e wreath of
victory, as king of that day's happiness; and Pericles became a most
passionate lover of this beauteous princess from the first moment he
beheld her.

The good Symonides so well approved of the valour and noble qualities
of Pericles, who was indeed a most accomplished gentleman, and well
learned in all excellent arts, that though he knew not the rank of
this royal stranger (for Pericles for fear of Antiochus gave out that
he was a private gentleman of Tyre), yet did not Symonides disdain to
accept of the valiant unknown for a son-in-law, when he perceived his
daughter's affections were firmly fixed upon him.

Pericles had not been many months married to Thaisa, before he
received intelligence that his enemy Antiochus was dead; and that his
subjects of Tyre, impatient of his long absence, threatened to revolt,
and talked of placing Hellicanus upon his vacant throne. This news
came from Hellicanus himself, who being a loyal subject to his royal
master, would not accept of the high dignity offered him, but sent
to let Pericles know their intentions, that he might return home and
resume his lawful right. It was matter of great surprise and joy to
Symonides, to find that his son-in-law (the obscure knight) was the
renowned prince of Tyre; yet again he regretted that he was not the
private gentleman he supposed him to be, seeing that he must now part
both with his admired son-in-law and his beloved daughter, whom he
feared to trust to the perils of the sea, because Thaisa was with
child; and Pericles himself wished her to remain with her father till
after her confinement, but the poor lady so earnestly desired to go
with her husband, that at last they consented, hoping she would reach
Tyre before she was brought to-bed.

The sea was no friendly element to unhappy Pericles, for long before
they reached Tyre another dreadful tempest arose, which so terrified
Thaisa that she was taken ill, and in a short space of time her nurse
Lychorida came to Pericles with a little child in her arms, to tell
the prince the sad tidings that his wife died the moment her little
babe was born. She held the babe towards its father, saying, "Here is
a thing too young for such a place. This is the child of your dead
queen." No tongue can tell the dreadful sufferings of Pericles when
he heard his wife was dead. As soon as he could speak, he said, "O
you gods, why do you make us love your goodly gifts, and then snatch
those gifts away?