Page 556 - Shakespeare - Vol. 4

Through a strait lane; the enemy full-hearted,
Lolling the tongue with slaught’ring, having work
More plentiful than tools to do’t, struck down
Some mortally, some slightly touch’d, some falling [10]

Merely through fear, that the strait pass was damm’d
With dead men, hurt behind, and cowards living
To die with length’ned shame.

LORD
Where was this lane?

POSTHUMUS
Close by the battle, ditch’d, and wall’d with turf −

Which gave advantage to an ancient soldier, [15]
(An honest one, I warrant) who deserv’d
So long a breeding as his white beard came to,
In doing this for’s country. Athwart the lane,

He, with two striplings (lads more like to run
The country base than to commit such slaughter, [20]
With faces fit for masks, or rather fairer
Than those for preservation cas’d, or shame)

Made good the passage, cried to those that fled,
‘Our Britain’s harts die flying, not our men:
To darkness fleet souls that fly backwards; stand, [25]
Or we are Romans, and will give you that

Like beasts which you shun beastly, and may save
But to look back in frown: stand, stand!’ These three,
Three thousand confident, in act as many, −
For three performers are the file when all [30]

The rest do nothing, − with this word ‘Stand, stand,’
Accommodated by the place, more charming,
With their own nobleness, which could have turn’d
A distaff to a lance, gilded pale looks;

Part shame, part spirit renew’d, that some, turn’d coward [35]
But by example (O, a sin in war,
Damn’d in the first beginners) ’gan to look
The way that they did, and to grin like lions

Upon the pikes o’ th’ hunters. Then began