When degree is shak'd,

Which is the ladder to all high designs,
The enterprise is sick.

We may not think the justness of each act
Such and no other than the event doth form it.

What the declin❜d is,

He shall as soon read in the eyes of others,
As feel in his own fall; for men, like butterflies,
Shew not their mealy wings but to the summer.

Welcome ever smiles,

And farewell goes out sighing.

When we for recompense have prais'd the vile, It stains the glory in that happy verse

Which aptly sings the good.

Who cannot keep his wealth must keep his house.

We call a nettle, but a nettle; and

The faults of fools, but folly.

Who can speak broader than he that has no house to put his head in? Such may rail against great buildings.

Who cannot condemn rashness in cold blood?

What custom wills, in all things should we do 't, The dust on antique time would lie unswept, And mountainous error be too highly heap'd For truth to over-peer.

When the sea is calm, all boats alike Shew mastership in floating.

We have all

Great cause to give great thanks.

What can be avoided

Whose end is purpos'd by the mighty gods?

What our contempts do often hurl from us,
We wish it ours again; the present pleasure,
By revolution lowering, does become
The opposite of itself.

When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforced ceremony;

There are no tricks in plain and simple faith.

Words before blows.

What the gods delay, they not deny.

We, ignorant of ourselves,

Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers
Deny us for our good; so find we profit,
By losing of our prayers.

When good will is shew'd, though 't come too short,

The actor may plead pardon.

Who seeks, and will not take, when once 'tis

offer'd,

Shall never find it more.

Who does i' the wars more than his captain can, Becomes his captain's captain.

Women are not

In their best fortunes strong, but want will per

jure

The ne'er-touched vestal.

Wisdom and fortune combating together,
If that the former dare but what it can,
No chance may shake it.

When we in our viciousness grow hard, (O misery on 't!) the wise gods seel our eyes, In our own filth dross our clear judgments;

make us

Adore our errors; laugh at us, while we strut To our confusion.

When valour preys on reason,

It eats the sword it fights with.

Wishers were ever fools.

*It should be borne in mind that it is Octavius Cæsar who says this; and, indeed always, in quoting Shakespeare for the purpose of applying his axioms, it should be remembered to what characters he assigns their utterance.

Winning will put any man into courage.

Weariness

Can snore upon the flint, when resty sloth
Finds the down pillow hard.

Who has a book of all that monarchs do,

He's more secure to keep it shut, than shewn.

When the mind 's free, the body's delicate.

When we our betters see bearing our woes,
We scarcely think our miseries our foes.

Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile.

What's in a name? that which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet.

Where unbruised youth, with unstuff'd brain, Doth couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth reign.

Wisely, and slow; they stumble that run fast.