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How fares our gracious lady?

Emil. As well, as one fo great and fo forlorn May hold together; On the 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: fays, My poor prifoner, I'm innocent as you.

Paul. I dare be fworn;

Thefe dangerous, unfafe lunes i'th' King! befhrew

them,

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;
And never to my red-look'd anger be

The trumpet any more! Pray you, Emilia,
Commend my beft 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 fpeaking fails.

Emil. Moft worthy Madam,

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

So meet for this great errand. Please your ladyfhip
To vifit the next room, I'll prefently

Thefe dang'rous, unfafe Lunes "ith' 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.

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 tete, Richelet.

S4

THEOBALD.

Acquaint

Acquaint the Queen of your most noble offer,
Who but to day hammer'd of this defign;
But durft not tempt a minister of honour,
Left fhe fhould 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. Goal. Madam, if't please 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.
Goal. I do believe it.

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

SCENE IV.

Changes to the Palace

[Exeunt

Enter Leontes, Antigonus, Lords and other attendants.

OR night, nor day, no reft;

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weakness

To bear the matter thus; meer weakness, if

it is but

The caufe' were not in being-part o'th' caufe,
She, the adultrefs- for the Harlot-King

Is quite beyond mine arm; out of the blank

out of the blank

And level of my brain;] Beyond the aim of any attempt

that I can make against him. Blank and level, are terms of archery.

And

And level of my brain; plot-proof; but fhe.
I can hook to me: fay, that fhe were gone,
Given to the fire, a moiety of my reft
Might come to me again. Who's there?

Enter an Attendant.

Atten. My Lord.

Leo. How does the boy?

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

Leo. To fee his nobleness!

Conceiving the difhonour of his mother,

He straight 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.-Fy, fy, no thought of him;-
The very thought of my revenges that way
Recoil upon me; in himself too mighty,
And in his parties, his alliance - let him be,
Until a time may ferve. For prefent vengeance,
Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes

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

SCENE V.

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.

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

None fhould come at him.

Paul. Not fo hot, good Sir;

I come to bring him fleep. 'Tis such 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;
Honest, as either; to purge him of that humour,
That preffes him from fleep.

Leo. What noife there, ho?

Paul. 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 fhould not vifit you.

Leo. What? can't not rule her?

Paul. From all difhonefty he can; in this, Unless he take the courfe 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.

Paul. Good my Liege, I come

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

Leo. Good Queen?

Paul. Good Queen, my Lord,

Good

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.

eyes,

Paul. Let him, that makes but trifles of his First hand me. On mine own accord, I'll off; But first, I'll do my errand. The good Queen, For fhe is good, hath brought you forth a daughter, Here 'tis; commends it to your bleffing.

Leo. Out!

[Laying down the child.

A mankind witch! hence with her, out o'door:
A most intelligencing bawd!

Paul. Not fo;

I am as ignorant in that, as you

In fo intit❜ling me; and no lefs honeft

Than

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

Leo. Traitors!

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

3 And would by combat make

her good, fo were I A man, the worst about you.] Paulina fuppofes the King's jealoufy to be raised and inflamed by the courtiers about him; who, the finely fays,

creep like fhadows by him, and do figh

At each his needlefs heavings: Surely then, he could not fay, that were the a man, the worst of thefe, fhe would vindicate her miftrefs's honour against the King's fufpicions, in fingle combat. Shakespeare, I am perfuaded, wrote,

・So were I

A man, ON TH' worst about you. i. e. were I a man, I would, vindicate her honour, on the worft

you.

[To Antigonus.

of thefe fycophants that are about WARBURTON, The worst means only the lowest. Were I the meaneft of your fervants, I would yet claim the combat against any accuser.

4 A mankind witch? A mankind woman, is yet used in the midland counties, for a woman violent, ferocious, and mischievous. It has the fame fenfe in this paffage. Witches are fuppofed to be mankind, to put off the foftnefs and delicacy of women, therefore Sir Hugh, in the Merry Wives of Windsor, fays, of a woman fufpected to be a witch, that he does not like when a woman has a beard. Of this meaning Mr. Theobald has given examples.

Thou

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