The which the gods protect thee from! 't may defend thee." a It kept where I kept, I so dearly lov'd it; Till the rough seas, that spare not any man, Took it in rage, though calm'd they 've given it again: I thank thee for it; my shipwrack now 's no ill, Since I have here my father's gift in his will. 1 FISH. What mean you, sir? PER. To beg of you, kind friends, this coat of worth, I know it by this mark; he lov'd me dearly, And if that ever my low fortune 's better, rest your debtor. 1 FISH. Why, wilt thou tourney for the lady? PER. I'll show the virtue I have borne in arms. 1 FISH. Why, d' ye take it, and the gods give thee good on 't. 2 FISH. Ay, but hark you, my friend; 't was we that made up this garment through the rough seams of the water: there are certain condolements, certain vails. I hope, sir, if you thrive, you 'll remember from whence you had it. PER. Believe it, I will. By your furtherance I am cloth'd in steel; And spite of all the rupture of the sea, Upon a courser, whose delightful steps Shall make the gazer joy to see him tread. Only, my friend, I yet am unprovided Of a pair of bases". 2 FISH. We'll sure provide: thou shalt have my best gown to make thee a pair; and I'll bring thee to the court myself. PER. Then honour be but a goal to my will, This day I'll rise, or else add ill to ill. SCENE II-A public Way or Platform, leading to the Lists. [Exeunt. A Pavilion by the side of it, for the reception of the King and Princess d. Enter SIMONIDES, THAISA, Lords, and Attendants. SIM. Are the knights ready to begin the triumph? a The old copies read "The which the gods protect thee, fame may defend thee." b Biding. The old copies, buylding. • Armour for the legs. 1 LORD. They are, my liege; And stay your coming, to present themselves. In honour of whose birth these triumphs are, My commendations great, whose merit 's less. The labour of each knight, in his device. THAI. Which, to preserve mine honour, I'll perform. [Exit a Lord. [Enter a Knight; he passes over the stage, and his Squire presents his shield to the Princess. SIM. Who is the first that doth prefer himself? THAI. A knight of Sparta, my renowned father; Is a black Æthiop reaching at the sun; SIM. He loves you well, that holds his life of you. THAI. A prince of Macedon, my royal father; Is an arm'd knight, that 's conquer'd by a lady : [The second Knight passes. The motto thus, in. Spanish, Piu per dulcura que per fuerça. SIM. And what 's the third? [The third Knight passes. THAI. The third of Antioch; and his device, A wreath of chivalry: the word, Me pompa proverit apex. SIM. What is the fourth? THAI. A burning torch that 's turned upside down ; The word, Quod me alit, me extinguit. [The fourth Knight passes. SIM. Which shows that beauty hath his power and will, THAI. The fifth, an hand environed with clouds, [The fifth Knight passes. [The sixth Knight passes. SIM. And what's the sixth and last, the which the knight himself With such a graceful courtesy deliver'd? THAI. He seems to be a stranger; but his present a Explain. The old copies read entertain. Is a wither'd branch, that 's only green at top: SIM. A pretty moral; From the dejected state wherein he is, He hopes by you his fortunes yet may flourish. 1 LORD. He had need mean better than his outward show Can any way speak in his just commend: For, by his rusty outside, he appears To have practis'd more the whipstock than the lance. 2 LORD. He well may be a stranger, for he comes To an honour'd triumph, strangely furnished. 3 LORD. And on set purpose let his armour rust Until this day, to scour it in the dust. SIM. Opinion 's but a fool, that makes us scan But stay, the knights are coming; we 'll withdraw [Exeunt. [Great shouts, and all cry, The mean Knight! SCENE III-A Hall of State. A Banquet prepared. Enter SIMONIDES, THAISA, Lords, Attendants, and the Knights from tilting. SIM. Knights, To say you are welcome, were superfluous. To place upon the volume of your deeds, As in a title-page, your worth in arms, Were more than you expect, or more than 's fit, Since every worth in show commends itself. Prepare for mirth, for mirth becomes a feast: THAI. But you, my knight and guest; To whom this wreath of victory I give, And crown you king of this day's happiness. And here, I hope, is none that envies it. And you 're her labour'd scholar. Come, queen o' the feast, By Jove, I wonder, that is king of thoughts, These cates resist me, he not thought upon 2. THAI. By Juno, that is queen of marriage, All viands that I eat do seem unsavoury, Wishing him my meat: sure he's a gallant gentleman. THAI. To me he seems like diamond to glass. None that beheld him, but, like lesser lights, Where now his son 's like a glow-worm in the night, 1 KNIGHT. Who can be other in this royal presence? We drink this health to you. KNIGHTS. We thank your grace. SIM. Yet pause a while; yon knight doth sit too melancholy, As if the entertainment in our court This speech is usually assigned to Pericles; and in the second line under this arrangement, we read, "she not thought upon." But throughout the remainder of the scene Pericles gives no intimation of a sudden attachment to the Princess. The King, on the contrary, is evidently moved to treat him with marked attention, and to bestow his thoughts upon him almost as exclusively as his daughter. If we leave the old reading, and the old indication of the speaker, Simonides wonders that he cannot eat-" these cates resist me "-although he (Pericles) is "not thought upon." This is an attempt to disguise the cause of his solicitude even to himself. It must be observed that the succeeding speeches of Simonides, Thaisa, and Pericles, are all to be received as soliloquies. In the second speech Simonides continues the idea of "he not thought upon," by attempting to depreciate Pericles-" He's but a country gentleman." b Where-whereas. Stor'd. The first quarto has sturd; the subsequent copies stirr'd-each the same word. Had not a show might countervail his worth. THAI. What is 't to me, my father? Princes, in this, should live like gods above, To honour them: And princes, not doing so, are like to gnats, Which make a sound, but kill'd are wonder'd at. Therefore to make his entrance more sweet, Here say, we drink this standing bowl of wine to him. Unto a stranger knight to be so bold; Since men take women's gifts for impudence. SIM. How! do as I bid you, or you 'll move me else. THAI. Wishing it so much blood unto your life. PER. I thank both him and you, and pledge him freely. Of whence you are, your name and parentage. Misfortune of the sea has been bereft Of ships and men, and cast upon this shore. Will very well become a soldier's dance": [Aside. a Malone says, "The dance here introduced is thus described in an ancient 'Dialogue against the Abuse of Dancing' (black letter, no date): "There is a dance call'd Choria, Which joy doth testify; Another called Pyrricke, Which warlike feats doth try. For |