Pericles

Pericles

ACT II	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,
	To whom I give my benison,	10
	Is still at Tarsus, where each man
	Thinks all is writ he speken can;
	And, to remember what he does,
	Build his statue to make him glorious:
	But tidings to the contrary	15
	Are brought your eyes; what need speak I?
	DUMB SHOW.
	Enter at one door PERICLES talking with CLEON; allthe train with them. Enter at another door aGentleman, with a letter to PERICLES; PERICLESshows the letter to CLEON; gives the Messenger areward, and knights him. Exit PERICLES at onedoor, and CLEON at ano
	Good Helicane, that stay'd at home,
	Not to eat honey like a drone
	From others' labours; for though he strive	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 had intent to murder him;	25
	And that in Tarsus 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
	Make such unquiet, that the ship
	Should house him safe is wreck'd and split;
	And he, good prince, having all lost,
	By waves from coast to coast is tost:	35
	All perishen of man, of pelf,
	Ne aught escapen but himself;
	Till fortune, tired 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
ACT II SCENE I	Pentapolis. An open place by the sea-side.
	Enter PERICLES, wet
PERICLES	Yet cease your ire, you angry stars of heaven!
	Wind, rain, and thunder, remember, earthly man
	Is but a substance that must yield to you;	45
	And I, as fits my nature, do obey you:
	Alas, the sea hath cast me on the rocks,
	Wash'd me from shore to shore, and left me breath
	Nothing to think on but ensuing death:
	Let it suffice the greatness of your powers	50
	To have bereft a prince of all his fortunes;
	And having thrown him from your watery grave,
	Here to have death in peace is all he'll crave.
	Enter three FISHERMEN
First Fisherman	What, ho, Pilch!
Second Fisherman	Ha, come and bring away the nets!	55
First Fisherman	What, Patch-breech, I say!
Third Fisherman	What say you, master?
First Fisherman	Look how thou stirrest now! come away, or I'll
	fetch thee with a wanion.
Third Fisherman	Faith, master, I am thinking of the poor men that	60
	were cast away before us even now.
First Fisherman	Alas, poor souls, it grieved my heart to hear what
	pitiful cries they made to us to help them, when,
	well-a-day, we could scarce help ourselves.
Third Fisherman	Nay, master, said not I as much when I saw the	65
	porpus how he bounced and tumbled? they say
	they're half fish, half flesh: a plague on them,
	they ne'er come but I look to be washed. Master, I
	marvel how the fishes live in the sea.
First Fisherman	Why, as men do a-land; the great ones eat up the	70
	little ones: I can compare our rich misers to
	nothing so fitly as to a whale; a' plays and
	tumbles, driving the poor fry before him, and at
	last devours them all at a mouthful: such whales
	have I heard on o' the land, who never leave gaping	75
	till they've swallowed the whole parish, church,
	steeple, bells, and all.
PERICLES	Aside
Third Fisherman	But, master, if I had been the sexton, I would have
	been that day in the belfry.
Second Fisherman	Why, man?	80
Third Fisherman	Because he should have swallowed me too: and when I
	had been in his belly, I would have kept such a
	jangling of the bells, that he should never have
	left, till he cast bells, steeple, church, and
	parish up again. But if the good King Simonides	85
	were of my mind,--
PERICLES	Aside
Third Fisherman	We would purge the land of these drones, that rob
	the bee of her honey.
PERICLES	Aside
	These fishers tell the infirmities of men;
	And from their watery empire recollect	90
	All that may men approve or men detect!
	Peace be at your labour, honest fishermen.
Second Fisherman	Honest! good fellow, what's that? If it be a day
	fits you, search out of the calendar, and nobody
	look after it.	95
PERICLES	May see the sea hath cast upon your coast.
Second Fisherman	What a drunken knave was the sea to cast thee in our
	way!
PERICLES	A man whom both the waters and the wind,
	In that vast tennis-court, have made the ball	100
	For them to play upon, entreats you pity him:
	He asks of you, that never used to beg.
First Fisherman	No, friend, cannot you beg? Here's them in our
	country Greece gets more with begging than we can do
	with working.	105
Second Fisherman	Canst thou catch any fishes, then?
PERICLES	I never practised it.
Second Fisherman	Nay, then thou wilt starve, sure; for here's nothing
	to be got now-a-days, unless thou canst fish for't.
PERICLES	What I have been I have forgot to know;	110
	But what I am, want teaches me to think on:
	A man throng'd up with cold: my veins are chill,
	And have no more of life than may suffice
	To give my tongue that heat to ask your help;
	Which if you shall refuse, when I am dead,	115
	For that I am a man, pray see me buried.
First Fisherman	Die quoth-a? Now gods forbid! I have a gown here;
	come, put it on; keep thee warm. Now, afore me, a
	handsome fellow! Come, thou shalt go home, and
	we'll have flesh for holidays, fish for	120
	fasting-days, and moreo'er puddings and flap-jacks,
	and thou shalt be welcome.
PERICLES	I thank you, sir.
Second Fisherman	Hark you, my friend; you said you could not beg.
PERICLES	I did but crave.	125
Second Fisherman	But crave! Then I'll turn craver too, and so I
	shall 'scape whipping.
PERICLES	Why, are all your beggars whipped, then?
Second Fisherman	O, not all, my friend, not all; for if all your
	beggars were whipped, I would wish no better office	130
	than to be beadle. But, master, I'll go draw up the
	net.
	Exit with Third Fisherman
PERICLES	Aside
First Fisherman	Hark you, sir, do you know where ye are?
PERICLES	Not well.
First Fisherman	Why, I'll tell you: this is called Pentapolis, and	135
	our king the good Simonides.
PERICLES	The good King Simonides, do you call him.
First Fisherman	Ay, sir; and he deserves so to be called for his
	peaceable reign and good government.
PERICLES	He is a happy king, since he gains from his subjects	140
	the name of good by his government. How far is his
	court distant from this shore?
First Fisherman	Marry, sir, half a day's journey: and I'll tell
	you, he hath a fair daughter, and to-morrow is her
	birth-day; and there are princes and knights come	145
	from all parts of the world to just and tourney for her love.
PERICLES	Were my fortunes equal to my desires, I could wish
	to make one there.
First Fisherman	O, sir, things must be as they may; and what a man
	cannot get, he may lawfully deal for--his wife's soul.	150
	Re-enter Second and Third Fishermen, drawing up a net
Second Fisherman	Help, master, help! here's a fish hangs in the net,
	like a poor man's right in the law; 'twill hardly
	come out. Ha! bots on't, 'tis come at last, and
	'tis turned to a rusty armour.
PERICLES	An armour, friends! I pray you, let me see it.	155
	Thanks, fortune, yet, that, after all my crosses,
	Thou givest me somewhat to repair myself;
	And though it was mine own, part of my heritage,
	Which my dead father did bequeath to me.
	With this strict charge, even as he left his life,	160
	'Keep it, my Pericles; it hath been a shield
	Twixt me and death;'--and pointed to this brace;--
	'For that it saved me, keep it; in like necessity--
	The which the gods protect thee from!--may
	defend thee.'	165
	It kept where I kept, I so dearly loved it;
	Till the rough seas, that spare not any man,
	Took it in rage, though calm'd have given't again:
	I thank thee for't: my shipwreck now's no ill,
	Since I have here my father's gift in's will.	170
First Fisherman	What mean you, sir?
PERICLES	To beg of you, kind friends, this coat of worth,
	For it was sometime target to a king;
	I know it by this mark. He loved me dearly,
	And for his sake I wish the having of it;	175
	And that you'ld guide me to your sovereign's court,
	Where with it I may appear a gentleman;
	And if that ever my low fortune's better,
	I'll pay your bounties; till then rest your debtor.
First Fisherman	Why, wilt thou tourney for the lady?	180
PERICLES	I'll show the virtue I have borne in arms.
First Fisherman	Why, do 'e take it, and the gods give thee good on't!
Second Fisherman	Ay, but hark you, my friend; 'twas we that made up
	this garment through the rough seams of the waters:
	there are certain condolements, certain vails. I	185
	hope, sir, if you thrive, you'll remember from
	whence you had it.
PERICLES	Believe 't, I will.
	By your furtherance I am clothed in steel;
	And, spite of all the rapture of the sea,	190
	This jewel holds his building on my arm:
	Unto thy value I will mount myself
	Upon a courser, whose delightful steps
	Shall make the gazer joy to see him tread.
	Only, my friend, I yet am unprovided	195
	Of a pair of bases.
Second Fisherman	We'll sure provide: thou shalt have my best gown to
	make thee a pair; and I'll bring thee to the court myself.
PERICLES	Then honour be but a goal to my will,
	This day I'll rise, or else add ill to ill.	200
	Exeunt