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From him that has most cause to grieve it should be,

She's an adult'refs.

Her. Should a villain fay fo,

The most replenish'd villain in the world,

He were as much more villain: you, my lord,
Do but mistake.

Leo. You have miftook, my lady,
Polixenes for Leontes. O thou thing!
Which I'll not call a creature of thy place,
Left barbarism, making me the precedent,
Should a like language ufe to all degrees,
And mannerly distinguishment leave out
Betwixt the prince and beggar. I have said,
She's an adult'refs; I have faid with whom:
More, fhe's a traitor; and Camillo is
A federary with her, one that knows
What she should be asham'd to know herself,
But with her moft vile principal; that she's
A bed-fwerver, even as bad as those

The vulgar give bold'ft titles; ay, and privy
To this their late escape.

Her. No, by my life,

Privy to none of this: how will this grieve you,
When you shall come to clearer knowledge, that
You thus have publifh'd me? gentle my lord,
You scarce can right me throughly then, to say
You did mistake.

Leo. No, if I do mistake

In those foundations which I build upon,
The centre is not big enough to bear

A fchoolboy's top. Away with her to prison:
He who shall speak for her, is far off guilty
In that he speaks.

Her. There's fome ill planet reigns;
I must be patient, till the heavens look
With aspect of more favour. Good my lords,

Uuu 2

I am

I am not prone to weeping, as our sex
Commonly are; the want of which vain dew,
Perchance, fhall dry your pities: but I have
That honourable grief lodg'd here, which burns
Worfe than tears drown: 'befeech you all, my lords,
With thoughts fo qualified as your charities

Shall best instruct you, measure me; and fo

The king's will be perform❜d!

Leo. Shall I be heard?

Her. Who is't that goes with me? 'befeech your highness,

My women may be with me; for, you see,

My plight requires it. Do not weep, good fools;

There is no caufe: when you fhall know your mistress
Has deferv'd prison, then abound in tears,

As I come out; this action, I now go on,

Is for my better grace. Adieu, my lord,

I never wifh'd to fee you forry; now,

I truft, I fhall. My women, come; you've leave.
Leo. Go, do our bidding; hence!

[Exe. Queen guarded, and Ladies.
Lord. Befeech your highness, call the queen again.
Ant. Be certain what you do, fir, left your juftice
Prove violence, in the which three great ones fuffer,
Yourself, your queen, your fon.

Lord. For her, my lord,

I dare my life lay down, and will do't, fir,
Please you t'accept it, that the queen is spotless
I'th' eyes of heaven, and to you; I mean,
In this which you accuse her.

Ant. If it prove

a

She's otherwife, I'll keep my ftablestand where
I lodge my wife; I'll go in couples with her:

Stableftand (ftabilis ftatio as Spelman interprets it) is a term of the foreft-laws, and fignifies a place where a deer-Stealer fixes his stand under fome convenient cover, and keeps watch for the purpose of killing deer as they pass by. From the place it came to be applied alfo to the perfon, and any man taken in a forest in that fituation with a gun or bow in his hand was prefumed to be an offender and had the name of a stableftand. In all former editions this hath been printed stables, and it may perhaps be

objected

Than when I feel, and fee her, no further truft her;

For every inch of woman in the world,

Ay, every dram of woman's flesh, is false,

If the be.

Leo. Hold your peaces.

Lord. Good my lord!

Ant. It is for you we speak, not for ourselves: You are abused by fome putter-on,

That will be damn'd for't; would I knew the villain,

I would land-damm him: be fhe honour-flaw'd,

I have three daughters; th' eldest is eleven ;

The fecond, and the third, nine, and fome five;
If this prove true, they'll pay for't: by mine honour,
I'll geld 'em all: fourteen they fhall not see
To bring falfe generations: they are coheirs,
And I had rather glib myself, than they
Should not produce fair issue.

Leo. Ceafe; no more:

You smell this bufinefs with a fenfe as cold

As is a dead man's nofe: I fee't, and feel't,

As you feel doing thus; and fee withal [laying hold of his arm. The inftruments I feel.

Ant. If it be fo,

We need no grave to bury honefty;

There's not a grain of it, the face to sweeten

Of the whole dungy earth.

Leo. What? lack I credit?

Lord. I had rather you did lack than I, my lord,
Upon this ground; and more it would content me.
To have your honour true, than your fufpicion;
Be blam'd for't how you might.

Leo. Why, what need we

Commune with you for this? not rather follow

objected that another fyllable added spoils the smoothness of the verfe. But by pronouncing table fort. the measure will very well bear it according to the liberty allowed in this kind of writing, and which Shakespear never fcruples to use.

Our

Our forceful instigation? our prerogative
Calls not your counsels, but our natural goodness
Imparts this; which if you, or ftupified,
Or feeming fo, in skill, cannot, or will not
Relish a truth like us; inform yourselves,
We need no more of your advice: the matter,
The lofs, the gain, the ordering on't, are all
Properly ours.

Ant. And I wish, my liege,

You had only in your filent judgment try'd it,
Without more overture.

Leo. How could that be?

Either thou art most ignorant by age,

Or thou wert born a fool. Camillo's flight
Added to their familiarity,

(Which was as grofs as ever touch'd conjecture,
That lack'd fight only, nought for approbation*
But only feeing, all other circumstances

Made up to th' deed) doth push on this proceeding;
Yet, for a greater confirmation,

(For, in an act of this importance, 'twere

Most piteous to be wild) I've despatch'd in post,
To facred Delphos, to Apollo's temple,
Cleomines and Dion, whom you know

Of stuff'd fufficiency: now, from the oracle
They will bring all; whose spiritual counsel had,
Shall ftop or fpur me on. Have I done well?
Lord. Well done, my lord.

Leo. Though I am fatisfy'd, and need no more
Than what I know, yet fhall the oracle
Give reft to th' minds of others; fuch as he,
Whose ignorant credulity will not

Come up to th' truth. So we have thought it good
From our free person she should be confin'd,
Left that the treachery of the two, fled hence,

* The word approbation here fignifies, proof.

Be

Be left her to perform. Come, follow us,

We are to speak in publick; for this business
Will raise us all.

Ant. To laughter, as I take it,
If the good truth were known.

SCENE

III.

A Prison.

[afide. [Exeunt.

Pau.

Enter Paulina, and a Gentleman, with other Attendants.

T

HE keeper of the prison, call to him: [Exit. Gent:
Let him have knowledge who I am. Good lady,

No court in Europe is too good for thee;

What doft thou then in prison? Now, good fir,

You know me, do you not? [Reenter Gentleman with the jailer. Jai. For a worthy lady,

And one whom much I honour.

Pau. Pray you then,

Conduct me to the queen.

Jai. I may not, madam;

To th' contrary I have express commandment.

Pau. Here's ado

To lock up honefty and honour from

Th' accefs of gentle vifitors! Is't lawful,

Pray you, to fee her women? any of them?
Emilia?

Jai. If it so please you, madam,

To put apart these your attendants, I

Shall bring Emilia forth.

Pau. I pray now, call her:

Withdraw yourselves.

Jai. And, madam, I must be
Present at all your conference.
Pau. Well, well;
Be it fo, pr'ythee.

[to her attendants who go out..

Enter

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