671How Helicanus heard news of Antiochus' and his daughter's deaths; 672and of his sending of other lords in search of their Prince Pericles.

673Antiochus, who, as before is discoursed, having committed with his 674own daughter so foul a sin, shamed not in the same foulness to remain 675in it with her, neither had she that touch of grace by repentance to 676constrain him to abstinence or by persuasion to deny his continuance. 677Long, like those miserable serpents did their greatness flourish who 678use fairest shows for foulest evils, till one day, himself seated with 679her in a chariot made of the purest gold, attended by his peers and 680gazed on by his people, both appareled all in jewels to outface 681suspicion and beget wonder (as if that glorious outsides were a wall 682could keep heaven's eye from knowing our intents) in great magnificence 683rode they through Antioch.

But see the justice of the Highest! Though 684sin flatter and man persevere, yet surely Heaven at length doth 685punish. For as thus they rode, gazing to be gazed upon and proud to 686be accounted so, Vengeance with a deadly arrow drawn from forth the 687quiver of his wrath, prepared by lightning and shot on by thunder, 688hit and struck dead these proud incestuous creatures where they 689sat, leaving their faces blasted and their bodies such a contemptful 690object on the earth that all those eyes but now with reverence looked 691upon them, all hands that served them, and all knees adored them, scorned 692now to touch them, loathed now to look upon them, and disdained now to 693give them burial.

Nay, such is Heaven's hate to these and such like 694sins, and such his indignation to his present evil, that 'twixt his 695stroke and death he lent not so much mercy to their lives wherein 696they had time to cry out: "Justice, be merciful, for we repent us." 697They thus dead, thus contemned, and, instead of kingly monument for 698their bodies, left to be entombed in the bowels of ravenous fowls, 699if fowls would eat on them, the strangeness of their deaths were 700soon rumored over that part of the world, and as soon brought to the 701ears of Helicanus, who was a careful watchman to have knowledge of 702whatsoever happened in Antioch, and by his knowledge to prevent what 703danger might succeed, either to his prince or to his subjects 704in his absence. Of which tragedy he having notice, presently he 705imparted the news thereof to his grave and familiar friend Lord 706Eschines, and now told him what till now he had concealed, namely 707of their incest together, and that only for the displeasure which 708princely Pericles feared Antiochus bore towards him and might extend 709to his people, by his knowledge thereof he thus long by 709.1his counsel 710had discontinued from his kingdom.

711Now it happened that these tidings arrived to his ears just 712at the instant when his grave counsel could no longer allay the 713headstrong multitude from their uncivil and giddy mutiny. And the 714reason of them (who most commonly are unreasonable in their actions) 715to draw themselves to this faction was that they supposed their 716prince was dead, and that, being dead, the kingdom was left without 717a successful inheritor; that they had been only by Helicanus with 718vain hope of Pericles' return deluded; and that even now, the power 719being, by his death, in their hands, they would create to themselves 720a new sovereign, and Helicanus should be the man.

Many reasons he 721used to persuade them, many arguments to withstand them. Nothing but 722this only prevailed with them: that since he only knew their prince 723was gone to travel, and that that travel was undertaken for their 724good, they would abstain but for three months longer from bestowing 725that dignity which they called their love, though it was his dislike, 726upon him. And if by that time (which they with him should still hope 727for) the gods were not pleased, for their perpetual good, to restore 728unto them their absent prince, he then with all willingness would 729accept of their suffrages. This then (though with much trouble) was 730at last by the whole multitude accepted, and for that time they were 731all pacified, when Helicanus, assembling all the peers unto him, by 732the advice of all chose some from the rest, and after his best 733instructions, or rather by persuasions and grave counsel, given, he 734sent them to inquire of their prince who lately, left at Pentapolis, was 735highly honored by good Symonides.