PERICLES,

PRINCE OF TY R E.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.
ANTIOCHOS, King of Antioch. Marshal.
PERICLES, Prince of Tyre. A Pandar, and his Wife.
HELICANUS,
ESCANES,
two Lords of Tyre.

BOULT, their Servant.

GOWER, as Chorus.
SIMONIDES, King of Pentapolis.
CLEON, Governor of Tharsus. The Daughter of Antiochus.
LYSIMACHUS, Governor of Mity- DIONYZA, Wife to Cleon.
lene.

THAISA, Daughter to Simonides.
CERIMON, a Lord of Ephesus. MARINA, Daughter to Pericles and
THALIARD, a Lord of Antioch. Thaisa.
PHILEMON, Servant to Cerimon. LYCHORIDA, Nurse to Marina.
LEONINE, Servant to Dionyza. DIANA.
Lords, Ladies, Knights, Gentlemen, Sailors, Pirates, Fishermen

and Messengers, &c.
SCENE, dispersedly in various Countries.

ACT I.

Enter GOWER.

Before the Palace of Antioch.
To sing a song that old was sung,
From ashes ancient Gower is come;
Assuming man's infirmities,
To glad your ear, and please your eyes.
It hath been sung at festivals,
On ember-eves, and holy ales,

VII.

1

а

And lords and ladies in their lives
Have read it for restoratives :
The purpose is to make men glorious;
Et bonum quo antiquius , eo melius.
If you, born in these latter times,
When wit 's more ripe, accept my rhymes,
And that to hear an old man sing,
May to your wishes pleasure bring,
I life would wish, and that I might
Waste it for you, like taper-light.
This Antioch, then: Antiochus the great
Built up this city for his chiefest seat,
The fairest in all Syria ;
I tell you what my authors say:
This king unto him took a feere,
Who died and left a female heir,
So buxom, blithe, and full of face,
As heaven had lent her all his grace;
With whom the father liking took,
And her to incest did provoke.
Bad child, worse father, to entice his own
To evil, should be done by none.
By custom what they did begin
Was with long use account no sin.
The beauty of this sinful dame
Made many princes thither frame,
To seek her as a bed-fellow,
In marriage pleasures play-fellow:
Which to prevent he made a law,
To keep her still and men in awe,
That whoso ask'd her for his wife,
His riddle told not, lost his life:
So, for her many a wight did die,
As yond' grim looks do testify.
What now ensues, to the judgment of your eye
I give, my cause who best can justify.

[Exit.