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Rich. Now is the winter of our discontent

Made glorious summer by this sun of York;

And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house

In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;

Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;

Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings;

Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.

Grim-visag'd war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front;

And now,—instead of mounting barbed steeds,

To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,—

He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber

To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.

But I, that am not shap'd for sportive tricks,

Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;

I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majesty

To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;

 1, 2 winter York; cf. n.

6 monuments: memorial trophies

7 alarums: calls to arms

8 measures: solemn dances

9 front: forehead

10 barbed: i.e. having the breasts and flanks armed, properly 'barded'

11 fearful: timorous

12 He capers; cf. n.

13 lute: a stringed instrument

14 sportive: amorous

15 amorous; cf. n.

17 ambling: walking affectedly

