TPTT Pericles, Prince of Tyre: ACT II
Introduction
ACT I
ACT II
[Prologue]
SCENE I. Pentapolis. An open place by the sea-side.
SCENE II. The same. A public way or platform leading to the lists. A pavilion by the side of it for the reception of King, Princess, Lords, &c.
SCENE III. The same. A hall of state: a banquet prepared.
SCENE IV. Tyre. A room in the Governor's house.
SCENE V. Pentapolis. A room in the palace.
ACT III
ACT IV
ACT V
About the Play
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SCENE II. The same. A public way or platform leading to the lists. A pavilion by the side of it for the reception of King, Princess, Lords, &c.
Enter SIMONIDES, THAISA, Lords, and Attendants
SIMONIDES
      Are the knights ready to begin the triumph?
First Lord
      They are, my liege;
      And stay your coming to present themselves.
SIMONIDES
      Return them, we are ready; and our daughter,
5     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
THAISA
      It pleaseth you, my royal father, to express
      My commendations great, whose merit's less.
SIMONIDES
10    It's fit it should be so; for princes are
      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
15    The labour of each knight in his device.
THAISA
      Which, to preserve mine honour, I'll perform.
Enter a Knight; he passes over, and his Squire presents his shield to the Princess
SIMONIDES
      Who is the first that doth prefer himself?
THAISA
      A knight of Sparta, my renowned father;
      And the device he bears upon his shield
20    Is a black Ethiope reaching at the sun
      The word, 'Lux tua vita mihi.'
SIMONIDES
      He loves you well that holds his life of you.

The Second Knight passes over

      Who is the second that presents himself?
THAISA
      A prince of Macedon, my royal father;
25    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
SIMONIDES
      And what's the third?
THAISA
      The third of Antioch;
30    And his device, a wreath of chivalry;
      The word, 'Me pompae provexit apex.'
The Fourth Knight passes over
SIMONIDES
      What is the fourth?
THAISA
      A burning torch that's turned upside down;
      The word, 'Quod me alit, me extinguit.'
SIMONIDES
35    Which shows that beauty hath his power and will,
      Which can as well inflame as it can kill.
The Fifth Knight passes over
THAISA
      The fifth, an hand environed with clouds,
      Holding out gold that's by the touchstone tried;
      The motto thus, 'Sic spectanda fides.'
The Sixth Knight, PERICLES, passes over
SIMONIDES
40    And what's
      The sixth and last, the which the knight himself
      With such a graceful courtesy deliver'd?
THAISA
      He seems to be a stranger; but his present is
      A wither'd branch, that's only green at top;
45    The motto, 'In hac spe vivo.'
SIMONIDES
      A pretty moral;
      From the dejected state wherein he is,
      He hopes by you his fortunes yet may flourish.
First Lord
      He had need mean better than his outward show
50    Can any way speak in his just commend;
      For by his rusty outside he appears
      To have practised more the whipstock than the lance.
Second Lord
      He well may be a stranger, for he comes
      To an honour'd triumph strangely furnished.
Third Lord
55    And on set purpose let his armour rust
      Until this day, to scour it in the dust.
SIMONIDES
      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
60    Into the gallery.
Exeunt
Great shouts within and all cry 'The mean knight!'
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