Pericles

Pericles

ACT V SCENE III	The temple of Diana at Ephesus; THAISA standing
	near the altar, as high priestess; a number of
	Virgins on each side; CERIMON and other Inhabitants
	of Ephesus attending.
	Enter PERICLES, with his train; LYSIMACHUS,HELICANUS, MARINA, and a Lady
PERICLES	Hail, Dian! to perform thy just command,	5
	I here confess myself the king of Tyre;
	Who, frighted from my country, did wed
	At Pentapolis the fair Thaisa.
	At sea in childbed died she, but brought forth
	A maid-child call'd Marina; who, O goddess,	10
	Wears yet thy silver livery. She at Tarsus
	Was nursed with Cleon; who at fourteen years
	He sought to murder: but her better stars
	Brought her to Mytilene; 'gainst whose shore
	Riding, her fortunes brought the maid aboard us,	15
	Where, by her own most clear remembrance, she
	Made known herself my daughter.
THAISA	Voice and favour!
	You are, you are--O royal Pericles!
	Faints
PERICLES	What means the nun? she dies! help, gentlemen!	20
CERIMON	Noble sir,
	If you have told Diana's altar true,
	This is your wife.
PERICLES	Reverend appearer, no;
	I threw her overboard with these very arms.	25
CERIMON	Upon this coast, I warrant you.
PERICLES	'Tis most certain.
CERIMON	Look to the lady; O, she's but o'erjoy'd.
	Early in blustering morn this lady was
	Thrown upon this shore. I oped the coffin,	30
	Found there rich jewels; recover'd her, and placed her
	Here in Diana's temple.
PERICLES	May we see them?
CERIMON	Great sir, they shall be brought you to my house,
	Whither I invite you. Look, Thaisa is recovered.	35
THAISA	O, let me look!
	If he be none of mine, my sanctity
	Will to my sense bend no licentious ear,
	But curb it, spite of seeing. O, my lord,
	Are you not Pericles? Like him you spake,	40
	Like him you are: did you not name a tempest,
	A birth, and death?
PERICLES	The voice of dead Thaisa!
THAISA	That Thaisa am I, supposed dead
	And drown'd.	45
PERICLES	Immortal Dian!
THAISA	Now I know you better.
	When we with tears parted Pentapolis,
	The king my father gave you such a ring.
	Shows a ring
PERICLES	This, this: no more, you gods! your present kindness	50
	Makes my past miseries sports: you shall do well,
	That on the touching of her lips I may
	Melt and no more be seen. O, come, be buried
	A second time within these arms.
MARINA	My heart	55
	Leaps to be gone into my mother's bosom.
	Kneels to THAISA
PERICLES	Look, who kneels here! Flesh of thy flesh, Thaisa;
	Thy burden at the sea, and call'd Marina
	For she was yielded there.
THAISA	Blest, and mine own!	60
HELICANUS	Hail, madam, and my queen!
THAISA	I know you not.
PERICLES	You have heard me say, when I did fly from Tyre,
	I left behind an ancient substitute:
	Can you remember what I call'd the man?	65
	I have named him oft.
THAISA	'Twas Helicanus then.
PERICLES	Still confirmation:
	Embrace him, dear Thaisa; this is he.
	Now do I long to hear how you were found;	70
	How possibly preserved; and who to thank,
	Besides the gods, for this great miracle.
THAISA	Lord Cerimon, my lord; this man,
	Through whom the gods have shown their power; that can
	From first to last resolve you.	75
PERICLES	Reverend sir,
	The gods can have no mortal officer
	More like a god than you. Will you deliver
	How this dead queen re-lives?
CERIMON	I will, my lord.	80
	Beseech you, first go with me to my house,
	Where shall be shown you all was found with her;
	How she came placed here in the temple;
	No needful thing omitted.
PERICLES	Pure Dian, bless thee for thy vision! I	85
	Will offer night-oblations to thee. Thaisa,
	This prince, the fair-betrothed of your daughter,
	Shall marry her at Pentapolis. And now,
	This ornament
	Makes me look dismal will I clip to form;	90
	And what this fourteen years no razor touch'd,
	To grace thy marriage-day, I'll beautify.
THAISA	Lord Cerimon hath letters of good credit, sir,
	My father's dead.
PERICLES	Heavens make a star of him! Yet there, my queen,	95
	We'll celebrate their nuptials, and ourselves
	Will in that kingdom spend our following days:
	Our son and daughter shall in Tyrus reign.
	Lord Cerimon, we do our longing stay
	To hear the rest untold: sir, lead's the way.	100
	Exeunt
	Enter GOWER
GOWER	In Antiochus and his daughter you have heard
	Of monstrous lust the due and just reward:
	In Pericles, his queen and daughter, seen,
	Although assail'd with fortune fierce and keen,
	Virtue preserved from fell destruction's blast,	105
	Led on by heaven, and crown'd with joy at last:
	In Helicanus may you well descry
	A figure of truth, of faith, of loyalty:
	In reverend Cerimon there well appears
	The worth that learned charity aye wears:	110
	For wicked Cleon and his wife, when fame
	Had spread their cursed deed, and honour'd name
	Of Pericles, to rage the city turn,
	That him and his they in his palace burn;
	The gods for murder seemed so content	115
	To punish them; although not done, but meant.
	So, on your patience evermore attending,
	New joy wait on you! Here our play has ending.
	Exit