Hermione

Take the boy to you: he so troubles me,

'Tis past enduring.

First Lady

Come, my gracious lord,

Shall I be your playfellow?

Mamillius

No, I'll none of you.

First Lady

Why, my sweet lord?

Mamillius

You'll kiss me hard and speak to me as if

I were a baby still. I love you better.

Second Lady

And why so, my lord?

Mamillius

Not for because

Your brows are blacker; yet black brows, they say,

Become some women best, so that there be not

Too much hair there, but in a semicircle,

Or a half-moon made with a pen.

Second Lady

Who taught' this?

Mamillius

I learnt it out of women's faces. Pray now

What colour are your eyebrows?

First Lady

Blue, my lord.

Mamillius

Nay, that's a mock: I have seen a lady's nose

That has been blue, but not her eyebrows.

First Lady

Hark ye;

The queen your mother rounds apace: we shall

Present our services to a fine new prince

One of these days; and then you'ld wanton with us,

If we would have you.

Second Lady

She is spread of late

Into a goodly bulk: good time encounter her!

Hermione

What wisdom stirs amongst you? Come, sir, now

I am for you again: pray you, sit by us,

And tell's a tale.

Mamillius

Merry or sad shall't be?

Hermione

As merry as you will.

Mamillius

A sad tale's best for winter: I have one

Of sprites and goblins.

Hermione

Let's have that, good sir.

Come on, sit down: come on, and do your best

To fright me with your sprites; you're powerful at it.

Mamillius

There was a man —

Hermione

Nay, come, sit down; then on.

Mamillius

Dwelt by a churchyard: I will tell it softly;

Yond crickets shall not hear it.

Hermione

Come on, then,

And give't me in mine ear. Enter LEONTES, with ANTIGONUS, Lords, and others.

Leontes

Was he met there? his train? Camillo with him?

First Lord

Behind the tuft of pines I met them; never

Saw I men scour so on their way: I eyed them

Even to their ships.

Leontes

How blest am I

In my just censure, in my true opinion!

Alack, for lesser knowledge! how accursed

In being so blest! There may be in the cup

A spider steeped, and one may drink, depart,

And yet partake no venom, for his knowledge

Is not infected: but if one present

The abhorred ingredient to his eye, make known

How he hath drunk, he cracks his gorge, his sides,

With violent hefts. I have drunk, and seen the spider.

Camillo was his help in this, his pander:

There is a plot against my life, my crown;

All's true that is mistrusted: that false villain

Whom I employed was pre-employed by him:

He has discovered my design, and I

Remain a pinched thing; yea, a very trick

For them to play at will. How came the posterns

So easily open?

First Lord

By his great authority;

Which often hath no less prevailed than so

On your command.

Leontes

I know't too well.

Give me the boy: I am glad you did not nurse him:

Though he does bear some signs of me, yet you

Have too much blood in him.

Hermione

What is this? sport?

Leontes

Bear the boy hence; he shall not come about her;

Away with him! and let her sport herself

With that she's big with; for 'tis Polixenes

Has made thee swell thus.

Hermione

But I'ld say he had not,

And I'll be sworn you would believe my saying,

Howe'er you lean to the nayward.

Leontes

You, my lords,

Look on her, mark her well; be but about

To say “she is a goodly lady,” and

The justice of your hearts will thereto add

“'Tis pity she's not honest, honourable:”

Praise her but for this her without-door form.

Which on my faith deserves high speech, and straight

The shrug, the hum or ha, these petty brands

That calumny doth use — O, I am out —

That mercy does, for calumny will sear

Virtue itself: these shrugs, these hums and ha's.

When you have said “she's goodly,” come between

Ere you can say “she's honest:” but be't known,

From him that has most cause to grieve it should be,

She's an adulteress.

Hermione

Should a villain say so,

The most replenished villain in the world,

He were as much more villain: you, my lord

Do but mistake.

Leontes

You have mistook, my lady,

Polixenes for Leontes: O thou thing!

Which I'll not call a creature of thy place,

Lest barbarism, making me the precedent,

Should a like language use to all degrees

And mannerly distinguishment leave out

Betwixt the prince and beggar: I have said

She's an adulteress; I have said with whom:

More, she's a traitor and Camillo is

A federary with her, and one that knows

What she should shame to know herself

But with her most vile principal, that she's

A bed-swerver, even as bad as those

That vulgars give bold'st titles, ay, and privy

To this their late escape.

Hermione

No, by my life,

Privy to none of this. How will this grieve you,

When you shall come to clearer knowledge that

You thus have published me! Gentle my lord,

You scarce can right me throughly then to say

You did mistake.

Leontes

No; if I mistake

In those foundations which I build upon,

The centre is not big enough to bear

A schoolboy's top. Away with her! to prison!

He who shall speak for her is afar off guilty

But that he speaks.

Hermione

There's some ill planet reigns:

I must be patient till the heavens look

With an aspect more favourable. Good my lords,

I am not prone to weeping, as our sex

Commonly are; the want of which vain dew

Perchance shall dry your pities: but I have

That honourable grief lodged here which burns

Worse than tears drown: beseech you all, my lords,

With thoughts so qualified as your charities

Shall best instruct you, measure me; and so

The king's will be performed!

Leontes

Shall I be heard?

Hermione

Who is't that goes with me? Beseech your highness,

My women may be with me; for you see

My plight requires it. Do not weep, good fools;

There is no cause: when you shall know your mistress

Has deserved prison, then abound in tears

As I come out: this action I now go on

Is for my better grace. Adieu, my lord:

I never wished to see you sorry; now

I trust I shall. My women, come; you have leave.

Leontes

Go, do our bidding; hence! Exit Queen, guarded; with Ladies.

First Lord

Beseech your highness, call the queen again.

Antigonus

Be certain what you do, sir, lest your justice

Prove violence; in the which three great ones suffer,

Yourself, your queen, your son.

First Lord

For her, my lord,

I dare my life lay down and will do't, sir,

Please you to accept it, that the queen is spotless

I' the eyes of heaven and to you; I mean,

In this which you accuse her.

Antigonus

If it prove

She's otherwise, I'll keep my stables where

I lodge my wife; I'll go in couples with her;

Than when I feel and see her no farther trust her;

For every inch of woman in the world,

Ay, every dram of woman's flesh is false,

If she be.

Leontes

Hold your peaces.

First Lord

Good my lord, —

Antigonus

It is for you we speak, not for ourselves:

You are abused and by some putter-on

That will be damned for't; would I knew the villain,

I would land-damn him. Be she honour-flawed,

I have three daughters; the eldest is eleven;

The second and the third, nine, and some five;

If this prove true, they'll pay for't: by mine honour,

I'll geld 'em all; fourteen they shall not see,

To bring false generations: they are co-heirs;

And I had rather glib myself than they

Should not produce fair issue.

Leontes

Cease; no more.

You smell this business with a sense as cold

As is a dead man's nose: but I do see't and feel't,

As you feel doing thus; and see withal

The instruments that feel.

Antigonus

If it be so,

We need no grave to bury honesty:

There's not a grain of it the face to sweeten

Of the whole dungy earth.

Leontes

What! lack I credit?

First Lord

I had rather you did lack than I, my lord,

Upon this ground; and more it would content me

To have her honour true than your suspicion,

Be blamed for't how you might.

Leontes

Why, what need we

Commune with you of this, but rather follow

Our forceful instigation? Our prerogative

Calls not your counsels, but our natural goodness

Imparts this; which if you, or stupefied

Or seeming so in skill, cannot or will not

Relish a truth like us, inform yourselves

We need no more of your advice: the matter,

The loss, the gain, the ordering on't, is all

Properly ours.

Antigonus

And I wish, my liege.

You had only in your silent judgement tried it,

Without more overture.

Leontes

How could that be?

Either thou art most ignorant by age,

Or thou wert born a fool. Camillo's flight,

Added to their familiarity,

Which was as gross as ever touched conjecture,

That lacked sight only, nought for approbation

But only seeing, all other circumstances

Made up to the deed, doth push on this proceeding:

Yet, for a greater confirmation,

For in an act of this importance 'twere

Most piteous to be wild, I have dispatched in post

To sacred Delphos, to Apollo's temple,

Cleomenes and Dion, whom you know

Of stuffed sufficiency: now from the oracle

They will bring all; whose spiritual counsel had,

Shall stop or spur me. Have I done well?

First Lord

Well done, my lord.

Leontes

Though I am satisfied and need no more

Than what I know, yet shall the oracle

Give rest to the minds of others, such as he

Whose ignorant credulity will not

Come up to the truth. So have we thought it good

From our free person she should be confined,

Lest that the treachery of the two fled hence

Be left her to perform. Come, follow us;

We are to speak in public; for this business

Will raise us all.

Antigonus

Aside To laughter, as I take it,

If the good truth were known. Exeunt.