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Bawd. We shall have him here to-morrow with his best

ruff on.

Boult. To-night, to-night. But, mistress, do you know the French knight that cowers i' the hams?

Bawd. Who? monsieur Veroles?

Boult. Ay: he offered to cut a caper at the proclamation; but he made a groan at it, and swore he would see her to

morrow.

Bawd. Well, well; as for him, he brought his disease hither here he does but repair it. I know, he will come in our shadow, to scatter his crowns in the sun.

:

Boult. Well, if we had of every nation a traveller, we should lodge them with this sign.

Bawd. Pray you, come hither awhile. You have fortunes coming upon you. Mark me: you must seem to do that fearfully, which you commit willingly; to despise profit, where you have most gain. To weep that you live as you do makes pity in your lovers: seldom but that pity begets you a good opinion, and that opinion a mere profit9.

Mar. I understand you not.

Boult. Oh! take her home, mistress, take her home: these blushes of her's must be quenched with some present practice.

Bawd. Thou say'st true, i' faith, so they must; for your bride goes to that with shame, which is her way to go with

warrant.

Boult. Faith, some do, and some do not. But, mistress, if I have bargained for the joint,

Bawd. Thou mayst cut a morsel off the spit.

Boult. I may so?

Bawd. Who should deny it ?-Come, young one, I like the manner of your garments well.

Boult. Ay, by my faith, they shall not be changed yet. Bawd. Boult, spend thou that in the town: report what a sojourner we have; you'll lose nothing by custom.

"cowers

When

8 that COWERS i' the hams?] We surely do not need to be told that here means to bend or sink; yet the commentators, never weary of quoting, however tired others may be of it, cannot leave even a common word without explanation. Readers must be supposed to understand ordinary English; and instead of finding fault with us for omitting notes, such men as the Rev. Mr. Dyce, who, however, is sometimes fertile in futile citations, ought to praise us for the exercise of a sound discretion. The more we omit, the more the future opportunities of display.

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- and that opinion a MERE profit.] i. e. An absolute or, in this place, certain profit. Perhaps, a more profit" was the poet's word.

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nature framed this piece, she meant thee a good turn; therefore, say what a paragon she is, and thou hast the harvest out of thine own report.

Boult. I warrant you, mistress, thunder shall not so awake the beds of eels, as my giving out her beauty stir up the lewdly inclined. I'll bring home some to-night.

Bawd. Come your ways; follow me.

Mar. If fires be hot, knives sharp, or waters deep,

Untied I still my virgin knot will keep.

Diana, aid my purpose!

Bawd. What have we to do with Diana? Pray you, will

you go

with us ?

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

Tharsus. A Room in CLEON'S House.

Enter CLEON and DIONYZA.

Dion. Why, are you foolish? Can it be undone ?
Cle. Oh Dionyza! such a piece of slaughter

The sun and moon ne'er look'd upon.

Dion.

You'll turn a child again.

I think,

Cle. Were I chief lord of all this spacious world,

I'd give it to undo the deed.—Oh lady!

Much less in blood than virtue, yet a princess

To equal any single crown o' the earth,

I' the justice of compare!-Oh villain Leonine!
Whom thou hast poison'd too.

If thou hadst drunk to him, it had been a kindness
Becoming well thy fact: what canst thou say,

When noble Pericles shall demand his child?

Dion. That she is dead.

Nurses are not the fates,

To foster it, nor ever to preserve.

She died at night; I'll say so: who can cross it?

1 Becoming well thy FACT:] No doubt "fact" is the right word, not face, as it stands in the old copies, and we have to thank the Rev. Mr. Dyce for the emendation ("Remarks," p. 267): such a note is a real benefit, and of more worth than all his quotations. Fact" here means act-the thing done,-the supposed murder of Marina. "Fact" is used exactly in the same way in "The Winter's Tale," Vol. iii. p. 52, "Those of your fact are so."

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Unless you play the pious innocent', And for an honest attribute, cry out, "She died by foul play."

Cle.

Oh! go to. Well, well;

Of all the faults beneath the heavens, the gods

Do like this worst.

Dion.
Be one of those, that think
The pretty wrens of Tharsus will fly hence,
And open this to Pericles. I do shame
To think of what a noble strain you are,
And of how coward a spirit.

Cle.

To such proceeding
Who ever but his approbation added,
Though not his pre-consent, he did not flow
From honourable courses.

Dion.

Be it so, then;

Yet none does know, but you, how she came dead,
Nor none can know, Leonine being gone.
She did distain my child, and stood between
Her and her fortunes: none would look on her,
But cast their gazes on Marina's face;

Whilst our's was blurted at, and held a malkin3,
Not worth the time of day. It pierc'd me thorough;
And though you call my course unnatural,

You not your child well loving, yet I find,
It greets me as an enterprise of kindness,
Perform'd to your sole daughter.

Cle.

Dion. And as for Pericles,

Heavens forgive it!

What should he say? We wept after her hearse,

2 Unless you play the PIOUS innocent,] It stands "impious innocent" in the 4to, 1609, and all the later impressions omit the incongruous epithet. Monck Mason proposed to read "pious innocent," and his conjecture is fully confirmed by Wilkins' novel, for there Dionyza says to her husband, "If such a pious innocent as your selfe do not reveale it unto him." Sign. G 4.

3

- his FRE-Consent,] In the 4to, 1609, "his prince consent." Ought we not also to read from honourable sources?"

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4 She did DISTAIN my child,] It is disdain in the old copies, but Steevens proposed "distain," and we place it in our text, for Marina showed Philoten off to disadvantage distained her-but did not disdain her. This emendation is also supported by Wilkins' novel, which, following that of Twine, tells us that when the people saw the two young ladies together they cried out, "Happy is that father who hath Marina for his daughter, but her companion that goeth with her is fowle, and ill-favoured."

5- and held a MALKIN,] A "malkin " is a low, coarse wench. We have had "kitchen malkin "in "Coriolanus," Vol. iv. p. 636.

And even yet we mourn: her monument
Is almost finish'd, and her epitaphs
In glittering golden characters express
A general praise to her, and care in us
At whose expense 'tis done.

Cle.
Thou art like the harpy,
Which, to betray, doth with thine angel's face,
Seize with thine eagle's talons.

Dion. You are like one, that superstitiously

Doth swear to the gods, that winter kills the flies:
But yet, I know, you'll do as I advise.

[Exeunt.

Enter GoWER, before the Monument of MARINA at Tharsus.

6

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Gow. Thus time we waste, and longest leagues make
short;

Sail seas in cockles, have, and wish but for't;
Making (to take your imagination")
From bourn to bourn, region to region.
By you being pardon'd, we commit no crime
To use one language, in each several clime
Where our scenes seem to live. I do beseech you,
To learn of me, who stand i' the gaps to teach you,
The stages of our story. Pericles

Is now again thwarting the wayward seas,
Attended on by many a lord and knight,
To see his daughter, all his life's delight.
Old Escanes, whom Helicanus late

8

Advanc'd in time to great and high estate,
Is left to govern. Bear you it in mind,
Old Helicanus goes along behind.

Well-sailing ships, and bounteous winds, have brought
This king to Tharsus, (think his pilot thought,

at Tharsus.] Here, according to the folio, 1664, in which the Acts are first marked, Act iv. commences. Perhaps it is right.

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(to TAKE YOUR imagination)] In all the old copies, "our imagination." Possibly we ought to read, "to task your imagination."

Old Escanes, whom Helicanus late, &c.] In every old copy these lines are thus misplaced

"Old Helicanus goes along behind

Is left to governe it, you beare in mind.

Old Escanes whom Helicanus late

Advanc'd in time to great and hie estate.

Well sailing ships and bounteous winds have brought
This king to Tharsus," &c.

The transposition, suggested by Steevens, renders the whole clear.

So with his steerage shall your thoughts grow on')
To fetch his daughter home, who first is gone.
Like motes and shadows see them move awhile;
Your ears unto your eyes I'll reconcile.

Dumb show.

Enter PERICLES with his Train, at one door; CLEON and DIONYZA at the other. CLEON shows PERICLES the tomb of MARINA; whereat PERICLES makes lamentation, puts on sackcloth, and in a mighty passion departs. Exeunt also CLEON and DIONYZA.

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Gow. See, how belief may suffer by foul show!
This borrow'd passion stands for true old woe;
And Pericles, in sorrow all devour'd,

With sighs shot through, and biggest tears o'ershow'r'd,
Leaves Tharsus, and again embarks. He swears
Never to wash his face, nor cut his hairs;

He puts on sackcloth, and to sea. He bears
A tempest, which his mortal vessel tears,
And yet he rides it out. Now, please you, wit'
The epitaph is for Marina writ

By wicked Dionyza.

"The fairest, sweet'st, and best, lies here,
Who wither'd in her spring of year:

She was of Tyrus, the king's daughter,

On whom foul death hath made this slaughter.

Marina was she call'd; and at her birth,

Thetis, being proud', swallow'd some part o' the earth:

Therefore the earth, fearing to be o'erflow'd,

Hath Thetis' birth-child on the heavens bestow'd:
Wherefore she does (and swears she'll never stint)
Make raging battery upon shores of flint."

No visor does become black villainy,

So well as soft and tender flattery.

your thoughts GROW ON)] Grone, for "grow on," in all the old copies. We owe the emendation to Malone; who also read "think his pilot thought" for "this pilot thought" in the preceding line.

1 Now, please you, WIT] Now, be pleased to know. It was more anciently written and printed wite and wyte, from the A. S. witan.

THETIS, being proud,] Every old copy, including Rowe's edition, corruptly That is being proud."

46

reads,
VOL. VI.

G g

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