Is, that Camillo was an honest man ;

And, why he left your court, the gods themselves, Wotting no more than I, are ignorant.

LEON. You knew of his departure, as you know What you have underta'en to do in his abfence. HER. Sir,

You speak a language that I understand not:
My life stands in the level of your dreams,
Which I'll lay down.

LEON. Your actions are my dreams;

You had a baftard by Polixenes,

And I but dream'd it :-As you were paft all fhame,

(Thofe of your fact are fo,) fo past all truth:

Which to deny, concerns more than avails:
For as

Thy brat hath been caft out, like to itself,
No father owning it, (which is, indeed,
More criminal in thee, than it,) fo thou
Shalt feel our justice; in whose easiest passage,
Look for no less than death.

HER. Sir, fpare your threats;

The bug, which you would fright me with, I seek.

To me can life be no commodity :

The crown and comfort of my life, your favour,
I do give loft; for I do feel it gone,

But know not how it went: My fecond joy,
And firft fruits of my body, from his prefence

I am barr'd, like one infectious: My third comfort,
Starr'd most unluckily, is from my breast

The innocent milk in its most innocent mouth,
Haled out to murder: Myfelf on every post
Proclaim'd a ftrumpet; With immodeft hatred,
The child-bed privilege denied, which 'longs

To women of all fashion ;-Laftly, hurried
Here to this place, i'the open air, before

I have got strength of limit. Now, my liege,
Tell me what bleffings I have here alive,
That I fhould fear to die? Therefore, proceed.
But yet hear this; mistake me not ;-No! life,
I prize it not a straw :-but for mine honour,
(Which I would free,) if I fhall be condemn'd
Upon furmises; all proofs fleeping else,
But what your jealousies awake; I tell
I tell you,
'Tis rigour, and not law.-Your honours all,
I do refer me to the oracle;

Apollo be my judge.

I LORD. This your request

Is altogether juft; therefore, bring forth,
And in Apollo's name, his oracle.

[Exeunt certain OFFICERS.

HER. The emperor of Ruffia was my father:
O, that he were alive, and here beholding
His daughter's trial! that he did but fee
The flatness of my mifery; yet with eyes

Of pity, not revenge!

Re-enter OFFICERS, with CLEOMENES and DION. OFFI. You here fhall fwear upon this fword of justice, That you, Cleomenes and Dion, have

Been both at Delphos; and from thence have brought This feal'd-up oracle, by the hand deliver'd

Of

great Apollo's prieft; and that, fince then,

You have not dar'd to break the holy feal,

Nor read the fecrets in't,

CLEO. DION. All this we swear.

LEON. Break up the feals, and read.

OFFI. [reads.] Hermione is chafte, Polixenes blameless,

Ţi iij

Camillo a true fubject, Leontes a jealous tyrant, his innocent babe truly begotten; and the king shall live without an heir, if that, which is loft, be not found.

LORDS. Now bleffed be the great Apollo !

HER. Praised!

LEON. Haft thou read truth?

OFFI. Ay, my lord; even fo

As it is here fet down.

LEON. There is no truth at all i'the oracle :
The feffions fhall proceed; this is mere falfehood.
Enter a SERVANT, baftily.

SER. My lord the king, the king!

LEON. What is the bufinefs?

SER. O fir, I fhall be hated to report it:

The prince your fon, with mere conceit and fear

Of the queen's fpeed, is gone.

LEON. How! gone?

SER. Is dead.

LEON. Apollo's angry; and the heavens themselves Do ftrike at my injuftice. [HERMIONE faints.] How now

there?

PAUL. This news is mortal to the queen:-Look down, And fee what death is doing.

LEON. Take her hence:

Her heart is but o'ercharg'd; fhe will recover.-
I have too much believ'd mine own fufpicion
'Befeech you, tenderly apply to her

Some remedies for life.-Apollo, pardon

[Exeunt PAULINA and ladies, with HERMIONE, My great profaneness 'gainst thine oracle !— I'll reconcile me to Polixenes;

New woo my queen; recall the good Camillo ;
Whom I proclaim a man of truth, of mercy:

For, being transported by my jealoufies

To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chose
Camillo for the minister, to poison

My friend Polixenes: which had been done,
But that the good mind of Camillo tardied

My swift command, though I with death, and with
Reward, did threaten and encourage him,

Not doing it, and being done: he, moft humane,
And fill'd with honour, to my kingly guest
Unclafp'd my practice; quit his fortunes here,
Which you knew great; and to the certain hazard
Of all incertainties himself commended,

No richer than his honour: How he glifters
Thorough my ruft! and how his piety
Does my deeds make the blacker!

Re-enter PAULINA,

PAUL. Woe the while!

O, cut my lace; left my heart, cracking it,
Break too!

I LORD. What fit is this, good lady?

PAUL. What ftudied torments, tyrant, haft for me? What wheels? racks? fires? What flaying? boiling, In leads, or oils? what old, or newer torture Muft I receive; whofe every word deferves To taste of thy moft worft? Thy tyranny Together working with thy jealousies,— Fancies too weak for boys, too green and idle For girls of nine !-O, think, what they have done, And then run mad, indeed; ftark mad! for all Thy by-gone fooleries were but fpices of it. That thou betray'dft Polixenes, 'twas nothing; That did but fhow thee, of a fool, inconftant, And damnable ungrateful: nor was't much, I i iiij

Thou would't have poison'd good Camillo's honour,
To have him kill a king; poor trefpaffes,

More monstrous ftanding by: whereof I reckon
The cafting forth to crows thy baby daughter,
To be or none, or little; though a devil
Would have shed water out of fire, ere don't :
Nor is't directly laid to thee, the death

Of the young prince; whofe honourable thoughts
(Thoughts high for one fo tender,) cleft the heart
That could conceive, a grofs and foolish fire
Blemish'd his gracious dam: this is not, no,
Laid to thy answer: But the last,-O, lords,
When I have faid, cry, woe !—the queen, the queen,
The fweeteft, deareft, creature's dead; and vengeance
Not dropp'd down yet.

1 LORD. The higher powers forbid!

[for't

PAUL. I fay, fhe's dead; I'll fwear't: if word, nor oath, Prevail not, go and fee: if you can bring

Tincture, or luftre, in her lip, her eye,
Heat outwardly, or breath within, I'll serve you
As I would do the gods.-But, O thou tyrant!
Do not repent thefe things; for they are heavier
Than all thy woes can ftir: therefore betake thee
To nothing but defpair. A thousand knees
Ten thousand years together, naked, fasting,
Upon a barren mountain, and still winter
In ftorm perpetual, could not move the gods
To look that way thou wert.

LEON. Go on, go on :

Thou canst not speak too much; I have deferv'd
All tongues to talk their bitterest.

I LORD. Say no more;

Howe'er the business goes, you have made fault