Is almost finish'd, and her epitaphs
In glittering golden characters express
A general praise to her, and care in us
At whose expense 'tis done.

Cle. Thou art like the harpy, Which, to betray, doth with thine angel's face, Seize with thine eagle's talons3.

Dion. You are like one, that superstitiously Doth swear to the gods, that winter kills the flies 9; But yet I know you'll do as I advise. [Exeunt.

Enter GOWER, before the Monument of MARINA at Tharsus.

Gow. Thus time we waste, and longest leagues
make short;

Sail seas in cockles 10, have, and wish but for't;
Making 11 (to take your imagination),

From bourn to bourn, region to region.
By you being pardon'd, we commit no crime
To use one language, in each several clime,
Where our scenes seem to live. I do beseech you,
To learn of me, who stand i'the gap to teach you
The stages of our story. Pericles

With thine angel's face,' &c. means 'You having an angel's face, a look of innocence, have at the same time an eagle's talons.'

mane,

9 This passage appears to mean, 'You are so affectedly huthat you would appeal to heaven against the cruelty of winter in killing the flies. Superstitious is explained by Johnson, scrupulous beyond need.-Boswell.

10 See vol. iv. p. 216, note 3.

11 So in a former passage:-'O make for Tharsus.' Making, &c. is travelling (with the hope of engaging your attention) from one division or boundary of the world to another; i. e. we hope to interest you by the variety of our scene, and the different countries through which we pursue our story.-We still use a phrase exactly corresponding with take your imagination; i. e. to take one's fancy,'

12

Is now again thwarting the wayward seas 12
(Attended on by many a lord and knight),
To see his daughter, all his life's delight.
Old Escanes, whom Helicanus late 13
Advanc'd in time to great and high estate,
Is left to govern. Bear you it in mind,
Old Helicanus goes along behind.

Well sailing ships, and bounteous winds, have brought

This king to Tharsus (think this pilot-thought 14;
So with his steerage shall your thoughts grow on),
To fetch his daughter home, who first is gone 15.
Like motes and shadows see them move awhile;
Your ears unto your eyes I'll reconcile.

Dumb Show.

Enter at one door, PERICLES, with his Train; CLEON and DIONYZA at the other. CLEON shows PERICLES the Tomb of MARINA; whereat PERICLES makes lamentation, puts on Sackcloth, and in a mighty passion departs. Then CLEON and DIONYZA retire.

Gow. See how belief may suffer by foul show! This borrow'd passion stands for true old woe 16; 12 So in King Henry V.:

and there being seen,

Heave him away upon your winged thoughts

Athwart the seas.'

13 These lines are strangely misplaced in the old copy. The transposition and corrections are by Steevens.

14 This is the reading of the old copy, which Malone altered to his pilot thought.' I do not see the necessity of the change. The passage as it is will bear the interpretation given to the correction:- - Let your imagination steer with him, be his pilot, and, by accompanying him in his voyage, think this pilotthought.'

15 Who has left Tharsus before her father's arrival there. 16 i. e. for such tears as were shed when the world being in its infancy, dissimulation was unknown. Perhaps, however, we ought to read, 'true told woe.'

And Pericles, in sorrow all devour'd,

With sighs shot through, and biggest tears o'ershow'r'd,

Leaves Tharsus, and again embarks.

He swears

Never to wash his face, nor cut his hairs;
He puts on sackcloth, and to sea.

He bears

A tempest, which his mortal vessel17 tears,
And yet he rides it out. Now please you wit 18
The epitaph is for Marina writ

By wicked Dionyza.

[Reads the Inscription on MARINA'S Mo

nument.

The fairest, sweet'st 19, and best, lies here,
Who wither'd in her spring of year.
She was of Tyrus, the king's daughter,
On whom foul death hath made this slaughter;
Marina was she call'd; and at her birth,

Thetis 20, being proud, swallow'd some part o'the earth:

17 So in King Richard III. :

'O, then began the tempest of my soul.'

What is here called his mortal vessel (i, e, his body) is styled by Cleopatra her mortal house.

18 Now be pleased to know.'

So in Gower:

In which the lorde hath to him writte,

That he would understande and witte.'

19 Sweet'st must be read here as a monosyllable, as highest in The Tempest:- Highest queen of state,' &c. Steevens observes that we might more elegantly read, omitting the conjunction and

'The fairest, sweetest, best, lies here.'

20 The inscription alludes to the violent storm which accompanied the birth of Marina; at which time the sea, proudly overswelling its bounds, swallowed, as is usual in such hurricanes, some part of the earth. The poet ascribed the swelling of the sea to the pride which Thetis felt at the birth of Marina in her element; and supposes that the earth, being afraid to be overflowed, bestowed this birth-child of Thetis on the heavens; and that Thetis, in revenge, makes raging battery against the shores.-Mason.

21),

Therefore the earth, fearing to be o'erflow'd,
Hath Thetis birth- child on the heavens bestow'd:
Wherefore she does (and swears she'll never stint 21
Make raging battery upon shores of flint.
No visor does become black villany,
So well as soft and tender flattery.
Let Pericles believe his daughter's dead,
And bear his courses to be ordered
By lady fortune; while our scenes display
His daughter's woe and heavy well-a-day,
In her unholy service. Patience then,
And think you now are all in Mitylen.

SCENE V.

Mitylene. A Street before the Brothel.

[Exit.

Enter, from the Brothel, Two Gentlemen. 1 Gent. Did you ever hear the like?

2 Gent. No, nor never shall do in such a place as this, she being once gone.

1 Gent. But to have divinity preached there! did you ever dream of such a thing?

2 Gent. No, no. Come, I am for no more bawdy-houses: shall we go hear the vestals sing?

1 Gent. I'll do any thing now that is virtuous; but I am out of the road of rutting, for ever.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VI. The same. A Room in the Brothel.

Enter PANDER, Bawd, and BOULT.

Pand. Well, I had rather than twice the worth of her, she had ne'er come here.

Bawd. Fye, fye upon her: she is able to freeze

21 i. e. never cease.

the god Priapus, and undo a whole generation. We must either get her ravished, or be rid of her. When she should do for clients her fitment, and do me the kindness of our profession, she has me her quirks, her reasons, her master-reasons, her prayers, her knees; that she would make a puritan of the devil, if he should cheapen a kiss of her.

Boult. 'Faith, I must ravish her, or she'll disfurnish us of all our cavaliers, and make all our swearers priests.

Pand. Now, the pox upon her green-sickness for me!

Bawd. 'Faith, there's no way to be rid on't, but by the way to the pox. Here comes the Lord Lysimachus, disguised.

Boult. We should have both lord and lown, if the peevish baggage would but give way to customers.

Enter LYSIMACHUS.

Lys. How now? How1 a dozen of virginities? Bawd. Now, the gods to-bless? your honour! Boult. I am glad to see your honour in good health.

Lys. You may so; 'tis the better for you that your resorters stand upon sound legs. How now, wholesome iniquity? Have you that a man may deal withal, and defy the surgeon?

Bawd. We have here one, sir, if she wouldbut there never came her like in Mitylene.

Lys. If she'd do the deeds of darkness, thou would'st say.

1 This is Justice Shallow's mode of asking the price of a different kind of commodity :

:

How a score of ewes now?'

2 The use of to in composition with verbs is very common in Gower and Chaucer. See also vol. i. p. 269, note 7.