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You never spoke what did become you less |
Than this; which to reiterate were sin |
As deep as that, though true. |
LEONTES. Is whispering nothing? |
Is leaning cheek to cheek? Is meeting noses? |
Kissing with inside lip? Stopping the career |
Of laughter with a sigh?- a note infallible |
Of breaking honesty. Horsing foot on foot? |
Skulking in corners? Wishing clocks more swift; |
Hours, minutes; noon, midnight? And all eyes |
Blind with the pin and web but theirs, theirs only, |
That would unseen be wicked- is this nothing? |
Why, then the world and all that's in't is nothing; |
The covering sky is nothing; Bohemia nothing; |
My is nothing; nor nothing have these nothings, |
If this be nothing. |
CAMILLO. Good my lord, be cur'd |
Of this diseas'd opinion, and betimes; |
For 'tis most dangerous. |
LEONTES. Say it be, 'tis true. |
CAMILLO. No, no, my lord. |
LEONTES. It is; you lie, you lie. |
I say thou liest, Camillo, and I hate thee; |
Pronounce thee a gross lout, a mindless slave, |
Or else a hovering temporizer that |
Canst with thine eyes at once see good and evil, |
Inclining to them both. Were my wife's liver |
Infected as her life, she would not live |
The running of one glass. |
CAMILLO. Who does her? |
LEONTES. Why, he that wears her like her medal, hanging |
About his neck, Bohemia; who- if I |
Had servants true about me that bare eyes |
To see alike mine honour as their profits, |
Their own particular thrifts, they would do that |
Which should undo more doing. Ay, and thou, |
His cupbearer- whom I from meaner form |
Have bench'd and rear'd to worship; who mayst see, |
Plainly as heaven sees earth and earth sees heaven, |
How I am gall'd- mightst bespice a cup |
To give mine enemy a lasting wink; |
Which draught to me were cordial. |
CAMILLO. Sir, my lord, |
I could do this; and that with no rash potion, |
But with a ling'ring dram that should not work |
Maliciously like poison. But I cannot |
Believe this crack to be in my dread mistress, |
So sovereignly being honourable. |
I have lov'd thee- |
LEONTES. Make that thy question, and go rot! |
Dost think I am so muddy, so unsettled, |
To appoint myself in this vexation; sully |
The purity and whiteness of my sheets- |
Which to preserve is sleep, which being spotted |
Is goads, thorns, nettles, tails of wasps; |
Give scandal to the blood o' th' Prince, my son- |
Who I do think is mine, and love as mine- |
Without ripe moving to 't? Would I do this? |
Could man so blench? |
CAMILLO. I must believe you, sir. |
I do; and will fetch off Bohemia for't; |
Provided that, when he's remov'd, your Highness |
Will take again your queen as yours at first, |
Even for your son's sake; and thereby for sealing |
The injury of tongues in courts and kingdoms |
Known and allied to yours. |
LEONTES. Thou dost advise me |
Even so as I mine own course have set down. |
I'll give no blemish to her honour, none. |
CAMILLO. My lord, |
Go then; and with a countenance as clear |
As friendship wears at feasts, keep with Bohemia |
And with your queen. I am his cupbearer; |
If from me he have wholesome beverage, |
Account me not your servant. |
LEONTES. This is all: |
Do't, and thou hast the one half of my heart; |
Do't not, thou split'st thine own. |
CAMILLO. I'll do't, my lord. |
LEONTES. I will seem friendly, as thou hast advis'd me. Exit |
CAMILLO. O miserable lady! But, for me, |
What case stand I in? I must be the poisoner |
Of good Polixenes; and my ground to do't |
Is the obedience to a master; one |
Who, in rebellion with himself, will have |
All that are his so too. To do this deed, |
Promotion follows. If I could find example |
Of thousands that had struck anointed kings |
And flourish'd after, I'd not do't; but since |
Nor brass, nor stone, nor parchment, bears not one, |
Let villainy itself forswear't. I must |
Forsake the court. To do't, or no, is certain |
To me a break-neck. Happy star reign now! |
Here comes Bohemia. |
Enter POLIXENES |
POLIXENES. This is strange. Methinks |
My favour here begins to warp. Not speak? |
Good day, Camillo. |
CAMILLO. Hail, most royal sir! |
POLIXENES. What is the news i' th' court? |
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