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Pericles.

A

TRAGEDY,

BY

WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE.

ACCURATELY PRINTED

FROM THE TEXT OF

MR. STEEVENS'S LAST EDITION.

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

Antiochus, king of Antioch.
Pericles, prince of Tyre.

Helicanus, two lords of Tyre.

Escanes,

Simonides, king of Pentapolis.
Cleon, governor of Tharsus.
Lysimachus, governor of Mitylene.
Cerimon, a lord of Ephesus.

Thaliard, a lord of Antioch.

Philemon, servant to Cerimon.

Leonine, servant to Dionyza. Marshall.

A Pandar, and his wife. Boult, their servant.
Gower, as chorus.

The daughter of Antiochus. Dionyza, wife to Cleon. Thaisa, daughter to Simonides.

Marina, daughter to Pericles and Thaisa.

Lychorida, nurse to Marina. Diana.

Lords, Ladies, Knights, Gentlemen, Sailors, Pirates, Fishermen, and Messengers, &c.

SCENE, dispersedly in various countries.

PERICLES,

PRINCE OF TYRE.

ACT I.

Enter Gower.

BEFORE THE PALACE OF ANTIOCH.

To sing a song of old was sung,
From ashes ancient Gower is come;
Assuming man's infirmities,

To glad your ear, and please your eyes.
It hath been sung at festivals,
On ember-eves, and holy-ales;
And lords and ladies of their lives
Have read it for restoratives:
'Purpose to make men glorious;
Et quo antiquius, eo melius.

If you, born in these latter times,
When wit's more ripe, accept my rhymes,
And that to hear an old man sing,
May to your wishes pleasure bring,
I life would wish, and that I might
Waste it for you, like taper-light.—
This city then, Antioch the great
Built up for his chiefest seat;

B