSorely, to say I did; it is as bitterUpon my tongue as in my thought: now, good now,Say so but seldom.
Leon.I think so. Kill'd!
She I kill'd!I did so: but thou strikest me
Sorely, to say I did; it is as bitter
Upon my tongue as in my thought: now, good now,
Say so but seldom.
20Cleo.Not at all, good lady:You might havespokena thousand things that wouldHave done the time more benefit and gracedYour kindness better.
Cleo.Not at all, good lady:
You might havespokena thousand things that would
Have done the time more benefit and graced
Your kindness better.
Paul.You are one of thoseWould have him wed again.
Paul.You are one of those
Would have him wed again.
Dion.If you would notso,25You pity not the state, nor the remembranceOf his most sovereignname; considerlittleWhat dangers, by his highness' fail of issue,May drop upon his kingdom and devourIncertain lookers on. What were more holy30Than to rejoice the formerqueen is well?What holier than, for royalty's repair,For present comfort and for future good,To bless the bed of majesty againWith a sweet fellow to't?
Dion.If you would notso,
You pity not the state, nor the remembrance
Of his most sovereignname; considerlittle
What dangers, by his highness' fail of issue,
May drop upon his kingdom and devour
Incertain lookers on. What were more holy
Than to rejoice the formerqueen is well?
What holier than, for royalty's repair,
For present comfort and for future good,
To bless the bed of majesty again
With a sweet fellow to't?
Paul.There is none worthy,35Respecting her that's gone. Besides, the godsWill havefulfill'dtheir secret purposes;For has not the divine Apollosaid,Is't not the tenor of his oracle,That King Leontes shall not have an heir40Till his lost child be found? which that it shall,Is all as monstrous to our human reasonAs myAntigonusto break his graveAnd come again to me; who, on my life,Did perish with the infant. 'Tis your counsel45My lord should to the heavens becontrary,Oppose against their wills.[To Leontes.]Care not for issue;The crown will find an heir: great AlexanderLeft his to the worthiest; so his successorWas like to be the best.
Paul.There is none worthy,
Respecting her that's gone. Besides, the gods
Will havefulfill'dtheir secret purposes;
For has not the divine Apollosaid,
Is't not the tenor of his oracle,
That King Leontes shall not have an heir
Till his lost child be found? which that it shall,
Is all as monstrous to our human reason
As myAntigonusto break his grave
And come again to me; who, on my life,
Did perish with the infant. 'Tis your counsel
My lord should to the heavens becontrary,
Oppose against their wills.[To Leontes.]Care not for issue;
The crown will find an heir: great Alexander
Left his to the worthiest; so his successor
Was like to be the best.
Leon.GoodPaulina,50Who hast the memory of Hermione,I know, in honour, O, that ever IHad squared me to thy counsel!—then, even now,I might have look'd upon my queen's full eyes;Have taken treasure from herlips,—
Leon.GoodPaulina,
Who hast the memory of Hermione,
I know, in honour, O, that ever I
Had squared me to thy counsel!—then, even now,
I might have look'd upon my queen's full eyes;
Have taken treasure from herlips,—
PaulAnd left themMore rich for what they yielded.
PaulAnd left them
More rich for what they yielded.
55Leon.Thou speak'st truth.No more such wives; therefore, no wife: one worse,And better used, would make her sainted spiritAgain possess her corpse, and on thisstage,Where we offenders now, appear soul-vex'd,And begin, 'Why to me?'
Leon.Thou speak'st truth.
No more such wives; therefore, no wife: one worse,
And better used, would make her sainted spirit
Again possess her corpse, and on thisstage,
Where we offenders now, appear soul-vex'd,
And begin, 'Why to me?'
60Paul.Had she such power,She had justcause.
Paul.Had she such power,
She had justcause.
Leon.She had; and would incense meTo murder her I married.
Leon.She had; and would incense me
To murder her I married.
Paul.I should so.Were I the ghost thatwalk'd, I'ld bid you markHer eye, and tell me for what dull part in't65You chose her; then I'ld shriek, that even your earsShould rift to hear me; and the words that follow'dShould be 'Remember mine.'
Paul.I should so.
Were I the ghost thatwalk'd, I'ld bid you mark
Her eye, and tell me for what dull part in't
You chose her; then I'ld shriek, that even your ears
Should rift to hear me; and the words that follow'd
Should be 'Remember mine.'
Leon.Stars, stars,And all eyes else dead coals! Fear thou no wife;I'll have no wife, Paulina.
Leon.Stars, stars,
And all eyes else dead coals! Fear thou no wife;
I'll have no wife, Paulina.
Paul.Will you swear70Never to marry but by my free leave?
Paul.Will you swear
Never to marry but by my free leave?
Leon.Never, Paulina; so beblestmy spirit!
Leon.Never, Paulina; so beblestmy spirit!
Paul.Then, good my lords, bear witness to his oath.
Paul.Then, good my lords, bear witness to his oath.
Cleo.You tempt him over-much.
Cleo.You tempt him over-much.
Paul.Unless another,As like Hermione as is her picture,Affront his eye.
Paul.Unless another,
As like Hermione as is her picture,
Affront his eye.
Cleo.Good madam,—
Cleo.Good madam,—
75Paul.I have done.Yet, if my lord will marry,—if you will, sir,No remedy, but you will,—give me the officeTo chooseyou aqueen: she shall not be so youngAs was your former; but she shall be such80As, walk'd your first queen's ghost, it should take joyTo see her in your arms.
Paul.I have done.
Yet, if my lord will marry,—if you will, sir,
No remedy, but you will,—give me the office
To chooseyou aqueen: she shall not be so young
As was your former; but she shall be such
As, walk'd your first queen's ghost, it should take joy
To see her in your arms.
Leon.My true Paulina,We shall not marry till thou bid'st us.
Leon.My true Paulina,
We shall not marry till thou bid'st us.
Paul.ThatShall be when your first queen's again in breath;Never till then.
Paul.That
Shall be when your first queen's again in breath;
Never till then.
Enter aGentleman.
Enter aGentleman.
85Gent.One that givesout himselfPrince Florizel,Son of Polixenes, with his princess, sheThefairest I haveyet beheld, desires accessTo your high presence.
Gent.One that givesout himselfPrince Florizel,
Son of Polixenes, with his princess, she
Thefairest I haveyet beheld, desires access
To your high presence.
Leon.What with him? he comes notLike to his father's greatness: his approach,90So out of circumstance and sudden, tells us'Tis not a visitation framed, but forcedBy need and accident. What train?
Leon.What with him? he comes not
Like to his father's greatness: his approach,
So out of circumstance and sudden, tells us
'Tis not a visitation framed, but forced
By need and accident. What train?
Gent.But few,And those but mean.
Gent.But few,
And those but mean.
Leon.His princess, say you, with him?
Leon.His princess, say you, with him?
Gent.Ay,the most peerless piece of earth, I think,That e'er the sun shone bright on.
Gent.Ay,the most peerless piece of earth, I think,
That e'er the sun shone bright on.
95Paul.O Hermione,As every present time doth boast itselfAbove a better gone, so must thygraveGive way to what's seen now! Sir, you yourselfHave said and writ so, but your writing now100Is colderthanthat theme, 'She had not been,Nor was not to be equall'd;'—thus your verseFlow'd with her beauty once: 'tis shrewdly ebb'd,To sayyou haveseen a better.
Paul.O Hermione,
As every present time doth boast itself
Above a better gone, so must thygrave
Give way to what's seen now! Sir, you yourself
Have said and writ so, but your writing now
Is colderthanthat theme, 'She had not been,
Nor was not to be equall'd;'—thus your verse
Flow'd with her beauty once: 'tis shrewdly ebb'd,
To sayyou haveseen a better.
Gent.Pardon, madam:The one I have almost forgot,—your pardon,—105The other, when she has obtain'd your eye,Will have your tongue too.This isacreature,Would she begin a sect, might quench the zealOf all professors else; make proselytesOfwhoshe butbidfollow.
Gent.Pardon, madam:
The one I have almost forgot,—your pardon,—
The other, when she has obtain'd your eye,
Will have your tongue too.This isacreature,
Would she begin a sect, might quench the zeal
Of all professors else; make proselytes
Ofwhoshe butbidfollow.
Paul.How! not women?
Paul.How! not women?
110Gent.Women will love her, that she is a womanMore worth than any man; men, that she isThe rarest of all women.
Gent.Women will love her, that she is a woman
More worth than any man; men, that she is
The rarest of all women.
Leon.Go, Cleomenes;Yourself, assisted with your honour'd friends,Bring them to our embracement. Still, 'tis strange[Exeunt Cleomenesand others.
Leon.Go, Cleomenes;
Yourself, assisted with your honour'd friends,
Bring them to our embracement. Still, 'tis strange
[Exeunt Cleomenesand others.
He thus should steal upon us.
He thus should steal upon us.
115Paul.Had our prince,Jewel of children, seen this hour, he had pair'dWell with this lord: there was notfull amonthBetween their births.
Paul.Had our prince,
Jewel of children, seen this hour, he had pair'd
Well with this lord: there was notfull amonth
Between their births.
Leon.Prithee, no more; cease; thou know'st120He dies to me again when talk'd of: sure,When I shall see this gentleman, thy speechesWill bring me to consider that which mayUnfurnish me of reason. They are come.
Leon.Prithee, no more; cease; thou know'st
He dies to me again when talk'd of: sure,
When I shall see this gentleman, thy speeches
Will bring me to consider that which may
Unfurnish me of reason. They are come.
Re-enterCleomenesand others, withFlorizelandPerdita.
Re-enterCleomenesand others, withFlorizelandPerdita.
Your mother was most true to wedlock,prince;125For she did print your royal father off,Conceiving you: were I but twenty one,Your father's image is so hit in you,His very air, that I should call you brother,As I did him, and speak of something wildly130By us perform'd before. Most dearly welcome!Andyourfairprincess,—goddess!—O, alas!I lost a couple, that 'twixt heaven and earthMight thus have stood begetting wonder, asYou, gracious couple, do: and then I lost,135All mine own folly, the society,Amity too, of your brave father,whom,Though bearing misery, I desire my lifeOnce more to lookon him.
Your mother was most true to wedlock,prince;
For she did print your royal father off,
Conceiving you: were I but twenty one,
Your father's image is so hit in you,
His very air, that I should call you brother,
As I did him, and speak of something wildly
By us perform'd before. Most dearly welcome!
Andyourfairprincess,—goddess!—O, alas!
I lost a couple, that 'twixt heaven and earth
Might thus have stood begetting wonder, as
You, gracious couple, do: and then I lost,
All mine own folly, the society,
Amity too, of your brave father,whom,
Though bearing misery, I desire my life
Once more to lookon him.
Flo.Byhis commandHave I here touch'd Sicilia, and from him140Give you all greetings, that a king,at friend,Can send his brother: and, but infirmityWhich waits upon worn times hath something seizedHis wish'd ability, he had himselfThe lands and waters 'twixt your throne and his145Measured to look upon you; whom he loves,He bade me say so, more than all the sceptresAnd those that bear them living.
Flo.Byhis command
Have I here touch'd Sicilia, and from him
Give you all greetings, that a king,at friend,
Can send his brother: and, but infirmity
Which waits upon worn times hath something seized
His wish'd ability, he had himself
The lands and waters 'twixt your throne and his
Measured to look upon you; whom he loves,
He bade me say so, more than all the sceptres
And those that bear them living.
Leon.O my brother,Good gentleman! the wrongs I have done thee stirAfresh within me; and these thy offices,150So rarely kind, are as interpretersOf my behind-hand slackness! Welcome hither,As is the spring to the earth. And hath he tooExposed this paragon to the fearful usage,At least ungentle, of the dreadful Neptune,155To greet a man not worth her pains, much lessThe adventure of her person?
Leon.O my brother,
Good gentleman! the wrongs I have done thee stir
Afresh within me; and these thy offices,
So rarely kind, are as interpreters
Of my behind-hand slackness! Welcome hither,
As is the spring to the earth. And hath he too
Exposed this paragon to the fearful usage,
At least ungentle, of the dreadful Neptune,
To greet a man not worth her pains, much less
The adventure of her person?
Flo.Good my Lord,She came fromLibya.
Flo.Good my Lord,
She came fromLibya.
Leon.Where the warlike Smalus,That noble honour'd lord, is fear'd and loved?
Leon.Where the warlike Smalus,
That noble honour'd lord, is fear'd and loved?
Flo.Mostroyal sir, from thence; from him, whose daughter160His tears proclaim'dhis, partingwith her: thence,A prosperous south-wind friendly, we have cross'd,To execute the charge my father gave me,For visiting your highness: my best trainI have from your Sicilian shores dismiss'd;165Who for Bohemia bend, to signifyNot only my success in Libya, sir,But my arrival, and my wife's, in safetyHere wherewe are.
Flo.Mostroyal sir, from thence; from him, whose daughter
His tears proclaim'dhis, partingwith her: thence,
A prosperous south-wind friendly, we have cross'd,
To execute the charge my father gave me,
For visiting your highness: my best train
I have from your Sicilian shores dismiss'd;
Who for Bohemia bend, to signify
Not only my success in Libya, sir,
But my arrival, and my wife's, in safety
Here wherewe are.
Leon.The blessedgodsPurge all infection from our air whilst you170Do climate here! You have aholyfather,A graceful gentleman; against whose person,So sacred as it is, I have done sin:For which the heavens, taking angry note,Have left me issueless; and your father'sblest,175As he from heaven merits it, with youWorthy his goodness. What might I have been,Might I a son and daughter now have look'd on,Such goodly things as you!
Leon.The blessedgods
Purge all infection from our air whilst you
Do climate here! You have aholyfather,
A graceful gentleman; against whose person,
So sacred as it is, I have done sin:
For which the heavens, taking angry note,
Have left me issueless; and your father'sblest,
As he from heaven merits it, with you
Worthy his goodness. What might I have been,
Might I a son and daughter now have look'd on,
Such goodly things as you!
Enter aLord.
Enter aLord.
Lord.Most noble sir,That which I shall report will bear no credit,180Were not the proof so nigh. Please you, great sir,Bohemia greets you from himself by me;Desires you to attach his son, who has—His dignity and duty both cast off—Fled from his father, from his hopes, and withA shepherd's daughter.
Lord.Most noble sir,
That which I shall report will bear no credit,
Were not the proof so nigh. Please you, great sir,
Bohemia greets you from himself by me;
Desires you to attach his son, who has—
His dignity and duty both cast off—
Fled from his father, from his hopes, and with
A shepherd's daughter.
185Leon.Where's Bohemia? speak.
Leon.Where's Bohemia? speak.
Lord.Here inyourcity; I now came from him:I speak amazedly; and it becomesMy marvel and my message. To your courtWhileshe was hastening, in the chase, it seems,190Of this fair couple, meets he on the wayThe father of this seeming lady andHer brother, having both their country quittedWith this young prince.
Lord.Here inyourcity; I now came from him:
I speak amazedly; and it becomes
My marvel and my message. To your court
Whileshe was hastening, in the chase, it seems,
Of this fair couple, meets he on the way
The father of this seeming lady and
Her brother, having both their country quitted
With this young prince.
Flo.Camillo has betray'd me;Whose honour and whose honesty till nowEndured all weathers.
Flo.Camillo has betray'd me;
Whose honour and whose honesty till now
Endured all weathers.
195Lord.Lay't so to his charge:He's with the king your father.
Lord.Lay't so to his charge:
He's with the king your father.
Leon.Who? Camillo?
Leon.Who? Camillo?
Lord.Camillo, sir; I spake with him; who nowHas these poor men in question. Never saw IWretches so quake: they kneel, they kiss the earth;200Forswear themselves as often as they speak:Bohemia stops his ears, and threatens themWith divers deaths in death.
Lord.Camillo, sir; I spake with him; who now
Has these poor men in question. Never saw I
Wretches so quake: they kneel, they kiss the earth;
Forswear themselves as often as they speak:
Bohemia stops his ears, and threatens them
With divers deaths in death.
Per.O my poor father!The heavensets spies uponus, will not haveOur contract celebrated.
Per.O my poor father!
The heavensets spies uponus, will not have
Our contract celebrated.
Leon.You are married?
Leon.You are married?
205Flo.We are not, sir, nor are we like to be;The stars, I see, will kiss the valleys first:The odds for high and low's alike.
Flo.We are not, sir, nor are we like to be;
The stars, I see, will kiss the valleys first:
The odds for high and low's alike.
Leon.My lord,Is this the daughter of a king?
Leon.My lord,
Is this the daughter of a king?
Flo.She is,When once she is my wife.
Flo.She is,
When once she is my wife.
210Leon.That 'once,' I see by your good father's speed,Will come on very slowly. I am sorry,Most sorry, you have broken from his likingWhere you were tied in duty, and as sorryYour choice is not so rich inworthas beauty,That you might well enjoy her.
Leon.That 'once,' I see by your good father's speed,
Will come on very slowly. I am sorry,
Most sorry, you have broken from his liking
Where you were tied in duty, and as sorry
Your choice is not so rich inworthas beauty,
That you might well enjoy her.
215Flo.Dear, look up:ThoughFortune, visiblean enemy,Should chase us with my father, power no jotHath she to change our loves. Beseech you, sir,Remember since you owed no more to time220Than I do now: with thought of suchaffections,Step forth mine advocate; at your requestMy father will grant precious things as trifles.
Flo.Dear, look up:
ThoughFortune, visiblean enemy,
Should chase us with my father, power no jot
Hath she to change our loves. Beseech you, sir,
Remember since you owed no more to time
Than I do now: with thought of suchaffections,
Step forth mine advocate; at your request
My father will grant precious things as trifles.
Leon.Would he do so, I'ld beg your precious mistress,Which he counts but a trifle.
Leon.Would he do so, I'ld beg your precious mistress,
Which he counts but a trifle.
Paul.Sir, my liege,225Your eye hath too much youth in't: not a month'Fore your queen died, she was more worth such gazesThan what you look on now.
Paul.Sir, my liege,
Your eye hath too much youth in't: not a month
'Fore your queen died, she was more worth such gazes
Than what you look on now.
Leon.I thought of her,Even in these looks I made.[To Florizel.]But your petitionIs yet unanswer'd. I will to your father:230Your honour not o'erthrown by your desires,I amfriendto them and you: upon which errandI now go toward him; therefore follow meAnd mark what way I make: come, good my lord.[Exeunt.
Leon.I thought of her,
Even in these looks I made.[To Florizel.]But your petition
Is yet unanswer'd. I will to your father:
Your honour not o'erthrown by your desires,
I amfriendto them and you: upon which errand
I now go toward him; therefore follow me
And mark what way I make: come, good my lord.[Exeunt.
LINENOTES:Scene I.A room....]Capell.Enter....]Rowe. Enter L., C., D., P., Servants: Florizel, Perdita. Ff.[12]Paul.True, too true]Theobald.true. Paul.Too true. Ff. Paul.'Tis true, too trueLong MS.[17]She I kill'd!]kill'd?—She I kill'd?Theobald.[21]spoken]spokePope.[24]so]om. Hanmer.[26]name]dameReed (1803).little]a littleHeath conj.[30]queen is well?]queen? This will.Hanmer (Warburton).[36]fulfill'd]fulfill'nF2.[37]said,]F4.said?F1 F2 F3.[42]Antigonus]AntigomusF2.[45]contrary]contrayF2.[46][To L.]To the King. Theobald.[49]Good]Ah! goodHanmer.Thou goodCapell.My goodKeightley conj.[54]lips,—]Capell.lips. Ff.lips!Pope.[58, 59]stage ... appear]stage, (Where we offenders now) appear,Knight.stage (Where we offenders now appeare)Ff (appearF3 F4).stage, (Where ... now) appearTheobald.stage, (Where we offended anew) appearHanmer.stage, Were we offenders now—appearHeath conj.stage (Where we offenders now appear, soul-vex'd)Steevens conj.stage (Where we offended,) now appearJackson conj.stage (Where we offend her) new appearSpedding conj.stage, (Where we offenders move) appearDelius conj.stage, Where we're offenders now, appearAnon conj.[60]And begin, 'Why to me?']And begin, why to me?F1.And begin, why to me;F2 F3.And begin, why to me.F4.Begin, 'And why to me?'Capell.And begin, Why? to me.Rann (Mason conj.).See note (xxii).[61]cause]F3 F4.such causeF1 F2.[63]walk'd]wak'dRowe (ed.2). Servant post. Collier MS.[67]Stars, stars]Stars, very starsHanmer.[71]blest]bless'dFf.[75]Cleo.Good madam,—Paul.I have done] Capell. Cleo.Good madam, I have doneFf. Cleo.Good madam, pray have doneRowe.[78]you a]yourAnon. conj.[84]Enter a Gentleman.]Theobald. Enter a Servant. Ff. Enter a Servant-post. Collier MS.[85]Scene II.Pope.Gent.] Ser. Ff (and throughout the scene).out himself]himself outPope.[87]fairest I have]Ff.fair'st I'veS. Walker conj.[94]Ay,]I:Ff.Yes;Rowe.[97]grave]graceCollier (Egerton MS.).[100]than]onHanmer.[103]you have]you'vePope.[106]This is]This is suchHanmer.This'S. Walker conj.creature]creature, whoKeightley conj.[109]who]whomHanmer.bid]didCollier (ed. 1).[114]Exeunt C....]Exeunt C., Lords, and Gentlemen. Capell. Exit. Ff.[117]full a]F1 F2.a fullF3 F4.[119]Prithee]PrayS. Walker conj.cease] om. Hanmer.[123]Re-enter C....]Re-enter Cleomenes, &c. with Florizel and Perdita. Capell. Enter Florizell, Perdita, Cleomenes, and others. Ff.[124]Scene III.Pope.[131]your]youBoswell.princess,—goddess]princesse (goddese)F1 F2.princess (goddess)F3 F4.princess-goddessS. Walker conj.[136]whom,]whom,—Malone.[138]on him]onTheobald.uponSteevens.By]Sir, byTheobald.[140]at friend]F1.as friendF2 F3 F4.a friendSteevens conj.and friendHarness (Malone conj.).at friendsSeymour conj.[157, 166]Libya]LibiaF1 F2.LybiaF3 F4.LydiaorLyciaDouce conj.[159]Most ... daughter]Hanmer. As two lines in Ff, endingSir ... daughter.[160]his, parting]Hanmer.his partingFf.her partingThirlby conj.at partingHeath conj.[168]we are]we happily areHanmer.The blessed]Oh! may the blessedorAnd may the blessedMitford conj.The ever-blessed Anon.apud Halliwell conj.[170]holy]nobleCollier MS.[174]blest]bless'dFf.[178]Scene IV.Pope.[186]your]theReed (1803).[189]Whiles]WhilstRowe.[203]sets spies upon]which sets spies onHanmer.[214]worth]birthHanmer (Warburton).[216]Fortune, visible]Fortune visible,Hanmer.[220]affections,]Ff.affections.Warburton.[228][To Florizel.]Theobald.[231]I am]I'mPope.friend]a friendReed (1803).
LINENOTES:
Scene I.A room....]Capell.
Enter....]Rowe. Enter L., C., D., P., Servants: Florizel, Perdita. Ff.
[12]Paul.True, too true]Theobald.true. Paul.Too true. Ff. Paul.'Tis true, too trueLong MS.
[17]She I kill'd!]kill'd?—She I kill'd?Theobald.
[21]spoken]spokePope.
[24]so]om. Hanmer.
[26]name]dameReed (1803).
little]a littleHeath conj.
[30]queen is well?]queen? This will.Hanmer (Warburton).
[36]fulfill'd]fulfill'nF2.
[37]said,]F4.said?F1 F2 F3.
[42]Antigonus]AntigomusF2.
[45]contrary]contrayF2.
[46][To L.]To the King. Theobald.
[49]Good]Ah! goodHanmer.Thou goodCapell.My goodKeightley conj.
[54]lips,—]Capell.lips. Ff.lips!Pope.
[58, 59]stage ... appear]stage, (Where we offenders now) appear,Knight.stage (Where we offenders now appeare)Ff (appearF3 F4).stage, (Where ... now) appearTheobald.stage, (Where we offended anew) appearHanmer.stage, Were we offenders now—appearHeath conj.stage (Where we offenders now appear, soul-vex'd)Steevens conj.stage (Where we offended,) now appearJackson conj.stage (Where we offend her) new appearSpedding conj.stage, (Where we offenders move) appearDelius conj.stage, Where we're offenders now, appearAnon conj.
[60]And begin, 'Why to me?']And begin, why to me?F1.And begin, why to me;F2 F3.And begin, why to me.F4.Begin, 'And why to me?'Capell.And begin, Why? to me.Rann (Mason conj.).See note (xxii).
[61]cause]F3 F4.such causeF1 F2.
[63]walk'd]wak'dRowe (ed.2). Servant post. Collier MS.
[67]Stars, stars]Stars, very starsHanmer.
[71]blest]bless'dFf.
[75]Cleo.Good madam,—Paul.I have done] Capell. Cleo.Good madam, I have doneFf. Cleo.Good madam, pray have doneRowe.
[78]you a]yourAnon. conj.
[84]Enter a Gentleman.]Theobald. Enter a Servant. Ff. Enter a Servant-post. Collier MS.
[85]Scene II.Pope.
Gent.] Ser. Ff (and throughout the scene).
out himself]himself outPope.
[87]fairest I have]Ff.fair'st I'veS. Walker conj.
[94]Ay,]I:Ff.Yes;Rowe.
[97]grave]graceCollier (Egerton MS.).
[100]than]onHanmer.
[103]you have]you'vePope.
[106]This is]This is suchHanmer.This'S. Walker conj.
creature]creature, whoKeightley conj.
[109]who]whomHanmer.
bid]didCollier (ed. 1).
[114]Exeunt C....]Exeunt C., Lords, and Gentlemen. Capell. Exit. Ff.
[117]full a]F1 F2.a fullF3 F4.
[119]Prithee]PrayS. Walker conj.cease] om. Hanmer.
[123]Re-enter C....]Re-enter Cleomenes, &c. with Florizel and Perdita. Capell. Enter Florizell, Perdita, Cleomenes, and others. Ff.
[124]Scene III.Pope.
[131]your]youBoswell.
princess,—goddess]princesse (goddese)F1 F2.princess (goddess)F3 F4.princess-goddessS. Walker conj.
[136]whom,]whom,—Malone.
[138]on him]onTheobald.uponSteevens.
By]Sir, byTheobald.
[140]at friend]F1.as friendF2 F3 F4.a friendSteevens conj.and friendHarness (Malone conj.).at friendsSeymour conj.
[157, 166]Libya]LibiaF1 F2.LybiaF3 F4.LydiaorLyciaDouce conj.
[159]Most ... daughter]Hanmer. As two lines in Ff, endingSir ... daughter.
[160]his, parting]Hanmer.his partingFf.her partingThirlby conj.at partingHeath conj.
[168]we are]we happily areHanmer.
The blessed]Oh! may the blessedorAnd may the blessedMitford conj.The ever-blessed Anon.apud Halliwell conj.
[170]holy]nobleCollier MS.
[174]blest]bless'dFf.
[178]Scene IV.Pope.
[186]your]theReed (1803).
[189]Whiles]WhilstRowe.
[203]sets spies upon]which sets spies onHanmer.
[214]worth]birthHanmer (Warburton).
[216]Fortune, visible]Fortune visible,Hanmer.
[220]affections,]Ff.affections.Warburton.
[228][To Florizel.]Theobald.
[231]I am]I'mPope.
friend]a friendReed (1803).