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


¶Her letter now is
seal'd, and on it writ
¶At
ARDEA to my Lord with more then ha
st,
¶The Po
st attends, and
shee deliuers it,
¶Charging the
sowr-fac'd groome, to high as fa
st
1335As lagging fowles before the Northerne bla
st,
¶_Speed more then
speed, but dul &
slow
she deems,
¶_Extremity
still vrgeth
such extremes.
¶The homelie villaine cur
sies to her low,
¶And blu
shing on her with a
stedfa
st eye,
1340Receaues the
scroll without or yea or no,
¶And forth with ba
shfull innocence doth hie.
¶But they who
se guilt within their bo
somes lie,
¶_Imagine euerie eye beholds their blame,
¶_For LVCRECE thought, he blu
sht to
see her
shame.
1345VVhen
seelie Groome (God wot) it was defect
¶Of
spirite, life, and bold audacitie,
¶Such harmle
sse creatures haue a true re
spect
¶To talke in deeds, while others
saucilie
¶Promi
se more
speed, but do it ley
surelie.
1350_Euen
so this patterne of the worne-out age,
¶_Pawn'd hone
st looks, but laid no words to gage.
¶His kindled duetie kindled her mi
stru
st,
¶That two red fires in both their faces blazed,
¶Shee thought he blu
sht, as knowing TARQVINS lu
st,
1355And blu
shing with him, wi
stlie on him gazed,
¶Her earne
st eye did make him more amazed.
¶_The more
shee
saw the bloud his cheeks repleni
sh,
¶_The more
she thought he
spied in her
som blemi
sh.
¶But long
shee thinkes till he returne againe,
1360And yet the dutious va
ssall
scarce is gone,
¶The wearie time
shee cannot entertaine,
¶For now tis
stale to
sigh, to weepe, and grone,
¶So woe hath wearied woe, mone tired mone,
¶_That
shee her plaints a little while doth
stay,
1365_Paw
sing for means to mourne
some newer way.

