But my unspotted fire of love to you.

[To the Daughter of ANTIOCHUS.

Thus, ready for the way of life or death,

I wait the sharpest blow.

3

Ant. Scorning advice, read the conclusion, then 3 ; Which read and not expounded, 'tis decreed,

As these before thee, thou thyself shalt bleed.

Daugh. Of all, 'say'd yet, may'st thou prove prosperous!

Of all, 'say'd yet, I wish thee happiness *.

Per. Like a bold champion, I assume the lists, Nor ask advice of any other thought

But faithfulness, and courage 5.

THE RIDDLE.

I am no viper, yet I feed

On mother's flesh, which did me breed;
I sought a husband, in which labour,
I found that kindness in a father:
He's father, son, and husband mild,
I mother, wife, and yet his child.
How they may be, and yet in two,
As you will live, resolve it you.

Sharp physick is the last: but, O you powers!
That give heaven countless eyes to view men's acts,
Why cloud they not their sights perpetually,

3 Scorning advice, read the conclusion, then ;] In the quartos, this and the two next lines are made part of the speech of Pericles: the folio, 1664, only so far corrects the decided error as to give the two last lines to Antiochus.

Of all 'say'd yet, may'st thou prove prosperous !

Of all 'say'd yet, I wish thee happiness.] So every old copy, which it is needless to alter to "In all save that," as was done by Malone, on the recommendation of Monck Mason. Percy suggested that the meaning was, "Of all essay'd yet," and the conjecture is supported by the quarto, 1609, which prints "said "say'd: later editions read "said.”

5 But faithfulness, and courage.] These are the very words transferred to the novel founded upon the play, "Pericles armed with these noble armours, faithfulness and courage," &c. As Steevens pointed out, the same expression is found in Sidney's "Arcadia," book iii.

If this be true, which makes me pale to read it?
Fair glass of light, I lov'd you, and could still,
Were not this glorious casket stor'd with ill;
But I must tell you,-now, my thoughts revolt,
For he's no man on whom perfections wait,
That, knowing sin within, will touch the gate.
You're a fair viol, and your sense the strings,
Who, finger'd to make man his lawful music,
Would draw heaven down and all the gods to
hearken;

But being play'd upon before your time,

Hell only danceth at so harsh a chime.

Good sooth, I care not for you.

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,
He's more secure to keep it shut, than shown;
For vice repeated is like the wandering wind,
Blows dust in others' eyes, to spread itself;
And yet the end of all is bought thus dear,
The breath is gone, and the sore eyes see clear:

To stop the air would hurt them. The blind mole

casts

Copp'd hills towards heaven, to tell the earth is

throng'd

By man's oppression; and the poor worm doth die for't.
Kings are earth's gods; in vice their law's their will,
And if Jove stray, who dares say Jove doth ill?
It is enough you know; and it is fit,

What being more known grows worse, to smother it.
All love the womb that their first beings bred,
Then, give my tongue like leave to love my head.

Ant. [Aside.] Heaven, that I had thy head! he has found the meaning;

But I will gloze with him. [To him.] Young prince

of Tyre,

Though by the tenour of our strict edict 6,

Your exposition misinterpreting,

We might proceed to cancel of your days;
Yet hope, succeeding from so fair a tree
As your fair self, doth tune us otherwise.
Forty days longer we do respite you;
If by which time our secret be undone,
This mercy shows, we'll joy in such a son:
And until then your entertain shall be,
As doth befit our honour, and your worth.

[Exeunt ANTIOCHUS, his Daughter, and
Attendants.

Per. How courtesy would seem to cover sin,
When what is done is like an hypocrite,
The which is good in nothing but in sight!
If it be true that I interpret false,

Then were it certain, you were not so bad,
As with foul incest to abuse your soul;
Where now you're both a father and a son,
By your untimely claspings with your child,
(Which pleasure fits a husband, not a father)
And she an eater of her mother's flesh,
By the defiling of her parent's bed;

And both like serpents are, who though they feed
On sweetest flowers, yet they poison breed.
Antioch, farewell! for wisdom sees, those men
Blush not in actions blacker than the night,

Will shun no course' to keep them from the light:

6—

of our strict edict,] The quartos read, "of your strict edict," but the folio, 1664, corrects the mistake. Two lines lower, it properly changes counsel of the quartos to "cancel."

7 Will SHUN no course-] All the old editions, with evident corruption, read "Will shew no course. Malone conjectured that 'schew, for eschew, might be the word, but he printed "shun."

One sin, I know, another doth provoke;

Murder's as near to lust, as flame to smoke.
Poison and treason are the hands of sin,

Ay, and the targets, to put off the shame:
Then, lest my life be cropp'd to keep you clear,
By flight I'll shun the danger which I fear.

Re-enter ANTIOCHUS.

[Exit.

Ant. He hath found the meaning, for the which we

mean

To have his head.

He must not live to trumpet forth my infamy,

Nor tell the world, Antiochus doth sin

In such a loathed manner:

And therefore instantly this prince must die;
For by his fall my honour must keep high.
Who attends us there?

Enter THALIARD.

Thal.

Doth your highness call?

Ant. Thaliard,

You're of our chamber, and our mind partakes
Her private actions to your secrecy;

And for your faithfulness we will advance you.
Thaliard, behold, here's poison, and here's gold;
We hate the prince of Tyre, and thou must kill him:
It fits thee not to ask the reason why,

Because we bid it. Say, is it done?

Thal.

"Tis done.

My lord,

Enter a Messenger.

Ant. Enough.

Let your breath cool yourself, telling your haste.

8 Thaliard,

You're of our chamber,] The quarto, 1609, alone, repeats Thaliard after chamber. The measure, here unattended to by ancient and modern editors, detects the error.

Mess. My lord, prince Pericles is fled.

Ant.

[Exit Messenger.

Wilt live, fly after: and, as an arrow, shot
From a well-experienc'd archer, hits the mark
His eye doth level at, so ne'er return,
Unless thou say Prince Pericles is dead.

Thal. My lord, if I

As thou

Can get him once within my pistol's length,

I'll make him sure: so, farewell to your highness.

[Exit

Ant. Thaliard, adieu.-Till Pericles be dead, My heart can lend no succour to my head.

[Exit.

SCENE II.

Tyre. A Room in the Palace.

Enter PERICLES, HELICANUS, and other Lords.

Per. Let none disturb us: why should this change of thoughts1?

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,

9 — and, as an arrow,] The quartos, "and like an arrow:" altered in the folio, 1664.

10

- why should this CHANGE of thoughts?] So every old copy: every modern one, without necessity, alters "change to charge. It must be admitted, however, that change for charge, and vice versa, was a very common misprint. See this Vol. p. 8. Two lines lower, as of the old copies was necessarily altered to "is" by Malone, for the sake of the sense, which is somewhat obscure. We might read, "By me's so us'd a guest, as not an hour," &c.