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


¶VVhen Trueth and Vertue haue to do with thee,
¶A thou
sand cro
sses keepe them from thy aide:
¶They buie thy helpe, but
sinne nere giues a fee,
¶He gratis comes, and thou art well apaide,
915As well to heare, as graunt what he hath
saide.
¶_My
COLATINE would el
se 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,
920Guilty of trea
son, forgerie, and
shift,
¶Guilty of ince
st that abhomination,
¶An acce
ssarie by thine inclination.
¶_To all
sinnes pa
st and all that are to come,
¶_From the creation to the generall doome.
925Mi
sshapen time, cope
smate of vgly night,
¶Swift
subtle po
st, carrier of grie
slie care,
¶Eater of youth, fal
se
slaue to fal
se delight:
¶Ba
se watch of woes,
sins packhor
se, vertues
snare.
¶Thou nour
se
st all, and murthre
st all that are.
930_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 repo
se?
¶Canceld my fortunes, and inchained me
935To endle
sse date of neuer-ending woes?
¶Times office is to fine the hate of
_foes,
¶_To eate vp errours by opinion bred,
¶_Not
spend the dowrie of a lawfull bed.
¶Times glorie is to calme contending Kings,
940To vnmaske fal
shood, 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,
945_And
smeare with du
st their glitring golden towrs.

