Pericles by William Shakespeare

Act 1 - Scene 0

Prologue.

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

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