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

Should be past grief. Do not receive affliction

At my petition; I beseech 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 speak of her no more, nor of your children;

I'll not remember you of my own lord,

Who is lost too. Take your patience to you,

And I'll say nothing.

LEONTES.

Thou didst speak but well

When most the truth; which I receive much better

Than to be pitied of thee. Prithee, bring me

To the dead bodies of my queen and son.

One grave shall be for both. Upon them shall

The causes of their death appear, unto

Our shame perpetual. Once a day I'll visit

The chapel where they lie; and tears shed 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 these sorrows. Exeunt

SCENE III. Bohemia. The sea-coast

Enter ANTIGONUS with the CHILD, and a MARINER

ANTIGONUS.

Thou art perfect then our ship hath touch'd upon

The deserts of Bohemia?

MARINER.

Ay, my lord, and fear

We have landed in ill time; the skies look grimly

And threaten present blusters. In my conscience,

The heavens with that we have in hand are angry

And frown upon 's.

ANTIGONUS.

Their sacred wills be done! Go, get aboard;

Look to thy bark. I'll not be long before

I call upon thee.

MARINER.

Make your best haste; and go not

Too far i' th' land; 'tis like to be loud weather;

Besides, this place is famous for the creatures

Of prey that keep upon't.

ANTIGONUS.

Go thou away;

I'll follow instantly.

MARINER.

I am glad at heart

To be so rid o' th' business. Exit

ANTIGONUS. Come, poor babe.

I have heard, but not believ'd, the spirits o' th' dead

May walk again. If such thing be, thy mother

Appear'd to me last night; for ne'er was dream

So like a waking. To me comes a creature,

Sometimes her head on one side some another-

I never saw a vessel of like sorrow,

So fill'd and so becoming; in pure white robes,

Like very sanctity, she did approach

My cabin where I lay; thrice bow'd before me;

And, gasping to begin some speech, her eyes

Became two spouts; the fury spent, anon

Did this break from her: 'Good Antigonus,

Since fate, against thy better disposition,

Hath made thy person 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 lost for ever, Perdita

I prithee call't. For this ungentle business,

Put on thee by my lord, thou ne'er shalt see

Thy wife Paulina more.' so, with shrieks,

She melted into air. Affrighted much,

I did in time collect myself, and thought

This was so and no slumber. Dreams are toys;

Yet, for this once, yea, superstitiously,

I will be squar'd by this. I do believe

Hermione hath suffer'd death, and that

Apollo would, this being indeed the issue

Of King Polixenes, it should here be laid,

Either for life or death, upon the earth

Of its right father. Blossom, speed 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,

And still rest thine. The storm begins. Poor wretch,

That for thy mother's fault art thus expos'd

To loss and what may follow! Weep I cannot,

But my heart bleeds; and most accurs'd am I

To be by oath enjoin'd to this. Farewell!

The day frowns more and more. Thou'rt like to have

A lullaby too rough; I never saw

The heavens so dim by day. [Noise of hunt within] A savage clamour!

Well may I get aboard! This is the chase;

I am gone for ever. Exit, pursued by a bear

Enter an old SHEPHERD

SHEPHERD.

I would there were no age between ten and three and

twenty, or that youth would sleep out the rest; for there is

nothing in the between but getting wenches with child, wronging

the ancientry, stealing, fighting- [Horns] Hark