The Winter’s Tale

bold’st titles, ay, and privy
To this their late escape. Hermione

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,
You scarce can right me throughly then to say
You did mistake.

Leontes

No; if I mistake
In those foundations which I build upon,
The centre is not big enough to bear
A school-boy’s top. Away with her! to prison!
He who shall speak for her is afar off guilty
But that he speaks.

Hermione

There’s some ill planet reigns:
I must be patient till the heavens look
With an aspect more favourable. Good my lords,
I am not prone to weeping, as our sex
Commonly are; the want of which vain dew
Perchance shall dry your pities: but I have
That honourable grief lodged here which burns
Worse than tears drown: beseech you all, my lords,
With thoughts so qualified as your charities
Shall best instruct you, measure me; and so
The king’s will be perform’d!

Leontes Shall I be heard? Hermione

Who is’t that goes with me? Beseech your highness,
My women may be with me; for you see
My plight requires it. Do not weep, good fools;
There is no cause: when you shall know your mistress
Has deserved prison, then abound in tears
As I come out: this action I now go on
Is for my better grace. Adieu, my lord:
I never wish’d to see you sorry; now
I trust I shall. My women, come; you have leave.

Leontes Go, do our bidding; hence! Exit Queen, guarded; with Ladies. First Lord Beseech your highness, call the queen again. Antigonus

Be certain what you do, sir, lest your justice
Prove violence; in the which three great ones suffer,
Yourself, your queen, your son.

First Lord

For her, my lord,
I dare my life lay down and will do’t, sir,
Please you to accept it, that the queen is spotless
I’ the eyes of heaven and to you; I mean,
In this which you accuse her.

Antigonus

If it prove
She’s otherwise, I’ll keep my stables where
I lodge my wife; I’ll go in couples with her;
Than when I feel and see her no farther trust her;
For every inch of woman in the world,
Ay, every dram of woman’s flesh is false,
If she be.

Leontes Hold your peaces. First Lord Good my lord⁠— Antigonus

It is for you we speak, not for ourselves:
You are abused and by some putter-on
That will be damn’d for’t; would I knew the villain,
I would land-damn him. Be she honour-flaw’d,
I have three daughters; the eldest is eleven;
The second and the third, nine, and some five;
If this prove true, they’ll pay for’t: by mine honour,
I’ll geld ’em all; fourteen they shall not see,
To bring false generations: they are co-heirs;
And I had rather glib myself than they
Should not produce fair issue.

Leontes

Cease; no more.
You smell this business with a sense as cold
As is a dead man’s nose: but I do see’t and feel’t,
As you feel doing thus; and see withal
The instruments that feel.

Antigonus

If it be so,
We need no grave to bury honesty:
There’s not a grain of it the face to sweeten
Of the whole dungy earth.

Leontes What! lack I credit? First Lord

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 suspicion,
Be blamed for’t how you might.

Leontes

Why, what need we
Commune with you of this, but rather follow
Our forceful instigation? Our prerogative
Calls not your counsels, but our natural goodness
Imparts this; which if you, or stupefied
Or seeming so in skill, cannot or will not
Relish a truth like us, inform yourselves
We need no more of your advice: the matter,
The loss, the gain, the ordering on’t, is all
Properly ours.

Antigonus

And I wish, my liege,
You had only in your silent judgment tried it,
Without more overture.

Leontes

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 gross as ever touch’d conjecture,
That lack’d sight only, nought for approbation
But only seeing, all other circumstances
Made up to the deed, doth push on this proceeding:
Yet, for a greater confirmation,
For in an act of this importance ’twere
Most piteous to be wild, I have dispatch’d in post
To sacred Delphos, to Apollo’s temple,
Cleomenes and Dion, whom you know
Of stuff’d sufficiency: now from the oracle
They will bring all; whose spiritual counsel had,
Shall stop or spur me. Have I done well?

First Lord Well done, my lord. Leontes

Though I am satisfied and need no more
Than what I know, yet shall the oracle
Give rest 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 confined,
Lest that the treachery of the two fled hence
Be left her to perform. Come, follow us;
We are to speak in public; for this business
Will raise us all.

Antigonus

Aside. To laughter, as I take it,
If the good truth were known. Exeunt.

Scene II

A prison.

	Enter Paulina, a Gentleman, and Attendants.
Paulina	The keeper of the prison, call to him; let him have knowledge who I am. Exit Gentleman. Good lady, No court in Europe is too good for thee; What dost thou then in prison?
	Re-enter Gentleman, with the Gaoler.
	Now, good sir, You know me, do you not?
Gaoler	For a worthy lady And one whom much I honour.
Paulina	Pray you then, Conduct me to the queen.
Gaoler	I may not, madam: To the contrary I have express commandment.
Paulina	Here’s ado, To lock up honesty and honour from The access of gentle visitors! Is’t lawful, pray you, To see her women? any of them? Emilia?
Gaoler	So please you, madam, To put apart these your attendants, I Shall bring Emilia forth.
Paulina	I pray now, call her. Withdraw yourselves. Exeunt Gentleman and Attendants.
Gaoler	And, madam, I must be present at your conference.
Paulina	Well, be’t so, prithee. Exit Gaoler. Here’s such ado to make no stain a stain As passes colouring.
	Re-enter Gaoler, with Emilia.
	Dear gentlewoman, How fares our gracious lady?
Emilia	As well as one so great and so