Paul. Well, be it fo, pr'ythee.

Enter Emilia.

Here's fuch Ado to make no ftain a stain,
As paffes colouring. Dear gentlewoman,
How fares our gracious lady?

Emil. As well, as one fo Great and fo forlorn
May hold together; On her frights and griefs,
(Which never tender lady hath borne greater,)
She is, fomething before her time, deliver'd.
Paul. A boy?

Emil. A daughter, and a goodly babe,
Lufty, and like to live: the Queen receives
Much comfort in't. Says, My poor Prifoner,

I'm innocent as you.

Paul. I dare be sworn:

Thefe dangerous, unfafe lunes i'th' King! beshrew them, (10)

He must be told on't, and he fhall; the office
Becomes a woman beft. I'll take't upon me.
If I prove honey-mouth'd, let my tongue blifter 3
And never to my red-look'd anger be

The trumpet any more! Pray you, Emilia,
Commend my best obedience to the Queen,
If the dares truft me with her little babe,
I'll fhew't the King, and undertake to be
Her advocate to th' loud'ft. We do not know,
How he may foften at the fight o'th' child:
The filence often of pure innocence
Perfuades, when speaking fails.

Emil. Moft worthy Madam,

Your honour and your goodness is fo evident,
That your free undertaking cannot mifs
A thriving iffue: there is no lady living

(10) Thefe dang'rous, unfafe Lunes i'th King! ----

-] I have no where, but in our Author, obferv'd this Word adopted in our Tongue, to fignify, Frenzy, Lunacy. But it is a Mode of Expreffion with the French. Il y a de la lune : (i. e. He has got the Moon in his Head; he is frantick.) COTGRAVE. Lune. folie. Les femmes ont des lunes dans la tête. RICHELST.

So

So meet for this great errand. Please your ladyship
To vifit the next room, I'll presently
Acquaint the Queen of your most noble offer,
Who but to day hammer'd of this defign;
But durft not tempt a minifter of honour,
Left the should be deny'd.

Paul. Tell her, Emilia,

I'll use that tongue I have; if wit flow from't,
As boldness from my bofom, let't not be doubted
I fhall do good.

Emil. Now be you bleft for it!

I'll to the Queen: please you, come fomething nearer. Gea. Madam, if't pleafe the Queen to fend the babe,

I know not what I fhall incur, to pass it,
Having no warrant.

Paul. You need not fear it, Sir;

The child was prifoner to the womb, and is
By law and procefs of great nature thence
Free'd and enfranchis'd; not a party to
The anger of the King, nor guilty of,
If any be, the trefpafs of the Queen.
Goa. I do believe it.

Paul. Do not you fear; upon mine Honour, I
Will ftand 'twixt you and danger.

SCENE changes to the Palace.

[Exeunt.

Enter Leontes, Antigonus, Lords and other attendants.

Leo. NOR night, nor day, no Reft; it is but

weakness

To bear the matter thus; meer weakness, if
The cause were not in being; part o'th' caufe,
She, the adultrefs; 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: fay, that she were gone,
Given to the fire, a moiety of my Reft
Might come to me again. Who's there?

Enter

Atten. He took good Reft to night; 'tis hop'd, His fickness is discharg'd.

Leo. To fee his nobleness!

Conceiving the dishonour of his mother,
He ftraight declin'd, droop'd, took it deeply;
Faften'd, and fix'd the fhame on't in himself;
Threw off his fpirit, his appetite, his fleep,
And down-right languifh'd. Leave me folely; go,
[Exit Attendant.
See how he fares.-Fie, fie, no thought of him;
The very thought of my revenges that way
Recoyl upon me; in himself too mighty,
And in his parties, his alliance; let him be,
Until a time may ferve. For present vengeance,
Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes

Laugh at me; make their paftime at my forrow;
They fhould not laugh, if I could reach them; nor
Shall fhe, within my power.'

Enter Paulina, with a child.

Lord. You must not enter.

Paul. Nay rather, good my lords, be fecond to me: Fear you his tyrannous paffion more, alas,

Than the Queen's life? a gracious innocent foul,
More free than he is jealous.

Ant. That's enough.

Atten. [within.] Madam, he hath not flept to night; commanded,

None should come at him.

Paul. Not fo hot, good Sir;

I come to bring him fleep. 'Tis fuch as you,
That creep like fhadows by him, and do figh
At each his needlefs heavings; fuch as you
Nourish the cause of his awaking. I

Do come with words, as medicinal, as true;

(Honeft,

(Honest, as either ;) to purge him of that humour, That preffes him from fleep.

Leo. What noise there, ho?

Pau. No noife, my lord, but needful conference, About fome goffips for your Highness.

Leo. How?

Away with that audacious lady.

Antigonus,

I charg'd thee, that she should not come about me; I knew, fhe would.

Ant. I told her fo, my lord,

On your displeasure's peril and on mine,
She should not vifit you.

Leo. What? can't not rule her?

Pau. From all difhonefty he can, in this,
(Unless he take the course that you have done,
Commit me, for committing honour,) truft it,
He fhall not rule me.

Ant. Lo-you now, you hear,

When the will take the rein, I let her run,
But fhe'll not stumble.

Pau. Good my liege, I come

And I beseech you hear me, who profess
My felf your loyal fervant, your physician,
Your moft obedient counsellor: yet that dares
Lefs appear fo, in comforting your evils,
Than fuch as moft feems yours. I fay, I come
From your good Queen.

Leo. Good Queen?

Pau. Good Queen, my lord,
Good Queen, I fay, good Queen;

And would by combat make her good, fo were I
A man, the worst about you.

Leo. Force her hence.

Pau. 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 the is good, hath brought you forth a daughter, Here 'tis; commends it to your bleffing. [Laying down the child.

Leo.

Leo. Out!

A mankind witch! (11) hence with her, out o' door: A moft intelligencing bawd!

Pau. Not fo,

I am as ignorant in That as you,

In fo intit❜ling me; and no less honeft,

Than you are mad; which is enough, I'll warrant,
As this world goes, to pass for honeft.

Leo. Traitors!

Will you not push her out? give her the bastard.

[To Ant. Thou dotard, thou art woman-tyr'd; unroofted By thy dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard, Take't up, I fay; give't to thy Croan.

Pau. For ever

Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

Take'ft up the Princess, by that forced bafenefs
Which he has put upon't!

Leo. He dreads his wife.

Pau. So, I would, you did: then 'twere past all doubt, You'd call your children yours.

Leo. A neft of traytors!

Ant. I am none, by this good light.

Pau. Nor I, nor any

But one, that's here; and that's himself. For he
The facred honour of himself, his Queen's,

His hopeful fon's, his babe's, betrays to flander,
Whofe fting is fharper than the fword's; and will not
(For as the cafe now ftands, it is a curfe
He cannot be compell'd to't) once remove
The root of his opinion, which is rotten,
As ever oak or ftone was found.

Leo. A callat

Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband,

(11) A Mankind Witch!] i. e. One as bold and mafculine, as if She were a Man. So in B. Jonfon's Silent Woman, when Morofe is teiz'd by his new Wife's She-friends, he cries out in Deteftation of their Boldness; O mankind Generation!

And fo Beaumont and Fletcher in their Monfieur Thomas.

I do not bleed; 'twas a found Knock she gave me ;
A plaguy mankind Girl!

And