Only, my friend, I yet am unprovided
Of a pair of bases. I

2 Fish. We'll sure provide: thou shalt have my best gown to make thee a pair; and I'll bring thee to the court myself.

Per. Then honour be but a gaol to my will; This day I'll rise, or else add ill to ill. [Exeunt. SCENE II-The same. A public way, or platform, leading to the lists. A pavilion by the side of it, for the reception of the King, Princess, Lords, &c. Enter Simonides, Thaisa, Lords, and Attendants.

Sim. Are the knights ready to begin the triumph? 1 Lord. They are, my liege; And stay your coming to present themselves.

Sim. Return them,2 we are ready; and our daughter,

In honour of whose birth these triumphs are,
Sits here, like beauty's child, whom nature gat
For men to see, and seeing wonder at.

[Exit a Lord.
Thai. It pleaseth you, my father, to express
My commendations great, whose merit's less.
Sim. 'Tis fit it should be so; for princes are
A model, which heaven makes like to itself:
As jewels lose their glory, if neglected,
So princes their renown, if not respected.
'Tis now your honour, daughter, to explain
The labour of each knight, in his device.3
Thai. Which, to preserve mine honour, I'll per-

form.

Enter a Knight; he passes over the stage, and his

Squire presents his shield to the Princess. Sim. Who is the first that doth prefer himself? Thai. A knight of Sparta, my renowned father;| And the device he bears upon his shield Is a black Ethiop, reaching at the sun; The word, Lux tua vita mihi.

Sim. He loves you well, that holds his life of you. [The second Knight passes. Who is the second, that presents himself? Thai. A prince of Macedon, my royal father; And the device he bears upon his shield Is an arm'd knight, that's conquer'd by a lady: The motto thus, in Spanish, Piu per dulçura que per fuerça. The third Knight passes. Sim. And what's the third?

Thai. The third, of Antioch; And his device, a wreath of chivalry: The word, Me pompa provexit apex. [The fourth Knight passes.

Sim. What is the fourth?
Thai. A burning torch, that's turned upside down:
The word, Quod me alit, me extinguit.
Sim. Which shows that beauty hath his power
and will,

Which can as well inflame, as it can kill.
[The fifth Knight passes.
Thai. The fifth, a hand environed with clouds;
Holding out gold, that's by the touchstone tried;
The motto thus, Sic spectanda fides.

[The sixth Knight passes. Sim. And what's the sixth and last, which the knight himself

With such a graceful courtesy deliver❜d?

Thai. He seems a stranger; but his present is A wither'd branch, that's only green at top;

To an honour'd triumph, strangely furnished. 2 Lord. He well may be a stranger, for he comes

3 Lord. And on set purpose let his armour rust, Until this day, to scour it in the dust.

Sim. Opinion's but a fool, that makes us scan The outward habit by the inward man. But stay, the knights are coming; we'll withdraw Into the gallery. [Exeunt. [Great shouts, and all cry, The mean knight' SCENE III.-The same. A hall of state.-A banquet prepared. Enter Simonides, Thaisa, Lords, Knights, and Attendants.

Sim. Knights,

To say you are welcome, were superfluous.
To place upon the volume of your deeds,
As in a title-page, your worth in arms,
Were more than you expect, or more than's fit,
Since every worth in show commends itself.
Prepare for mirth, for mirth becomes a feast:
You are my guests.

Thai.
But you, my knight and guest;
To whom this wreath of victory I give,
And crown you king of this day's happiness.
Per. 'Tis more by fortune, lady, than by merit.
Sim. Call it by what you will, the day is
yours;

And here, I hope, is none that envies it.
In framing artists, art hath thus decreed,
To make some good, but others to exceed;
And you're her labour'd scholar. Come, queen
o'the feast

(For, daughter, so you are,) here take your place: Marshal the rest, as they deserve their grace. Knights. We are honour'd much by good Simonides.

Sim. Your presence glads our days; honour we love,

For who hates honour, hates the gods above.
Marsh. Sir, yond's your place.

Per.

Some other is more fit. 1 Knight. Contend not, sir; for we are gentle

men,

That neither in our hearts, nor outward eyes,
Envy the great, nor do the low despise.
Per. You are right courteous knights.
Sim.
Sit, sit, sir; sit.
Per. By Jove, I wonder, that is king of thoughts,
These cates resist me, she not thought upon.
Thai. By Juno, that is queen

Of marriage, all the viands that I eat
Do seem unsavoury, wishing him my meat;
Sure he's a gallant gentleman.
Sim.

A country gentleman;

He's but

He has done no more than other knights have done, Broken a staff, or so; so let it pass.

Thai. To me he seems like diamond to glass. Per. Yon king's to me, like to my father's picture,

(6) i. e. More by sweetness than by force. (7) Handle of a whip.

(8) i. e. These delicacies go against my stomach.

Which tells me, in that glory once he was;
Had princes sit, like stars, about his throne,
And he the sun, for them to reverence.
None that beheld him, but, like lesser lights,
Did vail their crowns to his supremacy;
Where now his son's a glow-worm in the night,
The which hath fire in darkness, none in light;
Whereby I see that time's the king of men,
For he's their parent, and he is their grave,
And gives them what he will, not what they crave.
Sim. What, are you merry, knights?

1 Knight. Who can be other, in this royal presence?

Sim. Here, with a cup that's stor'd unto the brim (As you do love, fill to your mistress' lips,) We drink this health to you.

Knights.

We thank your grace.

Sim. Yet pause a while; Yon knight, methinks, doth sit too melancholy, As if the entertainment in our court

Had not a show might countervail his worth. Note it not you, Thaisa?

Thai.

To me, my father?

Sim.

What is it

O, attend, my daughter; Princes, in this, should live like gods above, Who freely give to every one that comes To honour them: and princes, not doing so, Are like to gnats, which make a sound, but kill'd Are wonder'd at.

Therefore to make's entrance more sweet, here say,
We drink this standing bowl of wine to him.

Thai. Alas, my father, it befits not me,
Unto a stranger knight to be so bold;
He may my proffer take for an offence,
Since men take women's gifts for impudence.
Sim. How!

Do as I bid you, or you'll move me else.
Thai. Now, by the gods, he could not please
me better.
[Aside.

Sim. And further tell him, we desire to know, Of whence he is, his name and parentage.

Thai. The king my father, sir, has drunk to you. Per. I thank him.

Thai. Wishing it so much blood unto your life. Per. I thank both him and you, and pledge him freely.

Thai. And further he desires to know of you, Of whence you are, your name and parentage.

Per. A gentleman of Tyre-(my name, Pericles;
My education being in arts and arms ;)—
Who, looking for adventures in the world,
Was by the rough seas reft of ships and men,
And, after shipwreck, driven upon this shore.
Thai. He thanks your grace; names himself
Pericles,

A gentleman of Tyre, who only by
Misfortune of the seas has been bereft
Of ships and men, and cast upon this shore.
Sim. Now by the gods, I pity his misfortune,
And will awake him from his melancholy.
Come, gentlemen, we sit too long on trifles,
And waste the time, which looks for other revels.
Even in your armours, as you are address'd,2
Will very well become a soldier's dance.
I will not have excuse, with saying, this
Loud music is too harsh for ladies' heads;
Since they love men in arms, as well as beds.
[The Knights dance.
So, this was well ask'd, 'twas so well perform'd.
Come, sir;

Here is a lady that wants breathing too:
And I have often heard, you knights of Tyre
Are excellent in making ladies trip;

And that their measures3 are as excellent.
Per. In those that practise them, they are, my
lord.

Sim. O, that's as much, as you would be deny'd [The Knights and Ladies dance. Of your fair courtesy.-Unclasp, unclasp; Thanks, gentlemen, to all; all have done well, But you the best. [To Pericles.] Pages and lights, conduct

These knights unto their several lodgings: Yours,

sir,

We have given orders to be next our own.
Per. I am at your grace's pleasure.

Sim. Princes, it is too late to talk of love,
For that's the mark I know you level at:
Therefore each one betake him to his rest;
To-morrow, all for speeding do their best. [Exe.
SCENE IV.-Tyre. A room in the Governor's
house. Enter Helicanus and Escanes.
Hel. No, no, my Escanes; know this of me,-
Antiochus from incest liv'd not free;
For which, the most high gods not minding longer
To withhold the vengeance that they had in store,
Due to this heinous capital offence,

Even in the height and pride of all his glory,
When he was seated, and his daughter with him.
In a chariot of inestimable value,

A fire from heaven came, and shrivell'd up
Their bodies, even to loathing; for they so stunk,
That all those eyes ador'd them,4 ere their fall,
Scorn now their hand should give them burial.
Esca. 'Twas very strange.
Hel.

And yet but just; for though This king were great, his greatness was no guard To bar heaven's shaft, but sin had his reward. Esca. 'Tis very true.

1 Lord. Know that our griefs are risen to the top, And now at length they overflow their banks. Hel. Your griefs, for what? wrong not the prince you love.

1 Lord. Wrong not yourself then, noble Helicane; But if the prince do live, let us salute him, Or know what ground's made happy by his breath. If in the world he live, we'll seek him out; If in his grave he rest, we'll find him there; And be resolv'd,5 he lives to govern us, Or dead, gives cause to mourn his funeral, And leaves us to our free election.

2 Lord. Whose death's, indeed, the strongest in our censure:6

And knowing this kingdom, if without a head (Like goodly buildings left without a roof,)

Will soon to ruin fall, your noble self,

That best know'st how to rule, and how to reign, We thus submit unto,-our sovereign.

All. Live, noble Helicane!

Hel. Try honour's cause, forbear your suffrages If that you love prince Pericles, forbear. Take I your wish, I leap into the seas,

(4) Which adored them. (5) Satisfied (6) Judgment, opinion.

Where's hourly trouble for a minute's ease.
A twelvemonth longer, let me then entreat you
To forbear choice i'the absence of your king;
If in which time expir'd, he not return,
I shall with aged patience bear your yoke.
But if I cannot win you to this love;

Go search like noblemen, like noble subjects,
And in your search spend your adventurous worth;
Whom if you find, and win unto return,
You shall like diamonds sit about his crown.

1 Lord. To wisdom he's a fool that will not yield; And, since lord Helicane enjoineth us, We with our travels will endeavour it.

Hel. Then you love us, we you, and we'll clasp hands;

When peers thus knit, a kingdom ever stands.

[Exeunt. SCENE V-Pentapolis. A room in the palace. Enter Simonides, reading a letter, the Knights meet him.

1 Knight. Good morrow to the good Simonides. Sim. Knights, from my daughter this I let you know,

That for this twelvemonth, she'll not undertake
A married life.

Her reason to herself is only known,
Which from herself by no means can I get.

2 Knight. May we not get access to her, my lord? Sum. 'Faith, by no means; she hath so strictly tied her

To her chamber, that it is impossible. One twelve moons more she'll wear Diana's livery; This by the eye of Cynthia hath she vow'd, And on her virgin honour will not break it. 3 Knight. Though loath to bid farewell, we take our leaves.

[Exeunt.

Sim. So They're well despatch'd; now to my daughter's

letter:

She tells me here, she'll wed the stranger knight,
Or never more to view nor day nor light.
Mistress, 'tis well, your choice agrees with mine;
I like that well:-nay, how absolute she's in't,
Not minding whether I dislike or no!
Well, I commend her choice;

And will no longer have it be delay'd.
Soft, here he comes :-I must dissemble it.

Enter Pericles.

Per. All fortune to the good Simonides! Sim. To you as much, sir! I am beholden to you, For your sweet music this last night: my ears, I do protest, were never better fed With such delightful pleasing harmony.

Per. It is your grace's pleasure to commend; Not my desert.

Sim. Sir, you are music's master. Per. The worst of all her scholars, my good lord. Sim. Let me ask one thing What do you think, sir, of My daughter? Per. As of a most virtuous princess. Sim. And she is fair too, is she not? Per. As a fair day in summer; wond'rous fair. Sim. My daughter, sir, thinks very well of you;| Ay, so well, sir, that you must be her master, And she'll your scholar be; therefore, look to it. Per. Unworthy I to be her schoolmaster.

Sim. She thinks not so; peruse this writing else. Per. What's here!

A letter, that she loves the knight of Tyre?

(1) Quenched.

Per. By the gods, I have not, sir. Never did thought of mine levy offence; Nor never did my actions yet commence A deed might gain her love, or your displeasure. Sim. Traitor, thou liest.

Per. Traitor! Sim. Ay, traitor, sir. Per. Even in his throat (unless it be the king,) That calls me traitor, I return the lie.

Sim. Now, by the gods, I do applaud his courage. [Aside. Per. My actions are as noble as my thoughts, That never relish'd of a base descent.

I came unto your court, for honour's cause,
And not to be a rebel to her state;
And he that otherwise accounts of me,
This sword shall prove he's honour's enemy.
Sim. No!-

Here comes my daughter, she can witness it.

Enter Thaisa.

Per. Then, as you are as virtuous as fair,
Resolve your angry father, if my tongue
Did e'er solicit, or my hand subscribe
To any syllable that made love to you?

Thai. Why, sir, say if you had,

Who takes offence at that would make me glad?
Sim. Yea, mistress, are you so peremptory?-
I am glad of it with all my heart. [Aside.] I'll tame

you;

I'll bring you in subjection.—

Will you, not having my consent, bestow
Your love and your affections on a stranger?
(Who, for aught I know to the contrary,
Or think, may be as great in blood as I) [Aside.
Hear, therefore, mistress; frame your will to mine,-
And you, sir, hear you.-Either be rul'd by me,
Or I will make you-man and wife.-

Nay, come; your hands and lips must seal it too.-
And being join'd, I'll thus your hopes destroy ;-
And for a further grief,-God give you joy!
What, are you both pleas'd?

Thai.

Yes, if you love me, sir. Per. Even as my life, my blood that fosters it. Sim. What, are you both agreed?

Both. Yes, 'please your majesty. Sim. It pleaseth me so well, I'll see you wed; Then, with what haste you can, get you to bed. [Exeunt.

ACT II.

Enter Gower.

Gow. Now sleep yslaked! hath the rout; No din but snores, the house about, Made louder by the o'er-fed breast Of this most pompous marriage-feast. The cat, with eyne of burning coal, Now couches 'fore the mouse's hole; And crickets sing at th' oven's mouth, As the blither for their drouth. Hymen hath brought the bride to bed, Where, by the loss of maidenhead, A babe is moulded ;-Be attent,

And time that is so briefly spent,
With your fine fancies quaintly eche;
What's dumb in show, I'll plain with speech.

Dumb show.

Having call'd them from the deep! O still thy

deaf'ning,

Thy dreadful thunders; gently quench thy nimble,
Sulphureous flashes!-O how, Lychorida,
How does my queen?-Thou storm, thou! venom-
ously 10

Gow. By many a dearn2 and painful perch,3
Of Pericles the careful search,
By the four opposing coignes,4
Which the world together joins,
Is made, with all due diligence,
That horse, and sail, and high expense,
Can stead the quests. At last from Tyre
(Fame answering the most strong inquire,)
To the court of king Simonides
Are letters brought; the tenor these:
Antiochus and his daughter's dead;
The men of Tyrus, on the head
Of Helicanus would set on

The crown of Tyre, but he will none:
The mutiny there he hastes t'appease:
Says to them, if king Pericles

Come not, in twice six moons, home,
He obedient to their doom,

Will take the crown. The sum of this,

Brought hither to Pentapolis,

Y-ravished the regions round,

And every one with claps 'gan sound,
Our heir apparent is a king:

Who dream'd, who thought of such a thing!
Brief, he must hence depart to Tyre:
His queen, with child, makes her desire
(Which who shall cross?) along to go;
(Omit we all their dole and wo;)
Lychorida, her nurse, she takes,
And so to sea. Their vessel shakes
On Neptune's b llow; half the flood
Hath their keel cut; but fortune's mood
Varies again; the grizzled north
Disgorges such a tempest forth,
That, as a duck for life that dives,
So up and down the poor ship drives.
The lady shrieks, and, well-a-near !7
Doth fall in travail with her fear:
And what ensues in this fell storm,
Shall, for itself, itself perform.
I nills relate; action may
Conveniently the rest convey:
Which might not what by me is told.
In your imagination hold

This stage, the ship, upon whose deck
The sea-tost prince appears to speak.

[Exit.

SCENE I-Enter Pericles, on a ship at sea.

Per. Thou God of this great vast,9 rebuke these

surges,

Which wash both heaven and hell; and thou, that hast

Upon the winds command, bind them in brass,

(3) A measure.

Enter Lychorida, with an infant. Lyc. Here is a thing

Too

young for such a place, who if it had Conceit 2 would die as I am like to do.

Take in your arms this piece of your dead queen. Per. How! how, Lychorida!

Lyc. Patience, good sir; do not assist the storm. Here's all that is left living of your queen,— A little daughter; for the sake of it,

Be manly, and take comfort.

Per. O you gods! Why do you make us love your goodly gifts, And snatch them straight away? We, here below, Recall not what we give, and therein may

Vie honours with yourselves.

Lyc.

Even for this charge.

Per.

Patience, good sir,

Now, mild may be thy life!

For a more blust'rous birth had never babe:
Quiet and gentle thy conditions!
For thou'rt the rudeliest welcom'd to this world,
That e'er was prince's child. Happy what follows
Thou hast as chiding14 a nativity,

As fire, air, water, earth, and heaven can make,
To herald thee from the womb: even at the first,
Thy loss is more than can thy portage quit,15
With all thou canst find here.-Now the good gods
Throw their best eyes upon it!

Enter two Sailors.

1 Sail. What courage, sir? God save you. Per. Courage enough: I do not fear the flaw ;16 It hath done to me the worst. Yet, for the love Of this poor infant, this fresh-new sea-farer, I would, it would be quiet.

1 Sail. Slack the bolins17 there; thou wilt not, wilt thou? Blow, and split thyself.

2 Sail. But sea-room, an the brine and cloudy billow kiss the moon, I care not.

1 Sail. Sir, your queen must overboard; the sea works high, the wind is loud, and will not lie, tili the ship be cleared of the dead.

Per. That's your superstition.

1 Sail. Pardon us, sir; with us at sea it still hath been observed; and we are strong in earnest. Therefore briefly yield her; for she must overboard straight.

Per. Be it as you think meet.-Most wretcheu queen!

Lyc. Here she lies, sir.

(1) Eke out.

(2) Lonely.

(4) Corners.

(6) Disposition.

(8) I shall not.

(9) This wide expanse.

(10) Maliciously.

(7) An exclamation equivalent to well-a-day.

(15) Than thy entrance into life can requite. (16) Blast. (17) Bowlines, ropes of the sails

Must cast thee, scarcely coffin'd, in the ooze;
Where, for a monument upon thy bones,
And aye-remaining lamps, the belching whale,
And humming water must o'erwhelm thy corpse,
Lying with simple shells. Lychorida,
Bid Nestor bring me spices, ink, and paper;
My casket, and my jewels; and bid Nicander
Bring me the satin coffer: lay the babe
Upon the pillow; hie thee, whiles I say
A priestly farewell to her: suddenly, woman.
[Exit Lychorida.
2 Sail. Sir, we have a chest beneath the hatches,
caulk'd and bitum'd ready.

Per. I thank thee. Mariner, say, what coast is

this?

Enter Philemon.

Phil. Doth my lord call?

Cer. Get fire and meat for these poor men; It has been a turbulent and stormy night.

Serv. I have been in many; but such a night as this,

Till now I ne'er endur'd.

Cer. Your master will be dead ere you return; There's nothing can be minister'd to nature, That can recover him. Give this to the 'pothecary, [To Philemon. [Exeunt Philemon, Servant, and those who had been shipwrecked.

And tell me how it works.

A more content in course of true delight
Than to be thirsty after tottering honour,
Or tie my treasure up in silken bags,
To please the fool and death.

2 Gent. Your honour has through Ephesus pour'd

forth

Your charity, and hundreds call themselves
Your creatures, who by you have been restor❜d :
And not your knowledge, personal pain, but even
Your purse, still open, hath built lord Cerimon
Such strong renown as time shall never—
Enter two Servants with a chest.
Serv. So; lift there.
Cer.
Serv.

What is that?

Sir, even now Did the sea toss upon our shore this chest ; 'Tis of some wreck. Cer.

Set 't down, let's look on it. 2 Gent. 'Tis like a coffin, sir. Cer.

Whate'er it be,

'Tis wondrous heavy. Wrench it open straight; If the sea's stomach be o'ercharg'd with gold, It is a good constraint of fortune, that It belches upon us.

2 Gent.

'Tis so, my lord.

Come, wrench it open; Soft, soft!-it smells most sweetly in my sense.

2 Gent. A delicate odour.

Cer. As ever hit my nostril; so,-up with it. O you most potent god! what's here? a corse! 1 Gent. Most strange!

Cer. Shrouded in cloth of state; balm'd and entreasur'd

With bags of spices full! A passport too!
Apollo, perfect me i'the characters!

Here I give to understand,

[Unfolds a scroll. [Reads.

(If e'er this coffin drive a-land,)

I, king Pericles, have lost

This queen, worth all our mundane cost.
Who finds her, give her burying,
She was the daughter of a king:
Besides this treasure for a fee,
The gods requite his charity!

If thou liv'st, Pericles, thou hast a heart
That even cracks for wo!-This chanc'd to-night.
2 Gent. Most likely, sir.
Cer.

Nay, certainly to-night; For look, how fresh she looks!-They were too

rough,

That threw her in the sea. Make fire within;
Fetch hither all the boxes in my closet.
Death may usurp on nature many hours,
And yet the fire of life kindle again

(3) Tumble.

(4) i. e. Economical prudence, early rising. (5) Attire. (6) Knowledge. (7) Worldly.