1103. William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989

Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989.


NUMBER:	1103
AUTHOR:	William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
QUOTATION:	So farewell to the little good you bear me. Farewell! a long farewell, to all my greatness! This is the state of man: to-day he puts forth The tender leaves of hopes; to-morrow blossoms, And bears his blushing honours thick upon him; The third day comes a frost, a killing frost, And, when he thinks, good easy man, full surely His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root, And then he falls, as I do. I have ventur’d, Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders, This many summers in a sea of glory, But far beyond my depth. My high-blown pride At length broke under me, and now has left me, Weary and old with service, to the mercy Of a rude stream that must for ever hide me. Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye! I feel my heart new open’d. O, how wretched Is that poor man that hangs on princes’ favours! There is, betwixt that smile we would aspire to, That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin, More pangs and fears than wars or women have; And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer, Never to hope again.
ATTRIBUTION:	WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Henry VIII, act III, scene ii, lines 350–72. Cardinal Wolsey is speaking about his friendship with Henry VIII.
SUBJECTS:	Life
WORKS:	William Shakespeare Collection