I do repent: alas, I've fhew'd too much
The rafhness of a woman; he is touch'd

To th' nobler heart. What's gone, and what's past help,

Should be past grief. Do not receive affliction
At my petition, I befeech 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 fpeak 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 didst fay 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 fhame perpetual; once a day I'll vifit
The Chapel where they lie, and tears fhed there
Shall be my recreation. So long as nature
Will bear up with this exercise,

So long I daily vow to use it. Come
And lead me to thefe forrows.

SCENE VI.

[Exeunt.

Changes to Bohemia. A defert Country; the Sea at a little diftance.

Ant.

Enter Antigonus with a Child, and a Mariner.

HOU art perfect then, our fhip hath touch'd upon

THO

5 Thou art perfect then,] Speare for certain, well affured, or Perfect is often ufed by Shake- well informed.

The

The deferts of Bohemia?

Mar. Ay, my Lord; and fear,

We've landed in ill time: the fkies 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 beft 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; I have heard,
But not believ'd, the fpirits of the dead
May walk again; if fuch thing be, thy mother
Appear'd to my 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 fanctity, she did approach

[Exit.

My cabin where I lay; thrice bow'd before me, And, gafping to begin fome fpeech, her eyes Became two fpouts; the fury spent, anon Did this break from her. "Good Antigonus, "Since fate, againft thy better difpofition, "Hath made thy perfon for the thrower-out "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 pry'thee, call't. For this ungentle business, "Put on thee by my Lord, thou ne'er fhail fee

"Thy

Thy wife Paulina more."-And fo, with fhrieks, She melted into air. Affrighted much,

I did in time collect myself, 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 should here be laid,
Either for life or death, upon the earth
Of its right father. Bloffom, fpeed thee well!

[Laying down the child.

There lie, and there thy character: there these,

[Laying down a bundle. Which may, if fortune please, both breed thee, pretty

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

A favage clamour *!--this is the chace;

The heav'ns fo dim by day.
Well may I get aboard
I am gone for ever.

[Exit, purfued by a bear.

SCENE VII.

Enter an old Shepherd.

Shep. I would there were no age between ten and three and twenty, or that youth would fleep out the reft for there is nothing in the between but getting wenches with child, wronging the ancientry, ftealing,

*A favage clamour.] This clamour was the cry of the dogs and hunters; then seeing the bear,

he cries, this is the chace, or, the animal pursued.

fighting-hark you now!--would any but these boil'd brains of nineteen, and two and twenty, hunt this weather? They have fcarr'd away two of my best fheep, which, I fear, the wolf will fooner find than the mafter; if any where I have them, 'tis by the seafide, brouzing of ivy. Good luck, an't be thy will ! what have we here? [Taking up the child.] Mercy on's, a bearne! a very pretty bearne! a boy, or a child, I wonder! a pretty one, a very pretty one; fure, fome 'fcape: tho' I am not bookish, yet I can read waiting gentlewoman in the 'fcape. This has been fome ftair-work, fome trunk-work, fome behinddoor-work; they were warmer that got this, than the poor thing is here. I'll take it up for pity, yet I'll tarry 'till my fon come: he hollow'd but even now; Whoa, ho-hoa

Clo. Hilloa, loa!

Enter Clown.

Shep. What, art fo near? if thou'lt fee a thing to talk on when thou art dead and rotten, come hither. What ail'ft thou, man?

Clo. I have feen two fuch fights, by fea and by land; but I am not to say, it is a fea; for it is now the sky; betwixt the firmament and it you cannot thrust a bodkin's point.

Shep. Why, boy, how is it?

Clo. I would, you did but fee how it chafes, how it rages, how it takes up the fhore; but that's not to the point; oh, the moft piteous cry of the poor fouls, fometimes to fee 'em, and not to fee 'em: now the ship boring the moon with her main-maft, and anon fwallow'd with yeft and froth, as you'd thrust a cork into a hogfhead. And then for the land fervice, to fee how the Bear tore out his shoulder-bone, how he cry'd to me for help, and faid his name was Antigonus, a nobleman. But to make an end of the fhip, to fee how the fea flap-dragon'd it. But firft, how the poor fouls

roar'd,

roar'd, and the fea mock'd them. And how the poor gentleman roar'd, and the bear mock'd him; both roaring louder than the fea, or weather.

Shep. 'Name of mercy, when was this, boy?

Clo. Now, now, I have not wink'd fince I faw thefe fights; the men are not yet cold under water, nor the bear half din'd on the gentleman; he's at it now.

6

Shep. 'Would, I had been by to have help'd the old man.

Clo. I would, you had been by the ship-fide, to have help'd her; there your charity would have lack'd footing.

[Afide. Shep. Heavy matters, heavy matters! but look thee here, boy. Now blefs thyfelf; thou meet'ft with things dying, I with things new-born. Here's a fight for thee; look thee, a bearing-cloth for a squire's child! look thee here; take up, take up, boy; open't; so, let's fee; it was told me, I should be rich by the fairies. This is fome changeling: open't; what's within, boy?

7 Col. You're a mad old man; if the fins of your youth are forgiven you, you're well to live. Gold! all gold!

Shep. This is fairy gold, boy, and will prove fo. Up with it, keep it close: home, home, the next way.

16 Shep. Would, I had been by to have help'd the old Man.] Tho' all the printed Copies concur in this reading, I am perfuaded, we ought to reftore, Nobleman. The Shepherd knew nothing of Antigonus's Age; befides, the Clown had just told his Father, that he faid, his Name was Antigonus a Nobleman, and no less than three times in this fhort Scene, the Clown, fpeaking of him, calls him the Gentleman. THEOBALD.

7 In former copies, You're a mad old Man; if the.

Sins of your Youth are forgiven you, you're well to live. Gold! all Gold!] This the Clown fays upon his opening his Fardel, and difcovering the Wealth in it. But this is no Reason why he fhould call his Father a mad old Man. I have ventur'd to correct in the Text You're a

made old Man: i. e, your Fortune's made by this adventitious Treafure. So our Poet, in a Number of other Paffages.

THEOBALD.