The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

by William Shakespeare

  Or till the 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.

  110

  PERICLES I do not doubt thy faith;

  But should he wrong my liberties in my absence?

  HELICANUS

  We’ll mingle our bloods together in the earth,

  From whence we had our being and our birth.

  PERICLES

  Tyre, I now look from thee then, and to Tharsus

  115

  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;

  120

  Who shuns not to break one will 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’.

  Exeunt.

  1.3 Enter THALIARD alone.

  THALIARD So this is Tyre, and this the court. Here

  must I kill King Pericles; and if I do it not, I am

  sure to be hang’d at home: ’tis dangerous. Well, I

  perceive he was a wise fellow and had good

  discretion that, being bid to ask what he would of

  5

  the king, desir’d he might know none of his secrets:

  now do I see he had some reason for’t; for if a king

  bid a man be a villain, he’s bound by the indenture

  of his oath to be one. Husht! here comes the lords

  of Tyre.

  10

  Enter HELICANUS and ESCANES with other lords.

  HELICANUS 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.

  THALIARD [aside] How? the king gone?

  15

  HELICANUS 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.

  Being at Antioch –

  THALIARD [aside] What from Antioch?

  HELICANUS

  Royal Antiochus, on what cause I know not,

  20

  Took some displeasure at him; at least he judg’d so;

  And doubting lest he had err’d or sinn’d,

  To show his sorrow he’d correct himself;

  So puts himself unto the shipman’s toil,

  With whom each minute threatens life or death.

  25

  THALIARD [aside] Well, I perceive I shall not be hang’d

  now, although I would.

  But since he’s gone, the king’s ears it must please,

  He ’scap’d the land, to perish at the seas.

  I’ll present myself. [aloud] Peace to the lords of Tyre!

  30

  HELICANUS Lord Thaliard from Antiochus is welcome.

  THALIARD From him I come

  With message unto princely Pericles;

  But since my landing I have understood

  Your lord has betook himself to unknown travels,

  35

  My message must return from whence it came.

  HELICANUS We have no reason to desire it,

  Commended to our master, not to us;

  Yet ere you shall depart, this we desire,

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

  40

  1.4 Enter CLEON, the governor of Tharsus, with his wife DIONYZA and attendants.

  CLEON My Dionyza, shall we rest us here,

  And by relating tales of others’ griefs,

  See if ’twill teach us to forget our own?

  DIONYZA That were to blow at fire in hope to quench it;

  For who digs hills because they do aspire

  5

  Throws down one mountain to cast up a higher.

  O my distressed lord, even such our griefs are;

  Here they are but felt, and seen with mischief’s eyes,

  But like to groves, being topp’d, they higher rise.

  CLEON O Dionyza,

  10

  Who wanteth food, and will not say he wants it,

  Or can conceal his hunger till he famish?

  Our tongues and sorrows to sound deep?

  Our woes into the air, our eyes to 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.

  DIONYZA I’ll do my best, sir.

  20

  CLEON

  This Tharsus, o’er which I have the government,

  A city on whom plenty held full hand,

  For riches strew’d herself even in her streets;

  Whose towers bore heads so high they kiss’d the clouds,

  And strangers ne’er beheld but wond’red at;

  25

  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,

  30

  The name of help grew odious to repeat.

  DIONYZA O, ’tis too true.

  CLEON But see what heaven can do by this our change:

  These mouths, who but of late earth, sea and air,

  Were all too little to content and please,

  35

  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,

  40

  Would now be glad of bread, and beg for it;

  Those mothers who, to nuzzle 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

  45

  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?

  50

  DIONYZA Our cheeks and hollow eyes do witness it.

  CLEON O, let those cities that of plenty’s cup

  And her prosperities so largely taste,

  With their superfluous riots, hear these tears!

  The misery of Tharsus may be theirs.

  55

  Enter a Lord.

  LORD Where’s the lord governor?

  CLEON Here.

  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,

  60

  A portly sail of ships make hitherward.

  CLEON 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,

  65

  Taking advantage of our misery,

  Hath stuff’d the hollow vessels with their power,

  To beat us down, the which are down already,

  And make a conquest of unhappy men,

  Whereas no glory�
�s got to overcome.

  70

  LORD That’s the least fear; for, by the semblance

  Of their white flags display’d, they bring us peace,

  And come to us as favourers, not as foes.

  CLEON Thou speak’st like him’s untutor’d to repeat:

  Who makes the fairest show means most deceit.

  75

  But bring they what they will and what they can,

  What need we fear?

  Our ground’s the lowest, and we are half-way here.

  Go tell their general we attend him here, to know for

  what he comes, and whence he comes, and what he

  80

  craves.

  LORD I go, my lord. Exit.

  CLEON Welcome is peace, if he on peace consist;

  If wars, we are unable to resist.

  Enter Lord, with PERICLES and attendants.

  PERICLES Lord governor, for so we hear you are,

  85

  Let not our ships and number of our men

  Be like a beacon fir’d t’amaze your eyes.

  We have heard your miseries as far as Tyre,

  And seen the desolation of your streets;

  Nor come we to add sorrow to your tears,

  90

  But to relieve them of their heavy load;

  And these our ships, you happily may think

  Are like the Trojan horse was stuff’d within

  With bloody veins expecting overthrow,

  Are stor’d with corn to make your needy bread,

  95

  And give them life whom hunger starv’d half dead.

  ALL The gods of Greece protect you!

  [Cleon, Dionyza and lords of Tharsus kneel.]

  And we’ll pray for you.

  PERICLES Arise, I pray you, rise;

  We do not look for reverence, but for love

  And harbourage for ourself, our ships and men.

  100

  CLEON The which when any shall not gratify,

  Or pay you with unthankfulness in thought,

  Be it our wives, our children, or ourselves,

  The curse of heaven and men succeed their evils!

  Till when, – the which I hope shall ne’er be seen –

  105

  Your grace is welcome to our town and us.

  PERICLES

  Which welcome we’ll accept; feast here awhile,

  Until our stars that frown lend us a smile. Exeunt.

  2.Ch. Enter GOWER

  GOWER

  Here have you seen a mighty king

  His child, I wis, to incest bring;

  A better prince and benign lord

  That will prove awful both in deed and word.

  Be quiet then, as men should be

  5

  Till he hath pass’d necessity.

  I’ll show you those in troubles reign,

  Losing a mite, a mountain gain.

  The good in conversation,

  10

  To whom I give my benison,

  Is still at Tharsus, where each man

  Thinks all is writ he spoken can;

  And, to remember what he does,

  Build his statue to make him glorious.

  15

  But tidings to the contrary

  Are brought your eyes; what need speak I?

  Dumb Show.

  Enter, at one door, PERICLES, talking with CLEON; all the train with them. Enter, at another door, a gentleman, with a letter to Pericles; Pericles shows the letter to Cleon; Pericles gives the messenger a reward and knights him.

  Exit Pericles at one door, and Cleon at another.

  Good Helicane hath stay’d at home,

  Not to eat honey like a drone

  From others’ labours; for he strives

  20

  To killen bad, keep good alive;

  And to fulfil his prince’ desire,

  Sends word of all that haps in Tyre:

  How Thaliard came full bent with sin

  And hid intent to murder him;

  25

  And that in Tharsus was not best

  Longer for him to make his rest.

  He, doing so, put forth to seas,

  Where when men been, there’s seldom ease;

  For now the wind begins to blow;

  30

  Thunder above and deeps below

  Makes such unquiet that the ship

  Should house him safe is wrack’d and split;

  And he, good prince, having all lost,

  By waves from coast to coast is toss’d.

  35

  All perishen of men, of pelf,

  Ne aught escapend but himself;

  Till fortune, tir’d with doing bad,

  Threw him ashore, to give him glad:

  And here he comes. What shall be next,

  40

  Pardon old Gower, – this ’longs the text. Exit.