Hel. Peace, peace, and give experience tongue : They do abuse the king that flatter him,

For flattery is the bellows blows up sin;
The thing the which is flatter'd, but a spark,
To which that breath gives heat and stronger
glowing;

Whereas reproof, obedient, and in order,

Fits kings as they are men, for they may err.
When signior Sooth here doth proclaim a peace,
He flatters you, makes war upon your life:
Prince, pardon me, or strike me if you please,
I cannot be much lower than my knees.

Per. All leave us else; but let your cares o'erlook

What shipping and what lading's in our haven, And then return to us. [Exeunt Lords.] Helicanus, thou

Hast moved us: what see'st thou in our looks? Hel. An angry brow, dread lord.

Per. If there be such a dart in princes' frowns, How durst thy tongue move anger to our face? Hel. How dare the plants look up to heaven, from whence

They have their nourishment?

Per. Thou know'st I have power to take thy life from thee.

Hel. [kneeling.] I have ground the axe myself; do but you strike the blow.

Per. Rise, pr'ythee rise; sit down, thou art no flatterer ;

I thank thee for it; and heaven forbid,

That kings should let their ears hear their faults hid!

Fit counsellor, and servant for a prince,

Who by thy wisdom mak'st a prince thy servant, What wouldst thou have me do?

Hel.

To bear with patience

Such griefs as you yourself do lay upon yourself. Per. Thou speak'st like a physician, Heli

canus;

That minister'st a potion unto me,

That thou wouldst tremble to receive thyself.
Attend me then; I went to Antioch,
Whereas, thou know'st, against the face of death,
I sought the purchase of a glorious beauty,
From whence an issue I might propogate;
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,

Who seem'd my good protector: and, being here, Bethought me what was past, what might succeed;

I know him tyrannous, and tyrants' fears
Decrease not, but grow faster than the years :
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: 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, with thousand doubts
How I might stop this tempest ere it came;
And finding little comfort to relieve them,
I thought it princely charity to grieve them.
Hel. Well, my lord, since you have given me
leave to speak,

Freely will I speak.

Antiochus you fear,
And justly, too, I think, you fear the tyrant,
Who either by public 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 till the 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 my absence-
Hel. We'll mingle our 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,
That time of both this truth shall ne'er convince,
Thou show'dst a subject's shine, I a true prince.
[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Tyre.

An Ante-chamber in the

Palace.

Enter THALIARD.

Thal. So, this is Tyre, and this the court. Here must I kill king Pericles; and if I do it 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. 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 comes the lords of Tyre.

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

Further to question me of your king's departure.
His seal'd commission, left in trust with me,
Doth speak sufficiently, he's gone to travel.
Thal. [aside.] How! the king gone!
Hel. If further yet you will be satisfied,
Why, as it were unlicensed of your loves
He would depart, I'll give some light unto you.
Being at Antioch-

Thal. [aside.] What from Antioch?

Hel. Royal Antiochus (on what cause I know not)

Took some displeasure at him, at least he judged

And doubting lest he had err'd or sinn'd,

To show his sorrow, he'd correct himself;

So he puts himself unto the shipman's toil,
With whom each minute threatens life or death.
Thal. [aside.] Well, I perceive

I shall not be hang'd now, although I would;
But since he's gone, the king sure must please
He 'scaped the land, to perish at the sea.
I'll present myself.-Peace to the lords of Tyre.
Hel. Lord Thaliard from Antiochus is welcome.
Thal. From him I come

With message unto princely Pericles;

But since my landing I have understood,

Your lord hath betook himself to unknown travels,

My message must return from whence it came.
Hel. We have no reason to desire it,
Commended to our master, not to us:
Yet ere you shall depart, this we desire,
As friends to Antioch, we may feast in Tyre.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.-Tharsus. A Room in the Governor's House.

Enter CLEON, DIONYZA, and others.

Cle. My Dionyza, shall we rest us here,
And, by relating tales of others' griefs,
See if 'twill teach us to forget our own?

Dio. That were to blow at fire in hope to
quench it;

For who digs hills because they do aspire,
Throws down one mountain to cast up a higher.
O my distressed lord, even such our griefs are;
Here they're but felt, and seen with mischief's

eyes,

But like to groves, being topp'd, they higher rise.