The Winter's Tale (14 page)

MOPSA
     Is it true, think you?

AUTOLYCUS
     Very true, and but a month old.

DORCAS
     Bless me from marrying a usurer!

AUTOLYCUS
     Here's the midwife's name to't, one Mistress
Tale-porter
²⁸⁷
,
       and five or six honest wives that were present. Why
       should I carry lies abroad?

MOPSA
     Pray you now, buy it.

CLOWN
     Come on,
lay it by
²⁹¹
, and let's first see more ballads.
       We'll buy the other things anon.

AUTOLYCUS
     Here's another ballad of a fish that appeared upon
       the coast on Wednesday the
fourscore
²⁹⁴
of April,
forty
       thousand fathom
above water, and sung this ballad against
       the hard hearts of maids. It was thought she was a woman
       and was turned into a cold fish for she would not
exchange
       flesh
²⁹⁷
with one that loved her. The ballad is very pitiful and as
       true.

DORCAS
     Is it true too, think you?

AUTOLYCUS
     Five
justices'
³⁰¹
hands
at it, and witnesses more than
       my
pack
³⁰²
will hold.

CLOWN
     Lay it by too; another.

AUTOLYCUS
     This is a merry ballad, but a very pretty one.

MOPSA
     Let's have some merry ones.

AUTOLYCUS
     Why, this is a
passing
³⁰⁶
merry one and goes to the
       tune of ‘Two maids wooing a man'. There's scarce a maid
       westward but she sings it. 'Tis in
request
³⁰⁸
, I can tell you.

MOPSA
     We can both sing it. If thou'lt
bear a part
³⁰⁹
, thou shalt
       hear. 'Tis in three parts.

DORCAS
     We had the tune
on't
³¹¹
a month ago.

AUTOLYCUS
     I can bear my part. You must know 'tis my
       occupation.
Have at it with you
³¹³
.

         [
They sing the
]
song

AUTOLYCUS
     Get you hence, for I must go
           Where it fits not you to know.

DORCAS
     Whither?

MOPSA
     O, whither?

DORCAS
     Whither?

MOPSA
     It becomes thy oath full well,
           Thou to me thy secrets tell.

DORCAS
     Me too, let me go thither.

MOPSA
    
Or
³²²
thou goest to th'
grange
or mill.

DORCAS
     If to either, thou dost
ill
³²³
.

AUTOLYCUS
     Neither.

DORCAS
     What, neither?

AUTOLYCUS
     Neither.

DORCAS
     Thou hast sworn my love to be.

MOPSA
     Thou hast sworn it more to me.

         Then whither goest? Say, whither?

CLOWN
     We'll
have this song out anon
³³⁰
by ourselves. My
       father and the gentlemen are in
sad
³³¹
talk, and we'll not
       trouble them. Come, bring away thy pack after me.
       Wenches, I'll buy for you both. Pedlar, let's have the first
       choice. Follow me, girls.
[
Exit with Dorcas and Mopsa
]

AUTOLYCUS
     And you shall pay well for 'em.

Song
Will you buy any tape,
Follows them, singing
           Or lace for your cape,
           My dainty duck, my dear-a?
           Any silk, any thread,
           Any
toys
³⁴⁰
for your head,
           Of the new'st and finest, finest wear-a?
           Come to the pedlar.
           Money's a meddler.
           That doth
utter
³⁴⁴
all men's
ware-a
.
Exit

[
Enter Servant
]

SERVANT
     Master, there is three
carters
³⁴⁵
, three shepherds,
       three
neat-herds
³⁴⁶
, three swine-herds, that have
made
       themselves all men of hair
. They call themselves
Saltiers
³⁴⁷
, and
     they have a dance which the wenches say is a
gallimaufry of
       gambols
³⁴⁸
, because they are not in't. But they themselves are
       o'th'mind, if it be not too rough for some that know little but
      
bowling
³⁵¹
, it will please plentifully.

SHEPHERD
     Away! We'll none on't; here has been too much
      
homely
³⁵³
foolery already. I know, sir, we weary you.

POLIXENES
     You weary those that refresh us. Pray let's see these
       four
threes
³⁵⁵
of herdsmen.

SERVANT
     One three of them, by their own report, sir, hath
       danced before the king, and not the worst of the three but
       jumps twelve foot and a half
by th'square
³⁵⁸
.

SHEPHERD
     Leave your
prating
³⁵⁹
. Since these good men are
       pleased, let them come in. But quickly now.

SERVANT
     Why, they
stay
³⁶¹
at door, sir.
Goes to the door

Here a dance of twelve Satyrs

To Shepherd

POLIXENES
     O,
father
³⁶²
,
you'll know more of that
           hereafter
.—
       Is it not too far gone? 'Tis time to part them.
To Camillo
      
He's simple
³⁶⁴
and tells much.—
               How now, fair shepherd!
To Florizel
       Your heart is full of something that does take
       Your mind from feasting. Sooth, when I was young

       And
handed
³⁶⁷
love as you do, I was
wont
       To load my
she with knacks
³⁶⁸
. I would have ransacked
       The pedlar's silken treasury and have poured it
       To her acceptance. You have let him go
       And nothing
marted
³⁷¹
with him. If your lass
      
Interpretation should abuse
³⁷²
and call this
       Your lack of love or
bounty
³⁷³
, you were
straited
       For a reply, at least if you
make a care
       Of happy holding her
³⁷⁴
.

FLORIZEL
     Old sir, I know
       She prizes not such trifles as these are.
       The gifts she
looks
³⁷⁸
from me are packed and locked
       Up in my heart, which I have given already,
       But not
delivered
³⁸⁰
. O, hear me
breathe my life
       Before this ancient sir, whom, it should seem,
       Hath
sometime
³⁸²
loved.— I take thy hand, this hand,
To Perdita
       As soft as dove's down and as white as it,
       Or Ethiopian's tooth, or the fanned snow that's
bolted
³⁸⁴
       By th'northern
blasts
³⁸⁵
twice o'er.
Takes her hand

POLIXENES
     What follows this?
       How prettily th'young swain seems to
wash
³⁸⁷
       The hand
was
³⁸⁸
fair before! I have
put you out
.
       But
to
³⁸⁹
your
protestation
: let me hear
       What you profess.

FLORIZEL
     Do, and be witness to't.

POLIXENES
     And this my neighbour too?

FLORIZEL
     And he, and more
       Than he, and men, the earth, the heavens, and all;
       That were I crowned the most imperial monarch,
      
Thereof
³⁹⁶
most worthy, were I the fairest youth
       That ever made eye swerve, had force and knowledge
       More than was ever man's, I would not prize them
       Without her love; for her employ them all,
      
Commend them and condemn them to her service
       Or to their own perdition
⁴⁰⁰
.

POLIXENES
     Fairly offered.

CAMILLO
     This shows a sound affection.

SHEPHERD
     But, my daughter,
       Say you the like to him?

PERDITA
     I cannot speak
       So well, nothing so well. No, nor mean better.
      
By th'pattern of mine own thoughts I cut out
       The purity of his
⁴⁰⁸
.

SHEPHERD
     Take hands, a bargain!
       And, friends unknown, you shall bear witness to't.
       I give my daughter to him, and will make
       Her
portion
⁴¹³
equal his.

FLORIZEL
     O, that must be
       I'th'virtue of your daughter:
one being dead
⁴¹⁵
,
       I shall have more than you can dream of yet,
       Enough then for your wonder. But come on,
      
Contract us 'fore these witnesses
⁴¹⁸
.

SHEPHERD
     Come, your hand.
       And, daughter, yours.

POLIXENES
    
Soft
⁴²¹
,
swain
, awhile, beseech you.
       Have you a father?

FLORIZEL
     I have, but what of him?

POLIXENES
     Knows he of this?

FLORIZEL
     He neither does nor shall.

POLIXENES
     Methinks a father
       Is at the nuptial of his son a guest
       That best
becomes
⁴²⁸
the table. Pray you once more,
       Is not your father grown
incapable
       Of
⁴²⁹
reasonable affairs? Is he not stupid
       With age and
alt'ring rheums
⁴³¹
? Can he speak? Hear?
       Know man from man?
Dispute
⁴³²
his own estate?
     Lies he not bed-rid? And again
does nothing
       But what he did being childish
⁴³³
?

FLORIZEL
     No, good sir.
       He has his health and ampler strength indeed
       Than most have of his age.

POLIXENES
     By my white beard,
       You offer him, if this be so, a wrong
       Something
unfilial
⁴⁴⁰
.
Reason
my son
       Should choose himself a wife, but as good reason
       The father, all whose joy is nothing else
       But fair
posterity
⁴⁴³
, should
hold some counsel
       In such a business.

FLORIZEL
     I
yield
⁴⁴⁵
all this.
       But for some other reasons, my grave sir,
       Which 'tis not fit you know, I not acquaint
       My father of this business.

POLIXENES
     Let him know't.

FLORIZEL
     He shall not.

POLIXENES
     Prithee let him.

FLORIZEL
     No, he must not.

SHEPHERD
     Let him, my son. He shall not need to grieve
       At knowing of thy choice.

FLORIZEL
     Come, come, he must not.
      
Mark
⁴⁵⁶
our contract.

Takes off disguise

POLIXENES
     Mark your divorce, young sir,
       Whom son I dare not call. Thou art too base
       To be acknowledged. Thou a sceptre's heir,
       That thus
affects
⁴⁶⁰
a
sheep-hook
!— Thou, old
To Shepherd
           traitor,
       I am sorry that by hanging thee I can
       But shorten thy life one week.— And thou, fresh
To Perdita
           piece
     Of
excellent
⁴⁶³
witchcraft, who
of force
must know
      The royal fool thou
cop'st with
⁴⁶⁴
—

SHEPHERD
     O, my heart!

POLIXENES
     I'll have thy beauty scratched with briers and made
       More
homely
⁴⁶⁷
than thy state.— For thee,
fond
boy,
To Florizel
       If I may ever know thou dost but sigh
       That thou no more shalt see this
knack
⁴⁶⁹
, as never