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


¶He
stories to her eares her husbands fame,
¶VVonne in the fields of fruitfull Italie:
¶And decks with prai
ses Colatines high name,
¶Made glorious by his manlie chiualrie,
110VVith brui
sed armes and wreathes of victorie,
¶_Her ioie with heaued-vp hand
she doth expre
sse,
¶_And wordle
sse
so greetes heauen for his
succe
sse.
¶Far from the purpo
se of his comming thither,
¶He makes excu
ses for his being there,
115No clowdie
show of
stormie blu
string wether,
¶Doth yet in his faire welkin once appeare,
¶Till
sable Night mother of dread and feare,
¶_Vppon the world dim darkne
sse doth di
splaie,
¶_And in her vaultie pri
son,
stowes the daie.
120For then is Tarquine brought vnto his bed,
¶Intending wearine
sse with heauie
sprite:
¶For after
supper long he que
stioned,
¶VVith mode
st Lucrece, and wore out the night,
¶Now leaden
slumber with liues
strength doth fight,
125_And euerie one to re
st them
selues 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 re
soluing.
130Though weake-built hopes per
swade him to ab
stai
(ning
¶Di
spaire to gaine doth traffique oft for gaining,
¶_And when great trea
sure is the meede propo
sed,
¶_Though death be adiūct, ther's no death
suppo
sed.
¶Tho
se that much couet are with gaine
so fond,
135That what they haue not, that which they po
sse
sse
¶They
scatter and vnloo
se it from their bond,
¶And
so by hoping more they haue but le
sse,
¶Or gaining more, the profite of exce
sse
¶_Is but to
surfet, and
such griefes
su
staine,
140_That they proue bāckrout in this poore rich gain.

