Page:Henry IV Part 1 (1917) Yale.djvu/115

King Henry the Fourth, V. ii

Unless a brother should a brother dare

To gentle exercise and proof of arms.

He gave you all the duties of a man,

Trimm'd up your praises with a princely tongue,

Spoke your deservings like a chronicle,

Making you ever better than his praise,

By still dispraising praise valu'd with you;

And, which became him like a prince indeed,

He made a blushing cital of himself,

And chid his truant youth with such a grace

As if he master'd there a double spirit

Of teaching and of learning instantly.

There did he pause. But let me tell the world,

If he outlive the envy of this day,

England did never owe so sweet a hope,

So much misconstru'd in his wantonness.

Hot. Cousin, I think thou art enamoured

On his follies: never did I hear

Of any prince so wild a libertine.

But be he as he will, yet once ere night

I will embrace him with a soldier's arm,

That he shall shrink under my courtesy.

Arm, arm, with speed! And, fellows, soldiers, friends,

Better consider what you have to do,

Than I, that have not well the gift of tongue,

Can lift your blood up with persuasion.

Mess. My lord, here are letters for you.

Hot. I cannot read them now.

O gentlemen! the time of life is short;

To spend that shortness basely were too long,

 5565 [sic] duties: compliments

61 cital of: reference to

67 owe: own 