Clo. Give me thy hand; I will fwear to the Prince, thou art as honeft a true fellow as any is in Bohemia. Shep. You may fay it, but not fwear it.

Clo. Not fwear it, now I am a gentleman? let boors and franklins fay it, I'll fwear it

Shep. How if it be falfe, fon?

Clo. If it be ne'er fo falfe, a true gentleman may fwear it in the behalf of his friend: and I'll fwear to the Prince, thou art a tall fellow of thy hands, and that thou wilt not be drunk; but I know, thou art not tall fellow of thy hands; and that thou wilt be drunk; but I'll fwear it; and, I would, thou would'st. be a tall fellow of thy hands.

Aut. I will prove fo, Sir, to my power.

Clo. Ay, by any means prove a tall fellow; if I do not wonder how thou dar'ft venture to be drunk, not being a tall fellow, truft me not. Hark, the Kings and the Princes, our kindred, are going to fee the Queen's picture. Come, follow us: we'll be thy good mafters. [Exeunt.

SCENE VII.

1

Changes to Paulina's House.

Enter Leontes, Polixenes, Florizel, Perdita, Camillo,

Leo.

Paulina, -Lords and attendants.

Grave and good Paulina, the great comfort
That I have had of thee!

Paul. What, fovereign Sir,

I did not well, I meant well; all my services.

You have paid home. But that you have vouchfaf'd, With your crown'd brother, and these your contracted Heirs of your kingdoms, my poor house to visit,

*-franklin, is a freeholder,

or yeoman, a man above a villain, but not a gentleman.

+Tall, in that time, was the word used for fout.

It is a furplus of your Grace, which never
My life may laft to answer.

Leo. O Paulina,

We honour you with trouble; but we came
To fee the ftatue of our Queen. Your gallery.
Have we pafs'd through, not without much content,
In many fingularities; but we faw not

That, which my daughter came to look upon,
The ftatue of her mother.

Paul. As the liv'd peerless,

So her dead likenefs, I do well believe,
Excels whatever yet you look'd upon,

Or hand of man hath done; therefore I keep it
Lovely, apart. But here it is; prepare

To fee the life as lively mock'd, as ever

Still fleep mock'd death; behold, and fay, 'tis well! [Paulina draws a curtain, and difcovers a ftatue I like your filence, it the more fhews off

Your wonder; but yet fpeak.-Firft you, my Liege, Comes it not fomething near?

Leo. Her natural posture!

Chide me, dear stone, that I may fay, indeed,
Thou art Hermione: or rather, thou art fhe,
In thy not chiding; for fhe was as tender
As infancy and grace. But yet, Paulina,
Hermione was not fo much wrinkled, nothing
So aged as this feems.

7

Pol. Oh, not by much.

Paul. So much the more our carver's excellence,

therefore I keep it Lovely, afart.] Lovely, i. e. charily, with more than ordinary regard and tenderness. The Oxford Editor reads,

Lonely, apart.

As if it could be apart without

Which lets go by fome fixteen years; and make her, As fhe liv'd now.

Leo. As now he might have done,

So much to my good comfort, as it is

Now piercing to my foul. Oh, thus fhe ftood;
Even with fuch life of Majefty (warm life,
As now it coldly stands) when first I woo'd her,
I am afham'd; do's not the ftone rebuke me,
For being more ftone than it? oh, royal piece!
There's magick in thy Majefty, which has
My evils conjur'd to remembrance; and
From my admiring daughter took the fpirits,
Standing like ftone with thee.

Per. And give me leave,

And do not fay 'tis fuperftition, that

I kneel, and then implore her bleffing.-Lady,
Dear Queen, that ended when I but began,
Give me that hand of yours to kiss.

8

Paul. O, patience ®;

The ftatue is but newly fix'd; the colour's
Not dry.

Cam. My Lord, your forrow was too fore laid an, Which fixteen winters cannot blow away,

So many fummers, dry: fcarce any joy

Did ever fo long live; no forrow,

But kill'd itself much fooner.

Pol. Dear my brother,

Let him, that was the cause of this, have power
To take off fo much grief from you, as he
Will piece up in himself.

Paul. Indeed, my Lord,

If I had thought, the fight of my poor image
Would thus have wrought you (for the stone is mine)

I'd not have fhew'd it.

Leo. Do not draw the curtain.

Paul. No longer shall you gaze on't, left your fancy

• O patience.] That is, Stay a while, be not fo eager.

May

May think anon, it move.

Leo. Let be, let be;

Would I were dead, but that, methinks, already What was he, that did make it? fee, my Lord, Would you not deem, it breath'd; and that those

veins

Did verily bear blood?

Pol. Mafterly done!

The very life seems warm upon her lip.

Leo. The fixure of her eye has motion in't, As we were mock'd with art.

Paul. I'll draw the curtain.

My Lord's almoft fo far tranfported, that
He'll think anon, it lives.

Leo. O fweet Paulina,

Make me to think fo twenty years together:
No fettled fenfes of the world can match
The pleasure of that madness. Let alone. ́

Paul. I'm forry, Sir, I have thus far stirr'd you; but

I could afflict you further.

Leo. Do, Paulina;

For this affliction has a taste as fweet

As any cordial comfort. Still, methinks,

There is an air comes from her. What fine chizzel Could ever yet cut breath? let no man mock me, For I will kifs her.

Paul. Good my Lord, forbear; The ruddiness upon her lip is wet;

9 Would I were dead, but that, methinks, already-] The fentence compleated is,

but that, methinks, already I converfe with the dead. But there his paffion made him break off. WARBURTON. The FIXURE of her eye has motion in't.] This is fad

3

nonfenfe. We should read,

The FISSURE of her eyei. c. the focket the place where the WARBURTON. eye is.

Fixure is right. The meaning is, that her eye, though fixed, as in an earnest gaze, has motion in it. EDWARDS.

You'll

You'll marr it, if you kifs it; ftain your own
With oily painting. Shall I draw the curtain?
Leo. No, not these twenty years.

Per. So long could I Stand by, a looker on.

Paul. Either forbear.

Quit prefently the chapel, or refolve you
For more amazément; if you can behold it,
I'll make the ftatue move, indeed; defcend,
And take you by the hand; but then you'll think,
Which I proteft against, I am affifted
By wicked powers.

Leo. What you can make her do,
I am content to look on; what to speak,
I am content to hear; for 'tis as easy
To make her speak, as move.

Paul. It is requir'd,

You do awake your faith: then, all stand still:
And thofe, that think it is unlawful business
I am about, let them depart.

Leo. Proceed;

No foot fhall stir.

[Mufick..

Paul. Mufick; awake her: ftrike. 'Tis time, defcend; be stone no more; approach, Strike all that look upon with marvel. Come, I'll fill your grave up: ftir; nay, come away; Bequeath to death your numbnefs; for from him Dear life redeems you. You perceive, she stirs; [Hermione comes down. Start not; her actions fhall be holy, as You hear my fpell is lawful; do not fhun her, Until you fee her die again, for then

You kill her double. Nay, prefent your hand;

When he was young, you woo'd her; now in age,
Is fhe become the suitor.

Leo. Oh, fhe's warm;

If this be magick, let it be an art

Lawful as eating.

[Embracing her.

Pol.