The Winter's Tale (19 page)

SECOND GENTLEMAN
     Nothing but
bonfires
²⁰
. The oracle is fulfilled.
       The king's daughter is found. Such a deal of wonder is
       broken out within this hour that
ballad-makers
²²
cannot be
       able to express it.

Enter another Gentleman

     Here comes the lady Paulina's steward. He can deliver you
       more. How goes it now, sir? This news, which is called true, is
       so like an old tale that the
verity
²⁶
of it is in strong suspicion.
       Has the king found his heir?

THIRD GENTLEMAN
     Most true, if ever truth were
pregnant by
       circumstance
²⁸
. That which you hear you'll swear you see,
       there is such unity in the proofs. The
mantle
³⁰
of Queen
       Hermione's, her jewel about the neck of it, the letters of
       Antigonus found with it which they know to be his
      
character
³³
, the majesty of the creature in resemblance of the
       mother, the
affection of
³⁴
nobleness which nature shows
       above her breeding, and many other evidences proclaim her
       with all certainty to be the king's daughter. Did you see the
       meeting of the two kings?

SECOND GENTLEMAN
     No.

THIRD GENTLEMAN
     Then have you lost a sight which was to be
       seen, cannot be spoken of. There might you have beheld one
       joy crown another, so and in such manner that it seemed
       sorrow wept to take leave of them, for their joy waded in
       tears. There was casting up of eyes, holding up of hands,
       with
countenance
⁴⁴
of such
distraction
that they were to be
       known by garment, not by
favour
⁴⁵
. Our king, being ready to
       leap out of himself for joy of his found daughter, as if that
       joy were now become a loss, cries ‘O, thy mother, thy
       mother!' Then asks Bohemia forgiveness, then embraces his
       son-in-law, then again
worries he
⁴⁹
his daughter with
      
clipping
⁵⁰
her. Now he thanks the old shepherd, which stands
      
by
like a weather-bitten conduit of many kings' reigns
⁵¹
. I
       never heard of such another encounter, which
lames report
       to follow it
⁵²
and
un
do
⁵³
description to do it.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
     What, pray you, became of Antigonus, that
       carried hence the child?

THIRD GENTLEMAN
     Like an old tale still, which will have matter to
      
rehearse
⁵⁷
, though
credit
be asleep and not an ear open: he
       was torn to pieces
with
⁵⁸
a bear. This
avouches
the shepherd's
       son, who has not only his
innocence
⁵⁹
, which seems much, to
       justify him, but a handkerchief and rings of his that Paulina
       knows.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
     What became of his
bark
⁶²
and his followers?

THIRD GENTLEMAN
     Wrecked the same instant of their master's
       death and in the view of the shepherd, so that all the
       instruments which aided to expose the child were even then
       lost when it was found. But, O, the noble combat that 'twixt
       joy and sorrow was fought in Paulina! She had
one eye
       declined for the loss of her husband, another elevated
⁶⁷
that
       the oracle was fulfilled. She lifted the princess from the earth,
       and so locks her in embracing, as if she would pin her to her
       heart that she might no more be in danger of
losing
⁷¹
.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
     The dignity of this act was worth the
       audience of kings and princes, for by such was it acted.

THIRD GENTLEMAN
     One of the
prettiest touches
⁷⁴
of all and that
       which angled for mine eyes,
caught the water
⁷⁵
though not
       the fish, was when, at the relation of the queen's death, with
       the manner how she came to't bravely confessed and
       lamented by the king, how
attentiveness
⁷⁸
wounded his
       daughter, till, from one sign of
dolour
⁷⁹
to another, she did,
       with an ‘Alas', I would
fain
⁸⁰
say, bleed tears, for I am sure my
      
heart wept blood. Who was most
marble
⁸¹
there changed
       colour, some swooned, all sorrowed. If all the world could
       have seen't, the woe had been universal.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
     Are they returned to the court?

THIRD GENTLEMAN
     No. The princess hearing of her mother's
       statue, which is in the keeping of Paulina — a piece many
       years in doing and now
newly performed
⁸⁷
by that rare Italian
       master,
Julio Romano
⁸⁸
, who, had he himself eternity and
       could put breath into his work, would
beguile
⁸⁹
nature of her
      
custom
⁹⁰
, so perfectly he is her
ape
. He so near to Hermione
       hath
done
⁹¹
Hermione that they say one would speak to her
       and stand in hope of answer. Thither with all greediness of
       affection are they gone, and there they intend to sup.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
     I thought she had some great matter there
       in hand, for she hath privately twice or thrice a day, ever
       since the death of Hermione visited that
removèd
⁹⁶
house.
       Shall we thither and with our company
piece
⁹⁷
the rejoicing?

FIRST GENTLEMAN
     Who would be
thence
⁹⁸
that has the benefit of
       access? Every wink of an eye some new
grace
⁹⁹
will be born.
       Our absence makes us
unthrifty
¹⁰⁰
to our knowledge. Let's
       along.
Exeunt
[
Gentlemen
]

AUTOLYCUS
     Now, had I not the
dash
¹⁰²
of my former life in me,
       would
preferment
¹⁰³
drop on my head. I brought the old man
       and his son aboard
the
¹⁰⁴
prince; told him I heard them talk
       of a fardel and I know not what. But he at that time,
       overfond of the shepherd's daughter, so he then took her to
       be, who began to be much sea-sick, and himself little better,
       extremity of weather continuing, this mystery remained
       undiscovered. But 'tis all one to me, for had I been the finder
       out of this secret, it would not have
relished
¹¹⁰
among my other
      
discredits
¹¹¹
.

Enter Shepherd and Clown

     Here come those I have done good to against my will, and
       already appearing in the
blossoms
¹¹³
of their fortune.

SHEPHERD
     Come, boy. I am past more children, but thy sons
       and daughters will be all gentlemen born.

CLOWN
     You are well met, sir. You denied to fight with me
      
this
¹¹⁷
other day, because I was no gentleman born. See you
       these clothes? Say you see them not and think me still no
       gentleman born. You were best say these robes are not
       gentlemen born.
Give me the lie
¹²⁰
, do, and
try
whether I am
       not now a gentleman born.

AUTOLYCUS
     I know you are now, sir, a gentleman born.

CLOWN
     Ay, and have been so any time these four hours.

SHEPHERD
     And so have I, boy.

CLOWN
     So you have, but I was a gentleman born before my
       father, for the king's son took me by the hand, and called me
       brother, and then the two kings called my father brother, and
       then the prince my brother and the princess my sister called
       my father father; and so we wept, and there was the first
       gentleman-like tears that ever we shed.

SHEPHERD
     We may live, son, to shed many more.

CLOWN
     Ay, or else 'twere hard luck, being in so
preposterous
¹³²
       estate as we are.

AUTOLYCUS
     I humbly beseech you, sir, to pardon me all the
       faults I have committed to your worship and to
give me your
       good report
¹³⁵
to the prince my master.

SHEPHERD
     Prithee, son, do, for we must be
gentle
¹³⁷
, now we are
       gentlemen.

CLOWN
     Thou wilt amend thy life?

AUTOLYCUS
     Ay, an it like your good worship.

CLOWN
     Give me thy hand. I will swear to the prince thou art
       as honest a true fellow as any is in Bohemia.

SHEPHERD
     You may say it, but not swear it.

CLOWN
     Not swear it, now I am a gentleman? Let
boors
¹⁴⁴
and
      
franklins
¹⁴⁵
say it, I'll swear it.

SHEPHERD
     How if it be false, son?

CLOWN
     If it be
ne'er so false
¹⁴⁷
, a true gentleman may swear it
      
in
¹⁴⁸
the behalf of his friend, and I'll swear to the prince thou
       art a
tall fellow of thy hands
¹⁴⁹
and that thou wilt not be drunk.
       But I know thou art no tall fellow of thy hands and that thou
       wilt be drunk. But I'll swear it, and I
would
¹⁵¹
thou wouldst be
       a tall fellow of thy hands.

AUTOLYCUS
     I will prove so, sir,
to my power
¹⁵³
.

CLOWN
     Ay, by any means prove a tall fellow. If I do not
       wonder how thou dar'st venture to be drunk, not being a tall
       fellow, trust me not. Hark, the kings and the princes, our
       kindred, are going to see the queen's
picture
¹⁵⁷
. Come, follow
       us. We'll be thy good masters.
Exeunt

Enter Leontes, Polixenes, Florizel, Perdita, Camillo, Paulina, Lords and Attendants

LEONTES
     O
grave
¹
and good Paulina, the great comfort
       That I have had of thee!

PAULINA
    
What
³
, sovereign sir,
       I did not well I meant well. All my services
       You have
paid home
⁵
. But that you have
vouchsafed
,
       With your crowned brother and these your
contracted
⁶
       Heirs of your kingdoms, my poor house to visit,
       It is a surplus of your grace,
which never
       My life may last to answer
⁸
.

LEONTES
     O Paulina,
       We honour you with
trouble
¹¹
. But we came
       To see the statue of our queen. Your
gallery
¹²
       Have we passed through, not without much
content
¹³
       In many
singularities
¹⁴
, but we saw not
       That which my daughter came to look upon,
       The statue of her mother.

Paulina draws a curtain and reveals

PAULINA
     As she lived peerless,
       So her dead likeness, I do well believe,
       Excels whatever yet you looked upon
       Or hand of man hath done: therefore I keep it
      
Lonely
²¹
, apart. But here it is. Prepare
       To see the life as
lively mocked
²²
as ever
      
Still
²³
sleep mocked death. Behold, and say
           'tis
well
.
       I like your silence, it the more shows off
       Your wonder. But yet speak. First, you,
       my liege,
       Comes it not
something near
²⁶
?

Hermione standing like a statue

LEONTES
     Her natural posture!
       Chide me, dear stone, that I may say indeed
       Thou art Hermione; or rather, thou art she
       In thy not chiding, for she was as tender
       As infancy and grace. But yet, Paulina,
       Hermione was not so much wrinkled, nothing
       So agèd as this seems.