The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (719 page)

the reason was no longer in existence–part of the reason,

she is the adulteress; the fornicating king

is quite out of my reach, out of the range

of my shots, plot–proof; but I can

deal with her: what if she were gone,

burned alive, maybe a portion of my rest

might come back to me. Who's there?

First Servant

My lord?

My lord?

LEONTES

How does the boy?

How is the boy?

First Servant

He took good rest to-night;

'Tis hoped his sickness is discharged.

He had a good sleep tonight;

we hope that the illness is passed.

LEONTES

To see his nobleness!

Conceiving the dishonour of his mother,

He straight declined, droop'd, took it deeply,

Fasten'd and fix'd the shame on't in himself,

Threw off his spirit, his appetite, his sleep,

And downright languish'd. Leave me solely: go,

See how he fares.

Exit Servant

Fie, fie! no thought of him:

The thought of my revenges that way

Recoil upon me: in himself too mighty,

And in his parties, his alliance; let him be

Until a time may serve: for present vengeance,

Take it on her. Camillo and Polixenes

Laugh at me, make their pastime at my sorrow:

They should not laugh if I could reach them, nor

Shall she within my power.

Enter PAULINA, with a child

See how noble he is!

Seeing the shame of his mother,

he fell straight into a decline, drooped, took it very hard,

assumed all the guilt of it for himself,

became low spirited, lost his appetite, could not sleep,

and completely weakened. Leave me alone.

Go and see how he is.

Come on now, don't think about him!

The very thought of taking my revenge in that way

is ridiculous: he is too mighty on his own,

and he has allies. Let him be

until the time is right; for the moment take revenge

on her. Camillo and Polixenes

laugh at me, my sorrow is their entertainment.

They would not laugh if I could get at them, and

as she is within my power she shall not laugh.

First Lord

You must not enter.

You can't come in.

PAULINA

Nay, rather, good my lords, be second to me:

Fear you his tyrannous passion more, alas,

Than the queen's life? a gracious innocent soul,

More free than he is jealous.

No, my good lords, support me:

alas, are you too afraid to face his tyrannous anger

when the queen's life is at stake? She is a gracious innocent

who is as guiltless as he is jealous.

ANTIGONUS

That's enough.

That's enough.

Second Servant

Madam, he hath not slept tonight; commanded

None should come at him.

Madam, he has not slept tonight; he ordered

that nobody should disturb him.

PAULINA

Not so hot, good sir:

I come to bring him sleep. 'Tis such as you,

That creep like shadows by him and do sigh

At each his needless heavings, such as you

Nourish the cause of his awaking: I

Do come with words as medicinal as true,

Honest as either, to purge him of that humour

That presses him from sleep.

Don't be so hasty, good sir:

I have come to help him sleep. It's people like you,

that tiptoe around him and pity

all his needless commotion, your type

is feeding the thing which keeps him awake: I

have come with words which are as good for him as they are true,

as honest as you could wish for, to drive out the mood

that keeps him from his sleep.

LEONTES

What noise there, ho?

What's the racket out there?

PAULINA

No noise, my lord; but needful conference

About some gossips for your highness.

No racket, my lord; just a necessary discussion

about some godparents for your highness.

LEONTES

How!

Away with that audacious lady! Antigonus,

I charged thee that she should not come about me:

I knew she would.

What!

Take that cheeky lady away! Antigonus,

I ordered you that she should not come near me:

I knew she would try.

ANTIGONUS

I told her so, my lord,

On your displeasure's peril and on mine,

She should not visit you.

I told her so, my lord,

I told her that she should not visit you

or she would face your anger and mine.

LEONTES

What, canst not rule her?

What, can't you control her?

PAULINA

From all dishonesty he can: in this,

Unless he take the course that you have done,

Commit me for committing honour, trust it,

He shall not rule me.

He can stop me from doing anything dishonourable:

in this matter, unless he follows your course,

and imprisons me for being honourable, I can assure you

that he will not tell me what to do.

ANTIGONUS

La you now, you hear:

When she will take the rein I let her run;

But she'll not stumble.

There, you see how she talks:

when I can control her I let her have her head;

but she won't slip.

PAULINA

Good my liege, I come;

And, I beseech you, hear me, who profess

Myself your loyal servant, your physician,

Your most obedient counsellor, yet that dare

Less appear so in comforting your evils,

Than such as most seem yours: I say, I come

From your good queen.

My good lord, I am coming;

and, I beg you, listen to me, who declares

that I am your loyal servant, your doctor,

your most obedient counsellor, but I dare

to appear differently by not supporting your wrongdoing,

which is more than most of your people will do: I tell you, I have come

from your good queen.

LEONTES

Good queen!

Good queen!

PAULINA

Good queen, my lord,

Good queen; I say good queen;

And would by combat make her good, so were I

A man, the worst about you.

Good queen, my lord,

good queen; I say good queen;

I would prove her goodness in combat, if I were

a man, even if I were the weakest of you all.

LEONTES

Force her hence.

Throw her out.

PAULINA

Let him that makes but trifles of his eyes

First hand me: on mine own accord I'll off;

But first I'll do my errand. The good queen,

For she is good, hath brought you forth a daughter;

Here 'tis; commends it to your blessing.

Laying down the child

If anyone doesn't care about his eyes,

let him lay hands on me: I'll leave of my own accord;

but first I'll do my errand. The good queen,

for she is good, has produced a daughter for use;

here it is; she asks you to bless it.

LEONTES

Out!

A mankind witch! Hence with her, out o' door:

A most intelligencing bawd!

Get out!

A mannish witch! Throw her out, out the door:

a scheming slut!

PAULINA

Not so:

I am as ignorant in that as you

In so entitling me, and no less honest

Than you are mad; which is enough, I'll warrant,

As this world goes, to pass for honest.

I am not:

I am as ignorant of that as you are

by calling me it, and I am as honourable

as you are mad; which I think is enough,

in the eyes of the world, to be seen as honourable.

LEONTES

Traitors!

Will you not push her out? Give her the bastard.

Thou dotard! thou art woman-tired, unroosted

By thy dame Partlet here. Take up the bastard;

Take't up, I say; give't to thy crone.

Traitors!

Will you not throw her out? Give her the bastard.

You old fool! You are henpecked, pushed off your perch

by this old hen. Pick up the bastard;

pick it up, I say; give it to your bleating wife.

PAULINA

For ever

Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou

Takest up the princess by that forced baseness

Which he has put upon't!

Your hands will be for ever

despised, if you

pick up the princess under that foul name

which he has given her!

LEONTES

He dreads his wife.

He's afraid of his wife.

PAULINA

So I would you did; then 'twere past all doubt

You'ld call your children yours.

I wish you were; then you would definitely

acknowledge your children as your own.

LEONTES

A nest of traitors!

A nest of traitors!

ANTIGONUS

I am none, by this good light.

I am not one, I swear.

PAULINA

Nor I, nor any

But one that's here, and that's himself, for he

The sacred honour of himself, his queen's,

His hopeful son's, his babe's, betrays to slander,

Whose sting is sharper than the sword's;

and will not--

For, as the case now stands, it is a curse

He cannot be compell'd to't--once remove

The root of his opinion, which is rotten

As ever oak or stone was sound.

Nor am I, nor is anyone here

but one, and that's him, for he

has slandered, in terms sharper than a sword's sting,

the sacred honour of himself, his queen,

his son and heir, and his baby, and he will not–

for as matters stand unfortunately

he cannot be forced to do it–get rid of

his wrong ideas, which are as rotten

as oak and stone are sound.

LEONTES

A callat

Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband

And now baits me! This brat is none of mine;

It is the issue of Polixenes: