To seek her as a bed-fellow, Ant. Read the conclusion then; Per. Like a bold champion, I assume the Nor ask advice of any other thought now ensues, to the judgment of But faithfulness, and courage. your eye I give, my cause who best can justify. [Exit. SCENE 1.-Antioch.-A Room in the Palace. Enter ANTIOCHUS, PERICLES, and Attendants. Ant. Young prince of Tyre, you have at large receiv'd The danger of the task you undertake. Per. I have, Antiochus; and with a soul Embolden'd with the glory of her praise, Think death no hazard, in this enterprise. [Music. Ant. Bring in our daughter clothed like a bride, For the embracements even of Jove himself; Enter the DAUGHTER of ANTIOCHUS. Per. See where she comes, apparell'd like the spring, Graces her subjects, and her thoughts the king Ye gods that made me man, and sway in love, Per. That would be son to great Antiochus. That, without covering, save yon' field of stars, Gripe not at earthly joys, as erst they did: [To the DAUGHTER of ANTIOCHUS. Pointing to the scene of the palace gate at Antioch, en which the heads of these unfortunate wights were fixed. t I. e. That gives." [He reads the Riddle.] I am no viper, yet I feed On mother's flesh, which did me breed : Why cloud they not their sights perpetually, [Takes hold of the hand of the princess. But, being play'd upon before your time, Ant. Prince Pericles, touch not, upon thy life, For that's an article within our law, As dangerous as the rest. Your time's expir'd : Either expound now, or receive your sentence. Per. Great king, Few love to hear the sins they love to act: 'Twould 'braid yourself too near for me to tell it. Who has a book of all that monarchs do, Copp'd hills towards heaven, to tell the earth their will; And if Jove stray, who dares say, Jove doth ill? smother it. All love the womb that their first beings bred, Then give my tongue like leave to love my bead. Ant. Heaven, that I had thy head; He has found the meaning :But I will gloze + with him. [Aside.] Young prince of Tyre, Though by the tenour of our strict edict, We might proceed to cancel of your days; t Attendants. Rising to a top or head. Or, play falsely with him. To take away your life. Per. How courtesy would seem to cover sin! One sin, I know, another doth provoke; Re-enter ANTIOCHUS. Yet neither p.easure's art can joy my spirits, Grows elder now, and cares it be not done. Nor boots it me to say, I honour him, With hostile forces he'll o'erspread the land, fence: Which care of them, not pity of myself, (Who am no more but as the tops of trees, Ant. He hath found the meaning, for the which Which fence the roots they grow by, and defend 2 Lord. And keep your mind, till you return Peaceful and comfortable! [to us, Hel. Peace, peace, my lords, and give expe rience tongue. They do abuse the king, that flatter him Whereas reproof, obedient and in order, Per. All leave us else: but let your cares o'erlook What shipping and what lading's in our haven, And then return to us. [Exeunt LORDS.) Helicanus, thou Hast moved us: what seest thou in our looks? Hiel. An angry brow, dread lord. Per. If there be such a dart in princes' frowns, How durst thy tongue move anger to our face? Hel. How dare the plants look up to heaven, from whence Sit down, sit down; thou art no flatterer : [Exit.I thank thee for it; and high heaven forbid That kings should let their ears hear their faults SCENE II.-Tyre.-A Room in the Palace. Enter PERICLES, HELICANUS, and other Lords. Per. Let none disturb us: Why this charge of thoughts? The sad companion, dull-ey'd melancholy, By me so us'd a guest is, not an hour, In the day's glorious walk or peaceful night, (The tomb where grief should sleep,) can breed me quiet! Here pleasures court mine eyes, and mine eyes shun them, And danger, which I feared, is at Antioch, Whose arm seems far too short too hit me here : • Whereas. hid! Fit counsellor and servant for a prince, Hel. With patience bear Such griefs as you do lay upon yourself. Per. Thou speak'st like a physician, Helicanos; Who minister'st a potion unto me, That thou would'st tremble to receive thyself. Attend me then I went to Antioch, Where, as thou know'st, against the face of death I sought the purchase of a glorious beauty, From whence an issue I might propagate, Bring arms to princes, and to subjects joys. Her face was to mine eye beyond all wouder; 1. e. Takes care it be not done. The rest (hark in thine ear) as black as incest Which, by my knowledge found, the sinful father Seem'd not to strike, but smooth: but thou know'st this, 'Tis time to fear, when tyrants seem to kiss. Which fear so grew in me, I hither fled, Under the covering of a careful night, Who seem'd my good protector; and being here, Bethought me what was past, what might succeed. I knew him tyrannous; and tyrants' fears How many worthy princes' bloods were shed, When all, for mine, if I may call❜'t offence, Per. Drew sleep out of mine eyes, blood from my cheeks, Musings into my mind; a thousand doubts Freely I'll speak. Antiochus you fear; Therefore, my lord, go travel for a while, Or Destinies do cut his thread of life. Day serves not light more faithful than I'll be. But should he wrong my liberties in absenceHel. We'll mingle bloods together in the earth, From whence we had our being and our birth. Intend my travel, where I'll hear from thee; I'll take thy word for faith, not ask thine oath ; Who shuns not to break one, will sure crack both : But in our orbs we'll live so round and safe, That time of both this truth shall ne'er convince, t Thou show'dst a subject's shine, I a true prince. [Exeunt. SCENE III.—Tyre.—An Ante-chamber in the Palace. Enter THALIARD. Thal. So, this is Tyre, and this is the court. Here must I kill king Pericles; and if I do not, I am sure to be hanged at home: 'tis dangerous. Well, I perceive he was a wise fellow, and had good discretion, that being bid to ask what he would of the king, desired he might know none of his secrets. Now do I see he had some reason for it; for if a king bid a man be a villain, he is bound by the indenture of his oath to be one.-Hush, here come the lords of Tyre. Enter HELICANUS, ESCANES, and other Lords. Hel. You shall not need, my fellow peers of Tyre, Further to question of your ing's departure. please: He scap'd the land, to perish on the seas,— Hel. Lord Thaliard from Antiochus is welcome. Thal. From him I come With message unto princely Pericles; SCENE IV.-Tharsus.-A Room in the Governor's House. Enter CLEO, DIONYZA, and Attendants. Cle. My Dimyza, shall we rest us here, And by relating tales of others' griefs, See if 'twill teach us to forget our own? Dio. That were to blow at fire, in hope to Dio. I'll do my best, Sir. Cle. This Tharsus, o'er which I have government, (A city on whom plenty held full band, And strangers ne'er beheld, but wonder'd at; Cle. But see what heaven can do! By this our change, [air, These mouths whom but of late, earth, sea, and Were all too little to content and please, To jet, to strut. To dress them by. Although they gave their creatures in abundance, As houses are defiled for want of use; younger, summers Must have inventions to delight the taste, Draws lots who first shall die, to lengthen life : Dio. Our cheeks and hollow eyes do witness it. Cle. Oh let those cities, that of plenty's cup And her prosperities so largely taste, With their superfluous riots, hear these tears! The misery of Tharsus may be their's. Enter a LORD. Lord. Where's the lord governor ? Cle. Here. [haste, Speak out thy sorrows which thou bring'st, in A portly sail of ships make hitherward. One sorrow never comes, but brings an heir, And so in our's: some neighbouring nation, Lord. That's the least fear; for, by the semblance [peace, Of their white flags display'd, they bring us And come to us as favourers, not as foes. Cle. Thou speak'st like him's untutor'd to repeat; [deceit. Who makes the fairest show, means most But bring they what they will, what need we fear? [there. The ground's the low'st, and we are half way Go tell their general, we attend him here, To know for what he comes, and whence he And what he craves. [comes, [Exit. Lord. I go, my lord. Cle. Welcome is peace, if he on peace conIf wars we are unable to resist. [sist; Enter PERICLES with Attendants. Per. Lord governor, (for so we hear you are) Let not our ships and number of our men, Be, like a beacen fir'd, to amaze your eyes. We have heard your miseries as far as Tyre, And seen the desolation of your streets; Nor come we to add sorrow to your tears, But to relieve them of their heavy load; And these our ships (you happily may think Are, like the Trojan horse, war-stuff'd within, With bloody views, expecting overthrow) Are stor'd with corn, to make your needy bread, And give them life, who are hunger-starv'd, half dead. All. The gods of Greece protect you. And we'll pray for you. Per. Rise, I pray you, rise: We do not look for reverence but for love,. The curse of heaven and men succced their evils! [seen, Till when, (the which, I hope, shall ne'er be Your grace is welcome to our town and us. Per. Which welcome we'll accept: feast here a while, Until our stars, that frown, lend us a smile. [Exeunt. ACT II. Enter GoWER. Gow. Here have you seen a mighty king (To whom I give my beaizon,) ‡ But tidings to the contrary Are brought your eyes; what need speak I? Dumb Show. Enter at one door PERICLES, talking with CLEON; all the train with them. Enter at another door, a GENTLEMAN with a Letter to PERICLES; PERICLES shows the letter to CLEON; then gives the Messenger a reward, and knights him. Exeunt PERICLES, CLEON, &c. severally. Gow. Good Helicane hath staid at home, [split; Ne aught escapen but himself; SCENE 1.-Pentapolis. §—An open Place by Per. Yet cease your ire, ye angry stars of heaven! (man Wind, rain, and thunder, remember, earthly Is but a substance that must yield to you; And I, as fits my nature, do obey you. Alas! the sea hath cast ine on the rocks Wash'd me from shore to shore, and left me breath Nothing to think on, but ensuing death: To have bereft a prince of all his fortunes; Here to have death in peace, is all he'll crave. Enter three FISHERMEN. 1 Fish. What, ho, Pilche! 2 Fish. Ho! come and bring away the nets. 1 Fish. Look how thou stirrest now! come away, or I'll fetch thee with a wannion. 3 Fish. 'Faith, master, I am thinking of the poor men that were cast away before us, even now. 1 Fish. Alas, poor souls, it griev'd my heart to hear what pitiful cries they made to us to help them, when, well-a-day, we could scarce help ourselves. 2 Fish. Nay, master, said not I as much, when I saw the porpus, how he bounced and tumbled they say, they are half fish half flesh : a plague of them, they ne'er come, but I look to be wash'd. Master, I marvel how the fishes live in the sea. Per. I did but crave. 2 Fish. But crave? Then I'll turn craver too, and so I shall 'scape whipping. [then? Per. Why, are all your beggars whipp'd 2 Fish. Oh! not all, my friend, not all: for if all your beggars were whipp'd, I would wish no better office than to be beadle. But, master, I'll go draw up the net. [Exeunt two of the FISHERMEN. Per. How well this honest mirth becomes their labour ! 1 Fish. Hark you, Sir! do you know where you are? Per. Not well. 1 Fish. Why, I'll tell you: this is called Pentapolis, and our king, the good Simonides. Per. The good king Simonides, do you call him? 1 Fish. Ay, Sir, and he deserves to be so call'd, for his peaceable reign and good government. 1 Fish. Why as men do a-land; the great ones eat up the little ones: I can compare our Per. He is a happy king, since from his subrich misers to nothing so fitly as to a whale; 'a jects plays and tumbles, driving the poor fry before He gains the name of good, by his government. him, and at last devours them all at a mouth-How far is his cour distant from this shore ? ful. Such whales have I heard on a'the land, who never leave gaping, till they've swallow'd the whole parish, church, steeple, bells, and all. Per. A pretty moral. 3 Fish. But, master, if I had been the sexton, I would have been that day in the belfry. 2 Fish. Why, man? 3 Fish. Because he should have swallow'd me too: and when I had been in his belly, I would have kept such a jangling of the bells, that he should have never have left, till he cast bells, steeple, church, and parish, up again. But if the good king Simonides were of my mindPer. Simonides! 3 Fish. We would purge the land of these drones that rob the bee of her honey. Per. How from the finny subject of the sea 2 Fish. Honest! good fellow, what's that? if it be a day fits you, scratch it out of the calendar, and no body will look after it. Per. Nay, see, the sea hath cast upon your coast 2 Fish. What a drunken knave was the sea, to cast thee in our way! Per. A man whom both the waters and the In that vast tennis-court, hath made the ball 1 Fish. No, friend, cannot you beg? here's them in our country of Greeee gets more with begging than we can do with working. 2 Fish. Canst thou catch any fishes then? Per. I never practis'd it. 2 Fish. Nay, then thou wilt starve sure; for here's nothing to be got now-a-days, unless thou canst fish for't. Per. What I have been, I have forgot to But what I am, want teaches me to think on: And have no more of life than may suffice 1 Fish. Die quoth-a? Now gods forbid! 1 have a gown here; come, put it on; keep thee warm. Now, afore me, a handsome fellow! Come, thou shalt go home, and we'll have flesh for holidays, fish for fasting days, and moreo'er 1 Fish. Marry, sir, half a day's journey; and I'll tell you he hath a fair daughter, and to-morrow is her birth-day; and there are princes and knights come from all parts of the world, to just and tourney for her love. Per. Did but my fones equal my desires, I'd wish to make one these. 1 Fish. O Sir, things must be as they may; and what a man cannot get, he may lawfully deal for-his wife's soul Re-enter the Two FISHERMEN, drawing up a net. 2 Fish. Help, master, help; here's a fish hangs in the net, like a poor man's right in the law; 'twill hardly come out. Ha! bots ou't, 'tis come at last, and 'tis turn'd to a rusty ar mour. Per. An armour, friends! I pray you, let me Thanks, fortune, yet, that after all my crosses, tage, Which my dead father did bequeath to me, For that it sav'd me, keep it; in like necessity It kept where I kept, I so dearly lov'd it; again : I thank thee for't; my shipwreck's now no ill, For it was sometime target to a king; I know it by this mark. He lov'd me dearly, Where with't I may appear a gentleman; 1 Fish. Why, wilt thou tourney for the lady |