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| Pericles, Prince of Tyre |
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| Pericles
| Act 2, Scene 2
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lists. A pavilion by the side of it for theSIMONIDES
reception of King, Princess, Lords, & c.
Enter SIMONIDES, THAISA, Lords, and Attendants
Are the knights ready to begin the triumph?First Lord
They are, my liege;SIMONIDES
And stay your coming to present themselves.
Return them, we are ready; and our daughter,THAISA
In honour of whose birth these triumphs are,
Sits here, like beauty's child, whom nature gat
For men to see, and seeing wonder at.
Exit a Lord
It pleaseth you, my royal father, to expressSIMONIDES
My commendations great, whose merit's less.
It's fit it should be so; for princes areTHAISA
A model which heaven makes like to itself:
As jewels lose their glory if neglected,
So princes their renowns if not respected.
'Tis now your honour, daughter, to explain
The labour of each knight in his device.
Which, to preserve mine honour, I'll perform.SIMONIDES
Enter a Knight; he passes over, and his Squire presents his shield to the Princess
Who is the first that doth prefer himself?THAISA
A knight of Sparta, my renowned father;SIMONIDES
And the device he bears upon his shield
Is a black Ethiope reaching at the sun
The word, 'Lux tua vita mihi.'
He loves you well that holds his life of you.THAISA
The Second Knight passes over
Who is the second that presents himself?
A prince of Macedon, my royal father;SIMONIDES
And the device he bears upon his shield
Is an arm'd knight that's conquer'd by a lady;
The motto thus, in Spanish, 'Piu por dulzura que por fuerza.'
The Third Knight passes over
And what's the third?THAISA
The third of Antioch;SIMONIDES
And his device, a wreath of chivalry;
The word, 'Me pompae provexit apex.'
The Fourth Knight passes over
What is the fourth?THAISA
A burning torch that's turned upside down;SIMONIDES
The word, 'Quod me alit, me extinguit.'
Which shows that beauty hath his power and will,THAISA
Which can as well inflame as it can kill.
The Fifth Knight passes over
The fifth, an hand environed with clouds,SIMONIDES
Holding out gold that's by the touchstone tried;
The motto thus, 'Sic spectanda fides.'
The Sixth Knight, PERICLES, passes over
And what'sTHAISA
The sixth and last, the which the knight himself
With such a graceful courtesy deliver'd?
He seems to be a stranger; but his present isSIMONIDES
A wither'd branch, that's only green at top;
The motto, 'In hac spe vivo.'
A pretty moral;First Lord
From the dejected state wherein he is,
He hopes by you his fortunes yet may flourish.
He had need mean better than his outward showSecond Lord
Can any way speak in his just commend;
For by his rusty outside he appears
To have practised more the whipstock than the lance.
He well may be a stranger, for he comesThird Lord
To an honour'd triumph strangely furnished.
And on set purpose let his armour rustSIMONIDES
Until this day, to scour it in the dust.
Opinion's but a fool, that makes us scan
The outward habit by the inward man.
But stay, the knights are coming: we will withdraw
Into the gallery.
Exeunt
Great shouts within and all cry 'The mean knight!'
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Shakespeare homepage
| Pericles
| Act 2, Scene 2
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