The Winter's Tale eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 141 pages of information about The Winter's Tale.

Clown
Ay, and have been so any time these four hours.

Shepherd
And so have I, boy!

Clown.  So you have:—­but I was a gentleman born before my father; for the king’s son took me by the hand and called me brother; and then the two kings called my father brother; and then the prince, my brother, and the princess, my sister, called my father father; and so we wept; and there was the first gentleman-like tears that ever we shed.

Shepherd
We may live, son, to shed many more.

Clown
Ay; or else ’twere hard luck, being in so preposterous estate as
we are.

Autolycus.  I humbly beseech you, sir, to pardon me all the faults I have committed to your worship, and to give me your good report to the prince my master.

Shepherd
Pr’ythee, son, do; for we must be gentle, now we are gentlemen.

Clown
Thou wilt amend thy life?

Autolycus
Ay, an it like your good worship.

Clown
Give me thy hand:  I will swear to the prince thou art as honest
a true fellow as any is in Bohemia.

Shepherd
You may say it, but not swear it.

Clown
Not swear it, now I am a gentleman?  Let boors and franklins say
it, I’ll swear it.

Shepherd
How if it be false, son?

Clown.  If it be ne’er so false, a true gentleman may swear it in the behalf of his friend.—­And I’ll swear to the prince thou art a tall fellow of thy hands and that thou wilt not be drunk; but I know thou art no tall fellow of thy hands and that thou wilt be drunk:  but I’ll swear it; and I would thou wouldst be a tall fellow of thy hands.

Autolycus
I will prove so, sir, to my power.

Clown.  Ay, by any means, prove a tall fellow:  if I do not wonder how thou darest venture to be drunk, not being a tall fellow, trust me not.—­Hark! the kings and the princes, our kindred, are going to see the queen’s picture.  Come, follow us:  we’ll be thy good masters.

[Exeunt.]

Scene III.  The same.  A Room in PAULINA’s house.

[Enter Leontes, Polixenes, Florizel, Perdita, Camillo, Paulina, Lords and Attendants.]

Leontes
O grave and good Paulina, the great comfort
That I have had of thee!

Paulina
                         What, sovereign sir,
I did not well, I meant well.  All my services
You have paid home:  but that you have vouchsaf’d,
With your crown’d brother and these your contracted
Heirs of your kingdoms, my poor house to visit,
It is a surplus of your grace which never
My life may last to answer.

Leontes
                            O Paulina,
We honour you with trouble:—­but we came
To see the statue of our queen:  your gallery
Have we pass’d through, not without much content
In many singularities; but we saw not
That which my daughter came to look upon,
The statue of her mother.

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
The Winter's Tale from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.