lyimo/shakespear · Datasets at Hugging Face

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to whose feeling sorrows I might be some allay, or I o'erween to
think so, which is another spur to my departure.
POLIXENES. As thou lov'st me, Camillo, wipe not out the rest of thy
services by leaving me now. The need I have of thee thine own
goodness hath made. Better not to have had thee than thus to want
thee; thou, having made me businesses which none without thee can
sufficiently manage, must either stay to execute them thyself, or
take away with thee the very services thou hast done; which if I
have not enough considered- as too much I cannot- to be more
thankful to thee shall be my study; and my profit therein the
heaping friendships. Of that fatal country Sicilia, prithee,
speak no more; whose very naming punishes me with the remembrance
of that penitent, as thou call'st him, and reconciled king, my
brother; whose loss of his most precious queen and children are
even now to be afresh lamented. Say to me, when saw'st thou the
Prince Florizel, my son? Kings are no less unhappy, their issue
not being gracious, than they are in losing them when they have
approved their virtues.
CAMILLO. Sir, it is three days since I saw the Prince. What his
happier affairs may be are to me unknown; but I have missingly
noted he is of late much retired from court, and is less frequent
to his princely exercises than formerly he hath appeared.
POLIXENES. I have considered so much, Camillo, and with some care,
so far that I have eyes under my service which look upon his
removedness; from whom I have this intelligence, that he is
seldom from the house of a most homely shepherd- a man, they say,
that from very nothing, and beyond the imagination of his
neighbours, is grown into an unspeakable estate.
CAMILLO. I have heard, sir, of such a man, who hath a daughter of
most rare note. The report of her is extended more than can be
thought to begin from such a cottage.
POLIXENES. That's likewise part of my intelligence; but, I fear, the
angle that plucks our son thither. Thou shalt accompany us to the
place; where we will, not appearing what we are, have some
question with the shepherd; from whose simplicity I think it not
uneasy to get the cause of my son's resort thither. Prithee be my
present partner in this business, and lay aside the thoughts of
Sicilia.
CAMILLO. I willingly obey your command.
POLIXENES. My best Camillo! We must disguise ourselves.
Exeunt




SCENE III.
Bohemia. A road near the SHEPHERD'S cottage

Enter AUTOLYCUS, singing

When daffodils begin to peer,
With heigh! the doxy over the dale,
Why, then comes in the sweet o' the year,
For the red blood reigns in the winter's pale.

The white sheet bleaching on the hedge,
With heigh! the sweet birds, O, how they sing!
Doth set my pugging tooth on edge,
For a quart of ale is a dish for a king.

The lark, that tirra-lirra chants,
With heigh! with heigh! the thrush and the jay,
Are summer songs for me and my aunts,
While we lie tumbling in the hay.

I have serv'd Prince Florizel, and in my time wore three-pile;
but now I am out of service.

But shall I go mourn for that, my dear?
The pale moon shines by night;
And when I wander here and there,
I then do most go right.

If tinkers may have leave to live,
And bear the sow-skin budget,
Then my account I well may give
And in the stocks avouch it.

My traffic is sheets; when the kite builds, look to lesser linen.
My father nam'd me Autolycus; who, being, I as am, litter'd under
Mercury, was likewise a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles. With
die and drab I purchas'd this caparison; and my revenue is the
silly-cheat. Gallows and knock are too powerful on the highway;
beating and hanging are terrors to me; for the life to come, I
sleep out the thought of it. A prize! a prize!

Enter CLOWN

CLOWN. Let me see: every 'leven wether tods; every tod yields pound
and odd shilling; fifteen hundred shorn, what comes the wool to?
AUTOLYCUS. [Aside] If the springe hold, the cock's mine.
CLOWN. I cannot do 't without counters. Let me see: what am I to
buy for our sheep-shearing feast? Three pound of sugar, five
pound of currants, rice- what will this sister of mine do with
rice? But my father hath made her mistress of the feast, and she
lays it on. She hath made me four and twenty nosegays for the
shearers- three-man song-men all, and very good ones; but they
are most of them means and bases; but one Puritan amongst them,
and he sings psalms to hornpipes. I must have saffron to colour
the warden pies; mace; dates- none, that's out of my note;

to whose feeling sorrows I might be some allay, or I o'erween to

think so, which is another spur to my departure.

POLIXENES. As thou lov'st me, Camillo, wipe not out the rest of thy

services by leaving me now. The need I have of thee thine own

goodness hath made. Better not to have had thee than thus to want

thee; thou, having made me businesses which none without thee can

sufficiently manage, must either stay to execute them thyself, or

take away with thee the very services thou hast done; which if I

have not enough considered- as too much I cannot- to be more

thankful to thee shall be my study; and my profit therein the

heaping friendships. Of that fatal country Sicilia, prithee,

speak no more; whose very naming punishes me with the remembrance

of that penitent, as thou call'st him, and reconciled king, my

brother; whose loss of his most precious queen and children are

even now to be afresh lamented. Say to me, when saw'st thou the

Prince Florizel, my son? Kings are no less unhappy, their issue

not being gracious, than they are in losing them when they have

approved their virtues.

CAMILLO. Sir, it is three days since I saw the Prince. What his

happier affairs may be are to me unknown; but I have missingly

noted he is of late much retired from court, and is less frequent

to his princely exercises than formerly he hath appeared.

POLIXENES. I have considered so much, Camillo, and with some care,

so far that I have eyes under my service which look upon his

removedness; from whom I have this intelligence, that he is

seldom from the house of a most homely shepherd- a man, they say,

that from very nothing, and beyond the imagination of his

neighbours, is grown into an unspeakable estate.

CAMILLO. I have heard, sir, of such a man, who hath a daughter of

most rare note. The report of her is extended more than can be

thought to begin from such a cottage.

POLIXENES. That's likewise part of my intelligence; but, I fear, the

angle that plucks our son thither. Thou shalt accompany us to the

place; where we will, not appearing what we are, have some

question with the shepherd; from whose simplicity I think it not

uneasy to get the cause of my son's resort thither. Prithee be my

present partner in this business, and lay aside the thoughts of

Sicilia.

CAMILLO. I willingly obey your command.

POLIXENES. My best Camillo! We must disguise ourselves.

Exeunt

SCENE III.

Bohemia. A road near the SHEPHERD'S cottage

Enter AUTOLYCUS, singing

When daffodils begin to peer,

With heigh! the doxy over the dale,

Why, then comes in the sweet o' the year,

For the red blood reigns in the winter's pale.

The white sheet bleaching on the hedge,

With heigh! the sweet birds, O, how they sing!

Doth set my pugging tooth on edge,

For a quart of ale is a dish for a king.

The lark, that tirra-lirra chants,

With heigh! with heigh! the thrush and the jay,

Are summer songs for me and my aunts,

While we lie tumbling in the hay.

I have serv'd Prince Florizel, and in my time wore three-pile;

but now I am out of service.

But shall I go mourn for that, my dear?

The pale moon shines by night;

And when I wander here and there,

I then do most go right.

If tinkers may have leave to live,

And bear the sow-skin budget,

Then my account I well may give

And in the stocks avouch it.

My traffic is sheets; when the kite builds, look to lesser linen.

My father nam'd me Autolycus; who, being, I as am, litter'd under

Mercury, was likewise a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles. With

die and drab I purchas'd this caparison; and my revenue is the

silly-cheat. Gallows and knock are too powerful on the highway;

beating and hanging are terrors to me; for the life to come, I

sleep out the thought of it. A prize! a prize!

Enter CLOWN

CLOWN. Let me see: every 'leven wether tods; every tod yields pound

and odd shilling; fifteen hundred shorn, what comes the wool to?

AUTOLYCUS. [Aside] If the springe hold, the cock's mine.

CLOWN. I cannot do 't without counters. Let me see: what am I to

buy for our sheep-shearing feast? Three pound of sugar, five

pound of currants, rice- what will this sister of mine do with

rice? But my father hath made her mistress of the feast, and she

lays it on. She hath made me four and twenty nosegays for the

shearers- three-man song-men all, and very good ones; but they

are most of them means and bases; but one Puritan amongst them,

and he sings psalms to hornpipes. I must have saffron to colour

the warden pies; mace; dates- none, that's out of my note;