Lucrece (Quarto, 1594)
Author: William ShakespeareEditor: Hardy M. CookNot Peer Reviewed


¶O opportunity thy guilt is great,
¶Tis thou that execut'
st the traytors trea
son:
¶Thou
sets the wolfe where he the lambe may get,
¶VVho euer plots the
sinne thou poin
st the
sea
son.
880Tis thou that
spurn'
st at right, at law, at rea
son,
¶_And in thy
shadie Cell where none may
spie him,
¶_Sits
sin to ceaze the
soules that wander by him.
¶Thou make
st the ve
stall violate her oath,
¶Thou blowe
st the fire when temperance is thawd,
885Thou
smother
st hone
stie, thou murthre
st troth,
¶Thou fowle abbettor, thou notorious bawd,
¶Thou plante
st
scandall, and di
splace
st lawd.
¶_Thou raui
sher, thou traytor, thou fal
se theefe,
¶_Thy honie turnes to gall, thy ioy to greefe.
890Thy
secret plea
sure turnes to open
shame,
¶Thy priuate fea
sting to a publicke fa
st,
¶Thy
smoothing titles to a ragged name,
¶Thy
sugred tongue to bitter wormwood ta
st,
¶Thy violent vanities can neuer la
st.
895_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?
900Or free that
soule which wretchednes hath chained?
¶Giue phi
sicke to the
sicke, ea
se to the pained?
¶_The poore, lame, blind, hault, creepe, cry out for
(thee,
¶_But they nere meet with oportunitie.
¶The patient dies while the Phi
sitian
sleepes,
905The Orphane pines while the oppre
ssor feedes.
¶Iu
stice is fea
sting while the widow weepes.
¶Adui
se is
sporting while infection breeds.
¶Thou graunt'
st no time for charitable deeds.
¶_VVrath, enuy, trea
son, rape, and murthers rages,
910_Thy heinous houres wait on them as their Pages.

