That all those eyes ador'd them ere their fall,
Scorn now their hand should give them burial.
ESCA. 'Twas very strange.

HEL.
And yet but justice; for though
This king were great, his greatness was no guard
To bar heav'n's shaft, but sin had his reward.

ESCA. 'Tis very true.

Enter three Lords.

1 LORD. See, not a man in private conference Or council hath respect with him but he.

2 LORD. It shall no longer grieve without reproof. [it. 3 LORD. And curs'd be he that will not second 1 LORD. Follow me, then: lord Helicane, a word.

HEL. With me? and welcome: happy day, my lords.

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 your prince you love.

1 LORD. Wrong not yourself, then, noble Heli

cane ;

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, 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:

And knowing this kingdom is without a head, (Like goodly buildings left without a roof Soon fall to ruin,) 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. Fort honour's cause forbear your suffrages:

If that you love prince Pericles, forbear.
Take I your wish, I leap into the seas,
Where's hourly trouble for a minute's ease.
A twelvemonth longer, let me entreat you
To forbear 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 nobles, 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.

(*) Old editions, death.

(4) Old copies, Try: amended by Mr. Dyce.

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 yet from her by no means can I get.
2 KNIGHT. May we not get access to her, my
lord?

SIM. 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. Loth 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.
'Tis well, mistress, 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 do 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: I do
Protest my ears 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.

(*) The it is not in the old copies.

SIM. Let me ask you one thing. What do you think of my daughter, sir? PER. A most virtuous princess. SIM. And she is fair too, is she not? PER. As a fair day in summer,-wondrous fair. SIM. Sir, my daughter thinks very well of you; Ay, so well, that you must be her master, And she will be your scholar: therefore look to it. PER. I am unworthy for her schoolmaster. SIM. She thinks not so: peruse this writing else.

PER. [Aside.] What's here!

A letter, that she loves the knight of Tyre! "Tis the king's subtilty to have my life.O, seek not to entrap me, gracious lord,

*

Will you, not having my consent, bestow
Your love and affections
your
on a stranger?—
Who, for aught I know, may be, nor can I think
The contrary, [Aside.] as great in blood as I
myself.―

Therefore, hear you, mistress; either 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 at further grief,-God give you joy!-
What, are you both pleas'd?

THAI.
Yes, if you love me, sir.
PER. Even as my life, or blood that fosters it.
SIM. What, are you both agreed?

Bотн. Yes, if it please your majesty.

SIM. It pleaseth me so well, that I will see you wed;

Then, with what haste you can, get you to bed.

[Exeunt.(4)

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 from the mouse's hole; And crickets sing at th' oven's mouth, Ayet 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.

Enter PERICLES and SIMONIDES, at one door, with Attendants; a Messenger meets them, kneels, and gives PERICLES a letter. PERICLES shows it to SIMONIDES; the Lords kneel to the former. Then enter THAISA with child, and LYCHORIDA, a nurse. SIMONIDES shows his daughter the letter: she rejoices; she and PERICLES take leave of her father, and depart with LYCHORIDA and Attendants. Then exeunt SIMONIDES and the rest.

By many a dernea and painful perch,

Of Pericles the careful search,

By the four opposing coigns,
Which the world together joins,
Is made; with all due diligence,
That horse and sail and high expense
Can stead the quest. At last from Tyre
(Fame answering the most strange inquire)
To the court of king Simonides

(*) Old copies, about the house.

(+) Old copies, Are; corrected by Mr. Dyce.
(1) Old copies, crignes; corrected by Tyrwhitt.

a Derne-] Derne is usually explained to mean, lonely; it appears, however, in the instances of its use that we have met with, to signify earnest, eager, and the like. Thus :

"Then if derne love of thy deare loving Lord,-" BARNES' Spirituall Sonnets, 1595.

Are letters brought; the tenour these :—
Antiochus and his daughter dead;
The men of Tyrus on the head
Of Helicanus would set on

b

The crown of Tyre, but he will none; The mutine there he hastes t' oppress; Says to them, if king Pericles

Come not home in twice six moons,

He, obedient to their dooms,

Will take the crown. The sum of this,

Brought hither to Pentapolis,

C

Y-ravished the regions round,

And every one with claps can 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 woe:-
Lychorida her nurse she takes,
And so to sea. Their vessel shakes
On Neptune's billow; half the flood
Hath their keel cut; but fortune's mood
Varies again the grisly 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
Doth fall in travail with her fear:
And what ensues in this fell storm,
Shall for itself, itself perform;

I nill 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* Pericles appears to speak. [Exit.

(*) Old editions, seas-tost.

b The mutine there he-] In the old text, "The mutiny he there."

c Y-ravished-] Old copies, Iranished, and Irony shed; Steevens made the emendation.

d But fortune's mood-] The old copies have, "But fortune moou'd," and "fortune mou'd."