the anger of the citizens if this deed became known, since they had always cherished a grateful memory of Pericles for his services in their times of famine. But he felt no real sorrow for the deed, and readily joined with his wife in concealing what had been done. They agreed together to affect great grief, and to give out that Marina died suddenly from too much sorrow at her nurse’s death. Then they gave her empty coffin pompous burial, and erected over her vacant tomb a magnificent marble pillar, on which was an inscription which told in fine words the beauty and worth of Marina.
It now being near Marina’s fourteenth birthday, Pericles, who had all this time been reigning quietly in Tyre, ever cherishing deep in his heart the memory of his lost queen, resolved to go to Tharsus to bring home his daughter, and make plans for seeing her worthily married. He took with him a number of his nobles, among the rest the aged Helicanus, who had always been his chief adviser and counselor. They reached Tharsus in the midst of the ceremonies which attended the funeral of Marina. When Pericles heard that his daughter was dead, whom he had not loved less because her resemblance to her dead mother had made the tight of her impossible till time had softened his anguish, he was completely heart-broken
