| ACT II SCENE I | PROLOGUE. |
| [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; all
the train with them. Enter at another door a
Gentleman, with a letter to PERICLES; PERICLES
shows the letter to CLEON; gives the Messenger a
reward, and knights him. Exit PERICLES at one
door, and CLEON at another
] |
| Good Helicane, that stay'd at home, |
| Not to eat honey like a drone |
| From others' labours; for though he strive |
| To killen bad, keep good alive; | 20 |
| 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; |
| And that in Tarsus was not best | 25 |
| 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; |
| Thunder above and deeps below | 30 |
| 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: |
| All perishen of man, of pelf, | 35 |
| 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, |
| Pardon old Gower,--this longs the text. | 40 |
| [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; |
| And I, as fits my nature, do obey you: |
| Alas, the sea hath cast me on the rocks, | 5 |
| 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 |
| To have bereft a prince of all his fortunes; |
| And having thrown him from your watery grave, | 10 |
| 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! |
| First Fisherman | What, Patch-breech, I say! |
| Third Fisherman | What say you, master? | 15 |
| 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 |
| were cast away before us even now. |
| First Fisherman | Alas, poor souls, it grieved my heart to hear what | 20 |
| 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 |
| porpus how he bounced and tumbled? they say |
| they're half fish, half flesh: a plague on them, | 25 |
| 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 |
| little ones: I can compare our rich misers to |
| nothing so fitly as to a whale; a' plays and | 30 |
| 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 |
| till they've swallowed the whole parish, church, |
| steeple, bells, and all. | 35 |
| PERICLES | [Aside] A pretty moral.
|
| Third Fisherman | But, master, if I had been the sexton, I would have |
| been that day in the belfry. |
| Second Fisherman | Why, man? |
| Third Fisherman | Because he should have swallowed me too: and when I | 40 |
| 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 |
| were of my mind,-- | 45 |
| PERICLES | [Aside] Simonides!
|
| Third Fisherman | We would purge the land of these drones, that rob |
| the bee of her honey. |
| PERICLES | [Aside] How from the finny subject of the sea
|
| These fishers tell the infirmities of men; | 50 |
| And from their watery empire recollect |
| 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 | 55 |
| look after it. |
| 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, | 60 |
| In that vast tennis-court, have made the ball |
| 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 | 65 |
| with working. |
| 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. | 70 |
| PERICLES | What I have been I have forgot to know; |
| 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; | 75 |
| Which if you shall refuse, when I am dead, |
| 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 | 80 |
| we'll have flesh for holidays, fish for |
| 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. | 85 |
| PERICLES | I did but crave. |
| 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 | 90 |
| beggars were whipped, I would wish no better office |
| than to be beadle. But, master, I'll go draw up the |
| net. |
| [Exit with Third Fisherman] |
| PERICLES | [Aside] How well this honest mirth becomes their labour!
|
| First Fisherman | Hark you, sir, do you know where ye are? | 95 |
| PERICLES | Not well. |
| First Fisherman | Why, I'll tell you: this is called Pentapolis, and |
| 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 | 100 |
| peaceable reign and good government. |
| PERICLES | He is a happy king, since he gains from his subjects |
| 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 | 105 |
| you, he hath a fair daughter, and to-morrow is her |
| birth-day; and there are princes and knights come |
| 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. | 110 |
| 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. |
| [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 | 115 |
| 'tis turned to a rusty armour. |
| PERICLES | An armour, friends! I pray you, let me see it. |
| 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, | 120 |
| Which my dead father did bequeath to me. |
| With this strict charge, even as he left his life, |
| '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-- | 125 |
| The which the gods protect thee from!--may |
| defend thee.' |
| 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: | 130 |
| I thank thee for't: my shipwreck now's no ill, |
| Since I have here my father's gift in's will. |
| 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; | 135 |
| I know it by this mark. He loved me dearly, |
| And for his sake I wish the having of it; |
| 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, | 140 |
| I'll pay your bounties; till then rest your debtor. |
| First Fisherman | Why, wilt thou tourney for the lady? |
| 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 | 145 |
| this garment through the rough seams of the waters: |
| there are certain condolements, certain vails. I |
| hope, sir, if you thrive, you'll remember from |
| whence you had it. |
| PERICLES | Believe 't, I will. | 150 |
| By your furtherance I am clothed in steel; |
| And, spite of all the rapture of the sea, |
| This jewel holds his building on my arm: |
| Unto thy value I will mount myself |
| Upon a courser, whose delightful steps | 155 |
| Shall make the gazer joy to see him tread. |
| Only, my friend, I yet am unprovided |
| 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. | 160 |
| PERICLES | Then honour be but a goal to my will, |
| This day I'll rise, or else add ill to ill. |
| [Exeunt] |
Shakespeare's Sources for Pericles