I gave thee
A form of beauty, and an
Exemption from some maladies of body,
But not of mind, which is not mine to give.
A form of beauty, and an
Exemption from some maladies of body,
But not of mind, which is not mine to give.
Byron
_ I cannot find my hero; he is mixed
With the heroic crowd that now pursue
The fugitives, or battle with the desperate.
What have we here? A Cardinal or two
That do not seem in love with martyrdom.
How the old red-shanks scamper! Could they doff
Their hose as they have doffed their hats, 'twould be
A blessing, as a mark[244] the less for plunder.
But let them fly; the crimson kennels now
Will not much stain their stockings, since the mire 10
Is of the self-same purple hue.
_Enter a Party fighting_--ARNOLD _at the head of the Besiegers_.
He comes,
Hand in hand with the mild twins--Gore and Glory. [dq]
Holla! hold, Count!
_Arn. _ Away! they must not rally.
_Caes. _ I tell thee, be not rash; a golden bridge
Is for a flying enemy.
I gave thee
A form of beauty, and an
Exemption from some maladies of body,
But not of mind, which is not mine to give.
But though I gave the form of Thetis' son,
I dipped thee not in Styx; and 'gainst a foe 20
I would not warrant thy chivalric heart
More than Pelides' heel; why, then, be cautious,
And know thyself a mortal still.
_Arn. _ And who
With aught of soul would combat if he were
Invulnerable? That were pretty sport.
Think'st thou I beat for hares when lions roar?
[ARNOLD _rushes into the combat_.
_Caes. _ A precious sample of humanity!
Well, his blood's up; and, if a little's shed,
'Twill serve to curb his fever.
[ARNOLD _engages with a Roman, who retires
towards a portico_.
_Arn. _ Yield thee, slave!
I promise quarter.
_Rom. _ That's soon said.
With the heroic crowd that now pursue
The fugitives, or battle with the desperate.
What have we here? A Cardinal or two
That do not seem in love with martyrdom.
How the old red-shanks scamper! Could they doff
Their hose as they have doffed their hats, 'twould be
A blessing, as a mark[244] the less for plunder.
But let them fly; the crimson kennels now
Will not much stain their stockings, since the mire 10
Is of the self-same purple hue.
_Enter a Party fighting_--ARNOLD _at the head of the Besiegers_.
He comes,
Hand in hand with the mild twins--Gore and Glory. [dq]
Holla! hold, Count!
_Arn. _ Away! they must not rally.
_Caes. _ I tell thee, be not rash; a golden bridge
Is for a flying enemy.
I gave thee
A form of beauty, and an
Exemption from some maladies of body,
But not of mind, which is not mine to give.
But though I gave the form of Thetis' son,
I dipped thee not in Styx; and 'gainst a foe 20
I would not warrant thy chivalric heart
More than Pelides' heel; why, then, be cautious,
And know thyself a mortal still.
_Arn. _ And who
With aught of soul would combat if he were
Invulnerable? That were pretty sport.
Think'st thou I beat for hares when lions roar?
[ARNOLD _rushes into the combat_.
_Caes. _ A precious sample of humanity!
Well, his blood's up; and, if a little's shed,
'Twill serve to curb his fever.
[ARNOLD _engages with a Roman, who retires
towards a portico_.
_Arn. _ Yield thee, slave!
I promise quarter.
_Rom. _ That's soon said.
