Qu monologue — King Henry VI, Part 3

Great Lords, wise men ne'r sit and waile their losse, But chearely seeke how to redresse their harmes. What though the Mast be now blowne ouer-boord, The Cable broke, the holding-Anchor lost, And halfe our Saylors swallow'd in the flood? Yet liues our Pilot still. Is't meet, that hee Should leaue the Helme, and like a fearefull Lad, With tearefull Eyes adde Water to the Sea, And giue more strength to that which hath too much, Whiles in his moane, the Ship splits on the Rock, Which Industrie and Courage might haue sau'd? Ah what a shame, ah what a fault were this. Say Warwicke was our Anchor: what of that? And Mountague our Top-Mast: what of him? Our slaught'red friends, the Tackles: what of these? Why is not Oxford here, another Anchor? And Somerset, another goodly Mast? The friends of France our Shrowds and Tacklings? And though vnskilfull, why not Ned and I, For once allow'd the skilfull Pilots Charge? We will not from the Helme, to sit and weepe, But keepe our Course (though the rough Winde say no) From Shelues and Rocks, that threaten vs with Wrack. As good to chide the Waues, as speake them faire. And what is Edward, but a ruthlesse Sea? What Clarence, but a Quick-sand of Deceit? And Richard, but a raged fatall Rocke? All these, the Enemies to our poore Barke. Say you can swim, alas 'tis but a while: Tread on the Sand, why there you quickly sinke, Bestride the Rock, the Tyde will wash you off, Or else you famish, that's a three-fold Death. This speake I (Lords) to let you vnderstand, If case some one of you would flye from vs, That there's no hop'd-for Mercy with the Brothers, More then with ruthlesse Waues, with Sands and Rocks. Why courage then, what cannot be auoided, 'Twere childish weakenesse to lament, or feare