A saint-like sorrow: no fault could you make, Which you have not redeem'd; Indeed, paid down More penitence, than done trespass: At the last, Do, as the heavens have done; forget your evil ; With them, forgive yourself. Leon. Whilst I remember Her, and her virtues, I cannot forget My blemishes in them; and so still think of The wrong I did myself: which was so much, That beirless it hath made my kingdom; and Destroy'd the sweet'st companion, that e'er man Bred his hopes out of. Paul. True, too true, my lord: If, one by one, you wedded all the world, Or, from the all that are, took something good, To make a perfect woman; she, you kill'd, Would be unparallel'd. Leon. I think so. Kill'd! She I kill'd? I did so: but thou strik 'st me Upon my tongue, as in my thought: Now, good Cleo. Not at all, good lady: [now, You might have spoken a thousand things that would Have done the time more benefit, and grac'd Paul. You are one of those, Would have him wed again. Dion. If you would not so, You pity not the state, nor the remembrance Paul. There is none worthy, Respecting her that's gone. Besides, the gods Is't not the tenour of his oracle, Till his lost child be found? which, that it Leon. His princess, say you, with him? Gent. Ay; the most peerless piece of earth, I think, That e'er the sun shone bright on. Paul. O Hermione, As every present time doth boast itself Gent. Pardon, madam : The one I have almost forgot; (your pardon,) Will have your tongue too. This is such a crea ture, Would she begin a sect, might quench the zeal Paul. How? not women? Gent. Women will love her, that she is a wa He dies to me again, when talk'd of: sure, Your mother was most true to wedlock, prince; Flo. By his command Have I here touch'd Sicilia: and from him Give you all greetings, that a king, a friend, Can send his brother: and, but infirmity (Which waits upon worn times,) hath something seiz'd His wish'd ability, he had himself The lands and waters 'twixt your throne and his Leon. O my brother, (Good gentleman !) the wrongs I have done thee, stir Afresh within me; and these thy offices, Of my behind-hand slackness !-Welcome hither, Flo. Good my lord, She came from Libya. Leon. Where the warlike Smalus, That noble honour'd lord, is fear'd and lov'd? Flo. Most royal Sir, from thence; from him, whose daughter His tears proclaim'd his, parting with her: thence (A prosperous south-wind friendly,) we have cross'd, To execute the charge my father gave me, Who for Bohemia bend, to signify But my arrival, and my wife's, in safety Leon. The blessed gods Purge all infection from our air, whilst you Lord. Here in the city; I now came from him. I speak amazedly; and it becomes Flo. Camillo has betray'd me; Whose honour, and whose honesty, till now, Lord. Lay't so, to his charge; Lord. Camillo, Sir; I spake with him; whe [To FLORIZEL. Is yet unanswer'd; I will to your father; I am a friend to them, and you: upon which errand I now go toward him; therefore, follow me, SCENE II.-The same.-Before the Palace, 1 Gent. I was by at the opening of the fardel, heard the old shepherd deliver the manner how he found it whereupon, after a little amazedness, we were all commanded out of the chamber; only this, methought 1 heard the shepherd say, he found the child. Aut. 1 would most gladly know the issue of it. 1 Descent or wealth. and so locks her in embracing, as if she would pin her to her heart, that she might no more be in danger of losing. 1 Gent. The dignity of this act was worth the audience of kings and princes; for by such was it acted. 1 Gent. I make a broken delivery of the business;--But the changes I perceived in the king, and Camillo, were very notes of admiration :] they seemed almost, with staring at one another, to tear the cases of their eyes; there was speech in their dumbness, language in their very gesture; they looked, as they had heard 3 Gent. One of the prettiest touches of all, of a world ransom'd, or one destroyed: A no- and that which angled for mine eyes (caught table passion of wonder appeared in them: but the water, though not the fish,) was, when at the wisest beholder, that knew no more but see-the relation of the queen's death, with the ing, could not say, if the importance were joy, or sorrow but in the extremity of the one, it must needs be. Enter another GENTLEMAN. Here comes a gentleman, that, happily, knows Enter a third GENTLEMAN. Here comes the lady Paulina's steward; he can deliver you more.-How goes it now, Sir? this news, which is called true, is so like an old tale, that the verity of it is in strong suspicion: Has the king found his heir? 3 Gent. Most true; if ever truth were preg. nant by circumstance: that, which you hear, you'll swear you see, there is such unity in the proofs. The mantle of queen Hermione :-her jewel about the neck of it :-the letters of Antigonus, found with it, which they know to be his character:-the majesty of the creature, in resemblance of the mother;-the affection + of nobleness, which nature shows above her breeding, and many other evidences, proclaim her, with all certainty, to be the king's daughter. Did you see the ineeting of the two kings? 2 Gent. No. manner how she came to it, (bravely confessed, and lamented by the king,) how attentiveness wounded his daughter: till, from one sign of dolour to another, she did, with an alas! [ would fain say, bleed tears; for, I am sure, my heart wept blood. Who was most marble there, • changed colour; some swooned, all sorrowed; if all the world could have seen it, the woe had been universal. 1 Gent. Are they returned to the court? 3 Gent. No the princess hearing of her mo ther's statue, which is in the keeping of Pau lina, a piece many years in doing, and now newly performed by that rare Italian master, Julio Romano; who, had he himself eternity, and could put breath into his work, would beguile nature of her custom, so perfectly he is her ape he so near to Hermione hath done Hermione, that, they say, one would speak to her, and stand in hope of answer: thither, with all greediness of affection, are they gone; and there they intend to sup. 2 Gent. I thought she had some great matter there in hand; for she hath privately, twice or thrice a day, ever since the death of Hermione, visited that removed house. Shall we thither, and with our company piece the rejoicing? 1 Gent. Who would be thence, that has the benefit of access? every wink of an eye, some new grace will be born: our absence makes us 3 Gent. Then have you lost a sight, which unthrifty to our knowledge. Let's along. was to be seen, cannot be spoken of. There [Exeunt GENTLEMEN. might you have beheld one joy crown another; Aut. Now, had I not the dash of my former so, and in such manner, that, it seemed, sorrow life in me, would preferment drop on my head. wept to take leave of them; for their joy waded I brought the old man and his son aboard the in tears. There was casting up of eyes, hold-prince; told him I heard him talk of a fardel, ing up of hands; with countenance of such and I know not what : but he at that time, distraction, that they were to be known by garment, not by favour. 1 Our king, being ready to leap out of himself for joy of his found daughter; as if that joy were now become a loss, cries, O thy mother, thy mother! then asks Bohemia forgiveness; then embraces his son-in-law; then again worries he is daughter, with clipping her; now be thanks the old shepherd, which stands by, like a weatherbitten conduit of many kings' reigns. I never heard of such another encounter, which lames report to follow it, and undoes description to do it. 2 Gent. What, pray you, became of Antigonus, that carried hence the child? over-fond of the shepherd's daughter, (so he then took her to be,) who began to be much sea sick, and himself,) little better, extremity of weather continuing, this mystery remained undiscovered. But 'tis all one to me: for had I been the finder-out of this secret, it would not have relished among my other discredits. Enter SHEPHERD and CLOWN. Here comes those I have done good to against my will, and already appearing in the blossoms of their fortune. Shep. Come, boy; I am past more children; but thy sons and daughters will be all gentle men born. 3 Gent. Like an old tale still; which will Clo. You are well met, Sir: You denied to have matter to rehearse, though credit be fight with me this other day, because I was no asleep, and not an ear open: he was torn to gentleman born; See you these clothes? say, pieces with a bear; this avouches the shep- you see them not, and think me still no genherd's son; who has not only his innocence tleman born: you were best say, these robes (which seems much,) to justify him, but a han-are not gentleman born. Give me the lie: do; kerchief and rings of his, that Paulina knows. and try whether I am not now a gentleman 1 Gent. What became of his bark and his followers? born. Aut. I know you are now, Sir, a gentleman born. Clo. Ay, and have been so any time these four hours. Shep. And so have I, boy. Clo. So you have :-but I was a gentleman born before my father: for the king's son took me by the band, and called me, brother; and then the two kings called my father, brother: and then the prince, my brother, and the prince cess, my sister, called my father, father; aud So we wept; and there was the first gentleman- Which lets go by some sixteen years, and like tears that ever we shed. Shep. We may live, son, to shed many more. Clo. Ay; or else 'twere hard luck, being in 30 preposterous eзtate as we are. Aut. I humbly beseech you, Sir, to pardon me all the faults I have committed to your worship, and to give me your good report to the prince my master. Shep. 'Pr'ythee, son, do; for we must be gentle, now we an gentlemen. Clo. Thon wilt amend thy life? Aut. Ay, an it like your good worship. Clo. Give me thy hand: I will swear to the prince, thou art as honest a true fellow as any is in Bohemia. Shep. You may say it, but not swear it. Clo. Not swear it, now I am a gentleman? Let hoors and franklins say it, I'll swear it. Shep. How if it be false, son? Clo. If it be ne'er so false, a true gentleman may swear it, in the behalf of his friend :-And I'll swear to the prince, thou art a tall + fellow of thy hands, and that thou wilt not be drunk; but I know, thou art no tall fellow of thy bands, and that thou wilt be drunk; but I'll swear it and I would, thou would'st be a tall fellow of thy hands. Aut. I will prove so, Sir, to my power. Clo. Ay, by any means prove a tall fellow : If I do not wonder, how thou darest venture to be drunk, not being a tall fellow, trust me not.-Hark! the kings and the princes, our kindred, are going to see the queen's picture. Come, follow us: we'll be thy good masters. [Exeunt. makes her As she liv'd now. Leon. As now she might have done, I am asham'd: Does not the stone rebuke me, Per. And give me leave; And do not say, 'tis superstition, that I kneel, and then implore her blessing.—Lady, The statue is but newly fix'd, the colour's Cam. My lord, your sorrow was too sore laid on; Which sixteen winters cannot blow away, Pol. Dear my brother, Let him that was the cause of this, have power Paul. Indeed, my lord, If I had thought the sight of my poor image Would thus have wrought you, (for the stone is mine,) SCENE III.-The same.-A Room in PAUL-I'd not have show'd it. In many singularities; but we saw not Paul. As she liv'd peerless, So her dead likeness, I do well believe, Or hand of man hath done therefore I keep it I like your silence, it the more shows off Leon. Her natural posture! Pol. Oh! not by much. Paul. So much the more lence : • Yeomen, our carver's excel + Stout Leon. Do not draw the curtain. Paul. No longer shall you gaze on't; lest your fancy May think anon, it moves. Leon, Let be, let be, Would I were dead, but that methinks already[lord, What was he, that did make it?-See, my Would you not deem, it breath'd? and that those veins Did verily bear blood? Pol. Masterly done: The very life seems warm upon her lip. As Leon. The fixure of her eye has motion in't t My lord's almost so far transported, that Leon. O sweet Paulina, Make me to think so twenty years together; I could afflict you further. For this affliction has a taste as sweet chisel Paul. Good my lord, forbear: The ruddiness upon her lip is wet: You'll mar it, if you kiss it; stain your own With oily painting: Shall I draw the curtain ? Leon. No, not these twenty years. Per. So long could I Stand by, a looker on. Paul. Either forbear, Quit presently the chapel; or resolve you For more amazement: If you can behold it, I'll make the statue move indeed; descend, Paul. Music; awake her strike.- [Music. 'Tis time; descend; be stone no more: approach; Strike all that look upon with marvel. Come; Cam. She hangs about his neck; If she pertain to life, let her speak too. Her. You gods, look down, And from your secret vials pour your graces Upon my daughter's head !-Tell me, inine own, Where hast thou been preserv'd? where liv'd ? how found Thy father's court? for thou shalt hear, that I,— Knowing by Paulina, that the oracle Gave hope thou wast in being,-have preserv'd Myself, to see the issue. Paul. There's time enough for that; Lest they desire, upon this push to trouble Your joys with like relation.-Go together, You precious winners all; your exultation Partake to every one. I, an old turtle, Will wing me to some wither'd bough; and there My mate, that's never to be found again, Lament till I am lost. Leon. O peace, Paulina; Thou should'st a husband take by my conset, But how, is to be question'd: for I saw her, Is richly noted; and here justified By us, a pair of kings.-Let's from this place.What?-Look upon my brother !-both your pardons, That e'er I put between your holy looks Pol. Ay, and make't manifest where she has My ill suspicion.-This your son-in-law, liv'd Or, how stol'n from the dead? Paul. That she is living, Were it but told you, should be hooted at And son unto the king, (whom beavens direct- [Exeunt. • You who by this discovery have gained what vou desired. * Participate. |