The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare (book club suggestions txt) 📖

hand And clap thyself my love; then didst thou utter 'I am yours for ever.'

HERMIONE.
It is Grace indeed. Why, lo you now, I have spoke to the purpose twice; The one for ever earn'd a royal husband; Th' other for some while a friend.

[Giving her hand to POLIXENES.]

LEONTES. [Aside.]
Too hot, too hot! To mingle friendship far is mingling bloods. I have tremor cordis on me; - my heart dances; But not for joy, - not joy. - This entertainment May a free face put on; derive a liberty From heartiness, from bounty, fertile bosom, And well become the agent:'t may, I grant: But to be paddling palms and pinching fingers, As now they are; and making practis'd smiles As in a looking-glass; and then to sigh, as 'twere The mort o' the deer: O, that is entertainment My bosom likes not, nor my brows, - Mamillius, Art thou my boy?

MAMILLIUS.
Ay, my good lord.

LEONTES.
I' fecks! Why, that's my bawcock. What! hast smutch'd thy nose? - They say it is a copy out of mine. Come, captain, We must be neat; - not neat, but cleanly, captain: And yet the steer, the heifer, and the calf, Are all call'd neat. -

[Observing POLIXENES and HERMIONE]

Still virginalling Upon his palm? - How now, you wanton calf! Art thou my calf?

MAMILLIUS.
Yes, if you will, my lord.

LEONTES. Thou want'st a rough pash, and the shoots that I have, To be full like me: - yet they say we are Almost as like as eggs; women say so, That will say anything: but were they false As o'er-dy'd blacks, as wind, as waters, - false As dice are to be wish'd by one that fixes No bourn 'twixt his and mine; yet were it true To say this boy were like me. - Come, sir page, Look on me with your welkin eye: sweet villain! Most dear'st! my collop! - Can thy dam? - may't be? Affection! thy intention stabs the centre: Thou dost make possible things not so held, Communicat'st with dreams; - how can this be? - With what's unreal thou co-active art, And fellow'st nothing: then 'tis very credent Thou mayst co-join with something; and thou dost, - And that beyond commission; and I find it, - And that to the infection of my brains And hardening of my brows.

POLIXENES.
What means Sicilia?

HERMIONE. He something seems unsettled.

POLIXENES.
How! my lord! What cheer? How is't with you, best brother?

HERMIONE.
You look As if you held a brow of much distraction: Are you mov'd, my lord?

LEONTES.
No, in good earnest. - How sometimes nature will betray its folly, Its tenderness, and make itself a pastime To harder bosoms! Looking on the lines Of my boy's face, methoughts I did recoil Twenty-three years; and saw myself unbreech'd, In my green velvet coat; my dagger muzzled, Lest it should bite its master, and so prove, As ornaments oft do, too dangerous. How like, methought, I then was to this kernel, This squash, this gentleman. - Mine honest friend, Will you take eggs for money?

MAMILLIUS. No, my lord, I'll fight.

LEONTES. You will? Why, happy man be 's dole! - My brother, Are you so fond of your young prince as we Do seem to be of ours?

POLIXENES.
If at home, sir, He's all my exercise, my mirth, my matter: Now my sworn friend, and then mine enemy; My parasite, my soldier, statesman, all: He makes a July's day short as December; And with his varying childness cures in me Thoughts that would thick my blood.

LEONTES.
So stands this squire Offic'd with me. We two will walk, my lord, And leave you to your graver steps. - Hermione, How thou lov'st us show in our brother's welcome; Let what is dear in Sicily be cheap: Next to thyself and my young rover, he's Apparent to my heart.

HERMIONE.
If you would seek us, We are yours i' the garden. Shall 's attend you there?

LEONTES. To your own bents dispose you: you'll be found, Be you beneath the sky. [Aside] I am angling now. Though you perceive me not how I give line. Go to, go to!

[Observing POLIXENES and HERMIONE]

How she holds up the neb, the bill to him! And arms her with the boldness of a wife To her allowing husband!

[Exeunt POLIXENES, HERMIONE, and Attendants.]

Gone already! Inch-thick, knee-deep, o'er head and ears a fork'd one! - Go, play, boy, play: - thy mother plays, and I Play too; but so disgrac'd a part, whose issue Will hiss me to my grave: contempt and clamour Will be my knell. - Go, play, boy, play. - There have been, Or I am much deceiv'd, cuckolds ere now; And many a man there is, even at this present, Now while I speak this, holds his wife by the arm That little thinks she has been sluic'd in his absence, And his pond fish'd by his next neighbour, by Sir Smile, his neighbour; nay, there's comfort in't, Whiles other men have gates, and those gates open'd, As mine, against their will: should all despair That hath revolted wives, the tenth of mankind Would hang themselves. Physic for't there's none; It is a bawdy planet, that will strike Where 'tis predominant; and 'tis powerful, think it, From east, west, north, and south: be it concluded, No barricado for a belly: know't; It will let in and out the enemy With bag and baggage. Many thousand of us Have the disease, and feel't not. - How now, boy!

MAMILLIUS. I am like you, they say.

LEONTES.
Why, that's some comfort. - What! Camillo there?

CAMILLO. Ay, my good lord.

LEONTES. Go play, Mamillius; thou'rt an honest man. -

[Exit MAMILLIUS.]

Camillo, this great sir will yet stay longer.

CAMILLO. You had much ado to make his anchor hold: When you cast out, it still came home.

LEONTES.
Didst note it?

CAMILLO. He would not stay at your petitions; made His business more material.

LEONTES.
Didst perceive it? - [Aside.] They're here with me already; whispering, rounding, 'Sicilia is a so-forth.' 'Tis far gone When I shall gust it last. - How came't, Camillo, That he did stay?

CAMILLO.
At the good queen's entreaty.

LEONTES. At the queen's be't: 'good' should be pertinent; But so it is, it is not. Was this taken By any understanding pate but thine? For thy conceit is soaking, will draw in More than the common blocks: - not noted, is't, But of the finer natures? by some severals Of head-piece extraordinary? lower messes Perchance are to this business purblind? say.

CAMILLO. Business, my lord! I think most understand Bohemia stays here longer.

LEONTES.
Ha!

CAMILLO.
Stays here longer.

LEONTES. Ay, but why?

CAMILLO. To satisfy your highness, and the entreaties Of our most gracious mistress.

LEONTES.
Satisfy Th' entreaties of your mistress! - satisfy! - Let that suffice. I have trusted thee, Camillo, With all the nearest things to my heart, as well My chamber-councils, wherein, priest-like, thou Hast cleans'd my bosom; I from thee departed Thy penitent reform'd: but we have been Deceiv'd in thy integrity, deceiv'd In that which seems so.

CAMILLO.
Be it forbid, my lord!

LEONTES. To bide upon't, - thou art not honest; or, If thou inclin'st that way, thou art a coward, Which hoxes honesty behind, restraining From course requir'd; or else thou must be counted A servant grafted in my serious trust, And therein negligent; or else a fool That seest a game play'd home, the rich stake drawn, And tak'st it all for jest.

CAMILLO.
My gracious lord, I may be negligent, foolish, and fearful; In every one of these no man is free, But that his negligence, his folly, fear, Among the infinite doings of the world, Sometime puts forth: in your affairs, my lord, If ever I were wilful-negligent, It was my folly; if industriously I play'd the fool, it was my negligence, Not weighing well the end; if ever fearful To do a thing, where I the issue doubted, Whereof the execution did cry out Against the non-performance, 'twas a fear Which oft affects the wisest: these, my lord, Are such