Basilisco-like —
“Knight, knight, good mother,”
KING JOHN, i. 1. 244.
“Falconbridge's words here carry a concealed piece of satire
on [rather, allude to] a stupid drama of that age,
painted in 1599, and called Soliman and Perseda. In this
piece there is the character of a bragging cowardly knight, called Basilisco. His
pretension to valour is so blown and seen through, that Piston, a buffoon-servant in the
play, jumps upon his back, and will not disengage him till he makes Basilisco swear upon
his dudgeon dagger to the contents, and in the terms, he dictates to him; as, for
instance: ‘Bas. O, I swear, I swear.
Pist. By the contents of this blade,—
Bas. By the contents of this blade,—
Pist. I, the aforesaid Basilisco,—
Bas. I, the aforesaid Basilisco,—knight, good fellow, knight,
knight,—
Pist. Knave, good fellow, knave, knave,—’ So that, 'tis clear, our poet is sneering at this play [?]; and makes Philip, when his mother calls him knave, throw off that reproach by humourously laying claim to his new dignity of knighthood, as Basilisco arrogantly insists on his title of knight in the passage above quoted” (THEOBALD) . The Tragedie of Soliman and Perseda. Wherein is laide open, Loues constancie, Fortunes inconstancie, and Deaths Triumphs, 1599, though a wretched production, was once very popular. It has been attributed to Kyd.
Pist. By the contents of this blade,—
Bas. By the contents of this blade,—
Pist. I, the aforesaid Basilisco,—
Bas. I, the aforesaid Basilisco,—knight, good fellow, knight,
knight,—
Pist. Knave, good fellow, knave, knave,—’ So that, 'tis clear, our poet is sneering at this play [?]; and makes Philip, when his mother calls him knave, throw off that reproach by humourously laying claim to his new dignity of knighthood, as Basilisco arrogantly insists on his title of knight in the passage above quoted” (THEOBALD) . The Tragedie of Soliman and Perseda. Wherein is laide open, Loues constancie, Fortunes inconstancie, and Deaths Triumphs, 1599, though a wretched production, was once very popular. It has been attributed to Kyd.