Ant.
Thou art perfect then, our Ship hath touch'd upon
The Desarts of Bohemia?

Mar.
Ay, my lord; and fear,
We've landed in ill time: the skies look grimly,
And threaten present blusters. In my conscience,
The heav'ns with That we have in hand are angry,
And frown upon's.

Ant.
Their sacred wills be done! get thee aboard,
Look to thy bark, I'll not be long before
I call upon thee.

Mar.
Make your best haste, and go not
Too far i'th' land; 'tis like to be loud weather.
Besides, this place is famous for the creatures
Of prey, that keep upon't.

Ant.
Go thou away.
I'll follow instantly.

Mar.
I'm glad at heart
To be so rid o'th' business. [Exit.

Ant.
Come, poor Babe;
I have heard, but not believ'd, the Spirits o' th' dead
May walk again; if such thing be, thy Mother
Appear'd to me last night; for ne'er was Dream
So like a Waking. To me comes a creature,
Sometimes her head on one side, some another,
I never saw a vessel of like sorrow
So fill'd, and so becoming; in pure white robes,
Like very Sanctity, she did approach
My cabin where I lay; thrice bow'd before me,
And, gasping to begin some speech, her eyes
Became two spouts; the fury spent, anon
Did this break from her. “Good Antigonus,
“Since Fate, against thy better disposition,
“Hath made thy person for the thrower-out

“Of my poor babe, according to thine oath,
“Places remote enough are in Bohemia,
“There weep, and leave it crying; and, for the babe
“Is counted lost for ever and ever, Perdita,
“I pr'ythee, call't. For this ungentle business
“Put on thee by my lord, thou ne'er shalt see
“Thy wife Paulina more.”—And so, with shrieks,
She melted into air. Affrighted much,
I did in time collect my self, and thought
This was so, and no slumber: Dreams are toys,
Yet for this once, yea, superstitiously,
I will be squar'd by this. I do believe,
Hermione hath suffer'd death; and that
Apollo would, This being indeed the issue
Of King Polixenes, it should here be laid,
Either for life or death, upon the earth
Of its right father. Blossom, speed thee well!(17) ^note
[Laying down the child.
There lye, and there thy character: there these,
Which may, if fortune please, both breed thee, pretty one,
And still rest thine. The storm begins; poor wretch,
That for thy mother's fault art thus expos'd
To loss, and what may follow; Weep I cannot,
But my heart bleeds: and most accurst am I
To be by oath enjoin'd to this. Farewel!
The day frowns more and more; thou art like to have
A lullaby too rough: I never saw
The heav'ns so dim by day. A savage clamour!
Well may I get aboard! this is the Chace;
I am gone for ever. [Exit, pursued by a bear.

Enter an old Shepherd.

Shep.

I would there were no age between ten and three and twenty, or that youth would sleep out the rest: for there is nothing in the between but getting wenches with child, wronging the ancientry, stealing, fighting—hark you now!—would any but these boil'd brains of nineteen and two and twenty hunt this weather? they have scar'd away two of my best sheep, which, I fear, the wolf will sooner find than the master; if any where I have them, 'tis by the sea-side, brouzing of ivy. Good luck, an't be thy will! what have we here? [Taking up the child] Mercy on's, a barne! a very pretty barne! a boy, or a child, I wonder! a pretty one, a very pretty one; sure, some 'scape: tho' I am not bookish, yet I can read waiting-gentlewoman in the 'scape. This has been some stair-work, some trunk-work, some behind-door-work: they were warmer that got this, than the poor thing is here. I'll take it up for pity, yet I'll tarry 'till my son come: he hollow'd but even now; Whoa, ho-hoa!

Clo.

Hilloa, loa!—

Shep.

What, art so near? if thoul't see a thing to talk on when thou art dead and rotten, come hither. What ail'st thou, man?

Clo.

I have seen two such sights, by sea and by land; (18) ^note but I am not to say, it is a sea; for it is now the sky; betwixt the firmament and it you cannot thrust a bodkin's point.

Shep.

Why, boy, how is it?

Clo.

I would, you did but see how it chafes, how it rages, how it takes up the shore; but that's not to the point; oh, the most piteous cry of the poor souls, sometimes to see 'em, and not to see 'em: now the ship boring the moon with her main-mast, and anon swallow'd with yest and froth, as you'd thrust a cork into a hogshead. And then for the land-service,—to see how the Bear tore out his shoulder-bone, how he cry'd to me for help, and said his name was Antigonus, a Nobleman. But to make an end of the ship, to see how the sea flap-dragon'd it. But first, how the poor souls roar'd, and the sea mock'd them. And how the poor gentleman roar'd, and the bear mock'd him, both roaring louder than the sea, or weather.

Shep.

Name of mercy, when was this, boy?

Clo.

Now, now, I have not wink'd since I saw these sights; the men are not yet cold under water, nor the bear half din'd on the gentleman; he's at it now.

(19) ^noteShep.

Would, I had been by to have help'd the Nobleman.

Clo.

I would, you had been by the ship-side, to have help'd her; there your charity would have lack'd footing.—

Shep.

Heavy matters, heavy matters! but look thee here, boy. Now bless thy self; thou meet'st with things dying, I with things new-born. Here's a sight for thee; look thee, a bearing-cloth for a squire's child! look thee here; take up, take up, boy, open't; so, let's see: it was told me, I should be rich by the fairies. This is some changling; open't; what's within, boy?

(20) ^note

You're a made old man; if the sins of your

youth are forgiven you, you're well to live. Gold! all gold!—

Shep.

This is fairy gold, boy, and will prove so. Up with it, keep it close: home, home, the next way. We are lucky, boy; and to be so still, requires nothing but secresie. Let my sheep go: come, good boy, the next way home.

Clo.

Go you the next way with your findings, I'll go see if the bear be gone from the gentleman, and how much he hath eaten: they are never curst, but when they are hungry: if there be any of him left, I'll bury it.

Shep.

That's a good deed. If thou may'st discern by that which is left of him, what he is, fetch me to th' sight of him.

Clo.

Marry, will I; and you shall help to put him i'th' ground.

Shep.

'Tis a lucky day, boy, and we'll do good deeds on't.

Time.
I, that please some, try all, both joy and terror
Of good and bad, that mask and unfold error;(21) ^note

Now take upon me, in the name of Time,
To use my wings. Impute it not a crime
To me, or my swift passage, that I slide
O'er sixteen years, and leave the growth untry'd
Of that wide gap; since it is in my power
To o'erthrow Law, and in one self-born hour
To plant and o'erwhelm Custom. Let me pass
The same I am, ere ancient'st Order was,
Or what is now receiv'd. I witness to
The times, that brought them in; so shall I do
To th' freshest things now reigning, and make stale
The glistering of this present, as my Tale
Now seems to it: your Patience this allowing,
I turn my glass; and give my Scene such Growing,
As you had slept between. Leontes leaving
Th' effects of his fond jealousies, so grieving
That he shuts up himself; imagine me,
Gentle Spectators, that I now may be
In fair Bohemia; and remember well,
I mention here a Son o'th' King's, whom Florizel
I now name to you; and with speed so pace
To speak of Perdita, now grown in Grace
Equal with Wondring. What of her ensues,
I list not prophesie. But let Time's news
Be known, when 'tis brought forth. A shepherd's daughter,
And what to her adheres, which follows after,
Is th' argument of time; of this allow,
If ever you have spent time worse ere now:
If never, yet that Time himself doth say,
He wishes earnestly, you never may. [Exit.

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