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The Winter's Tale

Act III, Scene 3

Bohemia. A desert country near the sea.
 
[Enter ANTIGONUS with a Child, and a Mariner]
 
ANTIGONUS
        ,         ,          ,           ,            ,        , ->
      Thou art | perfect | then, our | ship hath | touched u||pon
             ,         ,     ,   _
      The | deserts | of Bo|hemi|a?
 
MARINER
       ,          ,          __
      Aye (my | lord) and | fear  \\
        2       ,    2     ,    ,     .    T     T    T     2->
      We have land|ed in ill time:| the skies look grim||ly,
               x       ,         ,         ,       ,
      And threaten | present | blusters.| In my | conscience
             x             ,           x       ,          ,
      The heavens | with that | we have in | hand, are | angry,
            ,         x
      And frown | upon us.  \\
 
ANTIGONUS
             ,        ,          ,     T  T  .  T
      Their sac|red wills | be done:| Go get aboard;
        ,             ,          ,         ,        ,
      Look to | thy bark,| I'll not | be long | before
          ,      ,
      I call | upon | thee.
 
MARINER
                             ,           ,      ,         ,  ,
                           Make | your best | haste, and go not  ????
           ,      2      ,           ,      2     ,      ,
      Too far | in the land:| 'tis like | to be loud | weather,
          ,            ,         ,       ,          ,        2->
      Besides | this place | is fam|ous for | the crea||tures
           ,           ,        x
      Of prey,| that keep | upon it.
 
ANTIGONUS
                                      ,          ,
                                     Go thou | away:
            ,        ,      ,
      I'll fol|low ins|tantly.
 
MARINER
                                2     ,         ,
                               I am glad | at heart
       .  T  T  T      2     ,
      To be so rid | of the bus|iness.
 
[Exit]
 
ANTIGONUS
                                        ,            ,
                                      Come,| poor* babe:
       2       ,          ,         ,            x        2      ,
      I have heard |(but not | believed)| the spirits | of the dead
            ,       ,     .   T    T    T         ,     2->
      May walk | again:| if such thing be,| thy moth||er
           ,         ,          ,           ,          ,
      Appeared | to me | last^night:| for nere | was dream
             x     ,        ,        ,         ,
      So like a | waking.| To me | comes a | creature,
        T   T    .    T        ,      ,       2    ,
      Sometimes her head | on one | side, some a|nother,
         ,      ,       ,     2     ,     ,
      I nev|er saw | a ves|sel of like | sorrow
            ,      ,    2    ,        .   T    T     T
      So filled,| and so be|coming:| in pure white robes
            ,      ,     ,        ,        ,
      Like^ve|ry sanc|tity | she did | approach
          ,       ,        ,       T     T    .  T       ->
      My cab|in where | I lay:| thrice bowed before || me,
       ,      ,         2   ,            ,           ,
      And |(gasping | to begin | some speech)| her eyes
       .  T   T     T          ,      ,       ,
      Became two spouts:| the fu|ry spent,| anon
            ,      ,     ,                ,    ,
      Did this | break from / her. Good^|Anti|gonus,
        T     T    .   T            x      ,     ,
      Since fate |(against | thy better | dispo|sition)
             ,          ,      ,          ,       ,
      Hath made | thy pers|on for | the throw|er-out
                ,    ,       ,        ,           ,
      Of my / poor babe,| accord|ing to | thine^oath,
       ,           ,        ,     ,    2    ,  2
      Places | remote | enough | are in Bo|hemia,
        T     T    .    T         ,        ,       2      ,
      There weep, and leave | it cry|ing: and | for the babe
           ,        ,        ,      ,   ,
      Is count|ed lost | forev|er, Per|dita
          ,          x      ,      2     ,       ,
      I prith|ee call it.| For this un|gentle | business
           ,          ,        ,           ,           ,
      Put on | thee, by | my lord,| thou nere | shalt see
            ,        ,      ,         ,           ,
      Thy wife | Paulin|a more:| and so,| with shrieks
            ,      ,     ,         ,        ,
      She melt|ed in|to air.| Affright|ed much,
         ,         ,         ,        ,           ,
      I did | in time | collect | myself,| and thought
        ,         ,              ,          ,           ,
      This was | so, and | no* slum|ber. Dreams,| are toys,
           ,           ,         ,      ,       ,
      Yet for | this once,| yea sup|erstit|iously,
          ,          ,           ,       ,       ,
      I will | be squared | by this.| I do | believe
          ,   ,         ,          ,      ,
      Hermi|one | hath suf|fered death,| and that
        ,       ,            x         ,          x
      Apol|lo would |(this being | indeed | the issue
           ,       ,    ,      2         ,         ,
      Of King | Polix|enes)| it should here | be laid
         ,            ,         ,       ,          ,
      (Either | for life | or death)| upon | the earth
                 ,     ,        ,         ,            ,
      Of its / right fath|er. Blos|som, speed | thee well,
        T    T    .    T           ,            ,     ,
      There lie, and there | thy char|acter:/ there these,
             ,         ,         ,            ,             ,      2->
      Which may | if fort|une please,| both^breed | thee (pret||ty)
            ,            ,           ,      .  T     T     T
      And still | rest^thine.| The storm | begins, poor wretch,
            ,          ,         ,           ,        ,
      That for | thy moth|er's fault,| art thus | exposed
           ,          ,         ,         ,     2    ,
      To loss,| and what | may fol|low. Weep | I cannot,
                 ,      ,           ,         ,        ,
      But my / heart bleeds:| and most | accursed | am I
          ,        ,         ,          ,          ,
      To be | by oath | enjoined | to this.| Farewell,
       .   T     T     T          ,              ,         ,
      The day frowns more | and more:| thou'rt like | to have
         ,     ,         ,        ,      ,
      A lul|laby | too rough:| I nev|er saw
             x          ,        ,       ,          x
      The heavens | so dim,| by day.| A sav|age clamor?
        ,           ,       ,       ,             ,
      Well may | I get | aboard:| This is | the chase,
       2     ,        ,
      I am gone | forev|er.  \\
 
[Exit, pursued by a bear]
 
SHEPHERD
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 boiled brains of nineteen, and two-and-twenty hunt this weather? They have scared away two of my best sheep, which I fear the wolf will sooner find than the master; if anywhere I have them, 'tis by the seaside, browsing of ivy. Good luck (and it be thy will) what have we here? Mercy on us, a barne? A very pretty barne; A boy, or a child I wonder? (A pretty one, a very pretty one) sure some 'scape; though 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 hallooed but even now. Whoa-ho-ho.
 
CLOWN
Hilloa, loa.
 
SHEPHERD
What? art so near? If thou'lt see a thing to talk on, when thou art dead and rotten, come hither: What ailst thou, man?
 
CLOWN
I have seen two such sights, by sea and by land: 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.
 
SHEPHERD
Why boy, how is it?
 
CLOWN
I would you did but see how it chafes, how it rages, how it takes up the shore, but that's not 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 swallowed 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 cried 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-dragoned it: but first, how the poor souls roared, and the sea mocked them: and how the poor gentleman roared, and the bear mocked him, both roaring louder than the sea, or weather.
 
SHEPHERD
Name of mercy, when was this boy?
 
CLOWN
Now, now: I have not winked since I saw these sights: the men are not yet cold under water, nor the bear half dined on the gentleman: he's at it now.
 
SHEPHERD
Would I had been by, to have helped the old man.
 
CLOWN
I would you had been by the ship side, to have helped her; there your charity would have lacked footing.
 
SHEPHERD
Heavy matters, heavy matters: but look thee here boy. Now bless thyself: thou mettest with things dying, I with things newborn. 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 it. So, let's see, it was told me I should be rich by the fairies. This is some changeling: open it: What's within, boy?
 
CLOWN
You're a mad old man: if the sins of your youth are forgiven you, you're well to live. Gold, all gold.
 
SHEPHERD
This is fairy gold boy, and 'twill 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 secrecy. Let my sheep go: come (good boy) the next way home.
 
CLOWN
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.
 
SHEPHERD
That's a good deed: If thou mayest discern by that which is left of him, what he is, fetch me to the sight of him.
 
CLOWN
Marry will I: and you shall help to put him in the ground.
 
SHEPHERD
'Tis a lucky day, boy, and we'll do good deeds on it.
 
[Exeunt]

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