ACT I SCENE IV | Tarsus. A room in the Governor's house. |
[
Enter CLEON, the governor of Tarsus, with DIONYZA,
and others
] |
CLEON | My Dionyza, shall we rest us here, |
| And by relating tales of others' griefs, |
| See if 'twill teach us to forget our own? |
DIONYZA | That were to blow at fire in hope to quench it; |
| For who digs hills because they do aspire | 5 |
| Throws down one mountain to cast up a higher. |
| O my distressed lord, even such our griefs are; |
| Here they're but felt, and seen with mischief's eyes, |
| But like to groves, being topp'd, they higher rise. |
CLEON | O Dionyza, | 10 |
| Who wanteth food, and will not say he wants it, |
| Or can conceal his hunger till he famish? |
| Our tongues and sorrows do sound deep |
| Our woes into the air; our eyes do weep, |
| Till tongues fetch breath that may proclaim them louder; | 15 |
| That, if heaven slumber while their creatures want, |
| They may awake their helps to comfort them. |
| I'll then discourse our woes, felt several years, |
| And wanting breath to speak help me with tears. |
DIONYZA | I'll do my best, sir. | 20 |
CLEON | This Tarsus, o'er which I have the government, |
| A city on whom plenty held full hand, |
| For riches strew'd herself even in the streets; |
| Whose towers bore heads so high they kiss'd the clouds, |
| And strangers ne'er beheld but wondered at; | 25 |
| Whose men and dames so jetted and adorn'd, |
| Like one another's glass to trim them by: |
| Their tables were stored full, to glad the sight, |
| And not so much to feed on as delight; |
| All poverty was scorn'd, and pride so great, | 30 |
| The name of help grew odious to repeat. |
DIONYZA | O, 'tis too true. |
CLEON | But see what heaven can do! By this our change, |
| These mouths, who but of late, earth, sea, and air, |
| Were all too little to content and please, | 35 |
| Although they gave their creatures in abundance, |
| As houses are defiled for want of use, |
| They are now starved for want of exercise: |
| Those palates who, not yet two summers younger, |
| Must have inventions to delight the taste, | 40 |
| Would now be glad of bread, and beg for it: |
| Those mothers who, to nousle up their babes, |
| Thought nought too curious, are ready now |
| To eat those little darlings whom they loved. |
| So sharp are hunger's teeth, that man and wife | 45 |
| Draw lots who first shall die to lengthen life: |
| Here stands a lord, and there a lady weeping; |
| Here many sink, yet those which see them fall |
| Have scarce strength left to give them burial. |
| Is not this true? | 50 |
DIONYZA | Our cheeks and hollow eyes do witness it. |
CLEON | O, let those cities that of plenty's cup |
| And her prosperities so largely taste, |
| With their superfluous riots, hear these tears! |
| The misery of Tarsus may be theirs. | 55 |
[Enter a Lord] |
Lord | Where's the lord governor? |
CLEON | Here. |
| Speak out thy sorrows which thou bring'st in haste,
|
| For comfort is too far for us to expect. |
Lord | We have descried, upon our neighbouring shore, | 60 |
| A portly sail of ships make hitherward. |
CLEON | I thought as much. |
| One sorrow never comes but brings an heir, |
| That may succeed as his inheritor; |
| And so in ours: some neighbouring nation, | 65 |
| Taking advantage of our misery, |
| Hath stuff'd these hollow vessels with their power, |
| To beat us down, the which are down already; |
| And make a conquest of unhappy me, |
| Whereas no glory's got to overcome. | 70 |
Lord | That's the least fear; for, by the semblance |
| Of their white flags display'd, they bring us peace, |
| And come to us as favourers, not as foes. |
CLEON | Thou speak'st like him's untutor'd to repeat: |
| Who makes the fairest show means most deceit. | 75 |
| But bring they what they will and what they can, |
| What need we fear? |
| The ground's the lowest, and we are half way there. |
| Go tell their general we attend him here, |
| To know for what he comes, and whence he comes, | 80 |
| And what he craves. |
Lord | I go, my lord. |
[Exit] |
CLEON | Welcome is peace, if he on peace consist; |
| If wars, we are unable to resist. |
[Enter PERICLES with Attendants] |
PERICLES | Lord governor, for so we hear you are, | 85 |
| Let not our ships and number of our men |
| Be like a beacon fired to amaze your eyes. |
| We have heard your miseries as far as Tyre, |
| And seen the desolation of your streets: |
| Nor come we to add sorrow to your tears, | 90 |
| But to relieve them of their heavy load; |
| And these our ships, you happily may think |
| Are like the Trojan horse was stuff'd within |
| With bloody veins, expecting overthrow, |
| Are stored with corn to make your needy bread, | 95 |
| And give them life whom hunger starved half dead. |
All | The gods of Greece protect you! |
| And we'll pray for you. |
PERICLES | Arise, I pray you, rise: |
| We do not look for reverence, but to love, | 100 |
| And harbourage for ourself, our ships, and men. |
CLEON | The which when any shall not gratify, |
| Or pay you with unthankfulness in thought, |
| Be it our wives, our children, or ourselves, |
| The curse of heaven and men succeed their evils! | 105 |
| Till when,--the which I hope shall ne'er be seen,-- |
| Your grace is welcome to our town and us. |
PERICLES | Which welcome we'll accept; feast here awhile, |
| Until our stars that frown lend us a smile. |
[Exeunt] |