Or else worth all the rest: I see thee still; Thus to mine eyes. - Now o'er the one half world Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, And take the present horror from the time, Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives; I I go, and it is done; the bell invites me; Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell That summons thee to heaven, or to hell. (A bell rings.) SHAKSPEARE SHYLOCK'S SOLILOQUY AND ADDRESS. How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him, for he is a Christian; I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him. Even there where merchants most do congregate, Signior Antonio, many a time and oft, And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine, And all for use of that which is mine own. A cur can lend three thousand ducats ?" or Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last : You called me SHAKSPEARE FALSTAFF ON SACK It A GOOD sherris-sack hath a twofold operation in it. It ascends me into the brain; dries me there all the foolish, and dull, and crudy vapors which environ it makes it apprehensive, quick, forgetive, full of nimble, fiery and delectable shapes; which delivered o'er to the voice, (the tongue,) which is the birth, becomes excellent wit. The second property of your excellent sherris is, the warming of the blood; which, before cold and settled, left the liver white and pale, which is the badge of pusillanimity and cowardice: but the sherris warms it, and makes it course from the inwards to the parts extreme. illumineth the face; which, as a beacon, gives warning to all the rest of this little kingdom, man, to arm: and then the vital commoners, and inland petty spirits, muster me all to their captain. the heart; who, great, and puffed up with this retinue, doth any deed of courage; and this valor comes of sherris. So that skill in the weapon is nothing, without sack; for that sets it a-work; and learning, a mere hoard of gold kept by a devil; till sack commences it, and sets it in act and use. Hereof comes it, that Prince Harry is valiant: for the cold blood he did naturally inherit of his father, he hath, like lean, sterile, and bare land, manured. husbanded, and tilled, with excellent endeavor of drinking good, and good store of fertile sherris; that he is become very hot, and valiant. If I had a thousand sons, the first human principle I would teach them, should be swear thin potations, and addict themselves to sack. to for SHAKSPEARE. SOLILOQUY ON CHARACTER. As young as I am, I have observed these three swashers. I am boy to them all three but all they three, though they would serve me, could not be man to me; for, indeed, three such antics do not amount to a man. For Bardolph, he is white-livered, and red-faced; by the means whereof, 'a faces it out, but fights not. For Pistol, he hath a killing tongue, and a quiet sword; by the means whereof, 'a breaks words, and keeps whole weapons. For Nym, he hath heard, that men of few words are the best men; and therefore he scorns to say his prayers, lest 'a should be thought a coward; but his few bad words are matched with as few good deeds; for 'a never broke any man's head but his own, and that was against a post, when he was drunk. They will steal anything, and call itpurchase. Bardolph stole a lute-case; bore it twelve leagues, and sold it for three half-pence. Nym and Bardolph are sworn brothers in filching; and in Calais they stole a fireshovel; I knew, by that piece of service, the men would carry coals. They would have me as familiar with men's pockets, as their gloves or their handkerchiefs; which makes much against my manhood, if I should take from another's pocket, to put into mine; for it is plain pocketing up of wrongs. I must leave them, and seek some better service: their villainy goes against my weak stomach, and therefore I must cast it up. SHAKSPEARE SOLILOQUY ON A DOG WHEN a man's servant shall play the cur with him, look you, it goes hard one that I brought up of a puppy; one that I saved from drowning, when three or four of his blind brothers and sisters went to it! I have taught him -even as one would say precisely, Thus I would teach a dog. I was sent to deliver him, as a present to mistress Silvia, from my master; and I came no sooner into the dining-chamber, but he steps me to her 66 66 trencher, and steals her capon's leg. Oh, 't is a foul thing, when a cur cannot keep himself in all companies! I would have, as one should say, one that takes upon him to be a dog indeed, to be, as it were, a dog at all things. If I had not had more wit than he, to take a fault upon me that he did, I think verily he had been hanged for 't; sure as I live, he had suffered for 't: you shall judge. He thrusts me himself into the company of three or four gentlemen-like dogs, under the duke's table: he had not been there awhile, but all the chamber smelled him. "Out with the dog," says one; What cur is that?" says another; "Whip him out," says the third; "Hang him up," says the duke. I, having been acquainted with the smell before, knew it was Crab; and goes me to the fellow that whips the dogs: "Friend," quoth I, "you mean to whip the dog?' "You do him the more wrong," "Ay, marry, do I," quoth he. quoth I. He makes me no more ado, but whips me out of the chamber. How many masters would do this for their servant? Nay, I'll be sworn, I have sat in the stocks for puddings he hath stolen, otherwise he had been executed: I have stood on the pillory for geese he hath killed, otherwise he had suffered for 't thou think'st not of this now. SHAKSPEARE. FALSTAFF'S DESCRIPTION OF HIS SOLDIERS. I IF I be not ashamed of my soldiers, I am a soused gurnet. have misused the king's press outrageously. I have got in exchange of an hundred and fifty soldiers, three hundred and odd pounds. I press me none but good householders, yeomen's sons; inquire me out contracted bachelors, such as have been asked twice on the banns; such a commodity of warm slaves, as had as lief hear the devil as a drum; such as fear the report of a culverin worse than a struck deer or a hurt wild duck. I press me none but such toasts in butter, with hearts in their breasts no bigger than pins' heads; and they bought out their services; and now my whole charge consists of slaves as ragged as Lazarus in the painted cloth, where the glutton's dogs licked his sores, discarded unjust serving-men, younger sons to younger brothers, revolted tapsters, and hostlers trade-fallen, the cankers of a calm world and a long peace; and such have I to fill up the rooms of them that have bought out their services, that you would think I had an hundred and fifty tattered prodigals lately come from swine-keeping, from eating draff and husks. A mad fellow met me on the wav, and told me I had unloaded all the gibbets, and pressed the dead bodies. No eye hath seen such scarecrows. I'll not march through Coventry with them, that's flat. Nay, and the villains march wide betwixt the legs, as if they had gyves on; for indeed I had the most of them out of prison. There's but a shirt and a half in all my company, and the half-shirt is two napkins tacked together, and thrown over the shoulders like a herald's coat without sleeves; and the shirt, to say the truth, stolen from my host of St. Albans, or the rednosed innkeeper of Daintry. But that's all one, they'll find linen nough on every hedge. SHAKSPEARE. SOLILOQUY OF DICK THE APPRENTICE. THUS far we run before the wind! An apothecary? — make an apothecary of me! - What, cramp my genius over a pestle and mortar; or mew me up in a shop with an alligator stuffed, and a beggaily account of empty boxes! to be culling simples, and constantly adding to the bills of mortality!- No, no! It will be much better to be pasted up in capitals, "The part of Romeo by a young gentleman who never appeared on any stage before." My ambition fires at the thought. But hold - May n't I run some chance of failing in my attempt! hissed - pelted - laughed at—not admitted into the green-room; that will never do down, busy devil, down, down. Try it again : loved by the women, envied by the men, applauded by the pit, clapped by the gallery, admired by the boxes-"Dear colonel, is n't he a charming creature? My lord, do n't you like him of all things?-makes love like an angel? eye he has?-fine legs-I shall certainly go to his benefit." Celestial sounds! And then I'll get in with all the painters, and have myself put in every print shop-in the character of Macbeth! This is a sorry sight". (assumes an attitude.) In the character of Richard, "Give me another horse; bind what an -- up my wounds.". This will do rarely. And then I have a chance of getting well married-oh, glorious thought! I will enjoy it, though but in fancy-But what's o'clock? it must be almost nine. I'll away at once; this is club night — the spouters are all met - little think they I'm in town-they'll be surprised to see me off I go; and then for my assignation with my master Gargle's daughter "Limbs, do your office, and support me well; |