Prologue

[Enter GOWER]

• Gower. Imagine Pericles arrived at Tyre,
  Welcomed and settled to his own desire.
  His woeful queen we leave at Ephesus, 1495
  Unto Diana there a votaress.
  Now to Marina bend your mind,
  Whom our fast-growing scene must find
  At Tarsus, and by Cleon train'd
  In music, letters; who hath gain'd 1500
  Of education all the grace,
  Which makes her both the heart and place
  Of general wonder. But, alack,
  That monster envy, oft the wrack
  Of earned praise, Marina's life 1505
  Seeks to take off by treason's knife.
  And in this kind hath our Cleon
  One daughter, and a wench full grown,
  Even ripe for marriage-rite; this maid
  Hight Philoten: and it is said 1510
  For certain in our story, she
  Would ever with Marina be:
  Be't when she weaved the sleided silk
  With fingers long, small, white as milk;
  Or when she would with sharp needle wound 1515
  The cambric, which she made more sound
  By hurting it; or when to the lute
  She sung, and made the night-bird mute,
  That still records with moan; or when
  She would with rich and constant pen 1520
  Vail to her mistress Dian; still
  This Philoten contends in skill
  With absolute Marina: so
  With the dove of Paphos might the crow
  Vie feathers white. Marina gets 1525
  All praises, which are paid as debts,
  And not as given. This so darks
  In Philoten all graceful marks,
  That Cleon's wife, with envy rare,
  A present murderer does prepare 1530
  For good Marina, that her daughter
  Might stand peerless by this slaughter.
  The sooner her vile thoughts to stead,
  Lychorida, our nurse, is dead:
  And cursed Dionyza hath 1535
  The pregnant instrument of wrath
  Prest for this blow. The unborn event
  I do commend to your content:
  Only I carry winged time
  Post on the lame feet of my rhyme; 1540
  Which never could I so convey,
  Unless your thoughts went on my way.
  Dionyza does appear,
  With Leonine, a murderer.

[Exit]