Imatges de pàgina
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The meaning of this obscure line probably is-thinks all he can speak is as holy writ.

And, to remember what he does,

Build his statue to make him glorious:

But tidings to the contrary

Are brought to your eyes; what need speak I?

Dumb show.

Enter at one door PERICLES talking with CLEON; all the Train with them. Enter at another door a Gentleman, with a letter to PERICLES; PERICLES shows the letter to CLEON; PERICLES gives the Messenger a reward, and knights him.

c

[Exit PERICLES at one door, and CLEON at another.

Good Helicane hath stay'd at home,

Not to eat honey, like a drone,

From others' labours; for though he strive

To killen bad, keeps good alive;

And, to fulfil his prince' desire,

Sends word of all that haps in Tyre:

How Thaliard came full bent with sin,
And had intent to murder him;
And that in Tharsus 't was not best
Longer for him to make his rest :
He, knowing so°, put forth to seas,

Where when men bin, there 's seldom ease;

For now the wind begins to blow;

Thunder above, and deeps below,

Make such unquiet, that the ship

Should house him safe, is wrack'd and split;

And he, good prince, having all lost,
By waves from coast to coast is toss'd:

All perishen of man, of pelf,

Ne aught escapen'd but himself;
Till fortune, tir'd with doing bad,

Threw him ashore to give him glad:

■ Build his statue. All the old copies read build; but the word is invariably changed to gild, because in the 'Confessio Amantis' we find, with regard to this statue

"It was of laton over-gilt."

But before the statue was gilt it was erected, according to the same authority:

"For they were all of him so glad,

That they for ever in remembrance
Made a figure in resemblance

Of him, and in a common place
They set it up."

Why not then build as well as gild?

We give this dumb show literally, as in the original.

• Hath. In the old copies that.

• In the old copies, he doing so.

Sends word. In the old copies, sav'd one.

And here he comes; what shall be next,
Pardon old Gower; this 'longs the texta.

SCENE I.-Pentapolis.

Enter PERICLES, wet.

PER. Yet cease your ire, ye angry stars of heaven!
Wind, rain, and thunder, remember, earthly man
Is but a substance, that must yield to you;
And I, as fits my nature, do obey you;

Alas, the sea hath cast me on the rocks,

Wash'd me from shore to shore, and left me breath,
Nothing to think on, but ensuing death:
Let it suffice the greatness of your powers,
To have bereft a prince of all his fortunes;
And having thrown him from your wat'ry grave,
Here to have death in peace, is all he 'll crave.

1 FISH. What, ho, Pilche!

Enter three Fishermen.

2 FISH. Ha, come, and bring away the nets.

1 FISH. What, Patch-breech, I say!

3 FISH. What say you, master?

[Exit.

1 FISH. Look how thou stirrest now: come away, or I'll fetch thee with a

wannion.

3 FISH. 'Faith, master, I am thinking of the poor men that were cast away before us, even now.

1 FISH. Alas, poor souls! it grieved my heart to hear what pitiful cries they made to us, to help them, when, well-a-day, we could scarce help ourselves.

3 FISH. Nay, master, said not I as much, when I saw the porpus how he bounced and tumbled? they say, they are half fish, half flesh; a plague on them! they ne'er come but I look to be wash'd. Master, I marvel how the fishes live in the sea.

1 FISH. Why, as men do a-land; the great ones eat up the little ones: I can compare our rich misers to nothing so fitly as to a whale; 'a plays and tumbles, driving the poor fry before him, and at last devours them all at a mouthful. Such whales have I heard on a' the land, who never leave gaping, till they 've swallowed the whole parish, church, steeple, bells and all.

PER. A pretty moral.

■ Douce explains this clearly:-"This 'longs the text' is, in Gower's elliptical construction, this belongs to the text; I need not comment upon it; you will see it."

Pilche is most probably a name; as we have afterwards Patch-breech. The old copies have "What to pelch?"

3 FISH. But, master, if I had been the sexton, I would have been that day in the belfry.

2 FISH. Why, man?

3 FISH. Because he should have swallowed me too: and when I had been in his belly, I would have kept such a jangling of the bells, that he should never have left, till he cast bells, steeple, church, and parish, up again. But if the good king Simonides were of my mind

PER. Simonides?

3 FISH. We would purge the land of these drones, that rob the bee of her honey.

PER. How from the finny subjecta of the sea

These fishers tell the infirmities of men;
And from their watery empire recollect
All that may men approve, or men detect!

Peace be at your labour, honest fishermen.

2 FISH. Honest, good fellow, what's that? If it be a day fits you, search out of

the calendar, and nobody look after it".

PER. You may see, the sea hath cast me on your coast.

2 FISH. What a drunken knave was the sea, to cast thee in our way!

PER. A man whom both the waters and the wind,

In that vast tennis-court, hath made the ball

For them to play upon, entreats you pity him;

He asks of you, that never us'd to beg.

1 FISH. No, friend, cannot you beg? here 's them in our country of Greece gets more with begging, than we can do with working.

2 FISH. Canst thou catch any fishes then?

PER. I never practis'd it.

2 FISH. Nay, then thou wilt starve sure; for here 's nothing to be got now-adays, unless thou canst fish for 't.

PER. What I have been, I have forgot to know;

But what I am, want teaches me to think on;
A man throng'd up with cold; my veins are chill,
And have no more of life than may suffice
To give my tongue that heat to ask your help:
Which if you shall refuse, when I am dead,
For that I am a man, pray see me buried.

a Finny subject. The original has fenny. Subject must be taken as a plural noun. This is the reading of the original, and has occasioned some discussion. Does it not mean that the fisherman, laughing at the rarity of being honest, remarks, If it be a day (i. e. a saint's or red-letter day) fits you, search out of (not in) the calendar, and nobody look after it (there, as it would be useless)? Steevens supposes that the dialogue originally ran thus:

"Per. Peace be at your labour, honest fishermen;

The day is rough and thwarts your occupation.

2 Fish. Honest! good fellow, what's that? If it be not a day fits you, scratch it out of the calendar, and nobody will look after it."

This is the reading of the folio.

1 FISH. Die, quoth-a? on, keep thee warm.

Now gods forbid! I have a gown here; come, put it Now, afore me, a handsome fellow! Come, thou shalt go home, and we 'll have flesh for holidays, fish for fasting days, and moreo'er puddings and flap-jacks; and thou shalt be welcome.

PER. I thank you, sir.

2 FISH. Hark you, my friend, you said you could not beg.

PER. I did but crave.

2 FISH. But crave? then I'll turn craver too, and so I shall 'scape whipping. PER. Why, are all your beggars whipp'd then?

2 FISH. O, not all, my friend, not all; for if all your beggars were whipped, I would wish no better office than to be a beadle. But, master, I'll go draw up the net. [Exeunt two of the Fishermen.

PER. How well this honest mirth becomes their labour!

1 FISH. Hark you, sir, do you know where you are? PER. Not well.

1 FISH. Why, I'll tell you; this is called Pentapolis, and our king, the good Simonides.

PER. The good king Simonides, do you call him?

1 FISH. Ay, sir, and he deserves so to be called, for his peaceable reign, and good government.

PER. He is a happy king, since he gains from his subjects the name of good, by his government. How far is his court distant from this shore?

1 FISH. Marry, sir, half a day's journey; and I'll tell you, he hath a fair daughter, and to-morrow is her birthday; and there are princes and knights come from all parts of the world to just and tourney for her love. PER. Were my fortunes equal to my desires, I could wish to make one there. 1 FISH. O, sir, things must be as they may; and what a man cannot get, he may lawfully deal for-his wife's soul b.

Re-enter the two Fishermen, drawing up a net.

Ha! bots on 't, 't is come at last,

2 FISH. Help, master, help; here's a fish hangs in the net, like a poor man's
right in the law; 't will hardly come out.
and 't is turned to a rusty armour!

PER. An armour, friends! I pray you, let me see it.
Thanks, Fortune, yet, that, after all my crosses,
Thou giv'st me somewhat to repair myself;
And, though it was mine own, part of mine heritage
Which my dead father did bequeath to me,
With this strict charge (even as he left his life),
"Keep it, my Pericles, it hath been a shield
"Twixt me and death (and pointed to this brace);
For that it sav'd me, keep it; in like necessity,

a The old copies have all day.

We cannot attempt to explain this. There are more riddles in this play than that of Antiochus.

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