The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (739 page)

he requests that you arrest his son, who has–

forgetting both his position and his duty–

run away from his father, from his inheritance, with

a shepherd's daughter.

LEONTES

Where's Bohemia? speak.

Where is Bohemia? Speak.

Lord

Here in your city; I now came from him:

I speak amazedly; and it becomes

My marvel and my message. To your court

Whiles he was hastening, in the chase, it seems,

Of this fair couple, meets he on the way

The father of this seeming lady and

Her brother, having both their country quitted

With this young prince.

Here in your city; I just came from him:

My excited way of speaking suits

my astonishment and my message. While he was

hurrying to your court, pursuing, it seems,

this fair couple, he met on the way

the father of this apparent lady and

her brother, who had both left their country

with this young prince.

FLORIZEL

Camillo has betray'd me;

Whose honour and whose honesty till now

Endured all weathers.

Camillo has betrayed me;

until now his honour and his honesty

were beyond reproach.

Lord

Lay't so to his charge:

He's with the king your father.

Yes you can blame him:

he is with the king your father.

LEONTES

Who? Camillo?

Who? Camillo?

Lord

Camillo, sir; I spake with him; who now

Has these poor men in question. Never saw I

Wretches so quake: they kneel, they kiss the earth;

Forswear themselves as often as they speak:

Bohemia stops his ears, and threatens them

With divers deaths in death.

Camillo, sir; I spoke to him; he now

is interrogating these poor men. I never saw

wretches shake like them: they kneel, they kiss the earth;

they perjure themselves every time they speak:

Bohemia blocks his ears, and threatens them

with fates worse than death.

PERDITA

O my poor father!

The heaven sets spies upon us, will not have

Our contract celebrated.

Oh my poor father!

The gods have set their spies on us, they don't want

our wedding to be celebrated.

LEONTES

You are married?

Are you married?

FLORIZEL

We are not, sir, nor are we like to be;

The stars, I see, will kiss the valleys first:

The odds for high and low's alike.

We are not, sir, nor are we likely to be;

I can see the stars will fall into the valleys first:

the odds are the same for her and for me.

LEONTES

My lord,

Is this the daughter of a king?

My lord,

is this a king's daughter?

FLORIZEL

She is,

When once she is my wife.

She will be,

once she is my wife.

LEONTES

That 'once' I see by your good father's speed

Will come on very slowly. I am sorry,

Most sorry, you have broken from his liking

Where you were tied in duty, and as sorry

Your choice is not so rich in worth as beauty,

That you might well enjoy her.

‘Once’ is not very likely to happen, judging by

your father's actions. I'm sorry,

very sorry, that you have upset the one

whom you should have obeyed, and just as sorry

that your choice is not as noble as she is beautiful,

so that you could definitely enjoy her.

FLORIZEL

Dear, look up:

Though Fortune, visible an enemy,

Should chase us with my father, power no jot

Hath she to change our loves. Beseech you, sir,

Remember since you owed no more to time

Than I do now: with thought of such affections,

Step forth mine advocate; at your request

My father will grant precious things as trifles.

Keep your head up, dear:

although Fortune seems to be our enemy,

chasing us with my father, she hasn't the slightest

power to change our love. I beg you, sir,

remember when you were my age:

thinking of the love you had then,

step up and speak for me; at your request

my father will grant precious things as if they were worthless.

LEONTES

Would he do so, I'ld beg your precious mistress,

Which he counts but a trifle.

If he did, I'd ask for your beautiful mistress,

as he thinks she is worthless.

PAULINA

Sir, my liege,

Your eye hath too much youth in't: not a month

'Fore your queen died, she was more worth such gazes

Than what you look on now.

Sir, my lord,

you look too much at the young: less than a month

before your queen died, she was more deserving of such looks

than what you are now looking at.

LEONTES

I thought of her,

Even in these looks I made.

To FLORIZEL

But your petition

Is yet unanswer'd. I will to your father:

Your honour not o'erthrown by your desires,

I am friend to them and you: upon which errand

I now go toward him; therefore follow me

And mark what way I make: come, good my lord.

Exeunt

I was thinking of her,

even as I was looking this way.

But I haven't yet answered

your request. I will go to your father:

if your honour has not been damaged by your desires,

I will be supportive of them and you: I'll go to see him

on this errand; so follow me

and see how I get on: come, my good lord.

SCENE II. Before LEONTES' palace.

Enter AUTOLYCUS and a Gentleman

AUTOLYCUS

Beseech you, sir, were you present at this relation?

Tell me, sir, were you there when this happened?

First Gentleman

I was by at the opening of the fardel, heard the old

shepherd deliver the manner how he found it:

whereupon, after a little amazedness, we were all

commanded out of the chamber; only this methought I

heard the shepherd say, he found the child.

I was there when the bundle was opened, heard the old

shepherd explain how he had found it:

then, after some confusion, we were all

ordered out of the room; but I thought I heard

the shepherd say, he had found the child.

AUTOLYCUS

I would most gladly know the issue of it.

I would very much like to know how this turned out.

First Gentleman

I make a broken delivery of the business; but the

changes I perceived in the king and Camillo were

very notes of admiration: they seemed almost, with

staring on one another, to tear the cases of their

eyes; there was speech in their dumbness, language

in their very gesture; they looked as they had heard

of a world ransomed, or one destroyed: a notable

passion of wonder appeared in them; but the wisest

beholder, that knew no more but seeing, could not

say if the importance were joy or sorrow; but in the

extremity of the one, it must needs be.

Enter another Gentleman

Here comes a gentleman that haply knows more.

The news, Rogero?

I can't give you all the details; but I saw

that the King and Camillo were

absolutely astonished: they seemed almost, as

they looked at each other, as if their eyes would

pop out of their heads; their silence spoke volumes, their

gestures were like speech; they looked as if they had heard

of a world they thought had been stolen or destroyed: you could see

that they were absolutely astonished; but the cleverest

observer, if he was only watching, could not say

if joy or sorrow was uppermost; but it must

have been the strongest of one of those.

Second Gentleman

Nothing but bonfires: the oracle is fulfilled; the

king's daughter is found: such a deal of wonder is

broken out within this hour that ballad-makers

cannot be able to express it.

Enter a third Gentleman

Here comes the Lady Paulina's steward: he can

deliver you more. How goes it now, sir? this news

which is called true is so like an old tale, that

the verity of it is in strong suspicion: has the king

found his heir?

It is all celebrations: the Oracle has been fulfilled; the

kings daughter has been found: such amazing things

have happened in this hour that ballad makers

will not be able to do it justice.

Here is the Lady Paulina's steward: he can

tell you more. What's happening now, sir? This news

which they say is true is so like some legend that

the truth of it is called into question: has the king

found his heir?

Third Gentleman

Most true, if ever truth were pregnant by

circumstance: that which you hear you'll swear you

see, there is such unity in the proofs. The mantle

of Queen Hermione's, her jewel about the neck of it,

the letters of Antigonus found with it which they

know to be his character, the majesty of the

creature in resemblance of the mother, the affection

of nobleness which nature shows above her breeding,

and many other evidences proclaim her with all

certainty to be the king's daughter. Did you see

the meeting of the two kings?

It's very true, if truth was ever proved by