The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (721 page)

would be more merciful. Come on, poor baby:

may some powerful spirit order the kites and ravens

to take care of you! They say that wolves and bears

have put aside their savagery to do

similar acts of care. Sir, may you have more luck

than you deserve for doing this deed! And may you

find mercy that outweighs this cruelty,

Poor baby, condemned to destruction!

LEONTES

No, I'll not rear

Another's issue.

Enter a Servant

No, I will not raise

someone else's child.

Servant

Please your highness, posts

From those you sent to the oracle are come

An hour since: Cleomenes and Dion,

Being well arrived from Delphos, are both landed,

Hasting to the court.

Your Highness, messages

have come an hour ago from the ones you sent

to the Oracle: Cleomenes and Dion,

having made a good journey from Delphos, have both landed,

and are hurrying to the court.

First Lord

So please you, sir, their speed

Hath been beyond account.

Well, sir, that's an amazingly

quick journey.

LEONTES

Twenty-three days

They have been absent: 'tis good speed; foretells

The great Apollo suddenly will have

The truth of this appear. Prepare you, lords;

Summon a session, that we may arraign

Our most disloyal lady, for, as she hath

Been publicly accused, so shall she have

A just and open trial. While she lives

My heart will be a burthen to me. Leave me,

And think upon my bidding.

Exeunt

They have been gone

twenty-three days: they've made good time; it shows

that great Apollo wants the truth of this to appear

quickly. Make preparations, lords;

call the court together, so we can charge

my disloyal wife, for, as she has

been publicly accused, she shall also have

a fair and open trial. My heart will always be heavy

as long as she is alive. Leave me,

and get on with my orders.

SCENE I. A sea-port in Sicilia.

Enter CLEOMENES and DION

CLEOMENES

The climate's delicate, the air most sweet,

Fertile the isle, the temple much surpassing

The common praise it bears.

The climate is moderate, the air is beautiful,

the island is fertile, and the temple is even greater

than the praise one hears of it.

DION

I shall report,

For most it caught me, the celestial habits,

Methinks I so should term them, and the reverence

Of the grave wearers. O, the sacrifice!

How ceremonious, solemn and unearthly

It was i' the offering!

I shall report

that the thing which most caught my eye was the heavenly clothes,

which is what I think is I should call them, and the holiness

of the grave ones who wore them. Oh, the sacrifice!

Have dignified, solemn and unearthly

the offering was.

CLEOMENES

But of all, the burst

And the ear-deafening voice o' the oracle,

Kin to Jove's thunder, so surprised my sense,

That I was nothing.

But out of everything, the eruption

of the deafening voice of the Oracle,

seeming like Jove's thunder, astonished me,

so I felt like nothing.

DION

If the event o' the journey

Prove as successful to the queen,--O be't so!--

As it hath been to us rare, pleasant, speedy,

The time is worth the use on't.

If the outcome of the journey

it is as successful for the queen–please let it be so!–

As it has been for us, exciting, pleasant and quick,

then the time has been well spent.

CLEOMENES

Great Apollo

Turn all to the best! These proclamations,

So forcing faults upon Hermione,

I little like.

May great Apollo

make everything turn out for the best!

I don't like these proclamations

which attribute all these faults to Hermione.

DION

The violent carriage of it

Will clear or end the business: when the oracle,

Thus by Apollo's great divine seal'd up,

Shall the contents discover, something rare

Even then will rush to knowledge. Go: fresh horses!

And gracious be the issue!

Exeunt

The rushed way it is being dealt with

will either throw out or finish the business: when

the contents of this prediction are revealed,

which was sealed up by Apollo's great priest,

something amazing will come to light. Let's go: bring fresh horses!

And may things turn out well!

SCENE II. A court of Justice.

Enter LEONTES, Lords, and Officers

LEONTES

This sessions, to our great grief we pronounce,

Even pushes 'gainst our heart: the party tried

The daughter of a king, our wife, and one

Of us too much beloved. Let us be clear'd

Of being tyrannous, since we so openly

Proceed in justice, which shall have due course,

Even to the guilt or the purgation.

Produce the prisoner.

I announce this trial with great sadness,

it pulls at my heartstrings: the person being tried

is the daughter of a king , my wife, someone

I loved too much. Do not let me be accused

of being a tyrant, since we are holding

an open trial, which will follow due procedures,

whether it produces a guilty verdict or an acquittal.

Bring out the prisoner.

Officer

It is his highness' pleasure that the queen

Appear in person here in court. Silence!

Enter HERMIONE guarded; PAULINA and Ladies attending

It is his Highness' order that the queen

should appear in person here in court. Silence!

LEONTES

Read the indictment.

Read the indictment.

Officer

[Reads] Hermione, queen to the worthy

Leontes, king of Sicilia, thou art here accused and

arraigned of high treason, in committing adultery

with Polixenes, king of Bohemia, and conspiring

with Camillo to take away the life of our sovereign

lord the king, thy royal husband: the pretence

whereof being by circumstances partly laid open,

thou, Hermione, contrary to the faith and allegiance

of a true subject, didst counsel and aid them, for

their better safety, to fly away by night.

Hermione, queen of the worthy

Leontes, king of Sicily, you are hereby accused and

charged with high treason, by committing adultery

with Polixenes, king of Bohemia, and conspiring

with Camillo to murder our royal

lord the king, your royal husband: as the plan

was partly discovered,

you, Hermione, going against the faith and loyalty

of the true subject, did advise and help them, for

their own safety, to flee in the night.

HERMIONE

Since what I am to say must be but that

Which contradicts my accusation and

The testimony on my part no other

But what comes from myself, it shall scarce boot me

To say 'not guilty:' mine integrity

Being counted falsehood, shall, as I express it,

Be so received. But thus: if powers divine

Behold our human actions, as they do,

I doubt not then but innocence shall make

False accusation blush and tyranny

Tremble at patience. You, my lord, best know,

Who least will seem to do so, my past life

Hath been as continent, as chaste, as true,

As I am now unhappy; which is more

Than history can pattern, though devised

And play'd to take spectators. For behold me

A fellow of the royal bed, which owe

A moiety of the throne a great king's daughter,

The mother to a hopeful prince, here standing

To prate and talk for life and honour 'fore

Who please to come and hear. For life, I prize it

As I weigh grief, which I would spare: for honour,

'Tis a derivative from me to mine,

And only that I stand for. I appeal