Properties
- end_line
- 5946
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T06:24:48.288Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 5838
- text
- # THE RAPE OF LVCRECE
Come Philomele that singst of rauiishment,
Make thy sad groue in my disheueld heare,
As the danke earth weepes at thy languishment:
So I at each sad straine, will straine a teare,
And with deepe grones the Diapason beare:
For burthen-wife ile hum on TARQVIN still,
VVhile thou on TEREVS descants better skill
And whiles against a thorne thou bearst thy part,
To keepe thy sharpe woes waking, wretched I
To imitate thee well, against my heart
VVill fixe a sharpe knife to affright mine eye,
VVho if it winke shall thereon fall and die.
Thefe meanes as frets vpon an instrument,
Shal tune our heart-strings to true languishment.
And for poore bird thou singst not in the day,
As shaming anie eye should thee behold:
Some darke deepe desert seated from the way,
That knowes not parching heat, nor freezing cold
VVill wee find out: and there we will vnhold
To creatures stern, sad tunes to change their kinds,
Since me proue beasts, let beasts bear getle minds.
II. 1128—1148
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# THE RAPE OF LVCRECE.
As the poore frighted Deare that stands at gaze,
V Vildly determining which way to flie,
Or one incompaft with a winding maze,
That cannot tread the way out readily:
So with her felle is thee in mutinie,
To liue or die which of the twaine were better,
V Vhen life is fham'd and death reproches detter.
To kill my felle, quoth thee, alacke what were it,
But with my body my poore foules pollution?
They that loofe halfe with greater patience beare it,
Then they whofe whole is swallowed in confusion.
That mother tries a mercileffe conclusion,
V Vho hauing two fweet babes, when death takes
V Vill flay the other, and be nurfe to none. (one,
My bodie or my foule which was the dearer?
V Vhen the one pure, the other made deuine,
V Vhofe loue of eyther to my felle was nearer?
V Vhen both were kept for Heauen and Colatine:
Ay me, the Barke pild from the loftie Pine,
His leaues will wither, and his fap decay,
So muft my foule her barke being pild away.
Her
ll. 1149—1169
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# THE RAPE OF LYCRECE.
Her house is fackt, her quiet interrupted,
Her mansion battered by the enemy,
Her sacred temple spotted, spoiled, corrupted,
Groslie ingirt with daring infamie.
Then let it not be cald impietie,
If in this blenish fort I make some hole,
Through which I may connay this troubled foule.
Yet die I will not, till my **COLATINE**
Haue heard the cause of my vntimelie death,
That he may vow in that sad house of mine,
Reuenge on him that made me stop my breath,
My stained cloud to **TARQVIN** ile bequeath,
V Vhich for him tainted, shall for him be spent,
And as his due writ in my testament.
My Honor ile bequeath vnto the knife
That wounds my bodie so dishonored,
Tis Honor to deprive dishonord life,
The one will liue, the other being dead.
So ofshames ashes shall my Fame be bred,
For in my death! murther shamefull scorne,
My shame so dead, mine honor is new borne.
I
II. 1170—1190
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# THE RAPE OF LVCRECE.
Deare Lord of that deare iewell I haue loft,
VVhat legacie shall I bequeath to thee?
My refolution loue shall be thy boft,
By whose example thou reueng'd mayft be.
How TARQVIN muft be vfd, read it in me,
My felfe thy friend will kill my felfe thy fo,
And for my fake ferue thou falfe TARQVIN fo.
This briefe abridgement of my will I make,
My foule and bodie to the skies and ground:
My refolution Husband doe thou take,
Mine Honor be the knifes that makes my wound,
My shame be his that did my Fame confound;
And all my Fame that liues disbursed be,
To those that liue and thinke no shame of me.
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