Pericles

Pericles

ACT IV	Enter GOWER
GOWER	Imagine Pericles arrived at Tyre,
	Welcomed and settled to his own desire.
	His woeful queen we leave at Ephesus,
	Unto Diana there a votaress.
	Now to Marina bend your mind,	5
	Whom our fast-growing scene must find
	At Tarsus, and by Cleon train'd
	In music, letters; who hath gain'd
	Of education all the grace,
	Which makes her both the heart and place	10
	Of general wonder. But, alack,
	That monster envy, oft the wrack
	Of earned praise, Marina's life
	Seeks to take off by treason's knife.
	And in this kind hath our Cleon	15
	One daughter, and a wench full grown,
	Even ripe for marriage-rite; this maid
	Hight Philoten: and it is said
	For certain in our story, she
	Would ever with Marina be:	20
	Be't when she weaved the sleided silk
	With fingers long, small, white as milk;
	Or when she would with sharp needle wound
	The cambric, which she made more sound
	By hurting it; or when to the lute	25
	She sung, and made the night-bird mute,
	That still records with moan; or when
	She would with rich and constant pen
	Vail to her mistress Dian; still
	This Philoten contends in skill	30
	With absolute Marina: so
	With the dove of Paphos might the crow
	Vie feathers white. Marina gets
	All praises, which are paid as debts,
	And not as given. This so darks	35
	In Philoten all graceful marks,
	That Cleon's wife, with envy rare,
	A present murderer does prepare
	For good Marina, that her daughter
	Might stand peerless by this slaughter.	40
	The sooner her vile thoughts to stead,
	Lychorida, our nurse, is dead:
	And cursed Dionyza hath
	The pregnant instrument of wrath
	Prest for this blow. The unborn event	45
	I do commend to your content:
	Only I carry winged time
	Post on the lame feet of my rhyme;
	Which never could I so convey,
	Unless your thoughts went on my way.	50
	Dionyza does appear,
	With Leonine, a murderer.
	Exit
ACT IV SCENE I	Tarsus. An open place near the sea-shore.
	Enter DIONYZA and LEONINE
DIONYZA	Thy oath remember; thou hast sworn to do't:
	'Tis but a blow, which never shall be known.	55
	Thou canst not do a thing in the world so soon,
	To yield thee so much profit. Let not conscience,
	Which is but cold, inflaming love i' thy bosom,
	Inflame too nicely; nor let pity, which
	Even women have cast off, melt thee, but be	60
	A soldier to thy purpose.
LEONINE	I will do't; but yet she is a goodly creature.
DIONYZA	The fitter, then, the gods should have her. Here
	she comes weeping for her only mistress' death.
	Thou art resolved?	65
LEONINE	I am resolved.
	Enter MARINA, with a basket of flowers
MARINA	No, I will rob Tellus of her weed,
	To strew thy green with flowers: the yellows, blues,
	The purple violets, and marigolds,
	Shall as a carpet hang upon thy grave,	70
	While summer-days do last. Ay me! poor maid,
	Born in a tempest, when my mother died,
	This world to me is like a lasting storm,
	Whirring me from my friends.
DIONYZA	How now, Marina! why do you keep alone?	75
	How chance my daughter is not with you? Do not
	Consume your blood with sorrowing: you have
	A nurse of me. Lord, how your favour's changed
	With this unprofitable woe!
	Come, give me your flowers, ere the sea mar it.	80
	Walk with Leonine; the air is quick there,
	And it pierces and sharpens the stomach. Come,
	Leonine, take her by the arm, walk with her.
MARINA	No, I pray you;
	I'll not bereave you of your servant.	85
DIONYZA	Come, come;
	I love the king your father, and yourself,
	With more than foreign heart. We every day
	Expect him here: when he shall come and find
	Our paragon to all reports thus blasted,	90
	He will repent the breadth of his great voyage;
	Blame both my lord and me, that we have taken
	No care to your best courses. Go, I pray you,
	Walk, and be cheerful once again; reserve
	That excellent complexion, which did steal	95
	The eyes of young and old. Care not for me
	I can go home alone.
MARINA	Well, I will go;
	But yet I have no desire to it.
DIONYZA	Come, come, I know 'tis good for you.	100
	Walk half an hour, Leonine, at the least:
	Remember what I have said.
LEONINE	I warrant you, madam.
DIONYZA	I'll leave you, my sweet lady, for a while:
	Pray, walk softly, do not heat your blood:	105
	What! I must have a care of you.
MARINA	My thanks, sweet madam.
	Exit DIONYZA
	Is this wind westerly that blows?
LEONINE	South-west.
MARINA	When I was born, the wind was north.	110
LEONINE	Was't so?
MARINA	My father, as nurse said, did never fear,
	But cried 'Good seaman!' to the sailors, galling
	His kingly hands, haling ropes;
	And, clasping to the mast, endured a sea	115
	That almost burst the deck.
LEONINE	When was this?
MARINA	When I was born:
	Never was waves nor wind more violent;
	And from the ladder-tackle washes off	120
	A canvas-climber. 'Ha!' says one, 'wilt out?'
	And with a dropping industry they skip
	From stem to stern: the boatswain whistles, and
	The master calls, and trebles their confusion.
LEONINE	Come, say your prayers.	125
MARINA	What mean you?
LEONINE	If you require a little space for prayer,
	I grant it: pray; but be not tedious,
	For the gods are quick of ear, and I am sworn
	To do my work with haste.	130
MARINA	Why will you kill me?
LEONINE	To satisfy my lady.
MARINA	Why would she have me kill'd?
	Now, as I can remember, by my troth,
	I never did her hurt in all my life:	135
	I never spake bad word, nor did ill turn
	To any living creature: believe me, la,
	I never kill'd a mouse, nor hurt a fly:
	I trod upon a worm against my will,
	But I wept for it. How have I offended,	140
	Wherein my death might yield her any profit,
	Or my life imply her any danger?
LEONINE	My commission
	Is not to reason of the deed, but do it.
MARINA	You will not do't for all the world, I hope.	145
	You are well favour'd, and your looks foreshow
	You have a gentle heart. I saw you lately,
	When you caught hurt in parting two that fought:
	Good sooth, it show'd well in you: do so now:
	Your lady seeks my life; come you between,	150
	And save poor me, the weaker.
LEONINE	I am sworn,
	And will dispatch.
	He seizes her
	Enter Pirates
First Pirate	Hold, villain!
	LEONINE runs away
Second Pirate	A prize! a prize!	155
Third Pirate	Half-part, mates, half-part.
	Come, let's have her aboard suddenly.
	Exeunt Pirates with MARINA
	Re-enter LEONINE
LEONINE	These roguing thieves serve the great pirate Valdes;
	And they have seized Marina. Let her go:
	There's no hope she will return. I'll swear	160
	she's dead,
	And thrown into the sea. But I'll see further:
	Perhaps they will but please themselves upon her,
	Not carry her aboard. If she remain,
	Whom they have ravish'd must by me be slain.	165
	Exit