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

¶VVhy
COLATINE, is woe the cure for woe?
¶Do wounds helpe wounds, or griefe helpe greeuous
(deeds?
¶Is it reuenge to giue thy
selfe a blow,
¶For his fowle Act, by whom the faire wife bleeds?
1825Such childi
sh humor from weake minds proceeds,
¶_Thy wretched wife mi
stooke the matter
so,
¶_To
slaie her
selfe that
should haue
slaine her Foe.
¶Couragious Romaine, do not
steepe thy hart
¶In
such relenting dew of Lamentations,
1830But kneele with me and helpe to beare thy part,
¶To row
se our Romaine Gods with inuocations,
¶That they will
suffer the
se abhominations.
¶_(Since Rome her
self in thē doth
stand di
sgraced,)
¶_By our
strong arms frō forth her fair
streets chaced.
1835Now by the Capitoll that we adore,
¶And by this cha
st bloud
so vniu
stlie
stained,
¶By heauens faire
sun that breeds the fat earths
store,
¶By all our countrey rights in Rome maintained,
¶And by cha
st
LVCRECE soule that late complained
1840_Her wrongs to vs, and by this bloudie knife,
¶_VVe will reuenge the death of this true wife.
¶This
sayd, he
strooke his hand vpon his brea
st,
¶And ki
st the fatall knife to end his vow:
¶And to his prote
station vrg'd the re
st,
1845VVho wondring at him, did his words allow.
¶Then ioyntlie to the ground their knees they bow,
¶_And that deepe vow which BRVTVS made before,
¶_He doth againe repeat, and that they
swore.
¶VVhen they had
sworne to this adui
sed doome,
1850They did conclude to beare dead LVCRECE thence,
¶To
shew her bleeding bodie thorough Roome,
¶And
so to publi
sh
TARQVINS fowle offence;
¶VVhich being done, with
speedie diligence,
¶_The Romaines plau
sibly did giue con
sent,
1855_To
TARQVINS euerla
sting bani
shment.
