SCENEI. The fame. A Street in fome Town.
Enter CLEOMENES, and DION.

CLE. The climate's delicate; the air moft fweet; Fertile the foil; the temple much furpaffing The common praise it bears.

Dio. I fhall report,

For moft it caught me, the celeftial habits,
(Methinks, I fo should term them) and the reverence
Of the grave wearers. O, the facrifice!

How ceremonious, folemn, and unearthly,

It was i'the offering!

CLE. But, of all, the burft

And the ear-deaf'ning voice o'the oracle,
Kin to Jove's thunder, fo furpriz'd my fenfe,
That I was nothing.

Dio. If the event o'the journey

Prove as fucceffful to the queen, -O, be't fo! As it hath been to us, rare, pleasant, speedy, 'The ufe is worth the time on't.

CLE. Great Apollo

Turn all to the best! These proclamations,
So forcing faults upon Hermione,

I little like.

Dro. The violent carriage of it

Will clear, or end, the businefs: When the oracle
(Thus by Apollo's great divine feal'd up)
Shall the contents difcover, fomething rare,

Even then, will rush to knowledge.Ĝo, fresh horfes ; —
And gracious be the issue!

[Exeunt.

SCENE II. The fame. A Court of Justice:

5 the Ine, 20 time is worth the ufe 26 v. Note,

At the upper End, a Throne; Lords, on either
Hand, Judges, and other Officers, feared;
People attending. Enter LEONTES,
and Train of Lords, to his Throne.

LEO. This feffion (to our great grief, we pronounce) Even pushes 'gainft our heart: The party try'd, The daughter of a king; our wife; and one Of us too much belov'd. Let us be clear'd Of being tyrannous, fince we fo openly Proceed in juftice; which fhall have due courfe, Even to the guilt, or the purgation.Produce the prisoner.

Off. It is his highness' pleasure, that the Appear in perfon here in court.

queen

Enter HERMIONE, to the Bar: PAULINA,
and Ladies, with her; Officers preceding.

LEO. Read the indictment.

Cri, Silence !

Off. [reads.] Hermione, queen to the worthy Leontes, king of Sicilia, thou art here accused and arraigned of high treason, in committing adultery with Polixenes, king of Bohemia; and confpiring with Camillo to take away the life of our fovereign lord the king, thy royal husband: the pretence whereof being by circumftances partly lay'd open, thou, Hermione, contrary to the faith and allegiance of a true subject, didft counfel and aid them, for their better fafety, to fly away by night.

HER. Since what I am to fay, must be but that Which contradicts my accusation; and

The teftimony on my part, no other

5 Seffions

But what comes from myself; it shall scarce boot me,
To fay, Not guilty: mine integrity,

Being counted falfhood, fhall, as I exprefs it,
Be fo receiv'd. But thus, If powers divine
Behold our human actions, (as they do)

I doubt not then, but innocence fhall make
Falfe accusation blush, and tyranny

Tremble at patience. You, my lord, best know,
(Who leaft will seem to do fo) my past life
Hath been as continent, as chaft, as true,
As I am now unhappy; which is more
Than hiftory can pattern, though devis'd,
And play'd, to take spectators: For behold me,—
A fellow of the royal bed, which owe

A moiety of the throne, a great king's daughter,
The mother to a hopeful prince, - here ftanding,
To prate and talk for life, and honour, 'fore
Who please to come and hear. For life, I prize it
As I weigh grief, which I would spare for honour,
'Tis a derivative from me to mine,

And only that I ftand for. I appeal

To your own confcience, fir, before Polixenes
Came to your court, how I was in your grace,
How merited to be fo: Since he came,
With what encounter fo uncurrent have
I ftrain'd, to appear thus ? if one jot beyond
The bound of honour; or, in act, or will,
That way inclining; harden'd be the hearts
Of all that hear me, and my near'st of kin
Cry, fie, upon my grave!

LEO. I ne'er heard yet,

That any of these bolder vices wanted

9 Whom least 25 I Have

Lefs impudence to gain-fay what they did,
Than to perform it first.

HER. "That's true enough;

Though 'tis a faying, fir, not due to me.

LEO. You will not own it.

HER. More than mistress of,

Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not
At all acknowledge. For Polixenes,

(With whom I am accus'd) I do confefs,
Ì lov'd him, as in honour he requir'd;
With fuch a kind of love, as might become
A lady like me; with a love, even such,
So, and no other, as yourself commanded:
Which not to have done, I think, had been in me
Both difobedience and ingratitude,

To you, and toward your friend; whose love had spoke, Even fince it could fpeak, from an infant, freely,

That it was yours. Now, for confpiracy,

I know not how it tafts; though it be dish'd
For me to try how: all I know of it,

Is, that Camilla was an honeft man;

And, why he left your court, the gods themselves,
Wotting no more than I, are ignorant.

LEO. You knew of his departure, as you

know

What you have underta'en to do in his abfence.

HER. Sir, you fpeak a language that I understand not: My life ftands in the level of your dreams,

Which I'll lay down.

LEO. Your actions are my

dreams;

You had a bastard by Polixenes,

And I but dream'd it: As you were paft all shame, (Those of your fact are so) so past all truth:

To deny, concerns, more than avails: for as
Thy brat hath been caft out, like to itself,
No father owning it, (which is, indeed,
More criminal in thee, than it) so thou
Shalt feel our juftice; in whose easieft paffage,
Look for no lefs than death.

HER, Sir, fpare your threats;

The bug, which you would fright we with, I feek. To me can life be no commodity:

The crown and comfort of my life, your favour,
I do give last; for I do feel it gone,

But know not how it went: My fecond joy,
And firft-fruits of my body, from his presence

I am bar'd, like one infectious: My third comfort,
Star'd most unluckily, is from my breaft,

The innocent milk in it's most innocent mouth,
Hal'd out to murther: Myfelf on every post
Proclaim'd a ftrumpet, with immodest hatred;
The child-bed priviledge deny'd, which 'longs
To women of all fashion; laftly, hurry'd
Here to this place, i'the open air, before
I have got strength of limit. Now, my liege,
Tell me what bleflings I have here alive,
That I fhould fear to dye? Therefore, proceed.
But yet hear this; mistake me not; Ño life;
I prize it not a straw: but for mine honour,
(Which I would free) if I fhall be condemn'd
Upon furmizes; all proofs fleeping elfe,
But what your jealoufies awake; I tell you,
'Tis rigour, and not law. Your honours all,
I do refer me to the oracle;
Apollo be my judge.

Which to