confess myself the Prince of Tyre, who,
frighted from my country, at Pentapolis wedded the fair Thaisa: she died
at sea in childbed, but brought forth a maid-child called Marina. She at
Tarsus was nursed with Dionysia, who at fourteen years thought to kill
her, but her better stars brought her to Mitylene, by whose shores as I
sailed, her good fortunes brought this maid on board, where by her most
clear remembrance she made herself known to be my daughter."

Thaisa, unable to bear the transports which his words had raised in her,
cried out, "You are, you are, O royal Pericles"----and fainted. "What
means this woman?" said Pericles: "she dies! gentlemen, help."--"Sir,"
said Cerimon, "if you have told Diana's altar true, this is your wife."
"Reverend gentleman, no," said Pericles: "I threw her overboard with
these very arms." Cerimon then recounted how, early one tempestuous
morning, this lady was thrown upon the Ephesian shore; how, opening the
coffin, he found therein rich jewels, and a paper; how, happily, he
recovered her, and placed her here in Diana's temple. And now, Thaisa
being restored from her swoon said, "O my lord, are you not Pericles?
Like him you speak, like him you are. Did you not name a tempest, a
birth, and death?" He astonished said, "The voice of dead Thaisa!" "That
Thaisa am I," she replied, "supposed dead and drowned." "O true Diana!"
exclaimed Pericles, in a passion of devout astonishment. "And now," said
Thaisa, "I know you better. Such a ring as I see on your finger did the
king my father give you, when we with tears parted from him at
Pentapolis." "Enough, you gods!" cried Pericles, "your present kindness
makes my past miseries sport. O come, Thaisa, be buried a second time
within these arms."

And Marina said, "My heart leaps to be gone into my mother's bosom."
Then did Pericles show his daughter to her mother, saying, "Look who
kneels here, flesh of thy flesh, thy burthen at sea, and called Marina,
because she was yielded there." "Blessed and my own!" said Thaisa: and
while she hung in rapturous joy over her child, Pericles knelt before
the altar, saying, "Pure Diana, bless thee for thy vision. For this, I
will offer oblations nightly to thee." And then and there did Pericles,
with the consent of Thaisa, solemnly affiance their daughter, the
virtuous Marina, to the well-deserving Lysimachus in marriage.

Thus have we seen in Pericles, his queen, and daughter, a famous example
of virtue assa