Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Adaptations; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Stories, plots, etc. -- Juvenile literature
Pericles carried his young daughter (whom he named Marina, because she
was born at sea) to Tarsus, intending to leave her with Cleon, the
governor of that city, and his wife Dionysia, thinking, for the good he
had done to them at the time of their famine, they would be kind to his
little motherless daughter. When Cleon saw prince Pericles, and heard
of the great loss which had befallen him, he said: 'O your sweet queen,
that it had pleased Heaven you could have brought her hither to have
blessed my eyes with the sight of her!' Pericles replied: 'We must obey
the powers above us. Should I rage and roar as the sea does in which my
Thaisa lies, yet the end must be as it is. My gentle babe, Marina here,
I must charge your charity with her. I leave her the infant of your
care, beseeching you to give her princely training.' And then turning
to Cleon's wife, Dionysia, he said: 'Good madam, make me blessed in
your care in bringing up my child': and she answered: 'I have a child
myself who shall not be more dear to my respect than yours, my lord';
and Cleon made the like promise, saying: 'Your noble services, prince
Pericles, in feeding my whole people with your corn (for which in their
prayers they daily remember you) must in your child be thought on. If I
should neglect your child, my whole people that were by you relieved
would force me to my duty; but if to that I need a spur, the gods
revenge it on me and mine to the end of generation.' Pericles being
thus assured that his child would be carefully attended to, left her to
the protection of Cleon and his wife Dionysia, and with her he left the
nurse Lychorida. When he went away, the little Marina knew not her
loss, but Lychorida wept sadly at parting with her royal master. 'O, no
tears, Lychorida,' said Pericles: 'no tears; look to your little
mistress, on whose grace you may depend hereafter.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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