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Honour: Quotations from Shakespearian Quotations

The purest treasure mortal times afford, Is spotless reputation; that away, Men are but gilded loam or painted clay A jewel in a ten-times barr'd up chest, Is a bold spirit in a loyal breast. Mine honour is my life; both grow in one;— R. II. i. 1

Take honour from me, and my life is done. For 'tis the mind that makes the body rich; And as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, So honour peereth in the meanest habit. What, is the jay more precious than the lark, Because his feathers are more beautiful? Or is the adder better than the eel,— 7. S. iv. 3

Because his painted skin contents the eye? By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap, To pluck bright honour from the pale-fac'd moon: Or dive into the bottom of the deep, Where fathom-line could never touch the ground, And pluck up drowned honour by the locks; So he, that doth redeem her thence, might wear, Without corrival, all her dignities:— H. IV. PT. 1. i. 3

But out upon this half-fac'd fellowship! By Jove, I am not covetous of gold, Nor care I, who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if men my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desires; But, if it be a sin to covet honour,— H. V. iv. 3

I am the most offending soul alive. Life every man holds dear; but the dear man Holds honour far more precious-dear than life. T. C. v. 3 For life, I prize, it, As I weigh grief, which I would spare: for honour, 'Tis a derivative from me to mine, And only that I stand for.— W. T. iii. 2

The king has cur'd me, I humbly thank his grace: and from these shoulders, These ruin'd pillars, out of pity, taken A load would sink a navy, -too much honour.— H. VIII. iii. 2

He sits 'mongst men, like a descended god He hath a kind of honour sets him off, More than a mortal seeming.— Cym. i. 7.

Your presence glads our days; honour we love, For who hates honour, hates the gods above.— P. P. ii. 3.

For men, like butterflies, Show not their mealy wings but to the summer; And not a man, for being simply man, Hath any honour; but honour for those honours That are without him; as place, riches, favour, Prizes of accident as oft as merit: Which, when they fall, as being slippery standers, The love that lean'd on them as slippery too, Do one pluck down another, and together Die in the fall.— T. C. iii. 3.

Thou art a fellow of a good respect; Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it. J.C. v. 5. A scar nobly got, Or a noble sear, is a good livery of honour.— A. W. iv. 5.

From lowest place when virtuous things proceed, The place is dignified by the doer's deed: Where great additions swell, and virtue none, It is a dropsied honour: good alone Is good, without a name: vileness is so; The property by what it is should go, Not by the title.— A. W. ii. 3.

For nought I did in hate, but all in honour.— O. v. 2.

Let none presume To wear an undeserved dignity. O, that estates, degrees, and offices, Were not deriv'd corruptly! and that clear honour Were purchas'd by the merit of the wearer! How many then should cover that stand bare! How many be commanded that command! How much low peasantry would then be glean'd From the true seed of honour! and how much honour Pick'd from the chaff and ruin of the times, To be new varnish'd!— M.V. ii. 9

By deed-achieving honour newly nam'd.— C. ii. 1.

If it be honour, in your wars, to seem The same you are not, (which for your best ends, You adopt your policy,) how is it less, or worse, That it shall hold companionship in peace With honour, as in war; since that to both— C. iii. 2.

It stands in like request? Who does i' the wars more than his captain can, Becomes his captain's captain: and ambition, The soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of loss, Than gain, which darkens him.— A. C. iii. L

Meddle you must, that's certain; or forswear to wear iron— T. N. iii. 4.

about you. New honours come upon him Like our strange garments; cleave not to their mould, But with the aid of time.— M. i. 3.

You stand upon your honour!-Why, thou unconfinable baseness, it is as much as I can do to keep the terms of mine honour precise. I, I, I myself sometimes, leaving the fear of heaven on the left hand, and hiding mine honour in my necessity, am fain to shuffle, to hedge, and to lurch; and yet you, rogue, will ensconce your rags, your cat-a mountain looks, your red-lattice phrases, and your boldbeating oaths under the shelter of your honour? M. W. ii. 2. I have heard you say, Honour and policy, like unsever'd friends, I' the war do grow together: Grant that, and tell me, In peace, what each of them by the other lose,— C. ili. 2.

That they combine not there. You come Not to woo honour, but to wed it.— A. W. ii. 1.

Signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine On all deservers.— M. i. 4.

Give me life; which, if I can save, so; if not, honour comes unlook'd for, and there's an end. H. IV. PT. 1. v. 3. Well, 'tis no matter; Honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I come on; how then? Can honour set to a leg?-No. Or an arm?-No. Or take away the grief of a wound?— No. Honour hath no skill

in surgery then?-No. What is honour?-A word. What is that word? - Honour. What is that honour? - Air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it?— He that died o' Wednes-

day. Doth he feel it? - No. Doth he hear it? No. Is it insensible then?-Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? - No. Why ?— Detraction will not suffer

it:-therefore I'll none of it. Honour is a mere scutcheon, and so ends my catechism.— H. IV. PT. I. v. 1.

Honours, Worldly, Uncertainty Of

The painefull warrior famosed for worth, After a thousand victories once foil'd, Is from the booke of honour razed quite, And all the rest forgot for which he toil'd. Poem