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Praise her but for this her without-door form,
(Which, on my faith, deserves high speech) and straight
The fhrug, the hum, or ha; these petty brands,
That calumny doth use; -O, I am out,
That mercy does; for calumny will fear

Virtue itself:-these fhrugs, these hums, and haes,
When you have faid, fhe's goodly, come between,
Ere you can fay, fhe's honeft: But be't known,
From him that has most cause to grieve it should be,
She's an adultrefs.

HER. Should a villain say so,

The most replenish'd villain in the world,
He were as much more villain: you, my lord,
Do but mistake.

LEO. You have mistook, my lady,
Polixenes for Leontes: O thou thing,
Which I'll not call a creature of thy place,
Left barbarism, making me the precedent,
Should a like language use to all degrees,
And mannerly diftinguishment leave out
Betwixt the prince and beggar!I have said,
She's an adultrefs; I have faid, with whom :
More, fhe's a traitor; and Camillo is

A Federary with her; and one that knows
What the fhould fhame to know herself, that she's
A bed-fwerver, even as bad as those

That vulgars give bold'ft titles; ay, and privy
To this their late escape.

HER. No, by my life,

Privy to none of this: How will this grieve you,
When you shall come to clearer knowledge, that
You thus have publish'd me? Gentle my lord,

25 v. Note

You fcarce can right me throughly then, to fay
You did mistake.

LEO. No; if I do mistake

In those foundations which I build upon,
The center is not big enough to bear

A fchool-boy's top. Away with her to prison:
He, who shall speak for her, is afar-off guilty,
But that he speaks.

HER. There's fome ill planet reigns:
I must be patient, 'till the heavens look
With an afpéct more favourable. —

Good my lords,

I am not prone to weeping, as our sex
Commonly are; the want of which vain dew,
Perchance, fhall dry your pities: but I have

That honourable grief lodg'd † here, which burns
Worfe than tears drown: 'Befeech you all, my lords,
With thoughts fo qualify'd as your charities

Shall beft inftru&t you, measure me; And fo

The king's will be perform'd.

LEO. Shall I be heard?

[to the Guard. [Seeing them delay. 'beseech your

HER. Who is't, that goes with me?

My women may be with me; for, you fee, [highness, My plight requires it. Do not weep, good fools; There is no cause: when you shall know, your mistress Has deserv'd prison, then abound in tears,

As I come out; this action, I now go on,

Is for my better grace. Adieu, my

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I never wish'd to fee you forry; now,

lord:

I truft, I fhall. My women, come; you have leave. LEO. Go, do our bidding; hence.

[Exeunt Queen, and her Ladies. 1. L. Befeech your highnefs, call the queen again.

ANT. Be certain what you do, fir; left your juftice Prove violence; in the which three great ones fuffer, Yourself, your queen, your fon.

1. L. For her, my lord,

I dare my life lay down, and will do't, fir,

Please you to accept it, that the

I'the eyes

of heaven, and to you;

In this which

you accuse her.

ANT. If it prove

queen

is fpotless

I mean,

She's otherwise, I'll keep my ftable-stand where
I lodge my wife; I'll go in couples with her;

Than when I feel, and fee her, no farther truft her;
For every inch of woman in the world,

Ay, every dram of woman's flesh, is false,

If the be.

LEO. Hold your peaces.

1. L. Good my lord, ·

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ANT. It is for you we speak, not for ourselves: You are abus'd, and by fome putter-on,

That will be damn'd for't; 'would I knew the villain,
I would land-damn him: Be fhe honour-flaw'd,-

I have three daughters; the eldest is eleven ;
The fecond, and the third, nine, and some five;
If this prove true, they'll pay for't: by mine honour,
I'll geld them all; fourteen they shall not fee,
To bring falfe generations: they are co-heirs ;
And I had rather glib myself, than they
Should not produce fair issue.

LEO. Ceafe; no more.

You smell this business with a fenfe as cold

Aş is a dead man's nose: but I do fee't, and feel't; As you feel doing † thus, and fee withal

10 ftables where

The inftruments that feel.

ANT. If it be so,

We need no grave to bury honefty;
There's not a grain of it, the face to sweeten
Of the whole dungy earth.

LEO. What, lack I credit?

1. L. I had rather you did lack, than I, my lord, Upon this ground: and more it would content me To have her honour true, than your fufpicion; Be blam'd for't how you might.

LEO. Why, what need we

Commune with you of this? but rather follow
Our forceful inftigation? Our prerogative
Calls not your counfels; but our natural goodness
Imparts this: which if you (or ftupify'd;
Or feeming fo, in skill) cannot, or will not,
Relifh as truth, like us; inform yourselves,
We need no more of your advice: the matter,
The lofs, the gain, the ord'ring on't, is all
Properly ours.

ANT. And I wish, my liege,

You had only in your filent judgment try'd it,
Without more overture.

LEO. How could that be?

Either thou art most ignorant by age,

Or thou wert born a fool. Camillo's flight,

Added to their familiarity,

(Which was as grofs as ever touch'd conjecture;

That lack'd fight only, nought for approbation
But only feeing, all other circumstances

Made up to the deed) doth pufh on this proceeding:
Yet, for a greater confirmation,

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(For, in an act of this importance, 'twere
Moft piteous to be wild) I have dispatch'd in post,
To facred Delphos, to Apollo's temple,
Cleomenes, and Dion, whom you know

Of ftuft fufficiency: now, from the oracle
They will bring all; whose fpiritual counsel had
Shall stop, or fpur me. Have I done well?
1. L. Well done, my lord.

LEO. Though I am fatiffy'd, and need no more
Than what I know, yet shall the oracle

Give reft to the minds of others; such as † he,
Whose ignorant credulity will not

Come up to the truth: So have we thought it good,
From our free person she should be confin'd;
Left that the treachery of the two, fled hence,
Be left her to perform. Come, follow us;
We are to speak in publick: for this business
Will raise us all.

ANT. "To laughter, as I take it, "If the good truth were known.”

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[Exeunt

SCENE II. The fame. Outer-Room of a Prison.
Enter PAULINA, attended.

PAU. The keeper of the prison, call to him; [to an Att.
Let him have knowledge who I am. - Good lady!
No court in Europe is too good for thee,

What dost thou then in prison ? Now, good fir,
Enter Keeper.

You know

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me, do you not?

Kee. For a worthy lady,

And one whom much I honour.

PAU. Pray you then,

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