1613Enter Polixenes, and Camillo. 1614Pol. I pray thee (good
Camillo) be no more importu
- 1615nate: 'tis a
sickne
sse denying thee any thing: a death to
1617Cam. It is
fifteene yeeres
since I
saw my Countrey:
1618though I haue (for the mo
st part) bin ayred abroad, I de
- 1619sire to lay my bones there. Be
sides, the penitent King
1620(my Ma
ster) hath
sent for me, to who
se feeling
sorrowes
1621I might be
some allay, or I oreweene to thinke
so) which
1622is another
spurre to my departure.
1623Pol. As thou lou'
st me (
Camillo) wipe not out the re
st 1624of thy
seruices, by leauing me now: the neede I haue of
1625thee, thine owne goodne
sse hath made: better not to
1626haue had thee, then thus to want thee, thou hauing made
1627me Bu
sine
sses, (which none (without thee) can
su
ffici
- 1628ently manage) mu
st either
stay to execute them thy
selfe,
1629or take away with thee the very
seruices thou ha
st done:
1630which if I haue not enough con
sidered (as too much I
1631cannot) to bee more thankefull to thee,
shall bee my
stu
- 1632die, and my pro
fite therein, the heaping friend
shippes.
1633Of that fatall Countrey Sicillia, prethee
speake no more,
1634who
se very naming, punni
shes me with the remembrance
Bb of
290The Winters Tale.
1635of that penitent (as thou cal
st him) and reconciled King
1636my brother, who
se lo
sse of his mo
st precious Queene &
1637Children, are euen now to be a-fre
sh lamented. Say to
1638me, when
saw'
st thou the Prince
Florizell my
son? Kings
1639are no le
sse vnhappy, their i
ssue, not being gracious, then
1640they are in loo
sing them, when they haue approued their
1642Cam. Sir, it is three dayes
since I
saw the Prince: what
1643his happier a
ffayres may be, are to me vnknowne: but I
1644haue (mi
ssingly) noted, he is of late much retyred from
1645Court, and is le
sse frequent to his Princely exerci
ses then
1646formerly he hath appeared.
1647Pol. I haue con
sidered
so much (
Camillo) and with
1648some care,
so farre, that I haue eyes vnder my
seruice,
1649which looke vpon his remouedne
sse: from whom I haue
1650this Intelligence, that he is
seldome from the hou
se of a
1651mo
st homely
shepheard: a man (they
say) that from very
1652nothing, and beyond the imagination of his neighbors,
1653is growne into an vn
speakable e
state.
1654Cam. I haue heard (
sir) of
such a man, who hath a
1655daughter of mo
st rare note: the report of her is extended
1656more, then can be thought to begin from
such a cottage
1657Pol. That's likewi
se part of my Intelligence: but (I
1658feare) the Angle that pluckes our
sonne thither. Thou
1659shalt accompany vs to the place, where we will (not ap
- 1660pearing what we are) haue
some que
stion with the
shep
- 1661heard; from who
se
simplicity, I thinke it not vnea
sie to
1662get the cau
se of my
sonnes re
sort thether. 'Prethe be my
1663pre
sent partner in this bu
sines, and lay a
side the thoughts
1665Cam. I willingly obey your command.
1666Pol. My be
st Camillo, we mu
st di
sgui
se our
selues.
Exit