Hel How dare the plants look up to heaven, from

whence

They have their nourishment?

Per. Thou know'st I have power

To take thy life.

Hel. [Kneeling] I have ground the axe myself; Do you but strike the blow.

Per. Rise, pr'ythee rise;

Sit down, sit down; thou art no flatterer :

I thank thee for it; and high heaven forbid,

That kings should let their ears hear their faults hid!

Fit counsellor, and servant for a prince,

Who by thy wisdom mak'st a prince thy servant,
What would'st thou have me do?

Hel. With patience bear

Such griefs as you do lay upon yourself.

Per. Thou speak'st like a physician, Helicanus;

Who minister'st a potion unto me,

That thou would'st tremble to receive thyself.
Attend me then I went to Antioch,

Where, as thou know'st, against the face of death,
I sought the purchase of a glorious beauty,
From whence an issue I might propagate,
Bring arms to princes, and to subjects joys.
Her face was to mine eye beyond all wonder;
The rest (hark in thine ear,) as black as incest ;
Which by my knowledge found, the sinful father
Seem'd not to strike, but smooth: but thou know'st this,
'Tis time to fear, when tyrants seem to kiss.
Which fear so grew in me, I hither fled,

Under the covering of a careful night,

Who seem'd my good protector; and being here,
Bethought me what was past, what might succeed.
I knew him tyrannous; and tyrants' fears
Decrease not, but grow faster than their years:
And should he doubt it, (as no doubt he doth,)
That I should open to the listening air,
How many worthy princes' bloods were shed,
To keep his bed of blackness unlaid ope,-
To lop that doubt, he'll fill this land with arms,

And make pretence of wrong that I have done him
When all, for mine, if I may call't offence,

Mast feel war's blow, who spares not innocence :
Which love to all (of which thyself art one,
Who now reprov'st me for it)-

Hel. Alas, sir!

Per. Drew sleep out of mine eyes, blood from my

cheeks,

Musings into my mind, a thousand doubts
How I might stop this tempest, ere it came ;
And finding little comfort to relieve them,
I thought it princely charity to grieve them,

Hel. Well, my lord, since you have given me leave to speak,

Freely I'll speak. Antiochus you fear,

And justly too, I think, you fear the tyrant,
Who either by public war, or private treason,
Will take away your life.

Therefore, my lord, go travel for a while,
Till that his rage and anger be forgot,

Or Destinies do cut his thread of life.
Your rule direct to any; if to me,

Day serves not light more faithful than I'll be.
Per. I do not doubt thy faith;

But should he wrong my liberties in absence-
Hel. We'll mingle bloods together in the earth,
From whence we had our being and our birth.

Per. Tyre, I now look from thee then, and to Tharsus
Intend my travel, where I'll hear from thee;
And by whose letters I'll dispose myself.
The care I had and have of subjects' good,

On thee I lay, whose wisdom's strength can bear it. I'll take thy word for faith, not ask thine oath ; Who shuns not to break one, will sure crack both : But in our orbs, we'll live so round and safe, That time of both this truth shall ne'er convince, 'Thou show'dst a subject's shine, I a true prince.4 [Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Tyre. An Ante-chamber in the Palace. Enter THALIARD. Thal. So, this is Tyre, and this is the court. Here must I kill king Pericles; and if I do not, I am sure to be hanged at home: 'tis dangerous.-Well, I perceive he was a wise fellow, and had good discretion, that be

[4] This sentiment is not much unlike that of Falstaff: "I shall think the better of myself and thee during my life; I for a valiant lion, and thou for a true prince," MALONE.

ing bid to ask what he would of the king, desired he might know none of his secrets. 5 Now do I see he had some reason for it: for if a king bid a man be a villain, he is bound by the indenture of his oath to be one.Hush, here come the lords of Tyre.

Enter HELICANUS, ESCANES, and other Lords. Hel. You shall not need, my fellow peers of Tyre, Further to question of your king's departure. His seal'd commission, left in trust with me, Doth speak sufficiently, he's gone to travel. Thal. How the king gone!

Hel. If further yet you will be satisfied, Why, as it were, unlicens'd of your loves,

He would depart, I'll give some light unto you.

[Aside

Being at Antioch

Thal. What from Antioch?

[Aside.

Hel. Royal Antiochus (on what cause I know not,)

Took some displeasure at him; at least he judg'd so:
And doubting lest that he had err'd or sinn'd,
To show his sorrow, would correct himself;
So puts himself unto the shipman's toil,

With whom each minute threatens life or death.
Thal. Well, I perceive

[Aside

I shall not be hang'd now, although I would;
But since he's gone, the king it sure must please,
He 'scap'd the land, to perish on the seas.-
But I'll present me. Peace to the lords of Tyre!

Hel. Lord Thaliard from Antiochus is welcome.
Thal. From him I come

With message unto princely Pericles ;

But, since my landing, as I have understood
Your lord has took himself to unknown travels,
My message must return from whence it came.
Hel. We have no reason to desire it, since
Commended to our master, not to us :

[5] Who this wise fellow was, may be known from the following passage in Barnabie Riche's Souldier's Wishe to Britons Welfare, 1604, p. 27: "I will therefore commende the poet Philipides, who being demaunded by King Lisimachus, what favour he might doe unto him for that he loved him, made this.answere to the King, that your majestie would never impart unto me any of your secrets." STEEVENS.

[6] So, Autolycus, in The Winter's Tale: " If I had a mind to he honest, see, Fortune would not suffer me; she drops bounties into my mouth" MALONE

Yet, ere you shall depart, this we desire,

As friends to Antioch, we may feast in Tyre. [Exeunt.

SCENE IV,

Tharsus. A Room in the Governor's House. Enter CLEON,
DIONYZA, and Attendants.

Cle. My Dionyza, shall we rest us here,
And by relating tales of other's griefs,
See if 'twill teach us to forget our own?

Dio. That were to blow at fire, in hope to quench it ;
For who digs hills because they do aspire,
Throws down one mountain to cast up a higher.

O my distressed lord, even such our griefs;

Here they're but felt, and seen with with mistful eyes,
But like to groves, being topp'd, they higher rise.
Cle. O Dionyza,

Who wanteth food, and will not say he wants it,
Or can conceal his hunger, till he famish?
Our tongues and sorrows do sound deep our woes
Into the air; our eyes do weep, till lungs

Fetch breath that may proclaim them louder; that,
If heaven slumber, while their creatures want,
They may awake their helps to comfort them.
I'll then discourse our woes, felt several years,
And wanting breath to speak, help me with tears.
Dio. I'll do my best, sir.

Cle. This Tharsus, o'er which I have government, (A city, on whom plenty held full hand,)

For riches, strew'd herself even in the streets;

Whose towers bore heads so high, they kiss'd the clouds,
And strangers ne'er beheld, but wonder'd at ;
Whose men and dames so jetted and adorn'd,
Like one another's glass to trim them by :
Their tables were stor'd full to glad the sight,
And not so much to feed on, as delight;
All poverty was scorn'd, and pride so great,
The name of help grew odious to repeat.
Dio. O, 'tis too true.

Cle. But see what heaven can do! By this our change, These mouths, whom but of late, earth, sea, and air,

[7] To jet is to strut, to walk proudly. So, in Twelfth Night: "Contemlation makes a rare turkey-cock of him: how he jets under his advanced plumes!"

STEEVENS.

Were all too little to content and please,
Although they gave their creatures in abundance,
As houses are defil'd for want of use,

They are now starv'd for want of exercise:
Those palates, who not yet two summers younger,
Must have inventions to delight the taste,
Would now be glad of bread, and beg for it;
Those mothers who, to nousle up their babes,
Thought nought too curious, are ready now,
To eat those little darlings whom they lov❜d.
So sharp are hunger's teeth, that man and wife
Draw lots, who first shall die to lengthen life :
Here stands a lord, and there a lady weeping;
Here many sink, yet those which see them fall,
Have scarce strength left to give them burial.
Is not this true?

Dio. Our cheeks and hollow eyes do witness it.
Cle. O, let those cities, that of Plenty's cup
And her prosperities so largely taste,

With their superfluous riots, hear these tears !1
The misery of Tharsus may be theirs.

Speak out thy sorrows which thou bring'st, in haste,
For comfort is too far for us to expect.

Lord.We have descried, upon our neighbouring shore, A portly sail of ships make hitherward.

Cle. I thought as much.

One sorrow never comes, but brings an heir,

That may succeed as his inheritor ;'

And so in ours: some neighbouring nation,

Taking advantage of our misery,

Hath stuff'd these hollow vessels with their power,

[9] I would read-nursle. A fondling is still called a nursling. STEEV. [1] A kindred thought is found in King Lear :

"Take physic, pomp!

"Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel,
"That thou may'st shake the superflux to them,
"And show the heavens more just."

[2] So, in Hamlet:

"sorrows never come as single spies,
"But in battalions."

Again, ibidem,

"One woe doth tread upon another's heels,
"So fast they follow."

MALONE.

STEEVENS.

MALONE