Where, as thou know'st, against the face of death,
I sought the purchase of a glorious beauty,
From whence an issue I might propagate,
Are arms to princes, and bring joys to subjects".
Her face was to mine eye beyond all wonder;
The rest (hark in thine ear,) as black as incest;
Which by my knowledge found, the sinful father
Seem'd not to strike, but smooth: but thou
know'st this,

'Tis time to fear, when tyrants seem to kiss.
Which fear so grew in me, I hither fled,
Under the covering of a careful night,

6 From whence an issue I might propagate,

Are arms to princes, and bring joys to subjects.] From whence I might propagate an issue that are arms, &c. MALONE. I once imagined that a line was wanting to complete the sense of this passage, and that the deficiency might be supplied as follows:

a glorious beauty,

"From whence an issue I might propagate;
"For royal progeny are general blessings,

Bring arms to princes, and to subjects joy.
"Her face," &c.

Influenced, however, by the subsequent remark of Mr. M. Mason, I have recovered the sense for which he contends, by omitting one word in the corrupted line, and transposing others. STEEVENS.

Mr. Steevens reads:

"Bring arms to princes, and to subjects joys." BOSWELL. The meaning of this passage is clearly this: "From whence I might propagate such issue, as bring additional strength to princes, and joy to their subjects." The expression is certainly faulty; but it seems to be the fault of the author, not the printer. I believe it was written as it stands. M. MASON.

7 Seem'd not to strike, but SMOOTH:] To smooth formerly signified to flatter. See note on "smooth every passion," in King Lear, vol. x. p. 93, n. 7. MALONE.

To smooth in this place means to stroke. In the same sense we should understand the word in Milton's Comus, v. 251: smoothing the raven down

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"Of darkness, till it smil'd."

They say in some counties smooth-instead of stroke, the cat.

HOLT WHITE.

8

Who seem'd my good protector; and being here,
Bethought me what was past, what might succeed.
I knew him tyrannous; and tyrants' fears
Decrease not, but grow faster than their years R :
And should he doubt it, (as no doubt he doth ",)
That I should open to the listening air,
How many worthy princes' bloods were shed,
To keep his bed of blackness unlaid ope,-
To lop that doubt, he'll fill this land with arms,
And make pretence of wrong that I have done him;
When all, for mine, if I may call't, offence,

Must feel war's blow, who spares not innocence 1:
Which love to all (of which thyself art one,
Who now reprov'st me for it)-

HEL.

Alas, sir!

PER. Drew sleep out of mine eyes, blood from my cheeks,

Musings into my mind, a thousand doubts
How I might stop this tempest, ere it came;
And finding little comfort to relieve them,

8 than THEIR years:] Old copy-the years. Their suspicions outgrow their years; a circumstance sufficiently natural to veteran tyrants. The correction is mine. STEEVens.

9 And should he DOUBT IT, (as no doubt he doth,)] The quarto 1609 reads:

"And should he doo't, as no doubt he doth-." from which the reading of the text has been formed. The repetition is much in our author's manner, and the following words, to lop that doubt, render this emendation almost certain.

MALONE.

Here is an apparent corruption. I should not hesitate to read -doubt on't-or,-doubt it. To doubt is to remain in suspense or uncertainty. Should he be in doubt that I shall keep this secret, (as there is no doubt but he is,) why, to "lop that doubt," i. e. to get rid of that painful uncertainty, he will strive to make me appear the aggressor, by attacking me first as the author of some supposed injury to himself. STEEVENS.

- who SPARES not innocence:] Thus the eldest quarto. All the other copies read corruptly:

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who fears not innocence." Malone.

I thought it princely charity to grieve them". HEL. Well, my lord, since you have given me leave to speak,

Freely I'll speak.

Antiochus you fear,

And justly too, I think, you fear the tyrant,
Who either by publick war, or private treason,
Will take away your life.

Therefore, my lord, go travel for a while,
Till that his rage and anger be forgot,
Or Destinies do cut his thread of life.
Your rule direct to any; if to me,

Day serves not light more faithful than I'll be.
PER. I do not doubt thy faith;

But should he wrong my liberties in absence-
HEL. We'll mingle bloods together in the earth,
From whence we had our being and our birth.

PER. Tyre, I now look from thee then, and to
Tharsus

Intend my travel, where I'll hear from thee;
And by whose letters I'll dispose myself.
The care I had and have of subjects' good,

On thee I lay, whose wisdom's strength can bear it*.
I'll take thy word for faith, not ask thine oath;
Who shuns not to break one, will sure crack both":
But in our orbs we'll live so round and safe",

3 I thought it princely charity to GRIEVE THEM.] That is, to lament their fate. The eldest quarto reads-to grieve for them.But a rhyme seems to have been intended. The reading' of the text was furnished by the third quarto 1630, which, however, is of no authority. MALONE.

4-whose wisdom's strength can bear it.] Pericles transferring his authority to Helicanus during his absence, naturally brings the first scene of Measure for Measure to our mind.

MALONE.

s will SURE crack both :] Thus the folio. The word sure is not found in the quarto. MALONE.

6 But in our orbs WE'LL live so round and safe,] The first quarto reads-will live. For the emendation I am answerable.

That time of both this truth shall ne'er convince", Thou show'dst a subject's shine, I a true prince .

[Exeunt.

The quarto of 1619 has-we live. The first copy may have been right, if, as I suspect, the preceding line has been lost.

"But in our orbs we'll live so round and safe," in seipso totus teres atque rotundus.

MALONE.

Horace.

In our orbs means, in our different spheres. STEEVENS. 7 - this truth shall ne'er CONVINCE,] Overcome. See vol. xi. p. 85, n. 4. MALONE.

Thou show'dst a SUBJECT'S SHINE, I a true prince.] Shine is by our ancient writers frequently used as a substantive. So, in Chloris, or The Complaint of the passionate despised Shepheard, by W. Smith, 1596:

"Thou glorious sunne, from whence my lesser light "The substance of his chrystal shine doth borrow." This sentiment is not much unlike that of Falstaff: "I shall think the better of myself and thee during my life; I for a valiant lion, and thou for a true prince." MALONE.

That the word shine may be used as a substantive, cannot be doubted whilst we have sunshine and moonshine. If the present reading of this passage be adopted, the word shine must necessarily be taken in that sense: but what the shine of a subject is, it would be difficult to define. The difficulty is avoided by leaving out a letter, and reading

"Thou showd'st a subject shine, I a true prince."

In this case the word shine becomes a verb, and the meaning will be:-"No time shall be able to disprove this truth, that you have shown a subject in a glorious light, and a true prince."

M. MASON.

The same idea is more clearly expressed in King Henry VIII. Act III. Sc. II. :

"A loyal and obedient subject is
"Therein illustrated."

I can neither controvert nor support Mr. M. Mason's position, because I cannot ascertain, if shine be considered as a verb, how the meaning he contends for is deduced from the words before us.

STEEVENS.

SCENE III.

Tyre. An Ante-chamber in the Palace.

Enter THALIARD.

THAL. So, this is Tyre, and this is the court. Here must I kill king Pericles; and if I do not, I am sure to be hanged at home: 'tis dangerous. Well, I perceive he was a wise fellow, and had good discretion, that being bid to ask what he would of the king, desired he might know none of his secrets 9. Now do I see he had some reason for it; for if a king bid a man be a villain, he is bound by the indenture of his oath to be one.-Hush, here come the lords of Tyre.

Enter HELICANUS, ESCANES, and other Lords.
HEL. You shall not need, my fellow peers of
Tyre,

Further to question of your king's departure.
His seal'd commission, left in trust with me,
Doth speak sufficiently, he's gone to travel.
THAL. HOW! the king gone!

[Aside.

HEL. If further yet you will be satisfied,
Why, as it were unlicens'd of your loves,
He would depart, I'll give some light unto you.
Being at Antioch-

THAL.

91

What from Antioch? [Aside.

I perceive he was a wise fellow, &c.] Who this wise fellow was, may be known from the following passage in Barnabie Riche's Souldier's Wishe to Briton's Welfare, or Captaine Skill and Captaine Pill, 1604, p. 27: "I will therefore commende the poet Philipides, who being demaunded by King Lisimachus, what favour he might doe unto him for that he loved him, made this answere to the King, that your majesty would never impart unto me any of your secrets." STEEVENS.