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


¶Mine enemy was
strong, my poore
selfe weake,
¶(And farre the weaker with
so
strong a feare)
¶My bloudie Iudge forbod my tongue to
speake,
¶No rightfull plea might plead for Iu
stice there.
1650His
scarlet Lu
st came euidence to
sweare
¶_That my poore beautie had purloin'd his eyes,
¶_And when the Iudge is rob'd, the pri
soner dies.
¶O teach me how to make mine owne excu
se,
¶Or (at the lea
st) this refuge let me finde,
1655Though my gro
sse bloud be
staind with this abu
se,
¶Immaculate, and
spotle
sse is my mind,
¶That was not forc'd, that neuer was inclind
¶_To acce
ssarie yeeldings, but
still pure
¶_Doth in her poy
son'd clo
set yet endure.
1660Lo heare the hopele
sse Marchant of this lo
sse,
¶VVith head declin'd, and voice dam'd vp with wo,
¶VVith
sad
set eyes and wretched armes acro
sse,
¶From lips new waxen pale, begins to blow
¶The griefe away, that
stops his an
swer
so.
1665_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 ha
st:
¶Yet in the Edie boundeth in his pride,
1670Backe to the
strait that for
st him on
so fa
st:
¶In rage
sent out, recald in rage being pa
st,
¶_Euen
so his
sighes, his
sorrowes make a
saw,
¶_To pu
sh griefe on, and back the
same grief draw.
¶VVhich
speechle
sse woe of his poore
she attendeth,
1675And 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 pa
ssion maketh
¶_More feeling painfull, let it than
suffice
1680_To drowne on woe, one paire of weeping eyes.

