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Her eyelids, cases to those heavenly jewels
Which Pericles hath lost,

Begin to part their fringes of bright gold;
The diamonds of a most praised water

Do appear, to make the world twice rich. Live,
And make us weep to hear your fate, fair creature,
Rare as you seem to be.

Thai.

[She moves.

O dear Diana,

What world

Where am I? Where's my lord?

is this?

Sec. Gent. Is not this strange?

First Gent.

Cer.

Most rare.

Hush, my gentle neighbours !

Lend me your hands; to the next chamber bear

her.

Get linen now this matter must be look'd to,
For her relapse is mortal. Come, come;

And Esculapius guide us!

[Exeunt, carrying her away.

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SCENE III. Tarsus. A room in Cleon's house.

Enter PERICLES, CLEON, DIONYZA, and LYCHORIDA with MARINA in her arms.

Per. Most honour'd Cleon, I must needs be gone;

My twelve months are expired, and Tyrus stands

106. Where. am 1? etc. Thaisa's words are from Gower, Conf. Am. (bk. viii.).

VOL. IV

In the
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novel, Cerimon, with a physician's instinct, gives a reassuring answer to her questions.

F

In a litigious peace. You, and your lady,

Take from my heart all thankfulness!
Make up the rest upon you!

The gods

Cle. Your shafts of fortune, though they hurt you mortally,

Yet glance full wanderingly on us.

Dion.

O your sweet queen!

That the strict fates had pleased you had brought

her hither,

To have bless'd mine eyes with her!

Per.

We cannot but obey
The powers above us. Could I rage and roar
As doth the sea she lies in, yet the end
Must be as 'tis. My gentle babe Marina, whom,
For she was born at sea, I have named so, here
I charge your charity withal, leaving her
The infant of your care; beseeching you

To give her princely training, that she may be
Manner'd as she is born.

Cle.
Fear not, my lord, but think
Your grace, that fed my country with your corn,
For which the people's prayers still fall upon you,
Must in your child be thought on. If neglection
Should therein make me vile, the common body,
By you relieved, would force me to my duty:
But if to that my nature need a spur,

The gods revenge it upon me and mine,
To the end of generation!

I believe you;

Per. Your honour and your goodness teach me to 't, Without your vows. Till she be married, madam, By bright Diana, whom we honour, all Unscissar'd shall this hair of mine remain, Though I show ill in 't. Good madam, make me In bringing up my child.

So I take my leave. blessed in your care

ΤΟ

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Dion.

I have one myself,

Who shall not be more dear to my respect

Than yours, my lord.

Per.

Madam, my thanks and prayers. Cle. We'll bring your grace e'en to the edge

o' the shore,

Then give you up to the mask'd Neptune and

The gentlest winds of heaven.

Per.

Your offer.

I will embrace

Come, dearest madam. O, no tears,
Lychorida, no tears:

Look to your little mistress, on whose grace
You may depend hereafter. Come, my lord.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV. Ephesus. A room in Cerimon's

house.

Enter CERIMON and THAISA.

Cer. Madam, this letter, and some certain
jewels,

Lay with you in your coffer : which are now
At your command. Know you the character?
Thai. It is my lord's.

That I was shipp'd at sea, I well remember,
Even on my eaning time; but whether there
Deliver'd, by the holy gods,

I cannot rightly say. But since King Pericles,
My wedded lord, I ne'er shall see again,

A vestal livery will I take me to,

And never more have joy.

Cer. Madam, if this you purpose as ye speak,

36. the mask'd Neptune, the sea-god in his calmest aspect. 6. on my eaning time, when I

40

ΤΟ

was on the point of being delivered.

Diana's temple is not distant far,

Where you may abide till your date expire.
Moreover, if you please, a niece of mine
Shall there attend you.

Thai. My recompense is thanks, that's all;
Yet my good will is great, though the gift small.

[Exeunt.

ACT IV

Enter GOWER.

Gow. Imagine Pericles arrived at Tyre,
Welcomed and settled to his own desire.
His woeful queen we leave at Ephesus,
Unto Diana there 's a votaress.
Now to Marina bend your mind,

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
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
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

4. 's, as. So the old editions. word. But the roughness was

Modern edd. mostly omit the

thought to be archaic.

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

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
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
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.
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
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.

21. sleided, raw, untwisted.

23. needle (pron. neeld). 27. records, sings (used especially of the nightingale).

29. Vail, do homage (with odes in Diana's praise).

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40

50

31. absolute, perfectly accomplished.

45. Prest, ready prepared. 46. your content, the satisfied attention of the spectators (who will see it represented instead of hearing it reported).

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