Sicilia. A Room in the Palace.
 Enter LEONTES.

Leontes	Nor night, nor day, no rest; it is but weakness
	To bear the matter thus, mere weakness. If
	The cause were not in being - part o'th' cause,
	She, th' adultress; for the harlot king
	Is quite beyond mine arm, out of the blank
	And level of my brain; plot-proof; but she
	I can hook to me - say that she were gone,
	Given to the fire, a moiety of my rest
	Might come to me again.

                            Enter 1st SERVANT.

							Who's there?

1st Servant											My Lord?

Leontes	How does the boy?

1st Servant						He took good rest tonight;
	'Tis hoped his sickness is discharged.

Leontes	To see his nobleness!
	Conceiving the dishonour of his mother,
	He straight declined, drooped, took it deeply,
	Fastened and fixed the shame on't in himself,
	Threw off his spirit, his appetite, his sleep,
	And downright languished. Leave me solely. Go,
	See how he fares.
													[Exit 1st SERVANT.
						Fie, fie, 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 serve; for present vengeance,
	Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes
	Laugh at me, make their pastime at my sorrow.
	They should not laugh if I could reach them, nor
	Shall she within my power.

          Enter PAULINA, carrying a BABY, with ANTIGONUS, LORDS,
                 and 1st SERVANT, who try to prevent her.

1st Lord									You must not enter.

Paulina	Nay, rather, good my lords, be second to me.
	Fear you his tyrannous passion more, alas,
	Than the queen's life? A gracious innocent soul,
	More free than he is jealous.

Antigonus										That's enough.

1st Servant	Madam, he hath not slept tonight, commanded
	None should come at him.

Paulina								Not so hot, good sir;
	I come to bring him sleep. 'Tis such as you,
	That creep like shadows by him and do sigh
	At each his needless heavings - such 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 presses him from sleep.

Leontes										What noise there, ho?

Paulina	No noise, my lord, but needful conference
	About some gossips for your highness.

Leontes											How?
	Away with that audacious lady! Antigonus,
	I charged thee that she should not come about me.
	I knew she would.

Antigonus						I told her so, my lord,
	On your displeasure's peril and on mine,
	She should not visit you.

Leontes									What, canst not rule her?

Paulina	From all dishonesty he can. In this,
	Unless he take the course that you have done-
	Commit me for committing honour - trust it,
	He shall not rule me.

Antigonus							La you now, you hear.
	When she will take the rein, I let her run;
	But she'll not stumble.

Paulina								Good my liege, I come-
	And I beseech you hear me, who professes
	Myself your loyal servant, your physician,
	Your most obedient counsellor, yet that dares
	Less appear so in comforting your evils
	Than such as most seem yours - I say, I come
	From your good queen.

Leontes							Good queen?

Paulina	Good queen, my lord, good queen. I say good queen,
	And would by combat make her good, so were I
	A man, the worst about you.

Leontes									Force her hence.

Paulina	Let him that makes but trifles of his eyes
	First hand me. On mine own accord I'll off;
	But first, I'll do my errand. The good queen,
	For she is good, hath brought you forth a daughter;
	- Here 'tis-
													[Laying down the babe.
				commends it to your blessing.

Leontes											Out!
	A mankind witch! Hence with her, out o' door!
	A most intelligencing bawd.

Paulina									Not so;
	I am as ignorant in that, as you
	In so entitling me; and no less honest
	Than you are mad; which is enough, I'll warrant,
	As this world goes, to pass for honest.

Leontes											Traitors!
	Will you not push her out? Give her the bastard.
	[To ANTIGONUS.]
	Thou dotard, thou art woman-tired, unroosted
	By thy Dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard,
	Take't up, I say; give't to thy crone.

Paulina											For ever
	Unvenerable be thy hands if thou
	Tak'st up the princess by that forcd baseness
	Which he has put upon't.

Leontes									He dreads his wife.

Paulina	So I would you did; then 'twere past all doubt
	You'd call your children yours.

Leontes											A nest of traitors!

Antigonus	I am none, by this good light.

Paulina										Nor I; nor any
	But one that's here, and that's himself; for he,
	The sacred honour of himself, his queen's,
	His hopeful son's, his babe's, betrays to slander,
	Whose sting is sharper than the sword's; and will not-
	For as the case now stands, it is a curse
	He cannot be compelled to't - once remove
	The root of his opinion, which is rotten
	As ever oak or stone was sound.

Leontes										A callat
	Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband
	And now baits me. This brat is none of mine;
	It is the issue of Polixenes.
	Hence with it, and together with the dam
	Commit them to the fire.

Paulina									It is yours;
	And, might we lay th' old proverb to your charge,
	"So like you, 'tis the worse". Behold, my lords,
	Although the print be little, the whole matter
	And copy of the father: eye, nose, lip,
	The trick of's frown, his forehead, nay, the valley,
	The pretty dimples of his chin and cheek, his smiles,
	The very mould and frame of hand, nail, finger.
	And thou, good goddess Nature, which hast made it
	So like to him that got it, if thou hast
	The ordering of the mind too, 'mongst all colours
	No yellow in't, lest she suspect, as he does,
	Her children not her husband's.

Leontes											A gross hag!
	And, lozel, thou art worthy to be hanged,
	That wilt not stay her tongue.

Antigonus										Hang all the husbands
	That cannot do that feat, you'll leave yourself
	Hardly one subject.

Leontes							Once more, take her hence.

Paulina	A most unworthy and unnatural lord
	Can do no more.

Leontes						I'll ha' thee burnt.

Paulina											I care not.
	It is a heretic that makes the fire,
	Not she which burns in't. I'll not call you tyrant;
	But this most cruel usage of your queen-
	Not able to produce more accusation
	Than your own weak-hinged fancy - something savours
	Of tyranny, and will ignoble make you,
	Yea, scandalous to the world.

Leontes										On your allegiance,
	Out of the chamber with her! Were I a tyrant,
	Where were her life? She durst not call me so
	If she did know me one. Away with her!

Paulina	I pray you, do not push me; I'll be gone.
	Look to your babe, my lord; 'tis yours. Jove send her
	A better guiding spirit! What needs these hands?
	You, that are thus so tender o'er his follies,
	Will never do him good, not one of you.
	So, so. Farewell; we are gone.
													[Exit.

Leontes	Thou, traitor, hast set on thy wife to this.
	My child? Away with't! Even thou, that hast
	A heart so tender o'er it, take it hence
	And see it instantly consumed with fire;
	Even thou, and none but thou. Take it up straight.
	Within this hour bring me word 'tis done,
	And by good testimony, or I'll seize thy life,
	With what thou else call'st thine. If thou refuse
	And wilt encounter with my wrath, say so;
	The bastard brains with these my proper hands
	Shall I dash out. Go, take it to the fire;
	For thou sett'st on thy wife.

Antigonus										I did not, sir.
	These lords, my noble fellows, if they please,
	Can clear me in't.

Lords						We can, my royal liege;
	He is not guilty of her coming hither.

Leontes	You're liars all.

1st Lord	Beseech your highness, give us better credit.
	We have always truly served you, and beseech
	So to esteem of us; and on our knees we beg,
	As recompense of our dear services
	Past and to come, that you do change this purpose,
	Which being so horrible, so bloody, must
	Lead on to some foul issue. We all kneel.

Leontes	I am a feather for each wind that blows.
	Shall I live on to see this bastard kneel
	And call me father? Better burn it now
	Than curse it then. But be it. Let it live.
	It shall not neither.
		[To ANTIGONUS.]	You sir, come you hither,
	You that have been so tenderly officious
	With Lady Margery, your midwife there,
	To save this bastard's life - for 'tis a bastard,
	So sure as this beard's grey - what will you adventure
	To save this brat's life?

Antigonus									Anything, my lord,
	That my ability may undergo,
	And nobleness impose; at least thus much:
	I'll pawn the little blood which I have left
	To save the innocent - anything possible.

Leontes	It shall be possible. Swear by this sword
	Thou wilt perform my bidding.

Antigonus										I will, my lord.

Leontes	Mark and perform it, seest thou? For the fail
	Of any point in't shall not only be
	Death to thyself, but to thy lewd-tongued wife,
	Whom for this time we pardon. We enjoin thee,
	As thou art liege-man to us, that thou carry
	This female bastard hence, and that thou bear it
	To some remote and desert place quite out
	Of our dominions; and that there thou leave it,
	Without more mercy, to it own protection,
	And favour of the climate. As by strange fortune
	It came to us, I do in justice charge thee,
	On thy soul's peril and thy body's torture,
	That thou commend it strangely to some place
	Where chance may nurse or end it. Take it up.

Antigonus	I swear to do this, though a present death
	Had been more merciful. Come on, poor babe,
	Some powerful spirit instruct the kites and ravens
	To be thy nurses. Wolves and bears, they say,
	Casting their savageness aside, have done
	Like offices of pity. Sir, be prosperous
	In more than this deed does require; and blessing
	Against this cruelty, fight on thy side,
	Poor thing, condemned to loss.
													[Exit with the babe.

Leontes											No; I'll not rear
	Another's issue.

                            Enter 2nd SERVANT.

2nd Servant						Please your highness, posts
	From those you sent to th' oracle are come
	An hour since. Cleomenes and Dion,
	Being well arrived from Delphos, are both landed,
	Hasting to th' court.

1st Lord							So please you, sir, their speed
	Hath been beyond account.

Leontes									Twenty-three days
	They have been absent; 'tis good speed: foretells
	The great Apollo suddenly will have
	The truth of this appear. Prepare you, lords;
	Summon a session, that we may arraign
	Our most disloyal lady; for, as she hath
	Been publicly accused, so shall she have
	A just and open trial. While she lives
	My heart will be a burden to me. Leave me,
	And think upon my bidding.
													[Exeunt.
