Page images
PDF
EPUB

Dion.

Cle.

Of all the faults beneath the heavens, the gods
Do like this worst.

Be one of those that think
The pretty wrens of Tarsus will fly hence
And open this to Pericles. I do shame
To think of what a noble strain you are
And of how coward a spirit.

To such proceeding

Who ever but his approbation added,
Though not his prime consent, he did not flow

From honourable sources.

20

Dion.

Be it so, then :

Yet none does know, but you, how she came dead,

Nor none can know, Leonine being gone.

30

She did distain my child, and stood between

Her and her fortunes: none would look on her,

But cast their gazes on Marina's face;

Whilst ours was blurted at, and held a malkin,

Not worth the time of day. It pierced me thorough;

And though you call my course unnatural,

You not your child well loving, yet I find

Cle.

It greets me as an enterprise of kindness

Perform'd to your sole daughter.

Dion. And as for Pericles,

Cle.

What should he say? We wept after her hearse,

And yet we mourn: her monument

Is almost finish'd, and her epitaphs

In glittering golden characters express

A general praise to her, and care in us

At whose expense 'tis done.

Thou art like the harpy,

Heavens forgive it!

40

Which, to betray, dost, with thine angel's face,

Seize with thine eagle's talons.

Dion. You are like one that superstitiously

Doth swear to the gods that winter kills the flies:

But yet I know you'll do as I advise.

50

[Exeunt.

Scene IV.

Enter Gower, before the monument of Marina at Tarsus.
Gow. Thus time we waste, and longest leagues make short;
Sail seas in cockles, have and wish but for 't ;
Making, to take our imagination,

From bourn to bourn, region to region.
By you being pardon'd, we commit no crime
To use one language in each several clime

Where our scenes seem to live. I do beseech

you

To learn of me, who stand i' the gaps to teach you
The stages of our story. Pericles

[ocr errors]

Is now again thwarting the wayward seas,
Attended on by many a lord and knight,
To see his daughter, all his life's delight.
Old Helicanus goes along; behind
Is left to govern it, you bear in mind
Old Escanes, whom Helicanus late
Advanced in time to great and high estate.
Well-sailing ships and bounteous winds have brought
This king to Tarsus, - think his pilot thought:
So with his steerage shall your thoughts grow on, -
To fetch his daughter home, who first is gone.
Like motes and shadows see them move awhile;
Your ears unto your eyes I'll reconcile.

20

DUMB SHOW

Enter Pericles at one door, with all his train; Cleon and Dionyza at the other. Cleon shows Pericles the tomb; whereat Pericles makes lamentation, puts on sackcloth, and in a mighty passion departs. Then exeunt Cleon, Dionyza, ana

the rest.

See how belief may suffer by foul show!

This borrow'd passion stands for true old woe;

And Pericles, in sorrow all devour'd,

With sighs shot through and biggest tears o'ershower'd,

Leaves Tarsus and again embarks. He swears

Never to wash his face, nor cut his hairs :

He puts on sackcloth, and to sea.

He bears

A tempest, which his mortal vessel tears,
And yet he rides it out. Now please you wit

30

[Reads the inscription on Marina's monument.

The epitaph is for Marina writ

By wicked Dionyza.

'The fairest, sweet'st and best, lies here,

Who wither'd in her spring of year.

She was of Tyrus the king's daughter,

On whom foul death hath made this slaughter;
Marina was she call'd; and at her birth,
Thetis, being proud, swallow'd some part o' the earth:
Therefore the earth, fearing to be o'erflow'd:
Hath Thetis' birth-child on the heavens bestow'd:
Wherefore she does, and swears she'll never stint,
Make raging battery upon shores of flint.'

No visor does become black villany

So well as soft and tender flattery.

40

Let Pericles believe his daughter's dead,

And bear his courses to be ordered

By Lady Fortune; while our scene must play
His daughter's woe and heavy well-a-day
In her unholy service. Patience, then,

And think you now are all in Mytilene.

Scene V.

Mytilene. A street before the brothel.
Enter, from the brothel, two Gentlemen.

First Gent. Did you ever hear the like?

Sec. Gent. No, nor never shall do in such a place as this, she being once gone.

First. Gent. But to have divinity preached there! did you ever dream of such a thing?

Sec. Gent. No, no. Come, I am for no more bawdyhouses: shall's go hear the vestals sing?

First Gent. I'll do any thing now that is virtuous; but I am out of the road of rutting for ever.

Scene VI.

The same. A room in the brothel.
Enter Pandar, Bawd, and Boult.

50 [Exit.

[Exeunt. 10

Pand. Well, I had rather than twice the worth of her she had ne'er come here.

Bawd. Fie, fie upon her! she's able to freeze the god Priapus, and undo a whole generation. We must either get her ravished or be rid of her. When she should do for clients her fitment and

do me the kindness of our profession, she has me her quirks, her reasons, her master reasons, her prayers, her knees; that she would make a puritan of the devil, if he should cheapen a kiss of her. Boult. Faith, I must ravish her, or she'll disfurnish us of all our cavaliers and make all our swearers priests.

Pand. Now, the pox upon her green-sickness for me!
Bawd. Faith, there's no way to be rid on't but by
the way to the pox. Here comes the Lord
Lysimachus disguised.

Boult. We should have both lord and lown, if the
peevish baggage would but give way to cus-

tomers.

Enter Lysimachus.

Lys. How now! How a dozen of virginities?
Bawd. Now, the gods to-bless your honour!
Boult. I am glad to see your honour in good health.

Lys. You may so; 'tis the better for you that your
resorters stand upon sound legs. How now,
wholesome iniquity have you that a man may
deal withal, and defy the surgeon?

Bawd. We have here one, sir, if she would-but there never came her like in Mytilene.

[ocr errors][merged small]

Lys. If she'ld do the deed of darkness, thou wouldst 30

say.

Bawd. Your honour knows what 'tis to say well

enough.

Lys. Well, call forth, call forth.

Boult. For flesh and blood, sir, white and red, you shall see a rose; and she were a rose indeed, if she had but

« EelmineJätka »