| ACT I SCENE II | Tyre. A room in the palace. |
| [Enter PERICLES] |
| PERICLES | [To Lords without] Let none disturb us.--Why should
|
| this change of thoughts, |
| The sad companion, dull-eyed melancholy, |
| Be my so used a guest as not an hour, |
| In the day's glorious walk, or peaceful night, | 5 |
| The tomb where grief should sleep, can breed me quiet? |
| Here pleasures court mine eyes, and mine eyes shun them, |
| And danger, which I fear'd, is at Antioch, |
| Whose aim seems far too short to hit me here: |
| Yet neither pleasure's art can joy my spirits, | 10 |
| Nor yet the other's distance comfort me. |
| Then it is thus: the passions of the mind, |
| That have their first conception by mis-dread, |
| Have after-nourishment and life by care; |
| And what was first but fear what might be done, | 15 |
| Grows elder now and cares it be not done. |
| And so with me: the great Antiochus, |
| 'Gainst whom I am too little to contend, |
| Since he's so great can make his will his act, |
| Will think me speaking, though I swear to silence; | 20 |
| Nor boots it me to say I honour him. |
| If he suspect I may dishonour him: |
| And what may make him blush in being known, |
| He'll stop the course by which it might be known; |
| With hostile forces he'll o'erspread the land, | 25 |
| And with the ostent of war will look so huge, |
| Amazement shall drive courage from the state; |
| Our men be vanquish'd ere they do resist, |
| And subjects punish'd that ne'er thought offence: |
| Which care of them, not pity of myself, | 30 |
| Who am no more but as the tops of trees, |
| Which fence the roots they grow by and defend them, |
| Makes both my body pine and soul to languish, |
| And punish that before that he would punish. |
| [Enter HELICANUS, with other Lords] |
| First Lord | Joy and all comfort in your sacred breast! | 35 |
| Second Lord | And keep your mind, till you return to us, |
| Peaceful and comfortable! |
| HELICANUS | Peace, peace, and give experience tongue. |
| They do abuse the king that flatter him: |
| For flattery is the bellows blows up sin; | 40 |
| The thing which is flatter'd, but a spark, |
| To which that blast gives heat and stronger glowing; |
| Whereas reproof, obedient and in order, |
| Fits kings, as they are men, for they may err. |
| When Signior Sooth here does proclaim a peace, | 45 |
| He flatters you, makes war upon your life. |
| Prince, pardon me, or strike me, if you please; |
| I cannot be much lower than my knees. |
| PERICLES | All leave us else; but let your cares o'erlook |
| What shipping and what lading's in our haven, | 50 |
| And then return to us. |
[Exeunt Lords] |
| Helicanus, thou |
| Hast moved us: what seest thou in our looks? |
| HELICANUS | An angry brow, dread lord. |
| PERICLES | If there be such a dart in princes' frowns, | 55 |
| How durst thy tongue move anger to our face? |
| HELICANUS | How dare the plants look up to heaven, from whence |
| They have their nourishment? |
| PERICLES | Thou know'st I have power |
| To take thy life from thee. | 60 |
| HELICANUS | [Kneeling] |
| I have ground the axe myself; |
| Do you but strike the blow. |
| PERICLES | Rise, prithee, rise. |
| Sit down: thou art no flatterer: | 65 |
| I thank thee for it; and heaven forbid |
| That kings should let their ears hear their
|
| faults hid! |
| Fit counsellor and servant for a prince, |
| Who by thy wisdom makest a prince thy servant, | 70 |
| What wouldst thou have me do? |
| HELICANUS | To bear with patience |
| Such griefs as you yourself do lay upon yourself. |
| PERICLES | Thou speak'st like a physician, Helicanus, |
| That minister'st a potion unto me | 75 |
| That thou wouldst tremble to receive thyself. |
| Attend me, then: I went to Antioch, |
| Where as thou know'st, against the face of death, |
| I sought the purchase of a glorious beauty. |
| From whence an issue I might propagate, | 80 |
| Are arms to princes, and bring joys to subjects. |
| Her face was to mine eye beyond all wonder; |
| The rest--hark in thine ear--as black as incest: |
| Which by my knowledge found, the sinful father |
| Seem'd not to strike, but smooth: but thou | 85 |
| know'st this, |
| 'Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss. |
| Such fear so grew in me, I hither fled, |
| Under the covering of a careful night, |
| Who seem'd my good protector; and, being here, | 90 |
| Bethought me what was past, what might succeed. |
| I knew him tyrannous; and tyrants' fears |
| Decrease not, but grow faster than the years: |
| And should he doubt it, as no doubt he doth, |
| That I should open to the listening air | 95 |
| How many worthy princes' bloods were shed, |
| To keep his bed of blackness unlaid ope, |
| To lop that doubt, he'll fill this land with arms, |
| And make pretence of wrong that I have done him: |
| When all, for mine, if I may call offence, | 100 |
| Must feel war's blow, who spares not innocence: |
| Which love to all, of which thyself art one, |
| Who now reprovest me for it,-- |
| HELICANUS | Alas, sir! |
| PERICLES | Drew sleep out of mine eyes, blood from my cheeks, | 105 |
| Musings into my mind, with thousand doubts |
| How I might stop this tempest ere it came; |
| And finding little comfort to relieve them, |
| I thought it princely charity to grieve them. |
| HELICANUS | Well, my lord, since you have given me leave to speak. | 110 |
| Freely will I speak. Antiochus you fear, |
| And justly too, I think, you fear the tyrant, |
| Who either by public war or private treason |
| Will take away your life. |
| Therefore, my lord, go travel for a while, | 115 |
| Till that his rage and anger be forgot, |
| Or till the Destinies do cut his thread of life. |
| Your rule direct to any; if to me. |
| Day serves not light more faithful than I'll be. |
| PERICLES | I do not doubt thy faith; | 120 |
| But should he wrong my liberties in my absence? |
| HELICANUS | We'll mingle our bloods together in the earth, |
| From whence we had our being and our birth. |
| PERICLES | Tyre, I now look from thee then, and to Tarsus |
| Intend my travel, where I'll hear from thee; | 125 |
| And by whose letters I'll dispose myself. |
| The care I had and have of subjects' good |
| On thee I lay whose wisdom's strength can bear it. |
| I'll take thy word for faith, not ask thine oath: |
| Who shuns not to break one will sure crack both: | 130 |
| But in our orbs we'll live so round and safe, |
| That time of both this truth shall ne'er convince, |
| Thou show'dst a subject's shine, I a true prince. |
| [Exeunt] |
Shakespeare's Sources for Pericles