“ So that skill in the weapon is nothing without sack, for that sets it a-work; and learning, a mere hoard of gold kept by a devil till sack commences it and sets it in act and use. ”
William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2 (1600). copy citation
| Author | William Shakespeare |
|---|---|
| Source | Henry IV, Part 2 |
| Topic | skill weapons |
| Date | 1600 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Written between 1596 and 1599 |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1782/pg1782-images.html |
Context
“It illumineth the face, which, as a beacon, gives warning to all the rest of this little kingdom, man, to arm; and then the vital commoners and inland petty spirits muster me all to their captain, the heart, who, great and puff'd up with this retinue, doth any deed of courage—and this valour comes of sherris. So that skill in the weapon is nothing without sack, for that sets it a-work; and learning, a mere hoard of gold kept by a devil till sack commences it and sets it in act and use. Hereof comes it that Prince Harry is valiant; for the cold blood he did naturally inherit of his father, he hath, like lean, sterile, and bare land, manured, husbanded, and till'd, with excellent endeavour of drinking good and good store of fertile sherris, that he is become very hot and valiant.”
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