ACT III.

Enter GOWER.

Gow. Now fleep yflaked hath the rout;
No din but fnores, the house about,
Made louder by the o'er-fed breast
Of this most pompous marriage feast.
The cat, with eyne of burning coal,
Now couches 'fore the mouse's hole;
And crickets fing at th' oven's mouth,
As the blither for their drouth.
Hymen hath brought the bride to bed,
Where, by the loss of maidenhead,
A babe is moulded :-Be attent,
And time that is fo briefly spent,
With your fine fancies quaintly eche;
What's dumb in fhow, I'll plain with speech.

Dumb fhow.

Enter PERICLES and SIMONIDES at one door, with Attendants; a Meffenger meets them, kneels, and gives PERICLES a letter. PERICLES fhows it to SIMONIDES; the Lords kneel to the former. Then enter THAISA with child, and LYCHORIDA. SIMONIDES bows his daughter the letter; fhe rejoices: fbe and PERICLES take leave of her father, and depart. Then SIMONIDES, &c. retire.

Gow. By many a dearn and painful perch,
Of Pericles the careful fearch

By the four oppofing coignes,
Which the world together joins,
Is made, with all due diligence,

That horse, and fail, and high expence,
Can ftead the quest. At last from Tyre
(Fame answering the most strong inquire,)
To the court of king Simonides

Are letters brought; the tenour thefe:
Antiochus and his daughter's dead;
The men of Tyrus, on the head
Of Helicanus would fet on

The crown of Tyre, but he will none :
The mutiny there he hastes t'appease ;
Says to them, if king Pericles

Come not, in twice fix moons, home,

He, obedient to their doom,

Will take the crown.

The fum of this,

Brought hither to Pentapolis,

Y-ravished the regions round,

And every one with claps 'gan found,
Our heir apparent is a king:

Who dream'd, who thought of fuch a thing?
Brief, he must hence depart to Tyre:
His queen with child, makes her defire
(Which who fhall cross?) along to go;
(Omit we all their dole and woe :)
Lychorida, her nurse, she takes,
And fo to fea. Their vessel shakes
On Neptune's billow; half the flood

Hath their keel cut; but fortune's mood
Varies again the grizzled north

Difgorges such a tempest forth,
That, as a duck for life that dives,
So up and down the poor fhip drives.

The.

The lady fhrieks, and, well-a-near!
Doth fall in travail with her fear:
And what enfues in this fell ftorm,
Shall, for itself, itself perform.
I nill relate; action may

Conveniently the rest convey:

Which might not what by me is told.
In your imagination hold

This ftage, the fhip, upon whofe deck
The fea-toft prince appears to speak.

[Exit.

SCENE I.

Eater PERICLES, on a ship at fea.

Per. Thou God of this great vast, rebuke these surges, Which wash both heaven and hell; and thou, that haft Upon the winds command, bind them in brass,

Having call'd them from the deep! O ftill thy deaf'ning,
Thy dreadful thunders; gently quench thy nimble,
Thy fulphurous flashes !-O how, Lychorida,

How does my queen?-Thou ftorm, thou! venomously
Wilt thou split all thyfelf? The feaman's whistle
Is as a whisper in the ears of death,

Unheard. Lychorida!-Lucina, O

Divineft patronefs, 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,

Lyc. Here is a thing

D 4

Too

Too young for fuch a place, who if it had
Conceit, would die as I am like to do.

Take in your arms this piece of your dead queen.
Per. How! how, Lychorida!

Lyc. Patience, good fir; do not affift the ftorm.
Here's all that is left living of your queen,-

A little daughter: for the fake of it,

Be manly, and take comfort.

Per.

O you gods!

Why do you make us love your goodly gifts,

And fnatch them ftraight away? We, here below
Recall not what we give, and therein may

Vie honour with yourselves.

Lyc.

Even for this charge.

Per.

Patience, good fir,

Now, mild may be thy life!

For a more bluft'rous birth had never babe :

Quiet and gentle thy conditions!

For thou'rt the rudelieft welcom'd to this world,
That e'er was prince's child. Happy what follows!
Thou haft as chiding a nativity,

As fire, air, water, earth, and heaven can make,
To herald thee from the womb: even at the first,
Thy lofs is more than can thy portage quit,
With all thou canft find here.-Now the good gods
Throw their beft eyes upon it!

Enter two Sailors.

1 Sail. What courage, fir? God fave you.
Per. Courage enough: I do not fear the flaw;
It hath done to me the worst. Yet, for the love
Of this poor infant, this fresh-new fea-farer,
I would, it would be quiet.

1 Sail.

■ Sail. Slack the bolins there; thou wilt not, wilt thou?

Blow and split thyself.

2 Sail. But fea-room, an the brine and cloudy billow kifs the moon, I care not.

Sail. Sir, your queen must overboard; the fea works high, the wind is loud, and will not lie till the fhip be clear'd of the dead.

Per. That's your fuperftition.

1 Sail. Pardon us, fir; with us at fea it ftill hath been obferved; and we are strong in earnest. Therefore briefly yield her; for she must over-board straight.

Per. Be it as you think meet.-Most wretched queen!
Lyc. Here the lies. fir.

Per. A terrible child-bed haft thou had, my dear
No light, no fire: the unfriendly elements
Forgot thee utterly; nor have I time

To give thee hallow'd to thy grave, but straight
Muft caft thee, fcarcely coffin'd, in the ooze;
Where, for a monument upon thy bones,
And aye-remaining lamps, the belching whale,
And humming water must o'erwhelm thy corpfe,
Lying with fimple fhells. Lychorida,

Bid Neftor bring me fpices, ink and paper,
My casket and my jewels; and bid Nicander
Bring me the fattin coffer: lay the babe
Upon the pillow; hie thee, whiles I fay

A prieftly farewell to her: fuddenly, woman.

[Exit LYCHORIDA. 2 Sail. Sir, we have a cheft beneath the hatches, caulk'd and bitumed ready.

Per. I thank thee. Mariner, fay what coaft is this? 2 Sail. We are near Tharfus.

Per. Thither, gentle mariner,

Alter thy course for Tyre. When can't thou reach it?

2 Sail.