The Winter’s Tale
Act III, Scene 1
Sicilia. A sea port.
- Enter Cleomines and Dion.
Cleomines
1 - 3- The climate’s delicate, the air most sweet,
- Fertile the isle, the temple much surpassing
- The common praise it bears.
Dion
4 - 9- I shall report,
- For most it caught me, the celestial habits
- (Methinks I so should term them) and the reverence
- Of the grave wearers. O, the sacrifice!
- How ceremonious, solemn, and unearthly
- It was i’ th’ off’ring!
Cleomines
10 - 13- But of all, the burst
- And the ear-deaf’ning voice o’ th’ oracle,
- Kin to Jove’s thunder, so surpris’d my sense,
- That I was nothing.
Dion
14 - 17- If th’ event o’ th’ journey
- Prove as successful to the Queen (O be’t so!)
- As it hath been to us rare, pleasant, speedy,
- The time is worth the use on’t.
Cleomines
From costume designs for the Viola Allen production of Winter's Tale
Tom Heslewood, 1904
Cleomines
18 - 21- Great Apollo
- Turn all to th’ best! These proclamations,
- So forcing faults upon Hermione,
- I little like.
Dion
22 - 27- The violent carriage of it
- Will clear or end the business. When the oracle
- (Thus by Apollo’s great divine seal’d up)
- Shall the contents discover, something rare
- Even then will rush to knowledge. Go; fresh horses!
- And gracious be the issue!
- Exeunt.
Dion
From costume designs for the Viola Allen production of Winter's Tale
Tom Heslewood, 1904