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In the day's glorious walk or peaceful night,

The tomb where grief should sleep, can breed me quiet?

5

Here pleasures court mine eyes, and mine eyes shun them,

And danger, which I fear'd, is at Antioch,

Whose arm seems far too short to hit me here;

Yet neither pleasure's art can joy my spirits,

Nor yet the other's distance comfort me.

ΙΟ

Then it is thus the passions of the mind,

That have their first conception by mis-dread,
Have after-nourishment and life by care;

And what was first but fear what might be done,
Grows elder now and cares it be not done.

And so with me: the great Antiochus,

'Gainst whom I am too little to contend,

Since he's so great can make his will his act,

15

Will think me speaking, though I swear to silence;
Nor boots it me to say I honour him,

If he suspect I may dishonour him;

20

And what may make him blush in being known,
He'll stop the course by which it might be known.

ay's... walk] "the radiant of the sun-god, Apollo "(Craig). m] Compare Troilus and Cres. iii. 15:"short-arm'd ignorDyce here reads aim, and -short-aimed".

care] anxiety. The thought and at the beginning of the somewhat resembles Mesreflections in Julius Cæsar, v.

I.

Grows... done] having come er growth is not content with

anticipation of evil, but takes pre-
cautions against the coming of that
evil.

18. Since . . . act] since he is so
powerful that he can translate his will
into action.

20. boots it] is it of any advantage. "Boot," A.S. bót, profit, advantage.

22, 23. And what . . . known] and he will take care to stop the course of those means that might make known the infamy which it would shame him to have published abroad.

ر

With hostile forces he'll o'erspread the land,
And with the ostent of war will look so huge,
Amazement shall drive courage from the state,
Our men be vanquish'd ere they do resist,
And subjects punish'd that ne'er thought offence:
Which care of them, not pity of myself,

25

Who am no more but as the tops of trees,

30

Which fence the roots they grow by and defend them,

Makes both my body pine and soul to languish,

And punish that before that he would punish.

Enter HELICANUS and other Lords.

First Lord. Joy and all comfort in your sacred breast! Second Lord. And keep your mind, till you return to us, 35

Peaceful and comfortable!

Hel. Peace, peace! and give experience tongue.

They do abuse the king that flatter him;

For flattery is the bellows blows up sin;

The thing the which is flatter'd, but a spark,

40

To which that blast gives heat and stronger glowing;
Whereas reproof, obedient and in order,

25. th' ostent] Malone (Tyrwhitt conj.); the stint Qq, Ff 3, 4. Who are] Steevens (Farmer conj.); Who once Qq, Ff 3, 4. Collier (Mason conj.); sparke (or spark) Qq, Ff 3, 4.

25. ostent of war] warlike display. Malone compares Richard II. îì. iii. 95: "With ostentation of despised arms"; Steevens, Chapman's translation of [Homer's] Batrachomuiomachia: "Both heralds bearing the ostents of war"; and Dekker's Entertainment of James I. (1604): "And why you bear, alone, th' ostent of warre".

...

them] and his

29. Which anxiety about them. 31. fence] give shelter to.

30.

41. blast]

31. they grow by] to which they owe their growth.

33. And punish ... punish] and afflict myself by fearful anticipation. 37. give... tongue] listen to the counsels which my experience teaches. 40. but a spark] i.e. being but, etc. 42, 43. Whereas .. err] whereas reproof, when accompanied with reverence and decorum, is suitably addressed to kings in their capacity as men, a capacity in which they are liable to error.

...

its kings, as they are men, for they may err:
When Signior Sooth here does proclaim a peace,
He flatters you, makes war upon your life.
'rince, pardon me, or strike me, if you please;
cannot be much lower than my knees.

All leave us else; but let your cares o'erlook
Vhat shipping and what lading's in our haven,
And then return to us.

45

[Exeunt Lords.

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Hast moved us; what seest thou in our looks?
An angry brow, dread lord.

If there be such a dart in princes' frowns,

How durst thy tongue move anger to our face? How dare the plants look up to heaven, from whence

They have their nourishment?

55

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That kings should let their ears hear their faults hid!

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Hel.

Fit counsellor and servant for a prince,

Who by thy wisdom mak'st a prince thy servant,
What would'st thou have me do?

To bear with patience

Such griefs as you yourself do lay upon yourself. 65 Per. Thou speak'st like a physician, Helicanus,

That minister'st a potion unto me

That thou would'st tremble to receive thyself.
Attend me then: I went to Antioch,

Where as thou know'st, against the face of death 70
I sought the purchase of a glorious beauty,
From whence an issue I might propagate,

Are arms to princes and bring joys to subjects.
Her face was to mine eye beyond all wonder;

The rest, hark in thine ear, as black as incest;
Which by my knowledge found, the sinful father
Seem'd not to strike, but smooth; but thou know'st
this,

75

'Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss.
Which fear so grew in me, I hither fled,

Under the covering of a careful night,

Who seem'd my good protector; and, being here,
Bethought me what was past, what might succeed.
I knew him tyrannous; and tyrants' fears

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80

77. Seem'd strike] made a show of not striking. Compare 1. i. 121 above.

77. smooth] beguile, flatter. Compare Richard III. 1. iii. 48.

80. a careful night] a night that had me in its care; night being a quasi-personification. In the novel, the next darknesse being his best conductor ".

Decrease not, but grow faster than the years.
And should he doubt it, as no doubt he doth,
That I should open to the listening air
How many worthy princes' bloods were shed,
To keep his bed of blackness unlaid ope,

To lop that doubt he'll fill this land with arms,

85

And make pretence of wrong that I have done him; 90
When all, for mine, if I may call offence,

Must feel war's blow, who spares not innocence :
Which love to all, of which thyself art one,

Who now reprovest me for it,

Alas! sir.

Drew sleep out of mine eyes, blood from my cheeks, 95
Musings into my mind, with thousand doubts
How I might stop this tempest ere it came;
And finding little comfort to relieve them,

I thought it princely charity to grieve them.

Well, my lord, since you have given me leave to speak,

Freely will I speak. Antiochus you fear,

And justly too, I think, you fear the tyrant,
Who either by public war or private treason

100

doubt it] Malone (Steevens); doo' t, Q 1; doo 't Qq 2, 3; thinke (or ) (the rest).

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