rightfull plea might plead for lustice there His scarlet Lust came euidence to sweare That my poore beautie had purloin'd his eyes And when the Iudge is rob'd the prisoner dies O teach me how to make mine owne excuse Or at the least this refuge let me finde Though my grosse bloud be staind with this abuse Immaculate and spotlesse is my mind That was not forc'd that neuer was inclind To accessarie yeeldings but still pure Doth in her poyson'd closet yet endure Lo heare the hopelesse Marchant of this losse VVith head declin'd and voice dam'd vp with wo VVith sad set eyes and wretched armes acrosse From lips new waxen pale begins to blow The griefe away that stops his answer so But wretched as he is he striues in vaine VVhat he breaths out his breath drinks vp again As through an Arch the violent roaring tide Outruns the eye that doth behold his hast Yet in the Edie boundeth in his pride Backe to the strait that forst him on so fast In rage sent out recald in rage being past Euen so his sighes his sorrowes make a saw To push griefe on and back the same grief draw VVhich speechlesse woe of his poore she attendeth And his vntimelie frenzie thus awaketh Deare Lord thy sorrow to my sorrow lendeth Another power no floud by raining slaketh My woe too sencible thy passion maketh More feeling painfull let it than suffice To drowne on woe one paire of weeping eyes And for my sake when I might charme thee so For shee that was thy LVCRECE now attend me Be sodainelie reuenged on my Foe Thine mine his own suppose thou dost defend me From what is past the helpe that thou shalt lend me Comes all too late yet let the Traytor die For sparing Iustice feeds iniquitie But ere I name him you faire Lords quoth shee Speaking to those that came with COLATINE Shall plight your Honourable faiths to me VVith swift pursuit to venge this wrong of mine For'tis a meritorious faire designe To chase iniustice with reuengefull armes Knights by their oaths should right poore Ladies harmes At this request with noble disposition Each present Lord began to promise aide As bound in Knighthood to her imposition Longing to heare the hatefull Foe bewraide But shee that yet her sad taske hath not said The protestation stops ô speake quoth shee How may this forced staine be wip'd from me VVhat is the qualitie of my offence Being constrayn'd with dreadfull circumstance May my pure mind with the fowle act dispence My low declined Honor to aduance May anie termes acquit me from this chance The poysoned fountaine cleares it selfe againe And why not I from this compelled staine VVith this they all at once began to saie Her bodies staine her mind vntainted cleares VVhile with a ioylesse smile shee turnes awaie The face that map which deepe impression beares Of hard misfortune caru'd it in with tears No no quoth shee no Dame hereafter liuing By my excuse shall claime excuses giuing Here with a sigh as if her heart would breake Shee throwes forth TARQVINS name he he she saies But more then he her poore tong could not speake Till after manie accents and delaies Vntimelie breathings sicke and short assaies Shee vtters this he he faire Lords t is he That guides this hand to giue this wound to me Euen here she sheathed in her harmlesse breast A harmfull knife that thence her soule vnsheathed That blow did baile it from the deepe vnrest Of that polluted prison where it breathed Her contrite sighes vnto the clouds bequeathed Her winged sprite through her woūds doth flie Liues lasting date from cancel'd destinie Stone still astonisht with this deadlie deed Stood COLATINE and all his Lordly crew Till LVCRECE Father that beholds her bleed Himselfe on her selfe-slaughtred bodie threw And from the purple fountaine BRVTVS drew The murdrous knife and as it left the place Her bloud in poore reuenge held it in chase And bubling from her brest it doth deuide In two slow riuers that the crimson bloud Circles her bodie in on euerie side VVho like a late sack't Iland vastlie stood Bare and vnpeopled in this fearfull flood Some of her bloud still pure and red remain'd And som look'd black that false TARQVIN stain'd About the mourning and congealed face Of that blacke bloud a watrie rigoll goes VVhich seemes to weep vpon the tainted place And euer since as pittying LVCRECE woes Corrupted bloud some waterie token showes And bloud vntainted still doth red abide Blushing at that which is so putrified Daughter deare daughter old LVCRETIVS cries That life was mine which thou hast here depriued If in the childe the fathers image lies VVhere shall I liue now LVCRECE is vnliued Thou wast not to this end from me deriued If children praedecease progenitours VVe are their ofspring and they none of ours Poore broken glasse I often did behold In thy sweet semblance my old age new borne But now that faire fresh mirror dim and old Shewes me a bare bon'd death by time out-worne O from thy cheekes my image thou hast torne And shiuerd all the beautie of my glasse That I no more can see what once I was O time cease thou thy course and last no longer If they surcease to be that should suruiue Shall rotten death make conquest of the stronger And leaue the foultring feeble soules aliue The old Bees die the young possesse their hiue Then liue sweet LVCRECE liue againe and see Thy father die and not thy father thee By this starts COLATINE as from a dreame And bids LVCRECIVS giue his sorrow place And than in key-cold LVCRECE bleeding streame He fals and bathes the pale feare in his face And counterfaits to die with her a space Till manly shame bids him possesse his breath And liue to be reuenged on her death The deepe vexation of his inward soule Hath seru'd a dumbe arrest vpon his tongue VVho mad that sorrow should his vse controll Or keepe him from heart-easing words so long Begins to talke but through his lips do throng VVeake words so thick come in his poor harts aid That no man could distinguish what he said Yet sometime TARQVIN was pronounced plaine But through his teeth as if the name he tore This windie tempest till it blow vp raine Held backe his sorrowes tide to make it more At last it raines and busie windes giue ore Then sonne and father weep with equall strife VVho shuld weep most for daughter or for wife The one doth call her his the other his Yet neither may possesse the claime they lay The father saies shee 's mine ô mine shee is Replies her husband do not take away My sorrowes interest let no mourner say He weepes for her for shee was onely mine And onelie must be wayl'd by COLATINE O quoth LVCRETIVS I did giue that life VVhich shee to earely and too late hath spil'd VVoe woe quoth COLATINE shee was my wife I owed her and t is mine that shee hath kil'd My daughter and my wife with clamors fild The disperst aire who holding LVCRECE life Answer'd their cries my daughter and my wife BRVTVS who pluck't the knife from LVCRECE side Seeing such emulation in their woe Began to cloath his wit in state and pride Burying in LVCRECE wound his follies show He with the Romains was esteemed so As seelie ieering idiots are with Kings For sportiue words and vttring foolish things But now he throwes that shallow habit by VVherein deepe pollicie did him disguise And arm'd his long hid wits aduise dlie To checke the teares in COLATINVS eies Thou wronged Lord of Rome quoth he arise Let my vnsounded selfe suppos'd a foole Now set thy long experienc't wit to schoole VVhy COLATINE is woe the cure for woe Do wounds helpe wounds or griefe helpe greeuous deeds Is it reuenge to giue thy selfe a blow For his fowle Act by whom thy faire wife bleeds Such childish humor from weake minds proceeds Thy wretched wife mistooke the matter so To slaie her selfe that should haue slaine her Foe Couragious Romaine do not steepe thy hart In such relenting dew of Lamentations But kneele with me and helpe to beare thy part To rowse our Romaine Gods with inuocations That they will suffer these abhominations Since Rome her self in thē doth stand disgraced By our strong arms frō forth her fair streets chaced Now by the Capitoll that we adore And by this chast bloud so vniustlie stained By heauens faire sun that breeds the fat earths store By all our countrey rights in Rome maintained And by chast LVCRECE soule that late complained Her wrongs to vs and by this bloudie knife VVe will reuenge the death of this true wife This sayd he strooke his hand vpon his breast And kist the fatall knife to end his vow And to his protestation vrg'd the rest VVho wondring at him did his words allow Then ioyntlie to the ground their knees they bow And that deepe vow which BRVTVS made before He doth againe repeat and that they swore VVhen they had sworne to this aduised doome They did conclude to beare dead LVCRECE thence To shew her bleeding bodie thorough Roome And so to publish TARQVINS fowle offence VVhich being done with speedie diligence The Romaines plausibly did giue consent To TARQVINS euerlasting banishment FINIS
inward ill no outward harme exprest For that he colourd with his high estate Hiding base sin in pleats of Maiestie That nothing in him seemd inordinate Saue sometime too much wonder of his eye VVhich hauing all all could not satisfie But poorly rich so wanteth in his store That cloy'd with much he pineth still for more But she that neuer cop't with straunger eies Could picke no meaning from their parling lookes Nor read the subtle shining secrecies VVrit in the glassie margents of such bookes Shee toucht no vnknown baits nor feard no hooks Nor could shee moralize his wanton sight More then his eies were opend to the light He stories to her eares her husbands fame VVonne in the fields of fruitfull Italie And decks with praises Colatines high name Made glorious by his manlie chiualrie VVith bruised armes and wreathes of victorie Her ioie with heaued-vp hand she doth expresse And wordlesse so greetes heauen for his successe Far from the purpose of his comming thither He makes excuses for his being there No clowdie show of stormie blustring wether Doth yet in his faire welkin once appeare Till sable Night mother of dread and feare Vppon the world dim darknesse doth displaie And in her vaultie prison stowes the daie For then is Tarquine brought vnto his bed Intending wearinesse with heauie sprite For after supper long he questioned VVith modest Lucrece and wore out the night Now leaden slumber with liues strength doth fight And euerie one to rest themselues betake Saue theeues and cares and troubled minds that wake As one of which doth Tarquin lie reuoluing The sundrie dangers of his wils obtaining Yet euer to obtaine his will resoluing Though weake-built hopes perswade him to abstaining Dispaire to gaine doth traffique oft for gaining And when great treasure is the meede proposed Though death be adiūct ther 's no death supposed Those that much couet are with gaine so fond That what they haue not that which they possesse They scatter and vnloose it from their bond And so by hoping more they haue but lesse Or gaining more the profite of excesse Is but to surfet and such griefes sustaine That they proue bāckrout in this poore rich gain The ayme of all is but to nourse the life VVith honor wealth and ease in wainyng age And in this ayme there is such thwarting strife That one for all or all for one we gage As life for honour in fell battailes rage Honor for wealth and oft that wealth doth cost The death of all and altogether lost So that in ventring ill we leaue to be The things we are for that which we expect And this ambitious foule infirmitie In hauing much torments vs with defect Of that we haue so then we doe neglect The thing we haue and all for want of wit Make something nothing by augmenting it Such hazard now must doting TARQVIN make Pawning his honor to obtaine his lust And for himselfe himselfe he must forsake Then where is truth if there be no selfe-trust VVhen shall he thinke to find a stranger iust VVhen he himselfe himselfe confounds betraies To sclandrous tongues wretched hateful daies Now stole vppon the time the dead of night VVhen heauie sleeep had closd vp mortall eyes No comfortable starre did lend his light No noise but Owles wolues death-boding cries Now serues the season that they may surprise The sillie Lambes pure thoughts are dead still VVhile Lust and Murder wakes to staine and kill And now this lustfull Lord leapt from his bed Throwing his mantle rudely ore his arme Is madly tost betweene desire and dred Th' one sweetely flatters th' other feareth harme But honest feare bewicht with lustes foule charme Doth too too oft betake him to retire Beaten away by brainesicke rude desire His Faulchon on a flint he softly smiteth That from the could stone sparkes of fire doe flie VVhereat a waxen torch forthwith he lighteth VVhich must be lodestarre to his lustfull eye And to the flame thus speakes aduisedlie As from this cold flint I enforst this fire So LVCRECE must I force to my desire Here pale with feare he doth premeditate The daungers of his lothsome enterprise And in his inward mind he doth debate VVhat following sorrow may on this arise Then looking scornfully he doth despise His naked armour of still slaughtered lust And iustly thus controlls his thoughts vniust Faire torch burne out thy light and lend it not To darken her whose light excelleth thine And die vnhallowed thoughts before you blot VVith your vncleannesse that which is deuine Offer pure incense to so pure a shrine Let faire humanitie abhor the deede That spots stains loues modest snow-white weed O shame to knighthood and to shining Armes O foule dishonor to my houshoulds graue O impious act including all foule harmes A martiall man to be soft fancies slaue True valour still a true respect should haue Then my digression is so vile so base That it will liue engrauen in my face Yea though I die the scandale will suruiue And be an eie-sore in my golden coate Some lothsome dash the Herrald will contriue To cipher me how fondlie I did dote That my posteritie sham'd with the note Shall curse my bones and hold it for no sinne To wish that I their father had not beene VVhat win I if I gaine the thing I seeke A dreame a breath a froth of fleeting ioy VVho buies a minutes mirth to waile a weeke Or sels eternitie to get a toy For one sweete grape who will the vine destroy Or what fond begger but to touch the crowne VVould with the scepter straight be strokē down If COLATINVS dreame of my intent VVill he not wake and in a desp'rate rage Post hither this vile purpose to preuent This siege that hath ingirt his marriage This blur to youth this sorrow to the sage This dying vertue this suruiuing shame VVhose crime will beare an euer-during blame O what excuse can my inuention make VVhen thou shalt charge me with so blacke a deed VVil not my tongue be mute my fraile ioints shake Mine eies forgo their light my false hart bleede The guilt beeing great the feare doth still exceede And extreme feare can neither fight nor flie But cowardlike with trembling terror die Had COLATINVS kild my sonne or sire Or laine in ambush to betray my life Or were he not my deare friend this desire Might haue excuse to worke vppon his wife As in reuenge or quittall of such strife But as he is my kinsman my deare friend The shame and fault finds no excuse nor end Shamefull it is I if the fact be knowne Hatefull it is there is no hate in louing He beg her loue but she is not her owne The worst is but deniall and reproouing My will is strong past reasons weake remoouing VVho feares a sentence or an old mans saw Shall by a painted cloth be kept in awe Thus gracelesse holds he disputation Tweene frozen conscience and hot burning
VVho this accomplishment so hotly chased For now against himselfe he sounds this doome That through the length of times he stāds disgraced Besides his soules faire temple is defaced To whose weake ruines muster troopes of cares To aske the spotted Princesse how she fares Shee sayes her subiects with fowle insurrection Haue batterd downe her consecrated wall And by their mortall fault brought in subiection Her immortalitie and made her thrall To liuing death and payne perpetuall VVhich in her prescience shee controlled still But her foresight could not for estall their will Eu'n in this thought through the dark-night he stealeth A captiue victor that hath lost in gaine Bearing away the wound that nothing healeth The scarre that will dispight of Cure remaine Leauing his spoile perplext in greater paine Shee beares the lode of lust he left behinde And he the burthen of a guiltie minde Hee like a theeuish dog creeps sadly thence Shee like a wearied Lambe lies panting there He scowles and hates himselfe for his offence Shee desperat with her nailes her flesh doth teare He faintly flies sweating with guiltie feare Shee staies exclayming on the direfull night He runnes and chides his vanisht loth'd delight He thence departs a heauy conuertite Shee there remaines a hopelesse cast-away He in his speed lookes for the morning light Shee prayes shee neuer may behold the day For daie quoth shee nights scapes doth open lay And my true eyes haue neuer practiz'd how To cloake offences with a cunning brow They thinke not but that euerie eye can see The same disgrace which they themselues behold And therefore would they still in darkenesse be To haue their vnseene sinne remaine vntold For they their guilt with weeping will vnfold And graue like water that doth eate in steele Vppon my cheeks what helpelesse shame I feele Here shee exclaimes against repose and rest And bids her eyes hereafter still be blinde Shee wakes her heart by beating on her brest And bids it leape from thence where it maie finde Some pure chest to close so pure aminde Franticke with griefe thus breaths shee forth her spite Against the vnseene secrecie of night O comfort-killing night image of Hell Dim register and notarie of shame Blacke stage for tragedies and murthers fell Vast sin-concealing Chaos nourse of blame Blinde muffled bawd darke harber for defame Grim caue of death whispring conspirator VVith close-tong'd treason the rauisher O hatefull vaporous and foggy night Since thou art guilty of my curelesse crime Muster thy mists to meete the Easterne light Make war against proportion'd course of time Or if thou wilt permit the Sunne to clime His wonted height yet ere he go to bed Knit poysonous clouds about his golden head VVith rotten damps rauish the morning aire Let their exhald vnholdsome breaths make sicke The life of puritie the supreme faire Ere he arriue his wearie noone-tide pricke And let thy mustie vapours march so thicke That in their smoakie rankes his smothred light May set at noone and make perpetuall night VVere TARQVIN night as he is but nights child The siluer shining Queene he would distaine Her twinckling handmaids to by him defil'd Through nights black bosom shuld not peep again So should I haue copartners in my paine And fellowship in woe doth woe asswage As Palmers chat makes short their pilgrimage VVhere now I haue no one to blush with me To crosse their armes hang their heads with mine To maske their browes and hide their infamie But I alone alone must sit and pine Seasoning the earth with showres of siluer brine Mingling my talk with tears my greef with grones Poore wasting monuments of lasting mones O night thou furnace of fowle reeking smoke Let no◠the iealous daie behold that face VVhich vnderneath thy blacke all-hiding cloke Immodestly lies martird with disgrace Keepe still possession of thy gloomy place That all the faults which in thy raigne are made May likewise be sepulcherd in thy shade Make me not obiect to the tell-tale day The light will shew characterd in my brow The storie of sweete chastities decay The impious breach of holy wedlocke vowe Yea the illiterate that know not how To cipher what is writ in learned bookes VVill cote my lothsome trespasse in my lookes The nourse to still her child will tell my storie And fright her crying babe with TARQVINS name The Orator to decke his oratorie VVill couple my reproch to TARQVINS shame Feast-finding minstrels tuning my defame VVill tie the hearers to attend ech line How TARQVIN wronged me I COLATINE Let my good name that sencelesse reputation For COLATINES deare loue be kept vnspotted If that be made a theame for disputation The branches of another roote are rotted And vndeseru'd reproch to him alotted That is as cleare from this attaint of mine As I ere this was pure to COLATINE Ovnseene shame inuisible disgrace Ovnfelt sore crest-wounding priuat scarre Reproch is stampt in COLATINVS face And TARQVINS eye maie read the mot a farre How he in peace is wounded not in warre Alas how manie beare such shamefull blowes VVhich not thēselues but he that giues thē knowes If COLATINE thine honor laie in me From me by strong assault it is bereft My Honnie lost and I a Drone-like Bee Haue no perfection of my sommer left But rob'd and ransak't by iniurious theft In thy weake Hiue a wandring waspe hath crept And suck't the Honnie which thy chast Bee kept Yet am I guiltie of thy Honors wracke Yet for thy Honor did I entertaine him Comming from thee I could not put him backe For it had beene dishonor to disdaine him Besides of wearinesse he did complaine him And talk't of Vertue O vnlook't for euill VVhen Vertue is prophan'd in such a Deuill VVhy should the worme intrude the maiden bud Or hatefull Kuckcowes hatch in Sparrows nests Or Todes infect faire founts with venome mud Or tyrant follie lurke in gentle brests Or Kings be breakers of their owne behestes But no perfection is so absolute That some impuritie doth not pollute The aged man that coffers vp his gold Is plagu'd with cramps and gouts and painefull fits And scarce hath eyes his treasure to behold But like still pining TANTALVS he sits And vselesse barnes the haruest of his wits Hauing no other pleasure of his gaine But torment that it cannot cure his paine So then he hath it when he cannot vse it And leaues it to be maistred by his yong VVho in their pride do presently abuse it Their father was too weake and they too strong To hold their cursed-blessed Fortune long The sweets we wish for turne to lothed sowrs Euen in the moment that we call them ours Vnruly blasts wait on the tender spring Vnholsome weeds take roote with precious flowrs The Adder hisses where the sweete birds sing VVhat Vertue breedes Iniquity deuours VVe haue no good that we can say is ours But ill annexed opportunity Or kils his life or else his quality O opportunity
thy guilt is great T is thou that execut'st the traytors treason Thou sets the wolfe where he the lambe may get VVho euer plots the sinne thou poinst the season T is thou that spurn'st at right at law at reason And in thy shadie Cell where none may spie him Sits sin to ceaze the soules that wander by him Thou makest the vestall violate her oath Thou blowest the fire when temperance is thawd Thou smotherst honestie thou murthrest troth Thou fowle abbettor thou notorious bawd Thou plantest scandall and displacest lawd Thou rauisher thou traytor thou false theefe Thy honie turnes to gall thy ioy to greefe Thy secret pleasure turnes to open shame Thy priuate feasting to a publicke fast Thy smoothing titles to a ragged name Thy sugred tongue to bitter wormwood tast Thy violent vanities can neuer last How comes it then vile opportunity Being so bad such numbers seeke for thee VVhen wilt thou be the humble suppliants friend And bring him where his suit may be obtained VVhen wilt thou sort an howre great strifes to end Or free that soule which wretchednes hath chained Giue phisicke to the sicke ease to the pained The poore lame blind hault creepe cry out for thee But they nere meet with oportunitie The patient dies while the Phisitian sleepes The Orphane pines while the oppressor feedes Iustice is feasting while the widow weepes Aduise is sporting while infection breeds Thou graunt'st no time for charitable deeds VVrath enuy treason rape and murthers rages Thy heinous houres wait on them as their Pages VVhen Trueth and Vertue haue to do with thee A thousand crosses keepe them from thy aide They buie thy helpe but sinne nere giues a fee He gratis comes and thou art well apaide As well to heare as graunt what he hath saide My COLATINE would else haue come to me VVhen TARQVIN did but he was staied by thee Guilty thou art of murther and of theft Guilty of periurie and subornation Guilty of treason forgerie and shift Guilty of incest that abhomination An accessarie by thine inclination To all sinnes past and all that are to come From the creation to the generall doome Misshapen time copesmate of vgly night Swift subtle post carrier of grieslie care Eater of youth false slaue to false delight Base watch of woes sins packhorse vertues snare Thou noursest all and murthrest all that are O heare me then iniurious shifting time Be guiltie of my death since of my crime VVhy hath thy seruant opportunity Betraide the howres thou gau'st me to repose Canceld my fortunes and inchained me To endlesse date of neuer-ending woes Times office is to fine the hate offoes To eate vp errours by opinion bred Not spend the dowrie of a lawfull bed Times glorie is to calme contending Kings To vnmaske falshood and bring truth to light To stampe the seale of time in aged things To wake the morne and Centinell the night To wrong the wronger till he render right To ruinate proud buildings with thy howres And smeare with dust their glitring golden towrs To fill with worme-holes stately monuments To feede obliuion with decay of things To blot old bookes and alter their contents To plucke the quils from auncient rauens wings To drie the old oakes sappe and cherish springs To spoile Antiquities of hammerd steele And turne the giddy round of Fortunes wheele To shew the beldame daughters of her daughter To make the child a man the man a childe To slay the tygre that doth liue by slaughter To tame the Vnicorne and Lion wild To mocke the subtle in themselues beguild To cheare the Plowman with increasefull crops And wast huge stones with little water drops VVhy work'st thou mischiefe in thy Pilgrimage Vnlesse thou could'st returne to make amends One poore retyring minute in an age VVould purchase thee a thousand thousand friends Lending him wit that to bad detters lends O this dread night would'st thou one howr come backe I could preuent this storme and shun thy wracke Thou ceaselesse lackie to Eternitie VVith some mischance crosse TARQVIN in his flight Deuise extreames beyond extremitie To make him curse this cursed crimefull night Let gastly shadowes his lewd eyes affright And the dire thought of his committed euill Shape euery bush a hideous shapelesse deuill Disturbe his howres of rest with restlesse trances Afflict him in his bed with bedred grones Let there be chaunce him pitifull mischances To make him mone but pitie not his mones Stone him with hardned hearts harder then stones And let milde women to him loose their mildnesse VVilder to him then Tygers in their wildnesse Let him haue time to teare his curled haire Let him haue time against him selfe to raue Let him haue time of times helpe to dispaire Let him haue time to liue a lothed slaue Let him haue time a beggers orts to craue And time to see one that by almes doth liue Disdaine to him disdained scraps to giue Let him haue time to see his friends his foes And merrie fooles to mocke at him resort Let him haue time to marke how slow time goes In time of sorrow and how swift and short His time of follie and his time of sport And euer let his vnrecalling crime Haue time to waile th'abusing of his time O time thou tutor both to good and bad Teach me to curse him that thou taught'st this ill At his owne shadow let the theefe runne mad Himselfe himselfe seeke euerie howre to kill Such wretched hāds such wretched blood shuld spill For who so base would such an office haue As sclandrous deaths-man to so base a slaue The baser is he comming from a king To shame his hope with deedes degenerate The mightier man the mightier is the thing That makes him honord or begets him hate For greatest scandall waits on greatest state The Moone being clouded presently is mist But little stars may hide them when they list The Crow may bath his coaleblacke wings in mire And vnperceau'd flie with the filth away But if the like the snow-white Swan desire The staine vppon his siluer Downe will stay Poore grooms are sightles night kings glorious day Gnats are vnnoted wheresoere they flie But Eagles gaz'd vppon with euerie eye Out idle wordes seruants to shallow fooles Vnprofitable sounds weake arbitrators Busie your selues in skill contending schooles Debate where leysure serues with dull debators To trembling Clients be you mediators For me I force not argument a straw Since that my case is past the helpe of law In vaine I raile at oportunitie At time at TARQVIN and vnchearfull night In vaine I cauill with mine infamie In vaine I spurne at my confirm'd despight This helpelesse smoake of words doth me no right The remedie indeede to do me good Is to let forth my fowle defiled blood Poore hand why quiuerst thou at this decree Honor thy selfe to rid me of this shame For if I die my Honor liues in thee But if I liue thou liu'st in my defame Since thou couldst
not defend thy loyall Dame And wast affeard to scratch her wicked Fo Kill both thy selfe and her for yeelding so This said from her betombled couch shee starteth To finde some desp'rat Instrument of death But this no slaughter house no toole imparteth To make more vent for passage of her breath VVhich thronging through her lips so vanisheth As smoake from AETNA that in aire consumes Or that which from discharged Cannon fumes In vaine quoth shee I liue and seeke in vaine Some happie meane to end a haplesse life I fear'd by TARQVINS Fauchion to be slaine Yet for the selfe same purpose seeke a knife But when I fear'd I was a loyall wife So am I now ô no that cannot be Of that true tipe hath TARQVIN rifled me O that is gone for which I sought to liue And therefore now I need not feare to die To cleare this spot by death at least I giue A badge of Fame to sclanders liuerie A dying life to liuing infamie Poore helplesse helpe the treasure stolne away To burne the guiltlesse casket where it lay VVell well deare COLATINE thou shalt not know The stained tast of violated troth I will not wrong thy true affection so To flatter thee with an infringed oath This bastard graffe shall neuer come to growth He shall not boast who did thy stocke pollute That thou art doting father of his fruite Nor shall he smile at thee in secret thought Nor laugh with his companions at thy state But thou shalt know thy intrest was not bought Basely with gold but stolne from foorth thy gate For me I am the mistresse of my fate And with my trespasse neuer will dispence Till life to death acquit my forst offence I will not poyson thee with my attaint Nor fold my fault in cleanly coin'd excuses My sable ground of sinne I will not paint To hide the truth of this false nights abuses My tongue shall vtter all mine eyes like sluces As from a mountaine spring that feeds a dale Shal gush pure streams to purge my impure tale By this lamenting Philomele had ended The well-tun'd warble of her nightly sorrow And solemne night with slow sad gate descended To ouglie Hell when loe the blushing morrow Lends light to all faire eyes that light will borrow But cloudie LVCRECE shames her selfe to see And therefore still in night would cloistred be Reuealing day through euery crannie spies And seems to point her out where she sits weeping To whom shee sobbing speakes ô eye of eyes VVhy pry'st thou throgh my window leaue thy peeping Mock with thy tickling beams eies that are sleeping Brand not my forehead with thy percing light For day hath nought to do what 's done by night Thus cauils shee with euerie thing shee sees True griefe is fond and testie as a childe VVho wayward once his mood with naught agrees Old woes not infant sorrowes beare them milde Continuance tames the one the other wilde Like an vnpractiz'd swimmer plunging still VVith too much labour drowns for want of skill So shee deepe drenched in a Sea of care Holds disputation with ech thing shee vewes And to her selfe all sorrow doth compare No obiect but her passions strength renewes And as one shiftes another straight insewes Somtime her griefe is dumbe and hath no words Sometime t is mad and too much talke affords The little birds that tune their mornings ioy Make her mones mad with their sweet melodie For mirth doth search the bottome of annoy Sad soules are slaine in merrie companie Griefe best is pleas'd with griefes societie True sorrow then is feelinglie suffiz'd VVhen with like semblance it is simpathiz'd T is double death to drowne in ken ofshore He ten times pines that pines beholding food To see the salue doth make the wound ake more Great griefe greeues most at that wold do it good Deepe woes rowle forward like a gentle flood VVho being stopt the boūding banks oreflowes Griefe dallied with nor law nor limit knowes You mocking Birds quoth she your tunes intombe VVithin your hollow swelling feathered breasts And in my hearing be you mute and dumbe My restlesse discord loues no stops nor rests A woefull Hostesse brookes not merrie guests Ralish your nimble notes to pleasing eares Distres likes dūps whē time is kept with teares Come Philomele that sing'st of rauishment Make thy sad groue in my disheueld heare As the danke earth weepes at thy languishment So I at each sad straine will straine a teare And with deepe grones the Diapason beare For burthen-wise I le hum on TARQVIN still VVhile thou on TEREVS descants better skill And whiles against a thorne thou bear'st thy part To keepe thy sharpe woes waking wretched I To imitate thee well against my heart VVill fixe a sharpe knife to affright mine eye VVho if it winke shall thereon fall and die These meanes as frets vpon an instrument Shal tune our heart-strings to true languishment And for poore bird thou sing'st not in the day As shaming anie eye should thee behold Some darke deepe desert seated from the way That knowes not parching heat nor freezing cold VVill wee find out and there we will vnfold To creatures stern sad tunes to change their kinds Since mē proue beasts let beasts bear gētle minds As the poore frighted Deare that stands at gaze VVildly determining which way to flie Or one incompast with a winding maze That cannot tread the way out readilie So with her selfe is shee in mutinie To liue or die which of the twaine were better VVhen life is sham'd and death reproches detter To kill my selfe quoth shee alacke what were it But with my body my poore soules pollusion They that loose halfe with greater patience beare it Then they whose whole is swallowed in confusion That mother tries a mercilesse conclusion VVho hauing two sweet babes when death takes one VVill stay the other and be nurse to none My bodie or my soule which was the dearer VVhen the one pure the other made deuine VVhose loue of eyther to my selfe was nearer VVhen both were kept for Heauen and COLATINE Ay me the Barke pild from the loftie Pine His leaues will wither and his sap decay So must my soule her barke being pild away Her house is sackt her quiet interrupted Her mansion batterd by the enemie Her sacred temple spotted spoild corrupted Groslie ingirt with daring infamie Then let it not be cald impietie If in this blemisht for t I make some hole Through which I may conuay this troubled soule Yet die I will not till my COLATINE Haue heard the cause of my vntimelie death That he may vow in that sad houre of mine Reuenge on him that made me stop my breath My stained bloud to TARQVIN I le bequeath VVhich by him tainted shall for him be spent And as his due writ in my testament My Honorile bequeath vnto the knife That wounds my bodie so dishonored T is Honor to depriue dishonord life The one will liue the other being dead