Pericles by William Shakespeare
Act 2 - Scene 4
Tyre. A room in the Governor’s house.
Gower : Here have you seen a mighty king
[p]His child, I wis, to incest
bring;
[p]A better prince and benign lord,
[p]That will prove awful
both in deed and word.
[p]Be quiet then as men should be,
[p]Till he
hath pass'd necessity.
[p]I'll show you those in troubles
reign,
[p]Losing a mite, a mountain gain.
[p]The good in
conversation,
[p]To whom I give my benison,
[p]Is still at Tarsus,
where each man
[p]Thinks all is writ he speken can;
[p]And, to
remember what he does,
[p]Build his statue to make him
glorious:
[p]But tidings to the contrary
[p]Are brought your eyes;
what need speak I?
[p]DUMB SHOW.
[p][Enter at one door PERICLES
talking with CLEON; all]
[p]the train with them. Enter at another door
a
[p]Gentleman, with a letter to PERICLES; PERICLES
[p]shows the
letter to CLEON; gives the Messenger a
[p]reward, and knights him.
Exit PERICLES at one
[p]door, and CLEON at another]
[p]Good Helicane,
that stay'd at home,
[p]Not to eat honey like a drone
[p]From others'
labours; for though he strive
[p]To killen bad, keep good
alive;
[p]And to fulfil his prince' desire,
[p]Sends word of all that
haps in Tyre:
[p]How Thaliard came full bent with sin
[p]And had
intent to murder him;
[p]And that in Tarsus was not best
[p]Longer for
him to make his rest.
[p]He, doing so, put forth to seas,
[p]Where
when men been, there's seldom ease;
[p]For now the wind begins to
blow;
[p]Thunder above and deeps below
[p]Make such unquiet, that the
ship
[p]Should house him safe is wreck'd and split;
[p]And he, good
prince, having all lost,
[p]By waves from coast to coast is
tost:
[p]All perishen of man, of pelf,
[p]Ne aught escapen but
himself;
[p]Till fortune, tired with doing bad,
[p]Threw him ashore,
to give him glad:
[p]And here he comes. What shall be next,
[p]Pardon
old Gower,--this longs the text.
Helicanus : No, Escanes, know this of me,
[p]Antiochus from incest lived not
free:
[p]For which, the most high gods not minding longer
[p]To
withhold the vengeance that they had in store,
[p]Due to this heinous
capital offence,
[p]Even in the height and pride of all his
glory,
[p]When he was seated in a chariot
[p]Of an inestimable value,
and his daughter with him,
[p]A fire from heaven came and shrivell'd
up
[p]Their bodies, even to loathing; for they so stunk,
[p]That all
those eyes adored them ere their fall
[p]Scorn now their hand should
give them burial.
Escanes : 'Twas very strange.
Helicanus : And yet but justice; for though
[p]This king were great, his greatness
was no guard
[p]To bar heaven's shaft, but sin had his reward.
Escanes : 'Tis very true.
First Lord : See, not a man in private conference
[p]Or council has respect with
him but he.
Second Lord : It shall no longer grieve without reproof.
Third Lord : And cursed be he that will not second it.
First Lord : Follow me, then. Lord Helicane, a word.
Helicanus : With me? and welcome: happy day, my lords.
First Lord : Know that our griefs are risen to the top,
[p]And now at length they
overflow their banks.
Helicanus : Your griefs! for what? wrong not your prince you love.
First Lord : Wrong not yourself, then, noble Helicane;
[p]But if the prince do
live, let us salute him,
[p]Or know what ground's made happy by his
breath.
[p]If in the world he live, we'll seek him out;
[p]If in his
grave he rest, we'll find him there;
[p]And be resolved he lives to
govern us,
[p]Or dead, give's cause to mourn his funeral,
[p]And leave
us to our free election.
Second Lord : Whose death indeed's the strongest in our censure:
[p]And knowing this
kingdom is without a head,--
[p]Like goodly buildings left without a
roof
[p]Soon fall to ruin,--your noble self,
[p]That best know how to
rule and how to reign,
[p]We thus submit unto,--our sovereign.
All : Live, noble Helicane!
Helicanus : For honour's cause, forbear your suffrages:
[p]If that you love Prince
Pericles, forbear.
[p]Take I your wish, I leap into the
seas,
[p]Where's hourly trouble for a minute's ease.
[p]A twelvemonth
longer, let me entreat you to
[p]Forbear the absence of your
king:
[p]If in which time expired, he not return,
[p]I shall with aged
patience bear your yoke.
[p]But if I cannot win you to this
love,
[p]Go search like nobles, like noble subjects,
[p]And in your
search spend your adventurous worth;
[p]Whom if you find, and win unto
return,
[p]You shall like diamonds sit about his crown.
First Lord : To wisdom he's a fool that will not yield;
[p]And since Lord Helicane
enjoineth us,
[p]We with our travels will endeavour us.
Helicanus : Then you love us, we you, and we'll clasp hands:
[p]When peers thus
knit, a kingdom ever stands.
Previous: Act 2 - Scene 3
Next: Act 2 - Scene 5
