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Acquaint the Queen of your most noble offer,
Who but to-day hammer'd of this defign;
But durft not tempt a minifter 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 boldnefs from my bofom, let't not be doubted
I fhall do good.

Emil. Now be you blest for it!

I'll to the Queen: please you come fomething nearer. Goal. Madam, if't please the Queen to fend the babe, I know not what I fhall incur, to pass it,

Having no warrant.

Paul. You need not fear it, Sir;

The child was prifoner to the womb, and is
By law and procefs of great nature thence
Freed and enfranchis'd; not a party to
The anger of the King, nor guilty of,
If any be, the trefpafs of the Queen.
Goal. I do believe it.

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

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[Exeunt.

Enter Leontes, Antigonus, Lords and other attendants.

OR night, nor day, no reft;it is but weakness

Leo. N
NOR

To bear the matter thus; meer weakness, if
The cause were not in being-part o'th' cause,
She, the adultress-for the Harlot-King

Is quite beyond mine arm; out of the blank 2

2.

out of the blank that I can make against him. Blank and level, are terms of archery.

-]

And level of my brain ;Beyond the aim of any attempt

And

And level of my brain; plot-proof; but she
I can hook to me: fay, that fhe were gone,
Given to the fire, a moiety of my rest
Might come to me again. Who's there?

Enter an Attendant.

Atten. My Lord.

Leo. How does the boy?

Atten. He took good reft to night; 'tis hop'd, His fickness is discharg❜d.

Leo. To fee his noblenefs!

Conceiving the difhonour of his mother,
He straight declin'd, droop'd, took it deeply;
Faften'd, and fix'd the fhame on't in himfelf;
Threw off his fpirit, his appetite, his fleep,
And down-right languifh'd. Leave me folely; go
[Exit Attendant.
See how he fares. -Fy, fy, 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 be,
Until a time may ferve. For prefent vengeance,
Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes

Laugh at me; make their paftime at my forrow;
They should not laugh, if I could reach them; nor
Shall the, within my power.

SCENE V.

Enter Paulina, with a Child.

Lord. You must not enter.

Paul. Nay rather, good my Lords, be fecond to me: Fear you his tyrannous paffion more, alas,

Than the Queen's life? a gracious innocent foul,
More free than he is jealous.

Ant. That's enough.

Atten.

Atten. [within] Madam, he hath not slept to night: commanded,

None fhould come at him.

Paul. Not fo hot, good Sir;

I come to bring him fleep. 'Tis fuch as you,
That creep like fhadows by him, and do figh
At each his needlefs heavings; fuch 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 humour,
That preffes him from fleep.

Leo. What noise there, ho?

Paul. No noife, my Lord, but needful conference, About fome goffips for your Highness.

Leo. How?

Away with that audacious lady-Antigonus,

I charg'd thee, that she should not come about me; I knew, fhe would.

Ant. I told her fo, my Lord,

On your displeasure's peril and on mine,
She should not vifit you.

Leo. What? canit not rule her?

Paul. From all dishonesty he can; in this, Unless he take the courfe that you have done, Commit me, for committing honour, truft it, He fhall not rule me.

Ant. Lo-you now, you hear,

When she will take the rein, I let her run,
But fhe'll not stumble.

Paul. Good my Liege, I come--
And I beseech you, hear me, who profess
Myself your loyal fervant, your phyfician,
Your most obedient counsellor: yet that dares
Lefs appear fo, in comforting your evils,
Than fuch as moft feem yours. I fay, I come
From your good Queen.

Leo. Good Queen?

Paul. Good Queen, my Lord,

Good

Good Queen, I fay, good Queen;

And would by combat make her good, fo were I 1 A man, the worst about you.

Leo. Force her hence.

Paul. Let him, that makes but trifles of his eyes, Firft hand me. On mine own accord, I'll off; But firft, I'll do my errand. The good Queen, For fhe is good, hath brought you forth a daughter, Here 'tis; commends it to your blessing.

Leo. Out!

[Laying down the child.

A mankind witch! hence with her, out o'door :
A most intelligencing bawd!

Paul. Not fo;

I am as ignorant in that, as you

In fo intit❜ling me; and no lefs honeft

Than you are mad; which is enough, I'll warrant, As this world goes,, to pafs for honest.

Leo. Traitors!

Will you not push her out? give her the baftard.

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[To Antigonus.

of these fycophants that are about WARBURTON.

you,

The worst means only the lowest. Were I the meanest of your fervants, I would yet claim the combat against my accufer.

+ A mankind witch?

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A mankind woman is yet used in the midland counties, for a woman violent, ferocious, and mifchievous. It has the fame fenfe in this paffage. Witches are supposed to be mankind, to put off the foftnefs and delicacy of women, therefore Sir Hugh, in the Merry Wives of Windjor, fays, of a woman fufpected to be a witch, that he does not like when a woman has a beard. Of this meaning Mr. Theobald has given examples.

Thou

Thou dotard, thou art woman-tyr'd; unroofted
By thy dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard,
Take't up, I fay; give't to thy croan.

Paul. For ever

Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

Tak'ft up the Princess, by that forced baseness 5
Which he has put upon't!

Leo. He dreads his wife.

Paul. So I would you did; then 'twere paft all doubt,

You'd call your children yours.

Leo. A neft of traytors!

Ant. I am none, by this good light,

Paul. Nor I; nor any

But one, that's here; and that's himself.

The facred honour of himself, his Queen's,

For he

His hopeful fon's, his babe's, betrays to flander,

Whofe fting is sharper than the fword's; and will not (For as the cafe now ftands, it is a curfe

. He cannot be compell'd to't) once remove The root of his opinion, which is rotten,

As ever oak or ftone was found,

Leo. A callat

Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband,
And now baits me!-This brat is none of mine:
It is the iffue of Polixenes.

Hence with it, and together with the dam,
Commit them to the fire.

Paul. It is yours;

And, might we lay th' old proverb to your charge,
So like you, 'tis the worfe. Behold, my Lords,
Altho' the print be little, the whole matter
And copy of the father; eye, nofe, lip,

The trick of's frown, his forehead, nay, the valley,

5 Unvenerable be thy hands, if

thou

Tak'ft up the Princefs by that

fore'd bafenefs] Leontes had ordered Antigonus to take up the

baftard; Paulina forbids him to touch the Princefs under that appellation. Forced is false, uttered with violence to truth.

The

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