Without ripe moving to't? would I do this?
Could man fo blench?

Cam. I must believe you, Sir;

I do, and will fetch off Bohemia for't:
Provided, that, when he's remov'd, your Highness
Will take again your Queen, as yours at first,
Even for your fon's fake, and thereby for fealing
The injury of tongues, in courts and kingdoms
Known and ally'd to yours.

Leo. Thou dost advise me,

Even fo as I mine own courfe have fet down:
I'll give no blemish to her honour, none.
Cam. My Lord,

Go then; and with a countenance as clear
As friendship wears at feafts, keep with Bohemia,
And with your Queen: I am his cup-bearer;
If from me he have wholefome beveridge,
Account me not your fervant.

Leo. This is all;

Do't, and thou hast the one half of my heart;
Do't not, thou split'st thine own.

Cam. I'll do't, my Lord.

Leo. I will feem friendly, as thou haft advis'd me [Exit.

Cam. O miferable Lady! but for me,

What cafe ftand I in? I inuft be the poifoner
Of good Polixenes, and my ground to do't
Is the obedience to a mafler; one,

Who, in rebellion with himself, will have
All that are his, fo too. To do this deed,
Promotion follows. If I could find example
Of thoufands, that had ftruck anointed Kings,
And flourish'd after, I'd not do't: but fince
Nor brafs, nor ftone, nor parchment, bears not one;.
Let villany itself forfwear't. I must

Forfake the court; to do't, or no, is certain

To me a break-neck. Happy ftar, reign now!
Here comes Bohemia.

Enter Polixenes..

Pol. This is ftrange! methinks,

My

Not speak?

My favour here begins to warp.
Good day, Camillo.

Cam. Hail, most royal Sir!

Pol. What is the news i'th' court?

Cam. None rare, my Lord.

Pol. The King hath on him fuch a countenance,
As he had loft fome province, and a region.
Lov'd, as he loves himfelf: even now I met him
With customary compliment, when he,
Wafting his eyes to th' contrary, and falling
A lip of much contempt, fpeeds from me, and
So leaves me to confider what is breeding,
That changes thus his manners.

Cam. I dare not know, my Lord.

Pol. How, dare not? do not? do you know, and dare not? Be inteligent to me, 'tis thereabouts:

For to yourfelf, what you do know, you must,

And cannot fay, you dare not.

Good Camillo,

Your chang'd complexions are to me a mirror,

Which fhews me mine chang'd too; for I must be
A party in this alteration, finding

Myfelf thus alter'd with it.

Cam. There is a fickness

Which puts fome of us in diftemper; but
I cannot name the difeafe, and it is caught
Of you that yet are well.

Pol. How caught of me?

Make me not fighted like the bafilik.

I've look'd on thousands, who have sped the better
By my regard, but kill'd none fo: Camillo,

As you are certainly a gentleman,

Clerk-like experienc'd, (which no lefs adorns

Our gentry, than our parents' noble names,
In whofe fuccefs we are gentle;) I beseech you,
you know ought, which does behove my knowledge
Thereof to be inform'd, imprison't not

If

In ignorant concealment.

Cam. I may not answer.

Pol. A ficknefs caught of me, and

yet

I well?

I

I must be anfwer'd. Doft thou hear, Camillo,

I conjure thee by all the parts of man,

Which honour does acknowledge, (whereof the least
Is not this fuit of mine,) that thou declare,
What incidency thou doft guess of harm

Es creeping towards me; how far off, how near;
Which way to be prevented, if it be ;
If not, how best to bear it.

Cam. Sir, I'll tell you,

Since I am charg'd in honour, and by him
That I think honourable; therefore, mark my counfel
Which must be ev'n as fwiftly follow'd, as

I mean to utter it; or both yourself and me
Cry loft, and fo good night.

Pol. On, good Camillo.

Cam. I am appointed him to murder you.
Pol. By whom, Camillo ?

Cam. By the King..

Pol. For what?

Cam. He thinks, nay, with all confidence he fwears,

As he had feen't, or been an inftrument

To vice you to't, that you have toucht his Queen
Forbiddenly.

Pol. Oh, then my beft blood turn

To an infected gelly, and my name
Be yoak'd with his, that did betray the best!.
Turn then my fresheft reputation to

A favour, that may ftrike the dulleft noftril
Where I arrive; and my approach be fhun'd,
Nay, hated too, worfe than the great'ft infection
That e'er was heard, or read!

Cam. Swear this though over (7)

By each particular ftar in heaven, and
By all, their influences; you may as well

(7) Cam.

Swear his thought over

Forbid

By each particular for in heaven, &c.] The tranfpofition of a fingle letter reconciles this paffage to good fenfe; which is not fo, as the text ftands in all the printed copies. Polixenes, in the preceding speech, had been laying the deepeft imprecations on himself, if he had ever abus'd Leontes in any familiarity with the Queen. To which Camillo very pertinently replies:

Steear this though over, &c.

Forbid the fea for to obey the moon,
As or by oath remove, or counsel shake,
The fabrick of his folly; whose foundation
Is pil'd upon his faith, and will continue
The standing of his body.

Pol. How fhould this grow?

Cam. I know not; but, I'm fure, 'tis fafer to Avoid what's grown, than queftion how 'tis born. If therefore you dare truft my honefty,

That lies inclofed in this trunk, which you
Shall bear along impawn'd, away to-night;
Your followers I will whifper to the business;
And will by two's, and threes, at feveral pofterns,
Clear them o'th' city. For myself, I'll put
My fortunes to your service, which are here
By this difcovery loft. Be not uncertain,
For by the honour of my parents, I

Have utter'd truth; which if you feek to prove,
I dare not ftand by; nor fhall you
be fafer,
Than one condemned by the King's own mouth;
Thereon his execution fworn.

Pol. I do believe thee;

I faw his heart in's face. Give me thy hand;
Be pilot to me, and thy places fhall

Still neighbour mine. My fhips are ready, and
My people did expect my hence departure
Two days ago.This jealoufy

Is for a precious creature; as she's rare,
Muft it be great; and, as his perfon's mighty,
Muft it be violent; and, as he does conceive
He is dishonour'd by a man, which ever
Frofefs'd to him; why, his revenges muft
In that be made more bitter.

Fear o'er-fhades me:

Good expedition be my friend, and comfort
The gracious Queen; part of his theam, but nothing
Of his ill-ta'en fufpicion. Come Camillo,

i. e. Sir, though you should proteft your innocence never so often, and call every ftar and faint in heaven to witnefs to your adjurition; yet jealoufy is fo rooted in my master's bofom, that all you can fay and fwear will have no force to remove it.

I

I will refpect thee as a father, if

Thou bear'ft my life off hence. Let us avoid.
Cam. It is in mine authority to command
The keys of all the pofterns: please your Highness,
To take the urgent hour. Come, Sir, away. [Exeunt.

T

ACT

II.

SCENE, the Palace.

Enter Hermione, Mamillius, and Ladies.

HERMIONE.

AKE the boy to you; he fo troubles me,
'Tis paft enduring.

1 Lady. Come, my gracious Lord.

Shall I be your play-fellow ?

Mam. No, I'll none of you.

1 Lady. Why, my fweet Lord?

Mam. You'll kiss me hard, and speak to me as if I were a baby ftill; I love you better.

2 Lady. And why fo, my Lord?

Mam. Not for because

Your brows are blacker; (yet black brows, they say,
Become fome women beft; fo that there be not
Too much hair there, but in a femicircle,
Or a half-moon made with a pen.)

2 Lady. Who taught you this?

Mam. I learn'd it out of women's faces: pray now, What colour be your eye-brows ?

1 Lady. Blue, my Lord.

Mam. Nay, that's a mock: I've feen a Lady's nofe That has been blue, but not her eye-brows.

1 Lady. Hark ye,

The Queen, your mother, rounds apace: we fhall
Prefent our fervices to a fine new Prince

One of thefe days; and then you'll wanton with us,