Demet. But me more good, to see so great a lord Basely insinuate, and send us gifts.

Aaron. Had he not reason, lord Demetrius ?
Did you not use his daughter very friendly?
Demet. I would we had a thousand Roman dames
At such a bay by turn to serve our lust.

Chi. A charitable wish, and full of love.
Aaron. Here lacks but your mother for to say
Amen.

Chi. And that would she for twenty thousand

more.

Demet. Come, let us go, and pray to all the gods, For our beloved mother in her pains.

us over.

Aaron. Pray to the devils; the gods have given [Aside. Trumpets sound. Demet. Why do the emperor's trumpets flourish thus?

Chi. Belike, for joy the emperor hath a son.
Demet. Soft; who comes here?

Enter Nurse, with a blackamoor Child.
Nurse. Good morrow, lords;

O, tell me, did you see Aaron, the Moor? Aaron. Well, more, or less, or ne'er a whit at all,

Here Aaron is; and what with Aaron now?

Nurse. O gentle Aaron, we are all undone! Now help, or woe betide thee evermore!

Aaron. Why, what a caterwauling dost thou keep!

What dost thou wrap and fumble in thine arms? Nurse. O, that which I would hide from heaven's eye,

Our empress' shame, and stately Rome's disgrace;
She is deliver'd, lords, she is deliver'd.
Aaron. To whom?

Nurse.
I mean she is brought a-bed.
Aaron. Well, God give her good rest! What
hath he sent her?

Nurse. A devil.

Aaron. Why, then she is the devil's dam; a joyful issue.

Nurse. A joyless, dismal, black, and sorrowful issue :

Here is the babe, as loathsome as a toad,
Amongst the fairest breeders of our clime.
The empress sends it thee, thy stamp, thy seal,
And bids thee christen it with thy dagger's point.

Aaron. Out, you whore! is black so base a hue?
Sweet blowse, you are a beauteous blossom sure.
Demet. Villain, what hast thou done?
Aaron. That which thou canst not undo.
Chi. Thou hast undone our mother.
Aaron. Villain, I have done thy mother.

Demet. And therein, hellish dog, thou hast undone.

Woe to her chance, and damn'd her loathed choice! Accurs'd the offspring of so foul a fiend.

Now, by the burning tapers of the sky,
That shone so brightly when this boy was got,
He dies upon my scimitar's sharp point
That touches this my first-born son and heir.
I tell you, younglings, not Enceladus,
With all his threat'ning band of Typhon's brood,
Nor great Alcides, nor the god of war,
Shall seize this prey out of his father's hands.
What, what! ye sanguine, shallow-hearted boys!
Ye white-lim'd walls! ye ale-house painted signs
Coal-black is better than another hue,

In that it scorns to bear another hue:
For all the water in the ocean
Can never turn the swan's black legs to white,
Although she lave them hourly in the flood:
Tell the empress from me, I am of age
To keep mine own, excuse it how she can.
Demet. Wilt thou betray thy noble mistress thus?
Aaron. My mistress is my mistress; this, my
self;

The vigour, and the picture of my youth:
This before all the world do I prefer;
This, maugre all the world, will I keep safe,
Or some of you shall smoke for it in Rome.

Demet. By this our mother is for ever sham'd.
Chi. Rome will despise her for this foul escape.
Nurse. The emperor, in his rage, will doom her
death.

Chi. I blush to think upon this ignominy. Aaron. Why, there's the privilege your beauty

bears:

Fie, treacherous hue, that will betray with blushing
The close enacts and counsels of the heart:
Here's a young lad fram'd of another leer.
Look, how the black slave smiles upon the father,
As who should say, "Old lad, I am thine own."
He is your brother, lords, sensibly fed
Of that self-blood that first gave life to you;
And from that womb, where you imprison'd were.
He is enfranchised and come to light:
Nay, he is your brother by the surer side,
Although my seal be stamped in his face.

Nurse. Aaron, what shall I say unto the em
press?

Demet. Advise thee, Aaron, what is to be done, And we will all subscribe to thy advice: Save thou the child, so we may all be safe.

Aaron. Then sit we down, and let us all consult.
My son and I will have the wind of you:
Keep there; now talk at pleasure of your safety.
Demet. How many women saw this child of his
Aaron. Why, so, brave lords: When we join in
league

I am a lamb; but if you brave the Moor,
The chafed boar, the mountain lioness,
The ocean swells not so as Aaron storms:
But say again, how many saw the child?

Nurse. Cornelia the midwife, and myself,
And no one else but the deliver'd empress.
Aaron. The empress, the midwife, and yourself:
Two may keep counsel when the third's away:
Go to the empress, tell her this I said:
[He kills her.
Weke, weke—so cries a pig prepar'd to the spit
Demet. What mean'st thou, Aaron? wherefore
didst thou this?

Aaron. Oh, lord, sir, 'tis a deed of policy;
Shall she live to betray this guilt of ours?
A long-tongued babbling gossip! No, lords, no:
And now be it known to you my full intent.
Not far, one Muliteus lives, my countryman;

[Exit.

SCENE 1.-On board PERICLES' Ship, off Mitylene. A Pavilion on deck, with a curtain before it; PERICLES within it, reclining on a couch. A barge lying beside the Tyrian vessel.

Enter two Sailors, one belonging to the Tyrian vessel, the other to the barge; to them HELICANUS. Tyr. Sail. Where's the lord Helicanus? he can resolve you. [To the Sailor of Mitylene.

O here he is.

Sir, there's a barge put off from Mitylene,
And in it is Lysimachus, the governor,
Who craves to come aboard. What is your will?
Hel. That he have his. Call up some gentlemen.
Tyr. Sail. Ho, gentlemen! my lord calls.

Enter two or three Gentlemen.

1 Gent. Doth your lordship call? Hel. Gentlemen,

There is some of worth would come aboard: I pray Greet them fairly.

[Gentlemen and Sailors descend, and go on board the barge.

Enter. from thence, LYSIMACHUS and Lords; the Tyrian Gentlemen, and the two Sailors.

Lys. Sir king, all hail! the gods preserve you! Hail, royal sir!

Hel. It is in vain; he will not speak to you.

1 Lord. Sir, we have a maid in Mitylene, I durst wager,

Would win some words of him.

Lys.
'Tis well bethought.
She, questionless, with her sweet harmony,
And other choice attractions, would allure,
And make a battery through his deafen'd parts,
Which now are midway stopp'd:

She is all happy as the fair'st of all,
And with her fellow maids is now upon
The leafy shelter that abuts against
The island's side.

[He whispers one of the attendant Lords.
[Exit Lord.

Hel. Sure, all effectless; yet nothing we'll omit, That bears recovery's name.

But, since your kindness we have stretch'd thus far,
Let us beseech you,

That for our gold we may provision have,
Wherein we are not destitute for want,
But weary for the staleness.

O, sir! a courtesy,

Lys. Which, if we should deny, the most just God For every graff would send a caterpillar,

And so afflict our province.-Yet once more
Let me entreat to know at large the cause
Of your king's sorrow.

Hel. Sit, sir, I will recount it to you;—
But see,
I am prevented.

Enter Lord, MARINA, and a young Lady.

She's a gallant lady. Lys. She's such a one, that were I well assur'd she came

Of gentle kind, and noble stock, I'd wish
No better choice, and think me rarely wed.-
Fair one, all goodness that consists in bounty
Expect even here, where is a kingly patient :
If that thy prosperous and artificial feat
Can draw him but to answer thee in aught,

My lord, that ne'er before invited eyes,

But have been gazed on like a comet: she speaks,
My lord, that may be, hath endur'd a grief
Might equal yours, if both were justly weigh'd.
Though wayward fortune did malign my state,
My derivation was from ancestors
Who stood equivalent with mighty kings;
But time hath rooted out my parentage,
And to the world and awkward casualties
Bound me in servitude.-I will desist;
But there is something glows upon my cheek,
And whispers in mine ear, "Go not till he speak."
Per. My fortunes-parentage-good parentage-
To equal mine!-was it not thus? what say you?
Mar. I said, my lord, if you did know my par-
entage,

You would not do me violence.
Per.

I do think so.

Should I tell my history,

And how achiev'd you these endowments, which You make more rich to owe.

Mar. 'Twould seem like lies, disdain'd in the reporting. Per. Pr'ythee, speak:

Falseness cannot come from thee, for thou look'st
Modest as justice, and thou seem'st a palace
For the crown'd truth to dwell in. I'll believe thee,
And make my senses credit thy relation,
To points that seem impossible; for thou look'st
Like one I lov'd indeed. What were thy friends?
Didst thou not say, when I did push thee back,
(Which was when I perceiv'd thee,) that thou cam'st
From good descending?

SCENE I.-Plains near Rome.

Flourish. Enter LUCIUS, with an army of Goths,

with drum.

Luc. Approved warriors, and my faithful friends, I have received letters from great Rome, Which signify what hate they bear their emperor, And how desirous of our sight they are. Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles witness, Imperious and impatient of your wrongs; And wherein Rome hath done you any scaith, Let him make treble satisfaction.

Goth. Brave slip, sprung from the great Andronicus,

Whose name was once our terror, now our com

fort;

Whose high exploits, and honourable deeds,
Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt,
Be bold in us; we'll follow where thou lead'st,
Like stinging bees in hottest summer's day,
Led by their master to the flower'd fields,
And be aveng'd on cursed Tamora:
And, as he saith, so say we all with him.

Luc. I humbly thank him, and I thank you all. But who comes here, led by a lusty Goth?

Enter a Goth, leading AARON with his Child in his

arms.

I heard a child cry underneath a wall:
I made unto the noise, when soon I heard

The crying babe controll'd with this discourse:

66

Peace, tawny slave, half me, and half thy dam
Did not thy hue bewray whose brat thou art,
Had nature lent thee but thy mother's look,
Villain, thou mightst have been an emperor.
But where the bull and cow are both milk-white,
They never do beget a coal-black calf:
Peace, villain, peace!"-even thus he rates the
babe,-

"For I must bear thee to a trusty Goth,
Who, when he knows thou art the empress' babe.
Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's sake."
With this, my weapon drawn, I rush'd upon
Surpris'd him suddenly, and brought him hither
To use as you think needful of the man.

him.

Luc. Oh worthy Goth, this is the incarnate devi That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand: This is the pearl that pleas'd your empress' eye: And here's the base fruit of his burning lust. Say, wall-eyed slave, whither wouldst thou conver This growing image of thy fiendlike face? Why dost not speak? what, deaf? not a word? A halter, soldiers; hang him on this tree, And by his side his fruit of bastardy.

Aaron. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood. Luc. Too like the sire for ever being good.

To gaze upon a ruinous monastery, And as I earnestly did fix mine eye Upon the wasted building, suddenly

A sight to vex the father's soul withal.
Aaron. Get me a ladder! Lucius, save the child.
And bear it from me to the empress :