SCENE III.

Tharsus. A Room in CLEON'S House.

Enter PERICLES, CLEON, DIONYZA, LYCHORIDA, and MARINA.

Per. Most honour'd Cleon, I must needs be gone: My twelve months are expir'd, and Tyrus stands

In a litigious peace. You, and your lady,
Take from my heart all thankfulness; the gods
Make up the rest upon you!

Cle. Your shafts of fortune, though they hurt you

mortally,

Yet glance full wanderingly on us*.

Dion.

O your sweet queen!

That the strict fates had pleas'd you had brought her

hither,

To have bless'd mine eyes!

Per.
We cannot but obey
The powers above us. Could I rage and roar
As doth the sea she lies in, yet the end
Must be as 'tis. My gentle babe Marina (whom,
For she was born at sea, I have nam'd so) here
I charge your charity withal, and leave her
The infant of your care; beseeching you
To give her princely training, that she may
Be manner'd as she is born.

Cle.

Fear not, my lord, but think Your grace, that fed my country with your corn, (For which the people's prayers still fall upon you)

Yet glance full WANDERINGLY on us.] The old copies have wondringly, and in the preceding line shakes for "shafts," and haunt for "hurt," excepting the folio, 1664, which has hate. The several amendments were introduced by Steevens. In the speech of Pericles the folio omits "litigious." Lower down Malone rejected the epithet "gentle" before "babe."

Must in your child be thought on.

If neglection

Should therein make me vile, the common body,
By you reliev'd, would force me to my duty;
But if to that my nature need a spur,

The gods revenge it upon me and mine,
To the end of generation!

Per.

I believe you;

Your honour and your goodness teach me to't,
Without your vows. Till she be married, madam,
By bright Diana, whom we honour all,

Unscissar'd shall this hair of mine remain3,
Though I show will in't. So I take my leave.
Good madam, make me blessed in your care
In bringing up my child.

Dion.

I have one myself,

Who shall not be more dear to my respect,

Than yours, my lord.

Per.

Madam, my thanks and prayers.

Cle. We'll bring your grace even to the edge o' the

shore;

Then give you up to the mask'd Neptune, and

The gentlest winds of heaven.

Per.

Your offer.

I will embrace

Come, dear'st madam.-O! no tears,

Lychorida, no tears:

Look to your little mistress, on whose grace

You may depend hereafter.-Come, my lord. [Exeunt.

5 UNSCISSAR'D shall this HAIR of mine remain,] All the old copies read "Unsister'd shall this heir of mine remain," &c. The latter portion of the play shows this to be a double corruption: the words, "Though I show will in't," appear to mean Though I show myself wilful in doing so."

66

VOL. VIII.

Y

SCENE IV.

Ephesus. A Room in CERIMON'S House.

Enter CERIMON and THAISA.

Cer. Madam, this letter, and some certain jewels,
Lay with you in your coffer, which are

At your command. Know you the character?
Thai. It is my lord's.

That I was shipp'd at sea, I well remember,
Even on my yearning time; but whether there
Delivered or no, by the holy gods,

I cannot rightly say. But since king Pericles,
My wedded lord, I ne'er shall see again,

A vestal livery will I take me to,

And never more have joy.

Cer. Madam, if this you purpose as you speak,
Diana's temple is not distant far,

Where you may abide till your date expire.
Moreover, if you please, a niece of mine
Shall there attend you.

Thai. My recompense is thanks, that's all;
Yet my good will is great, though the gift small.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV.

Enter GOWER.

Gow. Imagine Pericles arriv'd at Tyre,
Welcom'd and settled to his own desire:

6 Even on my YEARNING time ;] The quartos read “learning time,” and the folio "eaning time." To yearn is to feel that internal uneasiness, which precedes labour in women.

His woful queen we leave at Ephesus,
Unto Diana there a votaress.

Now to Marina bend your mind,

Whom our fast-growing scene must find
At Tharsus, and by Cleon train'd
In music, letters; who hath gain'd
Of education all the grace,

Which makes her both the heart and place'
Of general wonder. But alack!
That monster envy, oft the wrack
Of earned praise, Marina's life
Seeks to take off by treason's knife.
And in this kind hath our Cleon
One daughter, and a wench full grown3,
Even ripe for marriage sight': this maid
Hight Philoten; and it is said

For certain in our story, she

Would ever with Marina be:

Be't when she weav'd the sleided silk'
With fingers, long, small, white as milk;
Or when she would with sharp needle wound2
The cambric, which she made more sound

7 Which makes HER both the HEART and place] The old copies read, “Which makes hie both the art and place."

8

- a wench full grown,] In all the old editions these lines are thus corruptly given :

"And in this kind our Cleon hath

One daughter, and a full grown wench." Steevens restored the intended rhyme.

Even RIPE for marriage SIGHT:] i. e. ripe for the sight of marriage ;—a very clear reading, requiring no change of "sight" to fight, as Malone altered it. That "sight" is the true word we have this evidence-that in Malone's copy of the quarto, 1609, this passage stands, " Even right for marriage sight;" whereas in the Duke of Devonshire's copy of the same edition, right was corrected (as the sheet went through the press) to “ripe:” if “sight" had been an error, that word would probably not have been passed over. We might possibly read, "Even ripe for marriage rite," on the supposition that in the manuscript rite was spelt right, and misprinted “sight.”

1

2

- the SLEIDED silk] "Sleided" silk (says Percy) is untwisted silk, prepared to be used in the weaver's sley or slay. The old copies have "they weav'd." with sharp NEEDLE Wound] "Needle" is of course here to be pronounced in the time of a monosyllable, as in Vol. ii. p. 433; and Vol. iv. pp. 89 and 209. See also the beginning of Act v. of this play.

S

By hurting it; or when to the lute

She sung, and made the night-bird mute3,
That still records with moan; or when

She would with rich and constant pen
Vail to her mistress Dian; still

This Philoten contends in skill
With absolute Marina: so

With the dove of Paphos might the crow
Vie feathers white. Marina gets
All praises, which are paid as debts,
And not as given. This so darks
In Philoten all graceful marks,
That Cleon's wife, with envy rare,
A present murderer does prepare
For good Marina, that her daughter
Might stand peerless by this slaughter.
The sooner her vile thoughts to stead,
Lychorida, our nurse, is dead:
And cursed Dionyza hath

The pregnant instrument of wrath

Prest for this blow1. The unborn event

I do commend to your content:

Only I carried winged time

Post on the lame feet of my rhyme;

Which never could I so convey,

Unless your thoughts went on my way.—

Dionyza doth appear,

With Leonine, a murderer.

[Exit.

It is

the night-BIRD mute,] All the old copies read "night-bed.” somewhat strange that so decided and obvious a corruption was repeated in no fewer than nine separate impressions: it shows the carelessness with which reprints of old were made.

4 PREST for this blow.] "Prest" is ready; prêt, Fr. See Vol. ii. p. 480.