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with bootless labour swim against the tide,

and spend her strength with over-matching waves.

W. SHAKESPEARE

867

CASSIUS-BRUTUS

RGE me no more, I shall forget myself;

Cas. URGE

have mind upon your health, tempt me no further.

Bru. Away, slight man!

Cas. Is't possible?

Bru. Hear me, for I will speak.

Must I give way and room to your rash choler?
shall I be frighted, when a madman stares?

Cas. O ye gods! ye gods! must I endure all this?
Bru. All this? ay, more: fret till your proud heart break;
go, show your slaves how choleric you are,

and make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
must I observe you? must I stand and crouch
under your testy humour? By the gods,
you shall digest the venom of your spleen,
though it do split you: for, from this day forth,
I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
when you are waspish.

Cas. Is it come to this?

Bru. You say, you are a better soldier:

let it appear so; make your vaunting true,

and it shall please me well: for mine own part,
I shall be glad to learn of noble men.

868 Cas. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,

for Cassius is a-weary of the world:

hated by one he loves; brav'd by his brother;
check'd like a bondman; all his faults observ'd,
set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,
to cast into my teeth. O, I could weep
my spirit from mine eyes!—There is my dagger,
and here my naked breast; within, a heart
dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
if that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart:
strike, as thou didst at Cæsar; for, I know,

Bru.

869

when thou didst hate him worst, thou lov❜dst him

better

than ever thou lov'dst Cassius.

Sheath your dagger: be angry when you will, it shall have scope; do what you will, dishonour shall be humour. O Cassius, you are yokéd with a lamb that carries anger as the flint bears fire; who, much enforcéd, shows a hasty spark, and straight is cold again.

W. SHAKESPEARE

REPROOF TO A FLATTERING COURTIER

ᎠᏎ

AREST thou mention

affection, or a heart, that ne'er hadst any?
know'st not to love or hate, but by the scale,
as thy prince does 't before thee? that dost never
wear thy own face, but putt'st on his, and gather'st
baits for his ears; livest wholly at his beck,
and ere thou darest utter a thought's thine own,
must expect his; creep'st forth and wad'st into him,
as if thou wert to pass a ford, there proving
if yet thy tongue may step on safely or no;
then bring'st his virtue asleep, and stay'st the wheel
both of his reason and judgment that they move not;
whit'st over all his vices, and at last

dost draw a cloud of words before his eyes,
till he can neither see thee nor himself?
Wretch! I dare give him honest counsels, I,

dare go the straightest way which still's the shortest,
walk on the thorns thou scatterest, parasite,
and tread 'em into nothing; and, if thou
then lett'st a look fall of the least dislike,
I'll rip thy crown up with my sword at height,
and pluck thy skin over thy face, in sight

of him thou flatterest.

870

J. FLETCHER

THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF YORK

SUFFOL

DUKE OF EXETER

UFFOLK first died: and York, all haggled over, comes to him, where in gore he lay insteeped,

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and cries aloud, Tarry, dear cousin Suffolk!
My soul shall thine keep company to heaven;
Tarry, sweet soul, for mine, then fly a-breast;
As, in this glorious and well-foughten field,
We kept together in our chivalry!'

Upon these words I came and cheered him up:
He smiled me in the face, raught me his hand,-
And with a feeble gripe, says, 'Dear my Lord,
Commend my service to my sovereign!

So did he turn, and over Suffolk's neck

He threw his wounded arm and kissed his lips,
And so, espoused to death, with blood he sealed
A testament of noble-ending love.

The pretty and sweet manner of it forced

Those waters from me which I would have stopped;
But I had not so much of man in me,

And all my mother came into mine eyes,
And gave me up to tears.

W. SHAKESPEARE

871 KING HENRY V—ARCHBISHop of canterbURY—

K. H.

W

EARL OF WESTMORELAND

E must not only arm to invade the French, but lay down our proportions to defend against the Scots who will make road upon us with all advantage.

Cant. They of those marches, gracious sovereign, shall be a wall sufficient to defend

our island from the pilfering borderers. K. H. We do not mean the coursing snatchers only, but fear the main intendment of the Scot, who hath been still a giddy neighbour to us; for you shall read that my great-grandfather never went with his forces into France, but that the Scot on his unfurnished kingdom came pouring, like the tide into a breach, with ample and brim fulness of his force; galling the gleanéd land with hot assays, girding with grievous siege castles and towns; that England, being empty of defence,

hath shook and trembled at the ill neighbourhood. Cant. She hath been then more feared than harmed, my

liege.

W.

But there's a saying very old and true-
If that you will France win,
then with Scotland first begin.

W. SHAKESPEARE

872 ARCHBISHop of CanterbURY AND BISHop of

Cant.

Ely.

873

ELY TO KING HENRY V

GRACIOUS Lord,

stand for your own: unwind your bloody flag; look back unto your mighty ancestors:

go, my dread lord, to your great-grandsire's tomb,
from whom you claim; invoke his warlike spirit,
and your great uncle's, Edward the black prince,
who on the French ground played a tragedy,
making defeat on the full power of France,
whiles his most mighty father on a hill
stood smiling to behold his lion's whelp
forage in blood of French nobility.

O noble English, that could entertain

with half their forces the full pride of France;
and let another half stand laughing by,
all out of work and cold for action!
Awake remembrance of these valiant dead,
and with your puissant arm renew their feats:
you are their heir, you sit upon their throne;
the blood and courage, that renowned them,
runs in your veins: and my thrice-puissant liege
is in the very May-morn of his youth,
ripe for exploits and mighty enterprises.

W. SHAKESPEARE

DIVERS PROVIDENCES

HAD we no winter, summer would be thought

not half so pleasing: and, if tempests were not, such comforts could not by a calm be brought; for things save by their opposites appear not, both health and wealth is tasteless unto some, and so is ease and every other pleasure; till poor or sick or grievéd they become;

and then they relish these in ampler measure.

God, therefore, full as kind, as He is wise,
so tempereth all the favours He will do us,
that we His bounties may the better prize:

and make His chastisements less bitter to us.
One while, a scorching indignation burns

the flowers and blossoms of our hopes away, which into scarcity our plenty turns,

and changeth new-mown grass to parchéd hay; anon His fruitful showers and pleasing dews,

commixed with cheerful rays, He sendeth down; and then the barren earth her crop renews, which with rich harvests hills and valleys crown; for as, to relish joys, He sorrow sends, so comfort on temptation still attends.

G. WITHER

874 THE COUNTESS TERTSKY TO HER NIECE THEKLA,

PRINCESS OF FRIEDLAND, WHO IS IN LOVE WITH
MAX. PICCOLOMINI

'HOU seest it with a lovelorn maiden's eyes.

Coun. Th

Cast thine eye round, bethink thee who thou art. Into no house of joyance hast thou stepped, for no espousals dost thou find the walls deck'd out, no guests the nuptial garland wearing. Here is no splendour but of arms. Or think'st thou that all these thousands are here congregated to lead up the long dances at thy wedding? Thou seest thy father's forehead full of thought, thy mother's eye in tears: upon the balance lies the great destiny of all our house. Leave now the puny wish, the girlish feeling, O thrust it far behind thee! Give thou proof, thou'rt the daughter of the Mighty-his who where he moves creates the wonderful. Not to herself the woman must belong,

annexed and bound to alien destinies.

But she performs the best part, she the wisest,
who can transmute the alien into self;

meet and disarm necessity by choice,

and what must be, take freely to her heart,
and bear and foster it with mother's love.

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