be hanged at home; 'tis dangerous. - Well, I perceive he was a wise fellow, and had good discretion, that being bid to ask what he would of the king, desired he might know none of his secrets.1 Now do I see he had some reason for it; for if a king bid a man be a villain, he is bound by the indenture of his oath to be one.-Hush, here come the lords of Tyre.

Enter HELICANUS, ESCANES, and other Lords.

Hel. You shall not need, my fellow peers of Tyre,
Further to question of your king's departure.
His sealed commission, left in trust with me,
Doth speak sufficiently, he's gone to travel.
Thal. How! the king gone!

Hel. If further yet you will be satisfied,
Why, as it were unlicensed of your loves,
He would depart, I'll give some light unto you.
Being at Antioch-
Thal.

What from Antioch?

[Aside.

[Aside.

Hel. Royal Antiochus (on what cause I know not) Took some displeasure at him; at least he judged so; And doubting lest that he had erred or sinned, To show his sorrow, would correct himself;

So puts himself unto the shipman's toil,

With whom each minute threatens life or death.

Thal. Well, I perceive

[Aside.

I shall not be hanged now, although I would;
But since he's gone, the king it sure must please,
He scaped the land, to perish on the seas.-
But I'll present me. Peace to the lords of Tyre!

1 Who this wise fellow was, may be known from the following passage in Barnabie Riche's Souldier's Wishe to Briton's Welfare, or Captaine Skill and Captaine Pill, 1604, p. 27:-" I will therefore commende the poet Philipides, who being demaunded by king Lisimachus, what favour he might doe unto him for that he loved him, made this answere to the king-That your majesty would never impart unto me any of your secrets." 2 The old copy reads:

"But since he's gone the king's seas must please:
He scaped the land, to perish at the sea."

The emendation is by Dr. Percy.

Hel. Lord Thaliard from Antiochus is welcome.
Thal. From him I come,

With message unto princely Pericles ;
But, since my landing, as I have understood
Your lord has took himself to unknown travels,
My message must return from whence it came.
Hel. We have no reason to desire it, since 1

Commended to our master, not to us.
Yet, ere you shall depart, this we desire,-
As friends to Antioch, we may feast in Tyre. [Exeunt.

SCENE IV. Tharsus. A Room in the Governor's House.

Enter CLEON, DIONYZA, and Attendants.

Cle. My Dionyza, shall we rest us here,
And by relating tales of others' griefs,
See if 'twill teach us to forget our own?

Dio. That were to blow at fire, in hope to quench it;
For who digs hills because they do aspire,
Throws down one mountain, to cast up a higher..
O my distressed lord, even such our griefs;
Here they're but felt, and seen with mistful eyes,2
But like to groves, being topped, they higher rise.
Cle. O Dionyza,

Who wanteth food, and will not say he wants it,
Or can conceal his hunger, till he famish?
Our tongues and sorrows do sound deep our woes
Into the air; our eyes do weep, till lungs
Fetch breath that may proclaim them louder; that,
If the gods slumber, while their creatures want,

1 The adverb since, which is wanting in the old copy, was supplied by Steevens for the sake of sense and metre.

They may awake their helps to comfort them.
I'll then discourse our woes, felt several years,
And wanting breath to speak, help me with tears.
Dio. I'll do my best, sir.

Cle. This Tharsus, o'er which I have government,
A city on whom Plenty held full hand,
(For riches strewed herself even in the streets,)
Whose towers bore heads so high, they kissed the

clouds,

And strangers ne'er beheld, but wondered at;
Whose men and dames so jetted1 and adorned,
Like one another's glass to trim them by:
Their tables were stored full, to glad the sight,
And not so much to feed on, as delight;
All poverty was scorned, and pride so great,
The name of help grew odious to repeat.
Dio. O, 'tis too true.

Cle. But see what Heaven can do! By this our

change,

These mouths, whom but of late, earth, sea, and air,
Were all too little to content and please,

Although they gave their creatures in abundance,
As houses are defiled for want of use,
They are now starved for want of exercise.
Those palates, who, not yet two summers younger,
Must have inventions to delight the taste,
Would now be glad of bread and beg for it.
Those mothers who, to nousle3 up their babes,
Thought nought too curious, are ready now,
To eat those little darlings whom they loved.
So sharp are hunger's teeth, that man and wife
Draw lots, who first shall die to lengthen life.

1 To jet is to strut, to walk proudly.

2 The old copy has :

2

Here stands a lord, and there a lady weeping:
Here many sink, yet those which see them fall,
Have scarce strength left to give them burial.
Is not this true?

Dio. Our cheeks and hollow eyes do witness it.
Cle. O, let those cities, that of Plenty's cup

And her prosperities so largely taste,
With their superfluous riots, hear these tears!
The misery of Tharsus may be theirs.

Enter a Lord.

Lord. Where's the lord governor?
Cle. Here.

Speak out thy sorrows which thou bring'st, in haste,
For comfort is too far for us to expect.

Lord. We have descried, upon our neighboring

shore,

A portly sail of ships make hitherward.
Cle. I thought as much.

One sorrow never comes, but brings an heir,

That may succeed as his inheritor ;

And so in ours. Some neighboring nation,

Taking advantage of our misery,

Hath stuffed these hollow vessels with their power,1
To beat us down, the which are down already ;
And make a conquest of unhappy me,2
Whereas 3 no glory's got to overcome.

Lord. That's the least fear; for, by the semblance Of their white flags displayed, they bring us peace, And come to us as favorers, not as foes.

Cle. Thou speak'st like him untutored to repeat, Who makes the fairest show means most deceit.

But bring they what they will, what need we fear?

The ground's the low'st, and we are half way there.1 Go tell their general, we attend him here,

To know for what he comes, and whence he comes,

And what he craves.

Lord.

I go, my lord.

[Exit.

Cle. Welcome is peace, if he on peace consist; 2 If wars, we are unable to resist.

Enter PERICLES, with Attendants.

Per. Lord governor, for so we hear you are,-
Let not our ships, and number of our men,
Be, like a beacon fired, to amaze your eyes.
We have heard your miseries as far as Tyre,
And seen the desolation of your streets!
Nor come we to add sorrow to your tears,
But to relieve them of their heavy load;
And these our ships you happily may think
Are, like the Trojan horse, war-stuffed within,
With bloody views, expecting overthrow,3

Are stored with corn, to make your needy bread,
And give them life, who are hunger-starved, half dead.
All. The gods of Greece protect you!

And we'll pray for you.

Per.

Rise, I pray you, rise ;

We do not look for reverence, but for love;
And harborage for ourself, our ships, and men.
Cle. The which when any shall not gratify,
Or pay you with unthankfulness in thought,
Be it our wives, our children, or ourselves,