Of being tyrannous, since we so openly

Proceed in justice, which shall have due course,
Even to the guilt, or the purgation.-

Produce the prisoner.

Offi. It is his highness' pleasure, that the queen Appear in person here in court.

[Silence'.

Enter HERMIONE, to her trial, guarded; PAULINA and Ladies

attending.

Leon. Read the indictment.

Offi. "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 conspiring with Camillo to take away the life of our sovereign lord the king, thy royal husband: the pretence whereof being by circumstances partly laid open, thou, Hermione, contrary to the faith and allegiance of a true subject, didst counsel and aid them, for their better safety, to fly away by night"."

Her. Since what I am to say, must be but that Which contradicts my accusation, and

The testimony on my part no other

But what comes from myself, it shall scarce boot me

To say, "Not guilty:" mine integrity,

Being counted falsehood, shall, as I express it,

Be so receiv'd. But thus:-If powers divine
Behold our human actions, (as they do)

6 SILENCE. The word Silence is printed as a stage-direction in the first folio, without any indication of the entrance of the queen, &c. This deficiency the second folio supplies merely by the word "Enter," which follows "Silence." The third and fourth folios adopt the course of the second. Malone and other modern editors have chosen to take "Silence as an exclamation of the officer: so it might certainly be; but the printer of the folio, 1623, did not so understand it, and the editor of the folio, 1632, when supplying an obvious omission, did not think fit to alter the reading: neither was any change made by the old corrector of the folio, 1632. The word Silence was probably meant to mark the suspense, that ought to be displayed by all upon the stage, on the entrance of Hermione to her trial. The German editor has seen the fitness of this course, and puts in parenthesis the words allgemeines Stillschweigen.

7 — to fly away by night.] These are nearly Greene's words:"it was objected against her that she had committed adulterie with Egistus, and conspired with Tranion to poyson Pandosto, her husband; but their pretence being partly spyed, she counselled them to flie away by night, for their better safety Shakespeare's Library, Part i. p. 19. In both Shakespeare and Greene the word "pretence" is used in the sense of intention; but this was common to most writers of the time.

I doubt not, then, but innocence shall make
False accusation blush, and tyranny

Tremble at patience.-You, my lord, best know,
(Who least will seem to do so) my past life
Hath been as continent, as chaste, as true,
As I am now unhappy; which is more
Than history 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 standing
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 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 stray'd, t' appear thus1; 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.

Tremble at patience.] Shakespeare here also adheres pretty closely to the terms of the novel, where Bellaria thus commences her defence:-" If the devine powers bee privy to humane actions, (as no doubt they are) I hope my patience shall make fortune blushe, and my unspotted life shall staine spightfull discredit." Shakespeare's Library, Part i. p. 22.

9 - which owE] i. e. Which own, as repeatedly before, and afterwards.

1 Have STRAY'D, t' appear thus ;] The old copies have strain'd for "stray'd," to which the word is amended in the corr. fo. 1632. The fact seems to be that "stray'd" was misheard or misprinted strain'd, and although a not inapplicable meaning may be extracted from it, "stray'd" must in all probability have been the poet's word. By "encounter so uncurrent" we must understand merely, so unusual a course.

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
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 your's. 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 know
What you have underta'en to do in's absence.
Her. Sir,

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 dreams:

You had a bastard by Polixenes,

And I but dream'd it.-As you were past all shame,

(Those of your fact are so) so past all truth3,

Which to deny concerns more than avails; for as

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

Her.

Sir, spare your threats:

The bug, which you would fright me with, I seek‘.

2 My life stands IN THE LEVEL of your dreams,] A metaphor from gunnery: to stand in the level means to be the object at which direct aim is taken.

3

As you were past all shame,

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

"And as for her, it was her

parte to denye such a monstrous crime, and to be impudent in forswearing the fact, since shee had past all shame in committing the fault." Greene's "Pandosto," in Shakespeare's Library, Part i. p. 19.

4 The BUG, which you would fright me with, I seek.] i. e. the bugbear. “Bug"

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, 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, i' the open air, before
I have got strength of limit. 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:

Apollo be my judge.

1 Lord.

This your request

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

2

[Exeunt several 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 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

strictly means a demon, from Puke, Isl. and Sw. diabolus. It has the same meaning and etymology as Puck.

I have got STRENGTH OF LIMIT.] i. e. Before I have recovered a limited degree of strength: Monck Mason's interpretation.

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 found"."

Lords. Now, blessed be the great Apollo !

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

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', is gone.

Leon.

Serv.

How! gone ?

Is dead.

Leon. Apollo's angry, and the heavens themselves

Do strike at my injustice. [HERMIONE faints.] How now

there!

Paul. This news is mortal to the queen.-Look down, And see what death is doing.

6 "Hermione is CHASTE,] "Is cast," says the folio, 1632; but it is altered to "chaste" by the old corrector, and it is "chaste" in the folio, 1623, and in the folios of 1664 and 1685.

7 if that which is lost be not found."] This oracle, with the change of names, is from Greene's "Pandosto."-" Suspition is no proofe; jealousie is an unequall judge; Bellaria is chast; Egistus blamelesse; Tranion a true subject; Pandosto treacherous: his babe an innocent; the king shall die without an heire, if that which is lost be not founde." Shakespeare's Library, Part i. p. 21. The editions of "Pandosto" subsequent to that of 1588, read "his babe innocent," and "the king shall live without an heire," &c. Therefore, Shakespeare employed one of the later impressions; probably that of 1609, the year before we suppose him to have commenced this play.

• Of the queen's SPEED,] i. e. Of how the queen would speed in the trial.