But

Of

your kind hoftefs. Come, I'll question you

my lord's tricks, and yours, when you were boys; You were pretty lordings then.

POL. We were, fair queen,

Two lads, that thought there was no more behind,
But fuch a day to-morrow as to-day,

And to be boy eternal.

HER. Was not my lord the verier wag o'the two?

POL. We were as twinn'd lambs, that did frisk i'the fun,
And bleat the one at the other: what we chang'd,
Was innocence for innocence; we knew not
The doctrine of ill-doing, no, nor dream'd
That any did: Had we pursued that life,

And our weak spirits ne'er been higher rear'd
With ftronger blood, we should have answer'd heaven
Boldly, Not guilty; the impofition clear'd,

Hereditary ours.

HER. By this we gather,

You have tripp'd fince.

POL. O my most sacred lady,

Temptations have fince then been born to us: for
In those unfledg'd days was my wife a girl;
Your precious felf had then not cross'd the eyes
Of my young play-fellow.

HER. Grace to boot!

Of this make no conclufion; left

you say,

Your queen and I are devils: Yet, go on;

The offences we have made you do, we'll anfwer;

If you firft finn'd with us, and that with us
You did continue fault, and that you flipp'd not
With any but with us.

?

LEON. Is he won yet
HER. He'll ftay, my lord.
VOL. II.

Gg

LEON. At my request, he would not. Hermione, my deareft, thou never spok'st To better purpose.

HER. Never?

LEON. Never, but once.

HER. What? have I twice faid well? when was't before? I pr'ythee, tell me : Cram us with praife, and make us As fat as tame things: One good deed, dying tongueless, Slaughters a thousand, waiting upon that.

Our praises are our wages: You may ride us,
With one foft kifs, a thousand furlongs, ere
With fpur we heat an acre. But to the goal;-
My laft good deed was, to entreat his stay;
What was my firft? it has an elder fifter,

Or I mistake you: O, would her name were Grace!
But once before I spoke to the purpose: When?
Nay, let me have't; I long.

LEON. Why, that was when

Three crabbed months had four'd themselves to death, Ere I could make thee open thy white hand,

And clap thyself my love; then didft thou utter,

I am yours for ever.

HER. It is Grace, indeed.

Why, lo

you now, I have spoke to the purpose twice: The one for ever earn'd a royal husband;

The other, for fome while a friend.

[Giving her hand to POLIXENES.

LEON. Too hot, too hot :
To mingle friendship far, is mingling bloods.
I have tremor cordis on me :-my heart dances;
But not for joy,—not joy.-This entertainment
May a free face put on; derive a liberty
From heartiness, from bounty, fertile bofom,

[Afide.

And well become the agent: it may, I grant :
But to be paddling palms, and pinching fingers,
As now they are; and making practis'd fmiles,
As in a looking-glafs;—and then to figh, as 'twere
The mort o'the deer; O, that is entertainment

My bofom likes not, nor my brows.-Mamillius,
Art thou my boy?

MAM. Ay, my good lord.

LEON. I'fecks?

[nofe?

Why, that's my bawcock. What, haft fmutch'd thy
They fay, it's a copy out of mine. Come, captain,
We must be neat; not neat, but cleanly, captain:
And yet the steer, the heifer, and the calf,

Are all call'd, neat. Still virginalling

[Obferving POLIXENES and HERMIONÉ

Upon his palm?-How now, you wanton calf?

Art thou

my calf?

MAM. Yes, if you will, my lord.

[I have,

LEON. Thou want'st a rough pash, and the shoots that To be full like me :-yet, they say, we are Almost as like as eggs; women say so, That will fay any thing: But were they false As o'er-died blacks, as wind, as waters; falfe As dice are to be wish'd, by one that fixes No bourn 'twixt his and mine; yet were it true To fay, this boy were like me.-Come, fir page, Look on me with your welkin-eye: Sweet villain ! Moft dear'st! my collop!-Can thy dam ?-may't be? Affection thy intention ftabs the center:

Thou doft make poffible, things not fo held,

Communicat'ft with dreams ;-(How can this be?)— With what's unreal thou coactive art,

And fellow't nothing: Then, 'tis very credent,

Thou may'st co-join with something; and thou doft; (And that beyond commiffion; and I find it,) And that to the infection of my brains,

And hardening of my brows.

Poz. What means Sicilia?

HER. He fomething feems unfettled.

POL. How, my lord?

What cheer? how is't with you, best brother?
HER. You look,

As if you held a brow of much distraction :
Are you mov'd, my lord?

LEON. No, in good earnest.

How fometimes nature will betray its folly,
Its tenderness; and make itself a pastime
To harder bofoms! [Afide.]-Looking on the lines
Of my boy's face, methoughts, I did recoil
Twenty three years; and faw myself unbreech'd,
In my green velvet coat; my dagger muzzled,
Left it should bite its master, and fo prove,
As ornaments oft do, too dangerous.

How like, methought, I then was to this kernel,
This fquafh, this gentleman:-Mine honeft friend,
Will you take eggs for money?

MAM. No, my lord, I'll fight.

[brother,

LEON. You will? why, happy man be his dole !—My Are you fo fond of your young prince, as we Do seem to be of ours?

POL. If at home, fir,

He's all my exercife, my mirth, my matter:
Now my fworn friend, and then mine enemy;
My parafite, my foldier, ftatefman, all:
He makes a July's day fhort as December;
And, with his varying childness, cures in me

Thoughts that would thick

my

blood.

LEON. So ftands this fquire

Offic'd with me: We two will walk, my lord,
And leave you to your graver fteps.-Hermione,
How thou lov'ft us, fhow in our brother's welcome;
Let what is dear in Sicily, be cheap:

Next to thyself, and my young rover, he's

Apparent to my heart.

HER. If you would feek us,

We are yours i' the garden: Shall's attend you there?
LEON. To your own bents difpofe you: you'll be found,
Be
you beneath the sky :-I am angling now,
Though you perceive me not how I give line.
Go to, go to!

[Afide. Obferving POLIXEN ES and HERMIONE.

How she holds up the neb, the bill to him!

And arms her with the boldness of a wife

To her allowing husband! Gone already;

Inch-thick, knee-deep; o'er head and ears a fork'd one.— [Exeunt POLIXENES, HERMIONE, and attendants.

Go, play, boy, play ;-thy mother plays, and I

[been,

Play too; but fo disgrac'd a part, whose iffue
Will hifs me to my grave; contempt and clamour
Will be my knell.-Go, play, boy, play ;-There have
Or I am much deceiv'd, cuckolds ere now;
And many a man there is, even at this present,
Now, while I speak this, holds his wife by the arm,
That little thinks fhe has been fluic'd in his abfence,
And his pond fish'd by his next neighbour, by
Sir Smile, his neighbour : nay, there's comfort in't,
Whiles other men have gates; and thofe gates open'd,
As mine, against their will: Should all defpair,
That have revolted wives, the tenth of mankind
G g iij