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Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Act II, Scene 4

Tyre. A room in the Governor's house.
 
[Enter HELICANUS and ESCANES]
 
HELICANUS
       ,      ,        T    T   .  T
      No, Es|canes,| know this of me,
          x     2      ,        ,           ,
      Antioch|us from in|cest^lived | not free:
       T    T     .    T      T    T   T      ,
      For which, the most | high gods not | minding
        ,       T   T   T          ,          ,
      Longer | to withhold | the venge|ance that
            ,         ,      T   T   T     ,
      They had | in store,| due to this | heinous
       ,  2         ,      x               ,           ,
      Capital | offense;| even in | the height | and pride
          ,         ,        ,      2      ,      ,
      Of all | his glo|ry, when | he was seat|ed in
          ,              ,   ,     ,               ,
      A chariot of an inestimable value, and his daughter  ????
        ,            ,            x       ,          ,
      With him;| a fire | from heaven | came and | shriveled
       ,        ,       ,        ,                 ,   ,
      Up their bodies, even to loathing, for they so stunk,  ????
            ,            ,       ,            ,            ,
      That all | those eyes | adored | them, ere | their fall,
             ,            ,             ,          ,    ,
      Scorn^now | their hand | should give | them bur|ial.
 
ESCANES
             ,       ,
      'Twas ve|ry strange.  \\
 
HELICANUS
           ,            x            ,            ,           ,
      And yet | but justice;| for though | this king | were great,
            ,       2     ,     ,         T     Tx      T
      His great|ness was no | guard to | bar heaven's shaft.
          ,         ,        ,
      By sin | had his | reward.
 
ESCANES
                                      ,      ,
                                'Tis ve|ry true.
 
[Enter two or three Lords]
 
FIRST LORD
       ,            ,         ,        ,     ,
      See, not | a man | in priv|ate conf|erence,
           ,        ,        ,           ,         ,
      Or coun|cil, has | respect | with him | but he.
 
SECOND LORD
           ,          ,        ,         ,         ,
      It shall | no long|er grieve | without | reproof.
 
THIRD LORD
             ,         ,          ,         ,       ,
      And cursed | be he | that will | not sec|ond it.
 
FIRST LORD
       ,    2       T     T   T     ,        ,
      Follow me | then: Lord Hel|icane,| a word.
 
HELICANUS
            ,        ,         ,      ,         ,
      With me?| And wel|come, hap|py day,| my lords.
 
FIRST LORD
        ,                ,          ,      ,        ,
      Know that | our griefs | are ris|en to | the top,
           ,          ,           ,     ,            ,
      And now | at length | they ov|erflow | their banks.
 
HELICANUS
              ,           ,
      Your griefs,| for what?
                                     ,            ,           ,
                              Wrong^not | your prince | you love.
 
FIRST LORD
             ,          ,           ,      ,     ,
      Wrong^not | yourself | then, nob|le Hel|icane,
           ,          ,          ,       x        ,
      But if | the prince | do live,| let us sal|ute him,
           ,            ,         ,   ,                 ,
      Or know | what ground's | made hap/py by | his breath:
          ,         ,          ,            ,         ,
      If in | the world | he live,| we'll seek | him out:
          ,         ,          ,            ,          ,
      If in | his grave | he rest,| we'll find | him there,
           ,        ,          ,         ,       ,
      And be | resolved,| he lives | to gov|ern us:
           ,      ,         ,          ,           , 2
      Or dead,| give us | cause to | mourn his | funeral,
            ,      ,            ,      ,     ,
      And leave | us to | our free | elec|tion.
 
SECOND LORD
        T     T    .  T           ,         2       ,   ,
      Whose death indeed,| the strong|est in our / censure,
            ,     2       ,       ,        ,        ,
      And know|ing this king|dom is | without | a head,
             ,       ,          ,         ,        ,
      Like good|ly build|ings left | without | a roof,
       __      ,        ,           ,       ,
      Soon | fall to | ruin:| your nob|le self,
             ,      T   T   .   T         ,         ,
      That best | know how to rule,| and how | to reign,
           ,        ,       ,        ,      ,
      We thus | submit | unto | our sov|ereign.
 
ALL
        T     Tx   T     ,
      Live, noble Hel|icane.  \\
 
HELICANUS
           ,         ,          ,          ,      ,
      Try hon|or's cause;| forbear | your suf|frages:
       ,     2        T     T    T     ,         ,
      If that you | love Prince Per|icles,| forbear,
            ,          ,        ,       ,         ,
      (Take^I | your wish,| I leap | into | the seas,
                ,       ,        ,       ,          ,
      Where's^hour|ly troub|le, for | a min|ute's ease)
      .    T    T     T       ,     ,      ,
      A twelvemonth long|er, let | me en|treat you
          ,    ,         ,         ,         __
      To for|bear the | absence | of your | king;
          ,           ,        ,         ,        ,
      If in | which^time | expired,| he not | return,
          ,           ,     ,          ,           ,
      I shall | with age|d pat|ience bear | your yoke.
           ,      ,       ,         ,          ,
      But if | I can|not win | you to | this love,
            ,            ,         ,      Tx   T   T
      Go search | like* nob|les, like | noble subjects,
           ,           ,       ,              ,   2      ,
      And in | your search,| spend your | advent|urous worth,
            ,         ,         ,       ,       ,
      Whom if | you find,| and win | unto | return,
       .    T     T   T         ,       ,          ,
      You shall like dia|monds sit | about | his crown.
 
FIRST LORD
          ,         ,        ,           ,          ,
      To wis|dom, he's | a fool | that will | not yield,
            ,           ,     ,        ,       ,
      And since | Lord^Hel|icane | enjoin|eth us,
           ,          ,        ,       ,
      We with | our trav|els will | endea|vor.
 
HELICANUS
      <-  ,      T    T   T       ,     .    T     T     T
        Then || you love us,| we^you,| and we'll clasp hands,
             ,            ,        ,       ,       ,
      When peers | thus knit,| a king|dom ev|er stands.
 
[Exeunt]

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