And cursed Dionyza hath The pregnant instrument of wrath I do commend to your content : Post on the lame feet of my rhyme; Unless your thoughts went on my way. Dionyza does appear, With Leonine, a murderer. SCENE I. - Tharsus. --- [Exit. An open Place, near the Sea-shore. Enter DIONYZA and LEONINE. Dion. Thy oath remember; thou hast sworn to do it: 'Tis but a blow, which never shall be known. Leon. I'll do't; but yet she is a goodly creature. Dion. The fitter then the gods should have her. Here Weeping she comes for her old nurse's death. Enter MARINA, with a basket of flowers. Shall, as a chaplet, hang upon thy grave, Dion. How now, Marina! why do you keep alone? How chance my daughter is not with you? Do not I'll not bereave you of your servant. Come, come; I can go home alone. Mar. Care not for me; Well, I will go; But yet I have no desire to it. Dion. Come, come, I know 'tis good for you. Walk half an hour, Leonine, at the least; Remember what I have said. Leon. I warrant yo 1, madam. Mar. When I was born, the wind was north. Leon. Was't so! Mar. My father, as nurse said, did never fear, But cry'd, good seamen! to the sailors, galling His kingly hands with hauling of the ropes; And, clasping to the mast, endur'd a sea That almost burst the deck, and from the laddertackle Wash'd off a canvas-climber: Ha! says one, They skip from stem to stern: the boatswain whistles, It was when I was born: Leon. If you require a little space for prayer, Mar, Why will you kill me? Leon. To satisfy my lady. Mar. Why would she have me kill'd? I never spake bad word, nor did ill turn Leon. My commission Is not to reason of the deed, but do it. Mar. You will not do't for all the world, I hope. You are well-favour'd, and your looks foreshow You have a gentle heart. I saw you lately, When you caught hurt in parting two that fought: Good sooth, it show'd well in you; do so now: Your lady seeks my life; come you between, And save poor me, the weaker. Leon. And will despatch. I am sworn, Pand. Search the market narrowly; Mitylene is full of gallants. We lost too much money this mart, by being too wenchless. Bawd. We were never so much out of creatures. We have but poor three, and they can do no more than they can do; and with continual action are even as good as rotten. Pand. Therefore let's have fresh ones, whate'er we pay for them. If there be not a conscience to be us'd in every trade, we shall never prosper. Bawd. Thou say'st true; 'tis not the bringing up of poor bastards, as I think, I have brought up some eleven Boult. Ay, to eleven, and brought them down again. But shall I search the market? Bawd. What else, man? The stuff we have, a strong wind will blow it to pieces, they are so pitifully sodden. Pand. Thou say'st true; they are too unwholesome o'conscience. The poor Transilvanian is dead, that lay with the little baggage. Boult. Ay, she quickly poop'd him; she made him roast meat for worms: but I'll go search the market. [Exit BOULT. Pand. Three or four thousand chequins were as pretty a proportion to live quietly, and so give over. Bawd. Why, to give over, I pray you? is it a shame to get when we are old? Pand. O, our credit comes not in like the commodity; nor the commodity wages not with the danger; therefore, if in our youths we could pick up some pretty estate, 'twere not amiss to keep our door hatch'd. Besides, the sore terms we stand upon with the gods, will be strong with us for giving over. Bawd. Come, other sorts offend as well as we. Pand. As well as we! ay, and better too; we offend worse. Neither is our profession any trade; it's no calling: -but here comes Boult. Enter the Pirates and BOULT, dragging in MARINA. most, shall have her first. Such a maidenhead were no cheap thing, if men were as they have been. Get this done as I command you. Boult. Performance shall follow. [Erit BoULT. (Not enough barbarous,) had not overboard Bawd. Why lament you, pretty one? Bawd. Come, the gods have done their part in Bawd. What would you have me be, an I be not a woman? Mar. An honest woman, or not a woman. Bawd. Marry, whip thee, gosling: I think I shall have something to do with you. Come, you are a young foolish sapling, and must be bowed as I would have you. Mar. The gods defend me! Bawd. If it please the gods to defend you by men, then men must comfort you, men must feed yu, men must stir you up. Boult's returned. Enter BOULT. Now, sir, hast thou cried her through the market? Boult. I have cried her almost to the number of her hairs; I have drawn her picture with my voice. Bawd. And I pr'ythee tell me, how dost thou find the inclination of the people, especially of the younger sort? Boult. 'Faith, they listened to me, as they would have hearkened to their father's testament. There was a Spaniard's mouth so watered, that he went to bed to her very description. Bawd. We shall have him here to-morrow with Boult. Come your ways. [To MARINA.] My his best ruff on. masters, you say she's a virgin? 1 Pirate. O, sir, we doubt it not. Boult. Master, I have gone thorough for this piece, you see if you like her, so; if not, I have lost my earnest. Bawd. Boult, has she any qualities? Boult. She has a good face, speaks well, and has excellent good clothes; there's no further necessity of qualities can make her be refused. Bawd. What's her price, Boult ? Boult. I cannot be bated one doit of a thousand pieces. Pand. Well, follow me, my masters; you shall have your money presently. Wife, take her in; instruct her what she has to do, that she may not be raw in her entertainment. [Exeunt Pander and Pirates. Bawd. Boult, take you the marks of her; the colour of her hair, complexion, height, age, with warrant of her virginity: and cry, He that will give 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 shall 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 profit. Mar. I understand you not. soult. O, take her home, mistress, take her | Nor none can know, Leonine being gone. nome: these blushes of hers 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. mistress, if I have bargain'd for the joint, Bawd. Thou may'st cut a morsel off the spit. But, 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. When 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. Bawd. What have we to do with Diana? Pray you, will you go with us? [Exeunt. A Room in Cleon's She did distain my child, and stood between Cle. Dion. And as for Pericles, What should he say? We wept after her hearse, Cle. 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 Tharsus. Gow. Thus time we waste, and longest leagues make short Enter at one door, PERICLES with his Train; CLEON and DIONYZA, at the other. CLEON shows Pr RICLES the tomb of MARINA; whereat PERICLES makes lamentation, puts on sackcloth, and in a mighty passion departs. Then CLEON and DIONYZA retire. 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'er show'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 [Reads the inscription on MARINA's monument. On whom foul death hath made this slaughter; Therefore the earth, fearing to be o'erflow'd, SCENE V. Mitylene. A Street before the Brothel. SCENE VI. · [Exeunt. The same. A Room in the Brothel. Enter Pander, Bawd, and BoULT. Pand. Well, I had rather than twice the worth of her, she had ne'er come here. Bawd. Fye, fye upon her; she is able to freeze the god Priapus, and undo a whole generation. We must either get her ravished, or be rid of her. When she should do for clients her fitment, and do me the kindness of our profession, she has me her quirks, her reasons, her master-reasons, her prayers, her knees; that she would make a puritan of the devil, if he should cheapen a kiss of her. Boult. 'Faith, I must ravish her, or she'll disfurnish us of all our cavaliers, and make all our swearers priests. Pand. Now, the pox upon her green-sickness for me! Lys. You may so; 'tis the better for you that your resorters stand upon sound legs. How now, wholesome iniquity? Have you that a man may deal withal, and defy the surgeon? Bawd. We have here one, sir, if she would but there never came her like in Mitylene. Lys. If she'd do the deed of darkness, thou would'st say. Bawd. Your honour knows what 'tis to say, well enough. Lys. Well; call forth, call forth. Boult. For flesh and blood, sir, white and red, you shall see a rose; and she were a rose indeed, if if she had but Lys. I beseech you, do. Bawd. First, I would have you note, this is an honourable man. [TO MARINA, whom she takes aside. Mar. I desire to find him so, that I may worthily note him. Bawd. Next, he's the governor of this country, and a man whom I am bound to. Mar. If he govern the country, you are bound to him indeed; but how honourable he is in that, I know not. Bawd. 'Pray you, without any more virginal fencing, will you use him kindly? He will line your apron with gold. Mar. What he will do graciously, I will thankfully receive. Lys. Have you done? Bawd. My lord, she's not paced yet; you must take some pains to work her to your manage. Come, we will leave his honour and her together. [Exeunt Bawd, Pander, and BOULT. Lys. Go thy ways. - Now, pretty one, how long have you been at this trade? ว Lys. How long have you been of this profession Mar. Ever since I can remember. Lys. Did you go to it so young? Were you a gamester at five, or at seven? Mar. Earlier too, sir, if now I be one. Lys. Why, the house you dwell in, proclaims you to be a creature of sale. Mar. Do you know this house to be a place of such resort, and will come into it? I hear say, you are of honourable parts, and are the governor of this place. Lys. Why, hath your principal made known u to you who I am? Mar. Who is my principal? Lys. Why, your herb-woman; she that sets reeds and roots of shame and iniquity. O, you have Boult. The nobleman would have dealt with her like a nobleman, and she sent him away as cold as a snowball; saying his prayers too. Bawd. Boult, take her away; use her at thy pleasure crack the glass of her virginity, and make the rest malleable. Boult. An if she were a thornier piece of ground than she is, she shall be ploughed. Mar. Hark, hark, you gods! Bawd. She conjures : away with her. Would she had never come within my doors! Marry hang you! She's born to undo us. Will you not go the way of women-kind? Marry come up, my dish of chastity with rosemary and bays! [Erit Bawd. Boult. Come, mistress; come your way with me. Mar. Whither would you have me? Boult. To take from you the jewel you hold so dear. Mar. Pr'ythee, tell me one thing first. Mar. What canst thou wish thine enemy to be? Boult. Why, I could wish him to be my master, or rather, my mistress. Mar. Neither of these are yet so bad as thou art, Since they do better thee in their command. Thou hold'st a place, for which the pained'st fiend Of hell would not in reputation change: Thou'rt the damn'd door-keeper to every coystrel That hither comes enquiring for his tib; To the cholerick fisting of each rogue thy ear Is liable; thy very food is such As hath been belch'd on by infected lungs. Boult. What would you have me? go to the wars, would you? where a man may serve seven years for the loss of a leg, and have not money enough in the end to buy him a wooden one? Mar. Do any thing but this thou doest. Empty I doubt not but this populous city will Boult. But can you teach all this you speak of? Boult. Well, I will see what I can do for thee: if I can place thee, I will. Mar. But, amongst honest women? Boult. 'Faith, my acquaintance lies little amongst them. But since my master and mistress have bought you, there's no going but by their consent; therefore I will make them acquainted with your purpose, and I doubt not but I shall find them tractable enough. Come, I'll do for thee what I can; come your ways. [Exeunt. |