"Darest thou, Cassius, now

Leap in with me into this angry flood,

And swim to yonder point?" Upon the word,

Accoutred as I was, I plunged in

And bade him follow.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): Julius Caesar. Act i. Sc. 2.

Look ere ye leape.

John Heywood (Circa 1565): Proverbes. Part i. Chap. ii.

As the ancients

Say wisely, have a care o' th' main chance,

And look before you ere you leap;

For as you sow, ye are like to reap.

Samuel Butler (1600-1680): Hudibras. Part ii. Canto ii. Line 501.

By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap

To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon,

Or dive into the bottom of the deep,

Where fathom-line could never touch the ground,

And pluck up drowned honour by the locks.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): King Henry IV. Part I. Act i. Sc. 3.