Alas, sir!

      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.

      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.

      I do not doubt thy faith;

      But should he wrong my liberties in my absence?

      We'll mingle our bloods together in the earth,

      From whence we had our being and our birth.

      Tyre, I now look from thee then, and to Tarsus

      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.

      THALIARD. 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 't; for if a king bid a man be a villain, he's bound by the indenture of his oath to be one. Hush! here come the lords of Tyre.

      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.

      How! the king gone!

      If further yet you will be satisfied,

      Why, as it were unlicensed of your loves,

      He would depart, I 'II give some light unto you.

      Being at Antioch —

      What from Antioch?

      Royal Antiochus – on what cause I know not

      Took some displeasure at him; at least he judged so:

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

      To show his sorrow, he 'ld correct himself;

      So puts himself unto the shipman's toil,

      With whom each minute threatens life or death.

      Well, I perceive

      I shall not be hang'd now, although I would;

      But since he 's gone, the king's seas must please

      He 'scaped the land, to perish at the sea.

      I 'll present myself. Peace to the lords of Tyre!

      Lord Thaliard from Antiochus is welcome.

      From him I come

      With message unto princely Pericles;

      But since my landing I have understood

      Your lord has betook himself to unknown travels,

      My message must return from whence it came.

      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.

      My Dionyza, shall we rest us here,

      And by relating tales of others' griefs,

      See if 'twill teach us to forqet our own?

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

      For