PROLOGUE Pericles, Prince of Tyre  Shakespeare homepage  |  Pericles  | Act 1, Prologue 

 Next scene  PROLOGUE 

 Enter GOWER 

 Before the palace of Antioch  To sing a song that 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 in their lives 

 Have read it for restoratives: 

 The purchase is to make men glorious; 

 Et bonum 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 Antioch, then, Antiochus the Great 

 Built up, this city, for his chiefest seat: 

 The fairest in all Syria, 

 I tell you what mine authors say: 

 This king unto him took a fere, 

 Who died and left a female heir, 

 So buxom, blithe, and full of face, 

 As heaven had lent her all his grace; 

 With whom the father liking took, 

 And her to incest did provoke: 

 Bad child; worse father! to entice his own 

 To evil should be done by none: 

 But custom what they did begin 

 Was with long use account no sin. 

 The beauty of this sinful dame 

 Made many princes thither frame, 

 To seek her as a bed-fellow, 

 In marriage-pleasures play-fellow: 

 Which to prevent he made a law, 

 To keep her still, and men in awe, 

 That whoso ask'd her for his wife, 

 His riddle told not, lost his life: 

 So for her many a wight did die, 

 As yon grim looks do testify. 

 What now ensues, to the judgment of your eye 

 I give, my cause who best can justify. 



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