Serve by indenture to the common hangman:
Any of these ways are yet better than this;

For what thou professest, a baboon, could he speak,
Would own a name too dear. That the gods
Would safely deliver me from this place!
Here, here's gold for thee.

If that thy master would gain by me1,

Proclaim that I can sing, weave, sew, and dance,
With other virtues, which I'll keep from boast;
And I will undertake all these to teach.

I doubt not but this populous city will
Yield many scholars.

Boult. But can you teach all this you speak of?
Mar. Prove that I cannot, take me home again,
And prostitute me to the basest groom

That doth frequent your house.

Boult. Well, I will see what I can do for thee: if I can place thee, I will.

Mar. But, amongst honest women?

Boult. Faith, my acquaintance lies little amongst them. But since my master and mistress have bought you, there's no going but by their consent; therefore, I will make them acquainted with your purpose, and I doubt not but I shall find them tractable enough. Come; I'll do for thee what I can come your ways. [Exeunt.

If that thy master would gain by me,] This line, consisting only of nine syllables, may be considered defective, but it is so in every ancient edition, which we prefer to follow. In this line modern editors insert aught,

"If that thy master would gain aught by me,"

in order to make up the measure; but what pretence is there for saying that aught was Shakespeare's word, when other monosyllables would have answered the purpose as well? It is surely much better to alter the text as little as possible for the sense, and when words are necessarily inserted, to inform the reader of the fact.

ACT V.

Enter GOWER.

Gow. Marina thus the brothel scapes, and chances

Into an honest house, our story says.

She sings like one immortal, and she dances

As goddess-like to her admired lays.

Deep clerks she dumbs, and with her needle
composes

Nature's own shape, of bud, bird, branch, or berry,
That even her art sisters the natural roses;
Her inkle, silk, twin with the rubied cherry:
That pupils lacks she none of noble race,
Who pour their bounty on her; and her gain
She gives the cursed bawd. Here we her place,
And to her father turn our thoughts again,
Where we left him on the sea, tumbled and tost;
And, driven before the winds, he is arriv'd

Here where his daughter dwells: and on this
coast

Suppose him now at anchor. The city striv'd

5 Her INKLE,] In a note to "Love's Labour's Lost," Vol. ii. p. 315, it is said that "inkle" is a kind of tape, and this passage in "Pericles" is usually referred to; but here it should rather seem to mean a species of coloured thread or worsted, used in the working of fruit and flowers. In this line the old copies have twine for "twin," which Malone judiciously substituted.

And, driven before the winds,] We follow here the quarto, 1619, and the later impressions: the first quarto reads,

66 we there him left Where driven," &c.

but the same information has been given in a previous part of the line. Malone substituted lost for left; but Pericles was not there lost; and even if lost for a time be the supposed meaning, the poet would hardly have used an expression so ambiguous.

God Neptune's annual feast to keep: from whence
Lysimachus our Tyrian ship espies,

His banners sable, trimm'd with rich expense;
And to him in his barge with fervour hies'.
In your supposing once more put your sight;
Of heavy Pericles think this the bark:
Where, what is done in action, more, if might,
Shall be discover'd; please you, sit, and hark.

[Exit.

SCENE I.

On board PERICLES' Ship, off Mitylene. A Pavilion on deck, with a Curtain before it; PERICLES within it, reclining on a Couch. A Barge lying beside the Tyrian Vessel.

Enter Two Sailors, one belonging to the Tyrian Vessel, the other to the Barge; to them Helicanus.

Tyr. Sail. Where's the lord Helicanus? he can re[To the Sailor of Mitylene.

solve you.

O here he is.

Sir, there's a barge put off from Mitylene,

And in it is Lysimachus, the governor,

Who craves to come aboard.

Hel. That he have his.

What is

What is your will? Call up some gentlemen.

Tyr. Sail. Ho, gentlemen! my lord calls.

Enter Two or Three Gentlemen.

1 Gent. Doth your lordship call? Hel. Gentlemen,

7 with FERVOUR hies.] Malone's copy of the quarto, 1609, reads "with former hies:" this is another passage corrected as the play went through the press, because the copy in the library of the Duke of Devonshire has the true word "with fervour hies."

There is some of worth would come aboard: I pray
Greet him fairly.

[Gentlemen and Sailors descend, and go on board
the Barge.

Enter, from thence, LYSIMACHUS and Lords; the Tyrian Gentlemen, and the Two Sailors.

Tyr. Sail. Sir,

This is the man that can in aught you would

Resolve you.

Lys. Hail, reverend sir! The gods preserve you!
Hel. And you, sir, to outlive the age I am,
And die as I would do.

Lys.

You wish me well.

Being on shore, honouring of Neptune's triumphs,
Seeing this goodly vessel ride before us,

I made to it to know of whence you are.

Hel. First, what is your place?

Lys. I am the governor of this place you lie before. Hel. Sir,

Our vessel is of Tyre, in it the king;

A man, who for this three months hath not spoken
To any one, nor taken sustenance,

But to prorogue his grief.

Lys. Upon what ground is his distemperature?
Hel. It would be too tedious to repeat;

But the main grief of all springs from the loss
Of a beloved daughter and a wife.

Lys. May we not see him, then?

Hel. You may,

But bootless is your sight; he will not speak

Greet HIM fairly.] So the quarto, 1609: the later editions, them; but Helicanus refers to Lysimachus, who had been mentioned by the Tyrian sailor; and by 66 some of worth," Helicanus, of course, means some person of worth. Modern editors, not perceiving this, have, without warrant or notice, thrust a word into the line, and read "some one of worth." However, this is a trifling liberty, compared with others they have not scrupled, silently or avowedly, to take with the old text.

To any.

Lys. Yet, let me obtain my wish".

Hel. Behold him. [PERICLES discovered.] This was

a goodly person,

Till the disaster that one mortal night

Drove him to this.

Lys. Sir king, all hail! the gods preserve you! Hail, royal sir!

Hel. It is in vain; he will not speak to you.

1 Lord. Sir, we have a maid in Mitylene, I durst

wager,

Would win some words of him.

Lys.

'Tis well bethought.

She, questionless, with her sweet harmony,

And other choice attractions, would allure,
And make a battery through his deafen'd parts1o,
Which now are midway stopp'd:

She is all happy as the fair'st of all,

And with her fellow maids is now upon
The leafy shelter that abuts against
The island's side.

[He whispers one of the attendant Lords.-Exit Lord. Hel. Sure, all effectless; yet nothing we'll omit, That bears recovery's name.

But, since your kindness we have stretch'd thus far,
Let us beseech you',

That for our gold we may provision have,
Wherein we are not destitute for want,
But weary for the staleness.

9 Yet let me obtain my wish.] In the quarto, 1609, alone, these words are made part of the speech of Helicanus. The next speech was therefore assigned to Lysimachus. "Mortal night" is misprinted "mortal wight" in all the old editions.

10 through his DEAFEN'D parts,] The old copies all read "defended parts:" the alteration was by Malone, but we are by no means sure that it ought to be followed. Three lines lower, the old copies are corrupt by omitting "with," and "is," both necessary to the sense.

1 Let us beseech you,] Here Malone added "further," without any authority, and merely because he seems to have thought the line too short.