'Twixt me and death; (and pointed to this brace ;)3 1 Fish. What mean you, sir? Per. To beg of you, kind friends, this coat of worth, For it was sometime target to a king; I know it by this mark. He lov'd me dearly, And for his sake, I wish the having of it; And that you'd guide me to your sovereign's court, I'll pay your bounties; till then, rest your debtor. 1 Fish. Why, do ye take it, and the gods give thee good on't! 2 Fish. Ay, but hark you, my friend; 'twas we that made up this garment through the rough seams of the waters: there are certain condolements, certain vails. I hope, sir, if you thrive, you'll remember from whence you had it. Per. Believe't, I will. Now, by your furtherance, I am cloth'd in steel. This jewel holds his biding on my arm; Unto thy value will I mount myself Upon a courser, whose delightful steps Of a pair of bases. 4 2 Fish. We'll sure provide ; thou shalt have my best [3] The brace is the armour for the arm. So, in Troilus and Cressida : "I'll hide my silver beard in a gold beaver, "And in my vant-brace put this wither'd brawn," Avant bras. Fr. STEEVENS. [4] Bases, signified the housings of a horse, and may be used in that sense here. MALONE-It may be remarked, that Richardson in his notes on Paradise Lost, has the following explanation:-"Bases, from Bas, (Fr.) they fall low to the ground; they are also called the housing, from Housse, be daggled." STEEVENS. 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. [Exeunt. The same. Sim. Are the knights ready to begin the triumph 25 1 Lord. They are, my liege; And stay your coming to present themselves. Sim. Return them, we are ready; and our daughter, 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. Thai. It pleaseth you, my father, to express My commendations great, whose merit's less. Sim. 'Tis 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 renown, if not respected. 'Tis now your honour, daughter, to explain The labour of each knight, in his device.6 Thai. Which, to preserve mine honour, I'll perform. 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; And the device he bears upon his shield Is a black Æthiop, reaching at the sun; The word, Lux tua vita mihi. Sim. He loves you well, that holds his life of you. [5] A triumph, in the language of Shakspeare's sime, signified any public show, such as a Mask or Revel, &c. Thus, in King Richard II: hold those justs and triumphs?" Again, in King Henry VI: "With stately triumphs, mirthful comic shows." STEEVENS. [6] The idea of this scene appears to have been caught from the Iliad, Book III. where Helen describes the Grecian leaders to her father-in-law Priam. STEEVENS. Who is the second, that presents himself? Thai. A prince of Macedon, my royal father; 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 per dulçura que fier fuerça.7 [The third Knight passes. Sim. And what's the third? And his device, a wreath of chivalry : Sim. What is the fourth? [The fourth Knight passes. Thai. A burning torch, that's turned upside down ; The word, Quod me alit, me extinguit. Sim. Which shows, that beauty hath his power and will, Which can as well inflame, as it can kill. [The fifth Knight passes. Thai. 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 passes. Sim. And what's the sixth and last, which the knight himself With such a graceful courtesy deliver❜d? Thai. He seems a stranger; but his present is A wither'd branch, that's only green at top; The motto, In hac spe vivo. 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. [7] That is, more by sweetness than by force. The author should have written Mas per dulcura, &c. Piu in Italian signifies more: but, I believe, there is no such Spanish word. MALONE. Sim. Opinion's but a fool, that makes us scan The same. [Exeunt. [Great Shouts, and all cry, The mean knight. SCENE III. A Hall of State-A Banquet prepared. Enter S1- To say you are welcome, were superfluous. Were more than you expect, or more than's fit, Thai. But you, my knight and guest; To whom this wreath of victory I give, And crown you king of this day's happiness. Per. 'Tis more by fortune, lady, than my merit. Sim. Call it by what you will, the day is yours; And here, I hope, is none that envies it. In framing artists, art hath thus decreed, To make some good, but others to exceed ; And you're her labour'd scholar. Come, queen o'the feast, (For, daughter, so you are,) here take your place : Marshal the rest, as they deserve their grace. Knights. We are honour'd much by good Simonides. Sim. Your presence glads our days; honour we love, For who hates honour, hates the gods above, Marsh. Sir, yond's your place. Per. Some other is more fit. 1 Knight. Contend not, sir; for we are gentlemen, That neither in our hearts, nor outward eyes, Envy the great, nor do the low despise. Per. You are right courteous knights. Sim. Sit, sit, sir; sit. Per. By Jove, I wonder, that is king of thoughts, These cates resist me, she not thought upon.' [9] That is, that makes us scan the inward man by the outward habit, MALONE. [1] If this speech belongs to Pericles, he must mean to say, that when he Thai. By Juno, that is queen Of marriage, all the viands that I eat Do seem unsavoury, wishing him my meat! Sim. He's but A country gentleman; He has done no more than other knights have done ; Broken a staff, or so; so let it pass. Thai. To me he seems like diamond to glass. Per. Yon king's to me, like to my father's picture, Which tells me, in that glory once he was; Had princes sit, like stars, about his throne, And he the sun, for them to reverence. None that beheld him, but like lesser lights, Did vail their crowns to his supremacy; Where now his son's a glow-worm in the night, The which hath fire in darkness, none in light; Whereby I see that Time's the king of men, For he's their parent, and he is their grave, And gives them what he will, not what they crave. Sim. What, are you merry, knights? 1 Knight. Who can be other, in this royal presence? Sim. Here, with a cup that's stor❜d unto the brim, (As you do love, fill to your mistress' lips,) We drink this health to you. Knights. We thank your grace. Sim. Yet pause a while; Yon knight, methinks, doth sit too melancholy, Had not a show might countervail his worth. Thai. What is it To me, my father? Sim. O, attend, my daughter; Princes, in this, should live like gods above, To honour them and princes, not doing so, ceases to think of his mistress, his stomach fails him. As displeasing sen. sations are known to diminish appetite, so pleasant ideas may be supposed to increase it. MALONE. [2] The sense appears to be this.-When kings, like insects, lie dead before. us, our admiration is excited by contemplating how in both instances the powers of creating bustle were superior to those which either object should |