The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

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The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 434

by William Shakespeare


  1 KNIGHT Good morrow to the good Simonides.

  SIMONIDES

  Knights, from my daughter this I let you know,

  That for this twelvemonth she’ll not undertake

  A married life.

  Her reason to herself is only known,

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  Which from her by no means can I get.

  2 KNIGHT May we not get access to her, my lord?

  SIMONIDES Faith, by no means; she has so strictly tied

  Her to her chamber that ’tis impossible.

  One twelve moons more she’ll wear Diana’s livery;

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  This by the eye of Cynthia hath she vow’d,

  And on her virgin honour will not break it.

  3 KNIGHT Loath to bid farewell, we take our leaves.

  Exeunt Knights.

  SIMONIDES So,

  They are well dispatch’d; now to my daughter’s letter:

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  She tells me here, she’ll wed the stranger knight,

  Or never more to view nor day nor light.

  ’Tis well, mistress; your choice agrees with mine;

  I like that well: nay, how absolute she’s in’t,

  Not minding whether I dislike or no!

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  Well, I do commend her choice,

  And will no longer have it be delay’d.

  Soft, here he comes: I must dissemble it.

  Enter PERICLES.

  PERICLES All fortune to the good Simonides!

  SIMONIDES To you as much: sir, I am beholding to you

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  For your sweet music this last night. I do

  Protest my ears were never better fed

  With such delightful pleasing harmony.

  PERICLES It is your grace’s pleasure to commend;

  Not my desert.

  SIMONIDES Sir, you are music’s master.

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  PERICLES The worst of all her scholars, my good lord.

  SIMONIDES Let me ask you one thing:

  What do you think of my daughter, sir?

  PERICLES A most virtuous princess.

  SIMONIDES And she is fair too, is she not?

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  PERICLES As a fair day in summer, wondrous fair.

  SIMONIDES Sir, my daughter thinks very well of you;

  Ay, so well, that you must be her master,

  And she will be your scholar: therefore look to it.

  PERICLES I am unworthy for her schoolmaster.

  40

  SIMONIDES She thinks not so; peruse this writing else.

  PERICLES [aside] What’s here?

  A letter that she loves the knight of Tyre!

  ’Tis the king’s subtlety to have my life. –

  [Kneels.] O, seek not to entrap me, gracious lord,

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  A stranger and distressed gentleman,

  That never aim’d so high to love your daughter,

  But bent all offices to honour her.

  SIMONIDES

  Thou hast bewitch’d my daughter, and thou art

  A villain.

  PERICLES By the gods, I have not:

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  Never did thought of mine levy offence;

  Nor never did my actions yet commence

  A deed might gain her love or your displeasure.

  SIMONIDES Traitor, thou liest.

  PERICLES Traitor?

  SIMONIDES Ay, traitor.

  PERICLES Even in his throat – unless it be the king –

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  That calls me traitor, I return the lie.

  SIMONIDES [aside]

  Now, by the gods, I do applaud his courage.

  PERICLES My actions are as noble as my thoughts,

  That never relish’d of a base descent.

  I came unto your court for honour’s cause,

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  And not to be a rebel to her state;

  And he that otherwise accounts of me,

  This sword shall prove he’s honour’s enemy.

  SIMONIDES No?

  Here comes my daughter, she can witness it.

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  Enter THAISA.

  PERICLES Then, as you are as virtuous as fair,

  Resolve your angry father, if my tongue

  Did e’er solicit, or my hand subscribe

  To any syllable that made love to you.

  THAISA Why, sir, say if you had, who takes offence

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  At that would make me glad?

  SIMONIDES Yea, mistress, are you so peremptory?

  [aside] I am glad on’t with all my heart. –

  I’ll tame you, I’ll bring you in subjection.

  Will you, not having my consent,

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  Bestow your love and your affections

  Upon a stranger? [aside] who, for aught I know,

  May be (nor can I think the contrary)

  As great in blood as I myself. –

  Therefore hear you, mistress: either frame

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  Your will to mine; and you, sir, hear you:

  Either be rul’d by me, or I’ll make you –

  Man and wife.

  Nay, come, your hands and lips must seal it too;

  And being join’d, I’ll thus your hopes destroy,

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  And for further grief, – God give you joy!

  What, are you both pleas’d?

  THAISA Yes, if you love me, sir.

  PERICLES Even as my life my blood that fosters it.

  SIMONIDES What, are you both agreed?

  BOTH Yes, if ’t please your majesty.

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  SIMONIDES

  It pleaseth me so well, that I will see you wed;

  And then, with what haste you can, get you to bed.

  Exeunt.

  3.Ch. Enter GOWER.

  GOWER

  Now sleep y-slacked hath the rout;

  No din but snores the house about,

  Made louder by the o’er-fed breast

  Of this most pompous marriage-feast.

  The cat, with eyne of burning coal,

  5

  Now couches ’fore the mouse’s hole;

  And crickets at the oven’s mouth

  Sing the blither for their drouth.

  Hymen hath brought the bride to bed,

  Where by the loss of maidenhead

  10

  A babe is moulded. Be attent,

  And time that is so briefly spent

  With your fine fancies quaintly eche;

  What’s dumb in show I’ll plain with speech.

  Dumb Show

  Enter PERICLES and SIMONIDES at one door, with

  attendants; a messenger meets them, kneels, and gives

  Pericles a letter; Pericles shows it to Simonides; the lords

  kneel to him. Then enter THAISA with child, with

  LYCHORIDA, a nurse; the King shows her the letter; she

  rejoices; she and Pericles take leave of her father, and

  depart with Lychorida and their attendants. Then exeunt

  Simonides and the rest.

  By many a dern and painful perch

  15

  Of Pericles the careful search,

  By the four opposing coigns

  Which the world together joins,

  Is made with all due diligence

  That horse and sail and high expense

  20

  Can stead the quest. At last from Tyre,

  Fame answering the most strange inquire,

  To th’ court of King Simonides

  Are letters brought, the tenour these:

  Antiochus and his daughter dead,

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  The men of Tyrus on the head

  Of Helicanus would set on

  The crown of Tyre, but he will none;

  The mutiny he there hastes t’appease;

  Says to ’em, if King Pericles

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  Come not home in twice six moons,

 
He, obedient to their dooms,

  Will take the crown. The sum of this,

  Brought hither to Pentapolis,

  Y-ravished the regions round,

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  And every one with claps can sound,

  ‘Our heir-apparent is a king!

  Who dream’d, who thought of such a thing?’

  Brief, he must hence depart to Tyre.

  His queen with child makes her desire –

  40

  Which who shall cross? – along to go.

  Omit we all their dole and woe.

  Lychorida, her nurse, she takes,

  And so to sea. Their vessel shakes

  On Neptune’s billow; half the flood

  45

  Hath their keel cut; but fortune’s mood

  Varies again; the grisled north

  Disgorges such a tempest forth,

  That, as a duck for life that dives,

  So up and down the poor ship drives.

  50

  The lady shrieks and well-a-near

  Does fall in travail with her fear;

  And what ensues in this fell storm

  Shall for itself itself perform.

  I nill relate, action may

  55

  Conveniently the rest convey;

  Which might not what by me is told.

  In your imagination hold

  This stage the ship, upon whose deck

  The sea-tost Pericles appears to speak. Exit.

  60

  3.1 Enter PERICLES, on shipboard.

  PERICLES

  The god of this great vast, rebuke these surges,

  Which wash both heaven and hell; and thou that hast

  Upon the winds command, bind them in brass,

  Having call’d them from the deep! O, still

  Thy deaf ’ning, dreadful thunders; gently quench

  5

  Thy nimble sulphurous flashes! O, how, Lychorida,

  How does my queen? Thou stormest venomously;

  Wilt thou spit all thyself? The seaman’s whistle

  Is as a whisper in the ears of death,

  Unheard. Lychorida! – Lucina, O

  10

  Divinest patroness, and midwife gentle

  To those that cry by night, convey thy deity

  Aboard our dancing boat; make swift the pangs

  Of my queen’s travails! Now, Lychorida!

  Enter LYCHORIDA, with an infant.

  LYCHORIDA Here is a thing too young for such a place,

  15

  Who, if it had conceit, would die, as I

  Am like to do. Take in your arms this piece

  Of your dead queen.

  PERICLES How? how, Lychorida?

  LYCHORIDA Patience, good sir; do not assist the storm.

  Here’s all that is left living of your queen,

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  A little daughter: for the sake of it,

  Be manly, and take comfort.

  PERICLES O you gods!

  Why do you make us love your goodly gifts,

  And snatch them straight away? We here below

  Recall not what we give, and therein may

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  Use honour with you.

  LYCHORIDA Patience, good sir,

  Even for this charge.

  PERICLES Now, mild may be thy life!

  For a more blusterous birth had never babe;

  Quiet and gentle thy conditions! for

  Thou art the rudeliest welcome to this world

  30

  That e’er was prince’s child. Happy what follows!

  Thou hast as chiding a nativity

  As fire, air, water, earth, and heaven can make,

  To herald thee from the womb. Poor inch of nature!

  Even at the first thy loss is more than can

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  Thy portage quit, with all thou canst find here.

  Now the good gods throw their best eyes upon’t!

  Enter two Sailors.

  1 SAILOR What courage, sir? God save you!

  PERICLES Courage enough: I do not fear the flaw;

  It hath done to me the worst. Yet for the love

  40

  Of this poor infant, this fresh-new seafarer,

  I would it would be quiet.

  1 SAILOR Slack the bolins there! Thou wilt not, wilt

  thou? Blow, and split thyself.

  2 SAILOR But sea-room, and the brine and cloudy billow

  45

  kiss the moon, I care not.

  1 SAILOR Sir, your queen must overboard; the sea works

  high, the wind is loud, and will not lie till the ship be

  clear’d of the dead.

 

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