The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (720 page)

Hence with it, and together with the dam

Commit them to the fire!

A harridan

of endless words, who has just beaten her husband

and now attacks me! This brat is nothing to do with me;

Polixenes is its father:

take it away, and throw it into the fire

alongside its mother!

PAULINA

It is yours;

And, might we lay the old proverb to your charge,

So like you, 'tis the worse. Behold, my lords,

Although the print be little, the whole matter

And copy of the father, eye, nose, lip,

The trick of's frown, his forehead, nay, the valley,

The pretty dimples of his chin and cheek,

His smiles,

The very mould and frame of hand, nail, finger:

And thou, good goddess Nature, which hast made it

So like to him that got it, if thou hast

The ordering of the mind too, 'mongst all colours

No yellow in't, lest she suspect, as he does,

Her children not her husband's!

It is yours,

and, we might quote the old proverb to you,

unluckily for it it is very like you. Look, my lords,

although the picture is small, the whole substance

and image of the father, eye, nose, lips,

the same look in the frown, the forehead, the wrinkles,

the pretty dimples of the chin and cheek,

his smiles,

the exact cast and shape of hand, nails and fingers:

and you, good Goddess nature, have made it

so like its father, if you also

arranged its mind, don't allow

any jealousy in there, in case she suspects, as he does,

that her children are not her husband's.

LEONTES

A gross hag

And, lozel, thou art worthy to be hang'd,

That wilt not stay her tongue.

A gross hag

and you, worthless lout, you should be hanged

for not keeping her quiet.

ANTIGONUS

Hang all the husbands

That cannot do that feat, you'll leave yourself

Hardly one subject.

Hang all the husbands

that can't manage that, and you'll have

hardly anyone left in the country.

LEONTES

Once more, take her hence.

I say again, take her away.

PAULINA

A most unworthy and unnatural lord

Can do no more.

This is a most unworthy and unnatural king;

we can do no more.

LEONTES

I'll ha' thee burnt.

I'll have you burnt.

PAULINA

I care not:

It is an heretic that makes the fire,

Not she which burns in't. I'll not call you tyrant;

But this most cruel usage of your queen,

Not able to produce more accusation

Than your own weak-hinged fancy, something savours

Of tyranny and will ignoble make you,

Yea, scandalous to the world.

I don't care:

it would be a heretic that lit the fire,

she who burnt in it would be none. I won't call you a tyrant;

but this terrible cruel treatment of your queen,

based on no more evidence

than your own weak minded imagination, does look

like tyranny and will make you dishonourable,

and the world will be scandalised.

LEONTES

On your allegiance,

Out of the chamber with her! Were I a tyrant,

Where were her life? she durst not call me so,

If she did know me one. Away with her!

By the oath you have sworn,

throw her out of the room! If I were a tyrant,

would she still be alive? If she knew I was one,

she would not dare to call me one. Throw her out!

PAULINA

I pray you, do not push me; I'll be gone.

Look to your babe, my lord; 'tis yours:

Jove send her

A better guiding spirit! What needs these hands?

You, that are thus so tender o'er his follies,

Will never do him good, not one of you.

So, so: farewell; we are gone.

Exit

Please, do not push me; I'll go.

Look at your baby, my lord; it is yours:

may Jove give her

a better guide than you! What use are these people?

All of you, who play along with his madness,

will never do him any good, not one of you.

There it is: farewell; we are going.

LEONTES

Thou, traitor, hast set on thy wife to this.

My child? away with't! Even thou, that hast

A heart so tender o'er it, take it hence

And see it instantly consumed with fire;

Even thou and none but thou. Take it up straight:

Within this hour bring me word 'tis done,

And by good testimony, or I'll seize thy life,

With what thou else call'st thine. If thou refuse

And wilt encounter with my wrath, say so;

The bastard brains with these my proper hands

Shall I dash out. Go, take it to the fire;

For thou set'st on thy wife.

You, traitor, egged your wife on to do this.

My child? A curse on it! I order you, who

cares for it so much, to take it out

and have it burnt at once;

I order you and nobody else to do this. Pick it up at once:

within the hour bring me word that is is done,

and with good evidence, or I shall take your life

and everything else belonging to you. If you refuse

and want to take on my anger, say so;

I shall bash out these bastard brains

with my own good hands. Go on, take it to the fire;

because it was you who encouraged your wife.

ANTIGONUS

I did not, sir:

These lords, my noble fellows, if they please,

Can clear me in't.

I did not, sir:

these lords, my noble peers, if they wish,

can clear me of it.

Lords

We can: my royal liege,

He is not guilty of her coming hither.

We can: my royal lord,

he is innocent of her coming here.

LEONTES

You're liars all.

You're all liars.

First Lord

Beseech your highness, give us better credit:

We have always truly served you, and beseech you

So to esteem of us, and on our knees we beg,

As recompense of our dear services

Past and to come, that you do change this purpose,

Which being so horrible, so bloody, must

Lead on to some foul issue: we all kneel.

I beg your highness, give us more credit than that:

we have always served you faithfully, and we beg you

here on our knees to do us the honour,

in return for the kind services

we have done and will do you, that you change your mind,

which is so horrible and bloody that it must

come to a terrible end: we all kneel to you.

LEONTES

I am a feather for each wind that blows:

Shall I live on to see this bastard kneel

And call me father? better burn it now

Than curse it then. But be it; let it live.

It shall not neither. You, sir, come you hither;

You that have been so tenderly officious

With Lady Margery, your midwife there,

To save this bastard's life,--for 'tis a bastard,

So sure as this beard's grey,

--what will you adventure

To save this brat's life?

I am a plaything for the fates:

should I live on to see this bastard kneel

and call me father? It's better to burn it now

than to curse it then. But so be it; let it live.

It shan't do that. You, sir, come here;

you have been so softhearted,

with that gabbling woman there,

to save this bastard's life–for it is a bastard,

as certainly as this beard is grey–

what will you risk

to say this brat's life?

ANTIGONUS

Any thing, my lord,

That my ability may undergo

And nobleness impose: at least thus much:

I'll pawn the little blood which I have left

To save the innocent: any thing possible.

Anything, my lord,

that I have the ability to do

and that is honourable: I'll do at least this:

I'll risk the life I have left

to save the child: I'll do anything.

LEONTES

It shall be possible. Swear by this sword

Thou wilt perform my bidding.

This shall happen. Swear on this sword

that you will do as I say.

ANTIGONUS

I will, my lord.

I will, my lord.

LEONTES

Mark and perform it, see'st thou! for the fail

Of any point in't shall not only be

Death to thyself but to thy lewd-tongued wife,

Whom for this time we pardon. We enjoin thee,

As thou art liege-man to us, that thou carry

This female bastard hence and that thou bear it

To some remote and desert place quite out

Of our dominions, and that there thou leave it,

Without more mercy, to its own protection

And favour of the climate. As by strange fortune

It came to us, I do in justice charge thee,

On thy soul's peril and thy body's torture,

That thou commend it strangely to some place

Where chance may nurse or end it. Take it up.

Listen and make sure you do it! If you

miss out any point of it it won't only mean

death to you but for your foulmouthed wife,

whom I pardon for now. I order you,

as you are sworn to obedience to me, that you take

this female bastard away and carry it

to some remote and deserted place outside

my kingdom; you must leave it there,

without doing anything more for it,

to fend for itself. Since it came here

via a foreigner, it's only justice that I order you,

to save you from damnation for your soul and torture for your body,

to leave it in some foreign place

where fate may nurture it or kill it.

ANTIGONUS

I swear to do this, though a present death

Had been more merciful. Come on, poor babe:

Some powerful spirit instruct the kites and ravens

To be thy nurses! Wolves and bears, they say

Casting their savageness aside have done

Like offices of pity. Sir, be prosperous

In more than this deed does require! And blessing

Against this cruelty fight on thy side,

Poor thing, condemn'd to loss!

Exit with the child

I swear I'll do this, though an instant death