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  • Title: Edward III (Quarto 1, 1596)
  • Editor: Sonia Massai

    • Copyright Sonia Massai. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Sonia Massai
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Edward III (Quarto 1, 1596)

    Edward the third.
    King. Reade ore the line againe,
    Lo: More faire and chast,
    505King: I did not bid thee talke of chastitie,
    To ransack so the treason of her minde,
    For I had rather haue her chased then chast,
    Out with the moone line, I wil none of it,
    And let me haue hir likened to the sun,
    510Say shee hath thrice more splendour then the sun,
    That her perfections emulats the sunne,
    That shee breeds sweets as plenteous as the sunne,
    That shee doth thaw cold winter like the sunne,
    That she doth cheere fresh sommer like the sunne,
    515That shee doth dazle gazers like the sunne,
    And in this application to the sunne,
    Bid her be free and generall as the sunne,
    Who smiles vpon the basest weed that growes,
    As louinglie as on the fragrant rose,
    520Lets see what followes that same moonelight line,
    Lo: More faire and chast then is the louer of shades,
    More bould in constancie.
    King: In constancie then who,
    Lo: Then Iudith was,
    525King: O monstrous line, put in the next a sword
    And I shall woo her to cut of my head
    Blot, blot, good Lodwicke let vs heare the next.
    Lo: Theres all that yet is donne.
    King: I thancke thee then thou hast don litle ill,
    530But what is don is passing passing ill,
    No let the Captaine talke of boystrous warr,
    The prisoner of emured darke constraint,
    The sick man best sets downe the pangs of death,
    The man that starues the sweetnes of a feast,
    535The frozen soule the benefite of fire,
    And euery griefe his happie opposite,
    Loue cannot sound well but in louers toungs,
    Giue me the pen and paper I will write,
    2 Enter
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