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Fear you his tyrannous passion more, alas,

Than the Queen's life? A gracious innocent soul,

More free than he is jealous.

ANTIGONUS.

That's enough.

SECOND SERVANT.

Madam, he hath not slept to-night; commanded

None should come at him.

PAULINA.

Not so hot, good sir;

I come to bring him sleep. 'Tis such as you,

That creep like shadows by him, and do sigh

At each his needless heavings- such 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 presses him from sleep.

LEONTES.

What noise there, ho?

PAULINA.

No noise, my lord; but needful conference

About some gossips for your Highness.

LEONTES.

How!

Away with that audacious lady! Antigonus,

I charg'd thee that she should not come about me;

I knew she would.

ANTIGONUS.

I told her so, my lord,

On your displeasure's peril, and on mine,

She should not visit you.

LEONTES.

What, canst not rule her?

PAULINA.

From all dishonesty he can: in this,

Unless he take the course that you have done-

Commit me for committing honour- trust it,

He shall not rule me.

ANTIGONUS.

La you now, you hear!

When she will take the rein, I let her run;

But she'll not stumble.

PAULINA.

Good my liege, I come-

And I beseech you hear me, who professes

Myself your loyal servant, your physician,

Your most obedient counsellor; yet that dares

Less appear so, in comforting your evils,

Than such as most seem yours- I say I come

From your good Queen.

LEONTES.

Good Queen!

PAULINA.

Good Queen, my lord, good Queen- I say good Queen;

And would by combat make her good, so were I

A man, the worst about you.

LEONTES.

Force her hence.

PAULINA.

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 she is good, hath brought you forth a daughter;

Here 'tis; commends it to your blessing.

[Laying down the child]

LEONTES.

Out!

A mankind witch! Hence with her, out o' door!

A most intelligencing bawd!

PAULINA.

Not so.

I am as ignorant in that as you

In so entitling me; and no less honest

Than you are mad; which is enough, I'll warrant,

As this world goes, to pass for honest.

LEONTES.

Traitors!

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

[To ANTIGONUS] Thou dotard, thou art woman-tir'd, unroosted

By thy Dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard;

Take't up, I say; give't to thy crone.

PAULINA.

For ever

Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

Tak'st up the Princess by that forced baseness

Which he has put upon't!

LEONTES.

He dreads his wife.

PAULINA.

So I would you did; then 'twere past all doubt

You'd call your children yours.

LEONTES.

A nest of traitors!

ANTIGONUS.

I am none, by this good light.

PAULINA.

Nor I; nor any

But one that's here; and that's himself; for he

The sacred honour of himself, his Queen's,

His hopeful son's, his babe's, betrays to slander,

Whose sting is sharper than the sword's; and will not-

For, as the case now stands, it is a curse

He cannot be compell'd to 't- once remove

The root of his opinion, which is rotten

As ever oak or stone was sound.

LEONTES.

A callat

Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband,

And now baits me! This brat is none of mine;

It is the issue of Polixenes.

Hence with it, and together with the dam

Commit them to the fire.

PAULINA.

It is yours.

And, might we lay th' old proverb to your charge,

So like you 'tis the worse. Behold, my lords,

Although the print be little, the whole matter

And copy of the father- eye, nose, lip,

The trick of's frown, his forehead; nay, the valley,

The pretty dimples of his chin and cheek; his smiles;

The very mould and frame of hand, nail, finger.

And thou, good goddess Nature, which hast made it

So like to him that got it, if thou hast

The ordering of the mind too, 'mongst all colours

No yellow in't, lest she suspect, as he does,

Her children not her husband's!

LEONTES.

A gross hag!

And,