SCENE II. Before LEONTES' palace. Winter's Tale  Shakespeare homepage  |  Winter's Tale  | Act 5, Scene 2 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE II. Before LEONTES' palace. 

 Enter AUTOLYCUS and a Gentleman  AUTOLYCUS  Beseech you, sir, were you present at this relation? 

 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. 

 AUTOLYCUS  I would most gladly know the issue of it. 

 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? 

 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? 

 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? 

 Second Gentleman  No. 

 Third Gentleman  Then have you lost a sight, which was to be seen, 

 cannot be spoken of. There might you have beheld one 

 joy crown another, so and in such manner that it 

 seemed sorrow wept to take leave of them, for their 

 joy waded in tears. There was casting up of eyes, 

 holding up of hands, with countenances of such 

 distraction that they were to be known by garment, 

 not by favour. Our king, being ready to leap out of 

 himself for joy of his found daughter, as if that 

 joy were now become a loss, cries 'O, thy mother, 

 thy mother!' then asks Bohemia forgiveness; then 

 embraces his son-in-law; then again worries he his 

 daughter with clipping her; now he thanks the old 

 shepherd, which stands by like a weather-bitten 

 conduit of many kings' reigns. I never heard of such 

 another encounter, which lames report to follow it 

 and undoes description to do it. 

 Second Gentleman  What, pray you, became of Antigonus, that carried 

 hence the child? 

 Third Gentleman  Like an old tale still, which will have matter to 

 rehearse, though credit be asleep and not an ear 

 open. He was torn to pieces with a bear: this 

 avouches the shepherd's son; who has not only his 

 innocence, which seems much, to justify him, but a 

 handkerchief and rings of his that Paulina knows. 

 First Gentleman  What became of his bark and his followers? 

 Third Gentleman  Wrecked the same instant of their master's death and 

 in the view of the shepherd: so that all the 

 instruments which aided to expose the child were 

 even then lost when it was found. But O, the noble 

 combat that 'twixt joy and sorrow was fought in 

 Paulina! She had one eye declined for the loss of 

 her husband, another elevated that the oracle was 

 fulfilled: she lifted the princess from the earth, 

 and so locks her in embracing, as if she would pin 

 her to her heart that she might no more be in danger 

 of losing. 

 First Gentleman  The dignity of this act was worth the audience of 

 kings and princes; for by such was it acted. 

 Third Gentleman  One of the prettiest touches of all and that which 

 angled for mine eyes, caught the water though not 

 the fish, was when, at the relation of the queen's 

 death, with the manner how she came to't bravely 

 confessed and lamented by the king, how 

 attentiveness wounded his daughter; till, from one 

 sign of dolour to another, she did, with an 'Alas,' 

 I would fain say, bleed tears, for I am sure my 

 heart wept blood. Who was most marble there changed 

 colour; some swooned, all sorrowed: if all the world 

 could have seen 't, the woe had been universal. 

 First Gentleman  Are they returned to the court? 

 Third Gentleman  No: the princess hearing of her mother's statue, 

 which is in the keeping of Paulina,--a piece many 

 years in doing and now newly performed by that rare 

 Italian master, Julio Romano, who, had he himself 

 eternity and could put breath into his work, would 

 beguile Nature of her custom, so perfectly he is her 

 ape: he so near to Hermione hath done Hermione that 

 they say one would speak to her and stand in hope of 

 answer: thither with all greediness of affection 

 are they gone, and there they intend to sup. 

 Second Gentleman  I thought she had some great matter there in hand; 

 for she hath privately twice or thrice a day, ever 

 since the death of Hermione, visited that removed 

 house. Shall we thither and with our company piece 

 the rejoicing? 

 First Gentleman  Who would be thence that has the benefit of access? 

 every wink of an eye some new grace will be born: 

 our absence makes us unthrifty to our knowledge. 

 Let's along. 



 Exeunt Gentlemen  AUTOLYCUS  Now, had I not the dash of my former life in me, 

 would preferment drop on my head. I brought the old 

 man and his son aboard the prince: told him I heard 

 them talk of a fardel and I know not what: but he 

 at that time, overfond of the shepherd's daughter, 

 so he then took her to be, who began to be much 

 sea-sick, and himself little better, extremity of 

 weather continuing, this mystery remained 

 undiscovered. But 'tis all one to me; for had I 

 been the finder out of this secret, it would not 

 have relished among my other discredits. 



 Enter Shepherd and Clown  Here come those I have done good to against my will, 

 and already appearing in the blossoms of their fortune. 

 Shepherd  Come, boy; I am past moe children, but thy sons and 

 daughters will be all gentlemen born. 

 Clown  You are well met, sir. You denied to fight with me 

 this other day, because I was no gentleman born. 

 See you these clothes? say you see them not and 

 think me still no gentleman born: you were best say 

 these robes are not gentlemen born: give me the 

 lie, do, and try whether I am not now a gentleman born. 

 AUTOLYCUS  I know you are now, sir, a gentleman born. 

 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  Prithee, 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. 



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