God Neptune's annual feast to keep: from whence

Lysimachus our Tyrian ship espies,

His banners sable, trimm'd with rich expence;
And to him in his barge with fervour hies.
In your supposing once more put your sight;*
Of heavy Pericles think this the bark:
Where, what is done in action, more, if
might,"

Shall be discover'd; please you, sit, and hark.

[Exit.

SCENE 1.

On board PERICLES' Ship, off Mitylene. A close Pavilion on deck, with a Curtain before it ; PERIit; CLES within it, reclined on a Couch. A Barge lying beside the Tyrian Vessel.

Enter Two Sailors, one belonging to the Tyrian Vessel, the other to the Barge; to them HELICANUS. Tyr. Sail. Where's the lord Helicanus? he can resolve you.

O here he is.

[To the Sailor of Mitylene.

Sir, there's a barge put off from Mitylene.
And in it is Lysimachus the governor,

Who craves to come aboard. What is your will?
Hel. That he have his. Call up some gentlemen.
Tyr. Sail. Ho, gentlemen! my lord calls.

In your supposing once more put your sight;] Once more put your sight under the guidance of your imagination.

Where, what is done in action, more, if might,] Where all that may be displayed in action, shall be exhibited; and more should be shown, if our stage would permit. The poet seems to be aware of the difficulty of representing the ensuing scene.

Enter Two Gentlemen.

1 Gent. Doth your lordship call?
Hel. Gentlemen,

There is some of worth would come aboard; I pray

you,

To greet them fairly.

[The Gentlemen and the Two Sailors descend, and go on board the Barge.

Enter, from thence LYSIMACHUS and Lords; the Tyrian Gentlemen, and the Two Sailors.

Tyr. Sail. Sir,

This is the man that can, in aught you would,
Resolve you.

Lys. Hail, reverend sir! The gods preserve you!
Hel. And you, sir, to out-live the age I am,
And die as I would do.

Lys.

You wish me well.

Being on shore, honouring of Neptune's triumphs,
Seeing this goodly vessel ride before us,

I made to it, to know of whence you are.
Hel. First, sir, what is your place?

Lys. I am governor of this place you lie before.
Hel. Sir,

Our vessel is of Tyre, in it the king;

A man, who for this three months hath not spoken To any one, nor taken sustenance,

But to prorogue his grief."

Lys. Upon what ground is his distemperature?
Hel. Sir, it would be too tedious to repeat;
But the main grief of all springs from the loss
Of a beloved daughter and a wife.

Lys. May we not see him, then?

• But to prorogue his grief.] To lengthen or prolong his grief.

Hel.

You may indeed, sir.

But bootless is your sight; he will not speak

To any.

Lys. Yet, let me obtain my wish.

Hel. Behold him, sir: [PERICLES discovered.] this was a goodly person,

Till the disaster, that, one mortal night,"
Drove him to this.

Lys. Sir, king, all hail! the gods preserve you!
Hail!

Hail, royal sir!

Hel. It is in vain; he will not speak to you.

1 Lord. Sir, we have a maid in Mitylene, I durst

wager,

Would win some words of him.

Lys.
'Tis well bethought.
She, questionless, with her sweet harmony
And other choice attractions, would allure,
And make a battery through his deafen'd parts,
Which now are midway stopp'd:

She, all as happy as of all the fairest,
Is, with her fellow maidens, now within
The leafy shelter that abuts against
The island's side.

7

8

[He whispers one of the attendant Lords. Exit Lord, in the Barge of LYSIMACHUS.

destructive.

8

one mortal night,] Mortal is here used for pernicious,

through his deafen'd parts,] i. e. his ears.

9 Exit Lord, in the Barge of Lysimachus.] It may seem strange that a fable should have been chosen to form a drama upon, in which the greater part of the business of the last Act should be transacted at sea: and wherein it should even be necessary to produce two vessels on the scene at the same time. But the customs and exhibitions of the modern stage give this objection to the play before us a greater weight than it really has. It appears, that, when Pericles was originally performed, the theatres were furnished with no such apparatus as by any stretch of the imagination could be supposed to present either a sea, or a ship; and that the audi

Hel. Sure, all's effectless; yet nothing we'll omit That bears recovery's name. But, since your kind

ness

We have stretch'd thus far, let us beseech you fur

ther,

That for our gold we may provision have,
Wherein we are not destitute for want,
But weary for the staleness.

Lys.
O, sir, a courtesy,
Which if we should deny, the most just God
For every graff would send a caterpillar,
And so inflict our province.-Yet once more
Let me entreat to know at large the cause
Of your king's sorrow.

Hel.

But see, I am prevented.

Sit, sir, I will recount it;

Enter, from the Barge, Lord, MARINA, and a

Lys.

young Lady.

O, here is

The lady that I sent for. Welcome, fair one!

Is't not a goodly presence?1

Hel.

A gallant lady. Lys. She's such, that were I well assur'd she came Of gentle kind, and noble stock, I'd wish No better choice, and think me rarely wed. Fair one, all goodness that consists in bounty Expect even here, where is a kingly patient:

ence were contented to behold vessels sailing in and out of port, in their mind's eye only. This licence being once granted to the poet, the lord, in the instance now before us, walked off the stage, and returned again in a few minutes, leading in Marina, without any sensible impropriety; and the present drama, exhibited before such indulgent spectators, was not more incommodious in the representation than any other would have been. MALONE,

1 Is't not a goodly presence?] Is she not beautiful in her form?

If that thy prosperous-artificial feat
Can draw him but to answer thee in aught,
Thy sacred physick shall receive such pay
As thy desires can wish.

Mar.

Sir, I will use

My utmost skill in his recovery,
Provided none but I and my companion
Be suffer'd to come near him.

See, she will speak to him.

Mar. No, nor look'd on us."

Lys.

Mar. Hail, sir! my lord, lend ear:
Per. Hum! ha!

Mar.

I am a maid,

My lord, that ne'er before invited eyes,

But have been gaz'd on, comet-like: she speaks,
My lord, that, may be, hath endur'd a grief
Might equal yours, if both were justly weigh'd.
Though wayward fortune did malign my state,
My derivation was from ancestors

Who stood equivalent with mighty kings:
But time hath rooted out my parentage,
And to the world and aukward casualties 2
Bound me in servitude.-I will desist;
But there is something glows upon my cheek,
And whispers in mine ear, Go not till he speak.
[Aside.
Per. My fortunes-parentage-good parentage-
To equal mine!-was it not thus? what say you?
Mar. I said, my lord, if you did know my pa
rentage,

You would not do me violence.

2 and aukward casualties-] Aukward is adverse.

VOL. VIII.

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