The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 3: Books for ChildrenLamb, Charles
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The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 3: Books for Children
Lamb, Charles
Children's poetry; Children's stories
the most devout exercises of those times.
Pericles carried his young daughter (whom he named Marina, because she
was born at sea) to Tharsus, 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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