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THRICE

ARE

HEROES ARMED

WHEN HONOURED WIVES GIVE

COUNSEL.

LADY PERCY. O, yet, for God's sake, go not to these wars!

The time was, father, that you broke your word, When you were more endear'd to it than now; When your own Percy, when my heart's dear Harry,

Threw many a northward look to see his father Bring up his powers; but he did long in vain. Who then persuaded you to stay at home? There were two honours lost; yours, and your

son's.

For yours, may heavenly glory brighten it!
For his, it stuck upon him, as the sun
In the grey vault of heaven: and, by his light,
Did all the chivalry of England move

To do brave acts; he was, indeed, the glass
Wherein the noble youth did dress themselves.
He had no legs, that practis'd not his gait:
And speaking thick, which nature made his
blemish,

Became the accents of the valiant;

For those that could speak low, and tardily,
Would turn their own perfection to abuse,
To seem like him: So that, in speech, in gait,
In diet, in affections of delight,

In military rules, humours of blood,

He was the mark and glass, copy and book,
That fashion'd others. And him,-O wondrous

him!

O miracle of men!-him did you leave, (Second to none, unseconded by you,) To look upon the hideous god of war

In disadvantage; to abide a field,

Where nothing but the sound of Hotspur's

name

Did seem defensible;-so you left him :
Never, never, do his ghost the wrong,
To hold your honour more precise and nice
With others, than with him; let them alone;
The marshal, and the archbishop, are strong:
Had my sweet Harry had but half their numbers,
To-day might I, hanging on Hotspur's neck,
Have talk'd of Monmouth's grave.

K. HENRY IV., Part II., a.2, s. 3.

JOY OF BOON COMPANIONSHIP.

BOLINGBROKE.
Berkley now?

How far is it, my lord, to

NORTHUMBERLAND. Believe me, noble lord, I am a stranger here in Glostershire.

These high wild hills, and rough uneven ways,
Draw out our miles, and make them wearisome:
And yet your fair discourse hath been as sugar,
Making the hard way sweet and délectable.
But, I bethink me, what a weary way
From Ravenspurg to Cotswold, will be found
In Ross and Willoughby, wanting your company;
Which, I protest, hath very much beguil'd
The tediousness and process of my travel:
But theirs is sweeten'd with the hope to have
The present benefit which I possess:
And hope to joy, is little less in joy,
Than hope enjoy'd: by this the weary lords
Shall make their way seem short; as mine hath
done

By sight of what I have, your noble company. BOLING. Of much less value is my company, Than your good words.

K. RICHARD II., A. 2, s. 2.

KISS THE ROD FOR MAKING THE
FUTURE MORE CHEERFUL.

'Tis good for men to love their present pains,
Upon example; so the spirit is eased:
And, when the mind is quicken'd, out of doubt,
The organs, though defunct and dead before,
Break up their drowsy grave, and newly move
With casted slough and fresh legerity.

K. HENRY V., A. 4, s. 1.

LOVE'S PLEADINGS.

MARIANA.

Isabel,
Sweet Isabel, do yet but kneel by me;
Hold up your hands, say nothing, I'll speak all.
They say, best men are moulded out of faults;
And, for the most, become much more the better
For being a little bad: so may my husband.
O, Isabel! will you not lend a knee?

DUKE. He dies for Claudio's death.
ISABELLA.

Most bounteous sir,

[Kneeling.

Look, if it please you, on this man condemn'd,
As if my brother liv'd: I partly think,

A due sincerity govern'd his deeds,
Till he did look on me; since it is so,
Let him not die: My brother had but justice,
In that he did the thing for which he died:
For Angelo,

His act did not o'ertake his bad intent;
And must be buried but as an intent

That perish'd by the way: thoughts are no subjects;

Intents but merely thoughts.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE, A. 5, s. 1.

LET NOT MEN USE YOU AS THE
CUCKOO DOES THE SPARROW.

Ir pleas'd your majesty, to turn your looks
Of favour, from myself and all our house;
And yet I must remember you, my lord,
We were the first and dearest of your friends.
For you, my staff of office did I break
In Richard's time; and posted day and night
To meet you on the way, and kiss
your hand,
When yet you were in place and in account
Nothing so strong and fortunate as I.

I

It was myself, my brother, and his son,
That brought you home, and boldly did outdare
The dangers of the time: You swore to us,-
And you did swear that oath at Doncaster,-
That you did nothing purpose 'gainst the state;
Nor claim no further than your new-fall'n right,
The seat of Gaunt, dukedom of Lancaster:
To this we swore our aid. But, in short space,
It rain'd down fortune showering on your head;
And such a flood of greatness fell on you,-
What with our help; what with the absent king;
What with the injuries of a wanton time;
The seeming sufferances that you had borne;
And the contrarious winds, that held the king
So long in his unlucky Irish wars,

That all in England did repute him dead.—

And, from this swarm of fair advantages,
You took occasion to be quickly woo'd
To gripe the general sway into your hand:
Forgot your oath to us at Doncaster ;
And, being fed by us, you us'd us so
As that ungentle gull, the cuckoo's bird,
Useth the sparrow: did oppress our nest;
Grew by our feeding to so great a bulk,
That even our love durst not come near your
sight,

For fear of swallowing; but with nimble wing
We were enforc'd, for safety sake, to fly

Out of your sight, and raise this present head:
Whereby we stand opposed by such means
As you yourself have forg'd against yourself;
By unkind usage, dangerous countenance,
And violation of all faith and troth
Sworn to us in your younger enterprize.

K. HENRY IV., PART 1., A. 5, s. 1.

LIBERTY A CLOAK FOR SELFISH-
NESS.

I KNOW where I will wear this dagger then;
Cassius from bondage will deliver Cassius:
Therein, ye gods, ye make the weak most strong;
Therein, ye gods, you tyrants do defeat ;
Nor stony tower, nor walls of beaten brass,
Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron,
Can be retentive to the strength of spirit:
But life, being weary of these worldly bars,
Never lacks power to dismiss itself.

If I know this, know all the world besides,
That part of tyranny, that I do bear,
I can shake off at pleasure.

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