Some remedies for life. Apollo, pardon
My great Prophaneness 'gainst thine Oracle!
I'll reconcile me to Polixenes,

New woo my Queen, recal 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 Minifter, to poison

My friend Polixenes; which had been done,
But that the good mind of Camillo tardied
My fwift Command; tho' 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
Through my dark Ruft! and how his Piety
Does my deeds make the blacker!

Enter Paulina.

Pau. Woe the while!

O, cut my lace, left my heart, cracking it,
Break too.

Lord. What fit is this, good lady?

Pau. What ftudied torments, Tyrant, haft for me? What wheels? racks? fires? what flaying? boiling? burning

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 Jealoufies,

(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 spices of it.

That thou betray'dft Polixenes, 'twas nothing; (15)

(15) That thou betrayd'ft Polixenes, 'twas Nothing; That did but fhew thee, of a Fool, inconftant,

That

And

That did but shew thee of a Soul inconstant,
And damnable ingrateful: nor was't much,
Thou would'ft have poifon'd good Camillo's honour,
To have him kill a King: poor trefpaffes,
More monftrous ftanding by, whereof I reckon
The cafting forth to crows thy baby daughter,
To be, or none, or little; tho' a devil

Would have fhed 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 gross and foolish Sire
Blemish'd his gracious Dam: this is not, no,
Laid to thy answer; but the laft, O lords,

When I have faid, cry, woe! the Queen, the Queen,→→→ The fweeteft, deareft, creature's dead; and vengeance for't

Not dropt down yet.

Lord. The higher Powers forbid!

Pau. 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 ferve you
As I would do the Gods. But, O thou tyrant! (16)
Do not repent these things; for they are heavier

And damnable ingrateful.] I have ventur'd at a flight Alteration here, against the Authority of all the Copies. It is certainly too grofs and blunt in Paulina, tho' She might impeach the King of Fooleries in fome of his paft Actions and Conduct, to call him downright a Fool. And it is much more pardonable in her to arraign his Morals, and the Quali ties of his Mind, than rudely to call him Idiot to his Face.

(16)

but, O, thou Tyrant!

Do'st not repent thefe Things, for they are heavier

Than all thy Woes can fir? therefore betake thee

To Nothing but Defpair.] Mr. Rowe read this Paffage thus; but Mr. Pope has been pleas'd to add to the Abfurdity of it, by an Innovation in the Pointing. Paulina is made, by this notable Change, to argue with the King in this manner; Do'st thou not repent of thy Actions, because Repentance can do thee no Service? I have reftor'd the genuine Reading of the old Copies: And, 'tis evident, Paulina is defign'd to difcourage him from Repentance, on the Suppofition of his Crimes being too heinous to be forgiven: She therefore bids him abfolutely to embrace Defpair.

Than

Than all thy woes can stir: therefore betake thee
To nothing but Defpair. A thousand knees,
Ten thousand years together, naked, fafting,
Upon a barren mountain, and ftill winter
In ftorm perpetual, could not move the Gods
To look that way thou wert.

Lee. Go on, go on:

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

Lord. Say no more;

Howe'er the business goes, you have made fault
I'th' boldness of your speech.

Pau. I am forry for't.

All faults I make, when I fhall come to know them, I do repent: alas, I've fhew'd too much

The rafhness of a woman; he is touch'd

To th' noble heart. What's gone, and what's paft help, Should be past grief. Do not receive affliction

At my petition, I beseech you; rather

Let me be punish'd, that have minded you

Of what you should forget. Now, good my liege,
Sir, royal Sir, forgive a foolish woman;

The love I bore your Queen-lo, fool again!-
I'll speak of her no more, nor of your children:
I'll not remember you of my own lord,

Who is loft too. Take you your patience to you,
And I'll fay nothing.

Leo. Thou didft speak but well,

When most the truth; which I receive much better Than to be pitied of thee. Pr'ythee, bring me

To the dead bodies of my Queen and fon;

One Grave shall be for both. Upon them shall
The causes of their death appear unto
Our shame perpetual; once a day I'll vifit
The Chappel where they lye, and tears shed there
Shall be my recreation. So long as nature
Will bear up with this exercise, so long

I daily vow to use it.
To these forrows.

Come, and lead me

[Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE changes to Bohemia. A defart Country; the Sea at a little diftance.

Ant.

Enter Antigonus with a Child, and a Mariner.

T

Hou art perfect then, our Ship hath touch'd

upon

The Defarts of Bohemia?

Mar. Ay, my lord; and fear,

We've landed in ill time: the skies look grimly,
And threaten prefent blufters. In my confcience,
The heav'ns with That we have in hand are angry,
And frown upon's.

Ant. Their facred wills be done! get thee aboard,
Look to thy bark, I'll not be long before
I call upon thee.

Mar. Make your best hafte, and go not

Too far i'th' land; 'tis like to be loud weather,
Befides, this place is famous for the creatures
Of prey, that keep upon't.

Ant. Go thou away.

I'll follow inftantly.

Mar. I'm glad at heart

To be fo rid o' th' business.

Ant. Come, poor Babe;

[Exit.

I have heard, but not believ'd, the Spirits o' th' dead
May walk again; if fuch thing be, thy Mother
Appear'd to me last night; for ne'er was Dream
So like a Waking. To me comes a creature,
Sometimes her head on one fide, fome another,
I never faw a veffel of like forrow

So fill'd, and fo becoming; in pure white robes,
Like very Sanétity, he did approach

My cabin where I lay; thrice bow'd before me,
And, gasping to begin fome speech, her eyes
Became two fpouts; the fury spent, anon
Did this break from her. Good Antigonus,
"Since Fate, against thy better difpofition,
"Hath made thy perfon for the thrower-out

" Of

"Of my poor babe, according to thine oath, "Places remote enough are in Bohemia,

"There weep, and leave it crying; and, for the babe
❝Is counted loft for ever and ever, Perdita,
"I pr'ythee, call't. For this ungentle business
"Put on thee by my lord, thou ne'er shalt fee
"Thy wife Paulina more."- And fo, with fhricks,
She melted into air. Affrighted much,

I did in time collect my felf, and thought
This was fo, and no flumber: Dreams are toys,
Yet for this once, yea, fuperftitiously,

I will be fquar'd by this. I do believe,
Hermione hath fuffer'd death; and that
Apollo would, This being indeed the iffue
Of King Polixenes, it fhould here be laid,
Either for life or death, upon the earth
Of its right father. Bloffom, fpeed thee well! (17)
[Laying down the child.
There lye, and there thy character: there thefe,
if fortune pleafe, both breed thee, pretty

Which may,

one,

And still reft thine. The ftorm begins; poor wretch,
That for thy mother's fault art thus expos'd

To lofs, and what may follow; Weep I cannot,
But my heart bleeds and most accurft am I

To be by oath enjoin'd to this. Farewel!

The day frowns more and more; thou art like to have

A lullaby too rough: I never faw

The heav'ns fo dim by day. A favage clamour!
Well may I get aboard! this is the Chace;

I am gone for ever.

[Exit, purfued by a bear.

Bloffom, Speed thee well!

(17) There lye, and there thy Character. -] The Reafon why the Name of Character is given to the gold Mantle and Medal, feems this: By thefe, her Quality was to be known. And the Naturalifts and Botanifts pretending, that the Qualities of every Plant may be known by its Mark or Character, which, they fay, Nature has imprefs'd on it; after he had called the Child Bloom, he ftraight makes an Allufion to that Opinion, and fays, thy Character. Mr. Warburton.

Enter