Pericles

think of what a noble strain you are,
And of how coward a spirit. Cleon

To such proceeding
Who ever but his approbation added,
Though not his prime consent, he did not flow
From honourable sources.

Dionyza

Be it so, then:
Yet none does know, but you, how she came dead,
Nor none can know, Leonine being gone.
She did disdain my child, and stood between
Her and her fortunes: none would look on her,
But cast their gazes on Marina’s face;
Whilst ours was blurted at and held a malkin
Not worth the time of day. It pierced me through;
And though you call my course unnatural,
You not your child well loving, yet I find
It greets me as an enterprise of kindness
Perform’d to your sole daughter.

Cleon Heavens forgive it! Dionyza

And as for Pericles,
What should he say? We wept after her hearse,
And yet we mourn: her monument
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.

Cleon

Thou art like the harpy,
Which, to betray, dost, with thine angel’s face,
Seize with thine eagle’s talons.

Dionyza

You are like one that superstitiously
Doth swear to the gods that winter kills the flies:
But yet I know you’ll do as I advise. Exeunt.

Scene IV

	Enter Gower, before the monument of Marina at Tarsus.
Gower	Thus time we waste, and longest leagues make short; Sail seas in cockles, have an wish but for’t; Making, 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 gaps to teach you, The stages of our story. Pericles Is now again thwarting the wayward seas, Attended on by many a lord and knight, To see his daughter, all his life’s delight. Old Escanes, whom Helicanus late Advanced 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 Tarsus⁠—think his pilot thought; So with his steerage shall your thoughts grow on⁠— To fetch his daughter home, who first is gone. Like motes and shadows see them move awhile; Your ears unto your eyes I’ll reconcile.
	Dumb Show.
	Enter Pericles, at one door, with all his train; Cleon and Dionyza, at the other. Cleon shows Pericles the tomb; whereat Pericles makes lamentation, puts on sackcloth, and in a mighty passion departs. Then exeunt Cleon and Dionyza.
	See how belief may suffer by foul show! This borrow’d passion stands for true old woe; And Pericles, in sorrow all devour’d, With sighs shot through, and biggest tears o’ershower’d, Leaves Tarsus 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 vessel tears, And yet he rides it out. Now please you wit. The epitaph is for Marina writ By wicked Dionyza. Reads the inscription on Marina’s monument. “The fairest, sweet’st, 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, being proud, swallow’d some part o’ the earth: 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, 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 scene must play His daughter’s woe and heavy well-a-day In her unholy service. Patience, then, And think you now are all in Mytilene. Exit.

Scene V

Mytilene. A street before the brothel.

	Enter, from the brothel, two Gentlemen.
First Gentleman	Did you ever hear the like?
Second Gentleman	No, nor never shall do in such a place as this, she being once gone.
First Gentleman	But to have divinity preached there! did you ever dream of such a thing?
Second Gentleman	No, no. Come, I am for no more bawdy-houses: shall’s go hear the vestals sing?
First Gentleman	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 Pandar, Bawd, and Boult.
Pandar	Well, I had rather than twice the worth of her she had ne’er come here.
Bawd	Fie, fie upon her! she’s able to freeze 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 our swearers priests.
Pandar	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.
Lysimachus	How now! How a dozen of virginities?
Bawd	Now, the gods to bless your honour!
Boult	I am glad to see your honour in good health.
Lysimachus	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 would⁠—but there never came her like in Mytilene.
Lysimachus	If she’ld do the deed of darkness, thou wouldst say.
Bawd	Your honour knows what ’tis to say well enough.
Lysimachus	Well, call forth, call forth.
Boult	For flesh and blood, sir, white and red, you shall see a rose; and she were a rose indeed, if she had but⁠—
Lysimachus	What, prithee?
Boult	O, sir, I can be