548Peri. Yet cease your ire you angry Starres of heauen,

549Wind, Raine, and Thunder, remember earthly man

550Is but a substaunce that must yeeld to you:

551And I (as fits my nature) do obey you.

552Alasse, the Seas hath cast me on the Rocks,

553Washt me from shore to shore, and left my breath

554Nothing to thinke on, but ensuing death:

555Let it suffize the greatnesse of your powers,

556To haue bereft a Prince of all his fortunes;

557And hauing throwne him from your watry graue,

558Heere to haue death in peace, is all hee'le craue.

5601. What, to pelch?

5612. Ha, come and bring away the Nets.

5621. What Patch-breech, I say.

5633. What say you Maister?

5641. Looke how thou stirr'st now:

565Come away, or Ile fetch'th with a wanion.

5663. Fayth Maister, I am thinking of the poore men,

567That were cast away before vs euen now.

5681. Alasse poore soules, it grieued my heart to heare,

569What pittifull cryes they made to vs, to helpe them,

570When (welladay) we could scarce helpe our selues.

5713. Nay Maister, sayd not I as much,

572When I saw the Porpas how he bounst and tumbled?

573They say they're halfe fish, halfe flesh:

574A plague on them, they nere come but I looke to be washt.

575Maister, I maruell how the Fishes liue in the Sea?

5761. Why, as Men doe a-land;

577The great ones eate vp the little ones:

578I can compare our rich Misers to nothing so fitly,

579As to a Whale; a playes and tumbles,

580Dryuing the poore Fry before him,

581And at last, deuowre them all at a mouthfull:

582Such Whales haue I heard on, a'th land,

583Who neuer leaue gaping, till they swallow'd

584The whole Parish, Church, Steeple, Belles and all.

585Peri. A prettie morall.

5863. But Maister, if I had been the Sexton,

587I would haue been that day in the belfrie.

5882. Why, Man?

5891. Because he should haue swallowed mee too,

590And when I had been in his belly,

591I would haue kept such a iangling of the Belles,

592That he should neuer haue left,

593Till he cast Belles, Steeple, Church and Parish vp againe:

594But if the good King Simonides were of my minde.

595Per. Simonides?

5963. We would purge the land of these Drones,

597That robbe the Bee of her Hony.

598Per.How from the fenny subiect of the Sea,

599These Fishers tell the infirmities of men,

600And from their watry empire recollect,

601All that may men approue, or men detect.

602Peace be at your labour, honest Fisher-men.

6032. Honest good fellow what's that, if it be a day fits you

604Search out of the Kalender, and no body looke after it?

605Peri. May see the Sea hath cast vpon your coast:

6062. What a drunken Knaue was the Sea,

607To cast thee in our way?

608Per. A man whom both the Waters and the Winde,

609In that vast Tennis-court, hath made the Ball

610For them to play vpon, intreates you pittie him:

611Hee askes of you, that neuer vs'd to begge.

6121. No friend, cannot you begge?

613Heer's them in our countrey of Greece,

614Gets more with begging, then we can doe with working.

6152. Canst thou catch any Fishes then?

616Peri. I neuer practizde it.

6172. Nay then thou wilt starue sure: for heer's nothing to

618be got now-adayes, vnlesse thou canst fish for't.

619Per. What I haue been, I haue forgot to know;

620But what I am, want teaches me to thinke on:

621A man throng'd vp with cold, my Veines are chill,

622And haue no more of life then may suffize,

623To giue my tongue that heat to aske your helpe:

624Which if you shall refuse, when I am dead,

625For that I am a man, pray you see me buried.

6261. Die, ke-tha; now Gods forbid't, and I haue a Gowne

627heere, come put it on, keepe thee warme: now afore mee a

628handsome fellow : Come, thou shalt goe home, and wee'le

629haue Flesh for all day, Fish for fasting-dayes and more; or

630Puddinges and Flap-iackes, and thou shalt be welcome.

631Per. I thanke you sir.

6322. Harke you my friend: You sayd you could not beg?

633Per. I did but craue.

6342. But craue?

635Then Ile turne Crauer too, and so I shall scape whipping.

636Per. Why, are you Beggers whipt then?

6372. Oh not all, my friend, not all: for if all your Beggers

638were whipt, I would wish no better office, then to be Beadle:

639But Maister, Ile goe draw vp the Net.

640Per. How well this honest mirth becomes their labour?

6411. Harke you sir; doe you know where yee are?

642Per. Not well.

6431. Why Ile tell you, this I cald Pantapoles,

644And our King, the good Symonides.

645Per. The good Symonides, doe you call him?

6461. I sir, and he deserues so to be cal'd,

647For his peaceable raigne, and good gouernement.

648Per. He is a happy King, since he gaines from

649His subiects the name of good, by his gouernment.

650How farre is his Court distant from this shore?

6511. Mary sir, halfe a dayes iourney: And Ile tell you,

652He hath a faire Daughter, and to morrow is her birth-day,

653And there are Princes and Knights come from all partes of

654the World, to Iust and Turney for her loue.

655Per. Were my fortunes equall to my desires,

656I could wish to make one there.

6571. O sir, things must be as they may: and what a man can

658not get, he may lawfully deale for his Wiues soule.

6602. Helpe Maister helpe; heere's a Fish hanges in the Net,

661Like a poore mans right in the law: t'will hardly come out.

662Ha bots on't, tis come at last; & tis turnd to a rusty Armour.

663Per. An Armour friends; I pray you let me see it?

664Thankes Fortune, yet that after all crosses,

665Thou giuest me somewhat to repaire my selfe:

666And though it was mine owne part of my heritage,

667Which my dead Father did bequeath to me,

668With this strict charge euen as he left his life,

669Keepe it my Perycles, it hath been a Shield

670Twixt me and death, and poynted to this brayse,

671For that it saued me, keepe it in like necessitie:

672The which the Gods protect thee, Fame may defend thee:

673It kept where I kept, I so dearely lou'd it,

674Till the rough Seas, that spares not any man,

675Tooke it in rage, though calm'd, haue giuen't againe:

676I thanke thee for't, my shipwracke now's no ill,

677Since I haue heere my Father gaue in his Will.

6781. What meane you sir?

679Peri. To begge of you (kind friends) this Coate of worth,

680For it was sometime Target to a King;

681I know it by this marke: he loued me dearely,

682And for his sake, I wish the hauing of it;

683And that you'd guide me to your Soueraignes Court,

684Where with it, I may appeare a Gentleman:

685And if that euer my low fortune's better,

686Ile pay your bounties; till then, rest your debter.

6871. Why wilt thou turney for the Lady?

688Peri. Ile shew the vertue I haue borne in Armes.

6891. Why do'e take it: and the Gods giue thee good an't.

6902. I but harke you my friend, t'was wee that made vp

691this Garment through the rough seames of the Waters:

692there are certaine Condolements, certaine Vailes: I hope

693sir, if you thriue, you'le remember from whence you had

694them.

695Peri. Beleeue't, I will:

696By your furtherance I am cloth'd in Steele,

697And spight of all the rupture of the Sea,

698This Iewell holdes his buylding on my arme:

699Vnto thy value I will mount my selfe

700Vpon a Courser, whose delight steps,

701Shall make the gazer ioy to see him tread;

702Onely (my friend) I yet am vnprouided of a paire of Bases.

7032. Wee'le sure prouide, thou shalt haue

704My best Gowne to make thee a paire;

705And Ile bring thee to the Court my selfe.

706Peri. Then Honour be but a Goale to my Will,

707This day Ile rise, or else adde ill to ill.