a child
myself who shall not be more dear to my respect than yours, my lord';
and Cleon made the like promise, saying: 'Your noble services, prince
Pericles, in feeding my whole people with your corn (for which in their
prayers they daily remember you) must in your child be thought on. If I
should neglect your child, my whole people that were by you relieved
would force me to my duty; but if to that I need a spur, the gods
revenge it on me and mine to the end of generation.' Pericles being
thus assured that his child would be carefully attended to, left her to
the protection of Cleon and his wife Dionysia, and with her he left the
nurse Lychorida. When he went away, the little Marina knew not her
loss, but Lychorida wept sadly at parting with her royal master. 'O, no
tears, Lychorida,' said Pericles: 'no tears; look to your little
mistress, on whose grace you may depend hereafter.'

Pericles arrived in safety at Tyre, and was once more settled in the
quiet possession of his throne, while his woeful queen, whom he thought
dead, remained at Ephesus. Her little babe Marina, whom this hapless
mother had never seen, was brought up by Cleon in a manner suitable to
her high birth. He gave her the most careful education, so that by the
time Marina attained the age of fourteen years, the most deeply-learned
men were not more studied in the learning of those times than was
Marina. She sang like one immortal, and danced as goddesslike, and with
her needle she was so skilful that she seemed to compose nature's own
shapes, in birds, fruits, or flowers, the natural roses being scarcely
more like to each other than they were to Marina's silken flowers. But
when she had gained from education all these graces, which made her the
general wonder, Dionysia, the wife of Cleon, became her mortal enemy
from jealousy, by reason that her own daughter, from the slowness of
her mind, was not able to attain to that perfection wherein Marina
excelled: and finding that all praise was bestowed on Marina, whilst
her daughter, who was of the same age, and had been educated with the
same care as Marina, though not with the same success, was in
comparison disregarded, she formed a project to remove Marina out of
the way, vainly imagining that her untoward daughter would be more
respected when Marina was no more seen. To encompass this she employed
a man to murder Marina, and she well timed her wicked design, when
Lychorida, the faithful nurse, had just d