'Tis a derivative from me to mine,

And only that I stand for. I appeal

To your own conscience, sir, before Polixenes
Came to your court, how I was in your grace,
How merited to be so; since he came,
With what encounter so uncurrent I

Have strain'd, to appear thus5: 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.

Leon.
I ne'er heard yet,
That any of these bolder vices wanted
Less impudence to gainsay what they did,
Than to perform it first.

Her.

Though 'tis a saying, sir, not due to me.

That's true enough;

More than mistress of,

Leon. You will not own it.

Her.

Which comes to me in name of fault, I must not

At all acknowledge. For Polixenes,

(With whom I am accus'd) I do confess,
I lov'd him, as in honour he requir'd;
With such a kind of love, as might become

5 Encounter so uncurrent, i. e. behaviour so unusual in the same sense as rencontre in French. Thus also in Love's Labour's Lost, Act v. Sc. 2:

"Encounters armed are against your peace." Strain'd means swerv'd, or gone astray from the line of duty. So in Romeo and Juliet:

"Nor aught so good, but strain'd from that fair use,
Revolts."

To appear thus is to seem guilty.

6

Originally in our language, two negatives did not necessarily affirm, but might in cases only strengthen the negation. Examples of similar phraseology occur in several of our author's plays, and even in the first act of this very drama: in this passage, Johnson observes that, according to the present use of words, less should be more, or wanted should be had.

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 disobedience and ingratitude

To you and toward your friend; whose love had spoke,
Even since it could speak, from an infant freely,
That it was yours. Now, for conspiracy,

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

Is, that Camillo was an honest man;

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

Leon. You knew of his departure, as you
What you have underta'en to do in's absence.
Her. Sir,

know

You speak a language that I understand not :
My life stands in the level of your dreams,
Which I'll lay down.

Leon.

Your actions are my

You had a bastard by Polixenes,

dreams;

And I but dream'd it :-As you were past all shame (Those of your fact8 are so), so past all truth : Which to deny, concerns more than avails: for as9

7 My life stands in the level of your dreams. See note 2, p. 38. To stand within the level of a gun is to stand in a direct line with its mouth, and in danger of being hurt by its discharge. This expression often occurs in Shakespeare; take one instance from K. Henry VIII. Act i. Sc. 2:

"I stood i'the level

Of a full charg❜d confederacy, and give thanks
To you that chok'd it."

8 As you were past all shame

(Those of your fact are so), so past all truth.

i. e. they who have done like you.

Shakespeare had this from

Dorastus and Faunia; "it was her part to deny such a monstrous crime, and to be impudent in forswearing the fact, since she had passed all shame in committing the fault."

9 It is your business to deny this charge; but the mere denial will be useless, will prove nothing.

Thy brat hath been cast out, like to itself,
No father owning it (which is, indeed,
More criminal in thee, than it), so thou
Shalt feel our justice; in whose easiest
Look for no less than death.

passage,

Sir, spare your threats;

Her.
The bug 10, which you would fright me with, I seek.
To me can life be no commodity :

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

But know not how it went: My second joy,
And first-fruits of my body, from his presence
I am barr'd, like one infectious: My third comfort,
Starr'd most unluckily 11, is from my breast,
The innocent milk in its most innocent mouth,
Haled out to murder: Myself on every post
Proclaim'd a strumpet; with immodest hatred,
The child-bed privilege denied, which 'longs
To women of all fashion.-Lastly, hurried
Here to this place, i̇' the open air, before
I have got strength of limit.12 Now, my liege,
Tell me what blessings I have here alive,
That I should fear to die? Therefore, proceed.
But yet hear this; mistake me not ;-
-No! life,

I prize it not a straw :-but for mine honour
(Which I would free), if I shall be condemn'd
Upon surmises; all proofs sleeping else,
But what your jealousies awake; I tell you,
'Tis rigour, and not law. Your honours all,
I do refer me to the oracle;

10 Bug, i. e. bugbear.

11 Starr'd most unluckily, i. e. ill starred; born under an inauspıcious planet.

12 Iimit is confinement. Thus, in Romeo and Juliet :—

66

Stony limits cannot hold love out." Strength of limit, is the degree of strength required for going abroad after child-bearing, for quitting the limits.

This

your request

Apollo be my judge.

1 Lord.

Is altogether just therefore, bring forth,
And in Apollo's name, his oracle.

[Exeunt certain Officers.
Her. The emperor of Russia was my father:
O, that he were alive, and here beholding
His daughter's trial! that he did but see
The flatness 13 of my misery; yet with eyes
Of pity, not revenge!

Re-enter Officers with CLEOMENES and DION.

Offi. You here shall swear upon this sword of justice, That you, Cleomenes and Dion, have

Been both at Delphos ; and from thence have brought
This seal'd-up oracle, by the hand deliver'd
Of great Apollo's priest; and that, since then,
You have not dar'd to break the holy seal,
Nor read the secrets in't.

Cleo. Dion.

All this we swear.

Leon. Break up the seals, and read.

Offi. [Reads.] Hermione is chaste, Polixenes blameless, Camillo a true subject, Leontes a jealous tyrant, his innocent babe truly begotten; and the king shall live without an heir, if that, which is lost, be not found14. Lords. Now blessed be the great Apollo !

Her.

Leon. Hast thou read truth?

Offi.

As it is here set down.

Praised!

Ay, my lord; even so

Leon. There is no truth at all i'the oracle:

13 The flatness of my misery, that is absoluteness, the completeness of my misery. So Milton, P. L. b. ii :—

"Thus repuls'd, our final hope

Is flat despair."

14 This is almost literally from Greene's novel.

The sessions shall proceed; this is mere falsehood.

Enter a Servant, hastily.

Serv. My lord the king, the king!

Leon.

What is the business?

Serv. O sir, I shall be hated to report it:

The prince your son, with mere conceit and fear
Of the queen's speed 15, is gone.

Leon.

Serv.

How! gone?

Is dead.

[HERMIONE faints.

How now there?

Leon. Apollo's angry; and the heavens themselves

Do strike at my injustice.

Paul. This news is mortal to the queen.-Look

down,

And see what death is doing.

Take her hence;

Leon.
Her heart is but o'ercharg'd; she will recover.—
I have too much believ'd mine own suspicion :
'Beseech you, tenderly apply to her

Some remedies for life.-Apollo, pardon

:

[Exeunt PAULINA and Ladies, with HERM.

My great profaneness 'gainst thine oracle!-
I'll reconcile me to Polixenes;

mercy:

New woo my queen; recall the good Camillo ;
Whom I proclaim a man of truth, of
For, being transported by my jealousies
To bloody thoughts and to revenge, I chose
Camillo for the minister, to poison

My friend Polixenes: which had been done,
But that the good mind of Camillo tardied
My swift command, though I with death, and with
Reward, did threaten and encourage him,

Not doing it, and being done: he, most humane,

15 The queen's speed, i. e. how the queen would speed at the trial. We still say, he sped well or ill.