wishes to serve. How many such are there in the world! But
Paulina, though a very termagant, is yet a poetical termagant in her
way; and the manner in which all the evil and dangerous tendencies of
such a temper are placed before us, even while the individual character
preserves the strongest hold upon our respect and admiration, forms an
impressive lesson, as well as a natural and delightful portrait.

In the scene, for instance, where she brings the infant before Leontes,
with the hope of softening him to a sense of his injustice--"an office
which," as she observes, "becomes a woman best"--her want of
self-government, her bitter, inconsiderate reproaches, only add, as we
might easily suppose, to his fury.

PAULINA.

I say I come
From your good queen!

LEONTES.

Good queen!

PAULINA.

Good queen, my lord, good queen: I say good queen;
And would by combat make her good, so were I
A man, the worst about you.

LEONTES.

Force her hence.

PAULINA.

Let him that makes but trifles of his eyes,
First hand me: on mine own accord I'll off;
But first I'll do mine errand. The good queen
(For she is good) hath brought you forth a daughter--
Here 'tis; commends it to your blessing.

LEONTES.

Traitors!
Will you not push her out! Give her the bastard.

PAULINA.

Forever
Unvenerable be thy hands, if thou
Tak'st up the princess by that forced baseness
Which he has put upon't!

LEONTES.

He dreads his wife.

PAULINA.

So, I would _you_ did; then 'twere past all doubt
You'd call your children your's.

LEONTES.

A callat,
Of boundless tongue, who late hath beat her husband,
And now baits me!--this brat is none of mine.

PAULINA.

It is yours,
And might we lay the old proverb to your charge,
So like you, 'tis the worse.

* * * *

LEONTES.

A gross hag!
And lozel, thou art worthy to be hang'd,
That wilt not sta