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- Edition: Pericles
The Pattern of Painful Adventures (Quarto)
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THE TWENTY-THIRD CHAPTER.
236How Apollonius rewarded the fisherman that releeved him after he had suffered shipwracke: howe hee dealt also with olde Calamitus, and likewise with the Pyrates that stole away Tharsia.
237BY this time, when all cares were banished, and Apollonius injoyed his kingdome in quiet possession, he gave himselfe sometimes to delight as other Princes are wont to do. And it fortuned that on a day when he had dined, he walked foorth for recreation unto the sea side, with his wife and a fewe servants. And when hee came there, he sawe a small fisher boat fleeting under saile, which hee thought by all signes he should knowe well, for hee supposed it to be the fisherman's boat which succoured him, when he had suffered shipwracke in sailing from Tharsus towardes Pentapolis. Wherefore hee commaunded some of his servantes, to take another shippe which rode at anchor there on the shore, to go after and take him, and to bring the fisherman unto him unto the Coort.
238When the poore man saw himselfe boorded of so many and so gay a multitude, hee feared they had beene pyrates, and that they woulde have slaine him; and he fell downe on his knees, and besought them to have compassion upon him: he was but a poore fisherman, and had not that which they sought for: it were others that were more fit for their purpose to meete withall, such as ventured further in greater vesselles, carrying foorth great summes of money, and bringing home plenty of costly merchandize: As for him, they should not only find miserable povertie in ransacking his boat, but if they were also determined to take away his life from him, they should likewise with the same stroke bereave the lives of his poore wife, and many small Children, which were maintained by his hand onely. These or the like words uttered then the poore fisherman. But they smiling in their conceits, and mindefull of their Prince's commaundement, bade him not feare that they would robbe him, but saide that he must goe with them, and brought him away unto the court.
239And when he was come into the king's presence, Apollonius knewe him well, and saide unto the Queene and the Nobles that were about him: "Beholde, this is the man that received me into his house, and succoured mee when I suffered shipwracke, and shewed me the way into the Citie, by which meanes I came acquainted with good king Altistrates." And he rose out of his seate, and embraced him and said: "I am Apollonius Prince of Tyrus whome thou diddest succour, and therefore bee of good cheere, for thou shalt be rewarded." And the poore fisherman wept exceedingly for joy. And Apollonius commaunded two hundred sestercies of gold to be given unto him, and thirty servants, and twenty handmaides, and fortie horses, and fiftie sutes of apparell, and a faire pallace to dwel in, and made him an earle, and used no man so familiarly as he did him all the dayes of his life.
240Nowe it was not long after that these things were done, but one called Calamitus the master of the ship of Tyrus, an olde man, who, as we have before declared, shewed unto Apollonius as hee was walking by the sea side with Lucina, that Antiochus and his daughter were dead, and the kingdome was reserved for him, came before Apollonius, and, falling downe on his knees: "Remember me, my most gratious Lorde Apollonius," saide hee, "since the time I tolde your grace the good tidings of king Antiochus's death." Then king Apollonius tooke him up by the hand, and caused him to sit downe by him, and talked familiarly with him, and gave him great thankes, and made him a great lord in his countrey.
241Thus Apollonius busied himselfe, not onely in bestowing himselfe curteously at home, but he also provided as well for the quiet governement of the state abroad, as it appeared by the diligence of his officers, who having lately taken certaine pyrates upon the sea, brought them to Pentapolis, where Apollonius then remained, to have justice executed upon them. When they were arrived, they were found guilty of the facte of which they were accused, and the next day being appointed for them to suffer, when they came unto the gallowes, they confessed many robberies, and among store, how once at Tharsus they rescued a maide named Tharsia from a villaine that woulde have slaine her, and brought her to Machilenta where they solde her to him that offered most money, and hee which bought her (as they thought) was a bawd.
242When the citizens, who were none of them ignorant of the Ladie Tharsia's adventures, heard this, they stayed execution, and sent word unto king Apollonius, saying: "May it please your grace to understand that we have certaine pyrates at the gallowes ready to be executed, and it appeareth that they be those that stole away the lady Tharsia your daughter from Tharsus, and sold her to the bawd at Machilenta. Which when we perceived, we thought it good to know your grace's pleasure what shall be doone with them." Apollonius thanked them, and willed the pirats to be brought before him, and examined them diligently, and found that they were the same men indeede that had preserved Tharsia's life. And he gave great thankes unto god and them, and imbraced them, and willingly pardoned them their lives. And for that he knew that the sinister means which they hitherto had insued was caused most by constraint, for want of other trade or abilitie to live by, he therefore made them all knights, and gave them plenty of gold and silver, and indowed them also with great possessions.