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Religious love put out religion's eye. |
Not to be tempted, would she be immured, |
And now to tempt all liberty procured. |
'"How mighty then you are, O hear me tell! |
The broken bosoms that to me belong |
Have emptied all their fountains in my well, |
And mine I pour your ocean all among. |
I strong o'er them, and you o'er me being strong, |
Must for your victory us all congest, |
As compound love to physic your cold breast. |
'"My parts had pow'r to charm a sacred nun, |
Who, disciplined, ay, dieted in grace, |
Believed her eyes when they t'assail begun, |
All vows and consecrations giving place, |
O most potential love, vow, bond, nor space, |
In thee hath neither sting, knot, nor confine, |
For thou art all, and all things else are thine. |
'"When thou impressest, what are precepts worth |
Of stale example? When thou wilt inflame, |
How coldly those impediments stand forth, |
Of wealth, of filial fear, law, kindred, fame! |
Love's arms are peace, 'gainst rule, 'gainst sense, 'gainst shame. |
And sweetens, in the suff'ring pangs it bears, |
The aloes of all forces, shocks and fears. |
'"Now all these hearts that do on mine depend, |
Feeling it break, with bleeding groans they pine, |
And supplicant their sighs to your extend, |
To leave the batt'ry that you make 'gainst mine, |
Lending soft audience to my sweet design, |
And credent soul to that strong-bonded oath, |
That shall prefer and undertake my troth." |
'This said, his wat'ry eyes he did dismount, |
Whose sights till then were levelled on my face; |
Each cheek a river running from a fount |
With brinish current downward flowed apace. |
O, how the channel to the stream gave grace! |
Who glazed with crystal gate the glowing roses |
That flame through water which their hue encloses. |
'O father, what a hell of witchcraft lies |
In the small orb of one particular tear! |
But with the inundation of the eyes |
What rocky heart to water will not wear? |
What breast so cold that is not warmed here? |
O cleft effect! cold modesty, hot wrath, |
Both fire from hence and chill extincture hath. |
'For lo, his passion, but an art of craft, |
Even there resolved my reason into tears; |
There my white stole of chastity I daffed, |
Shook off my sober guards and civil fears; |
Appear to him as he to me appears, |
All melting; though our drops this diff'rence bore: |
His poisoned me, and mine did him restore. |
'In him a plenitude of subtle matter, |
Applied to cautels, all strange forms receives, |
Of burning blushes or of weeping water, |
Or swooning paleness; and he takes and leaves, |
In either's aptness, as it best deceives, |
To blush at speeches rank, to weep at woes, |
Or to turn white and swoon at tragic shows; |
'That not a heart which in his level came |
Could scape the hail of his all-hurting aim, |
Showing fair nature is both kind and tame; |
And, veiled in them, did win whom he would maim. |
Against the thing he sought he would exclaim; |
When he most burned in heart-wished luxury, |
He preached pure maid and praised cold chastity. |
'Thus merely with the garment of a Grace |
The naked and concealed fiend he covered, |
That th' unexperient gave the tempter place, |
Which, like a cherubin, above them hovered. |
Who, young and simple, would not be so lovered? |
Ay me, I fell, and yet do question make |
What I should do again for such a sake. |
'O, that infected moisture of his eye, |
O, that false fire which in his cheek so glowed, |
O, that forced thunder from his heart did fly, |
O, that sad breath his spongy lungs bestowed, |
O, all that borrowed motion, seeming owed, |
Would yet again betray the fore-betrayed, |
And new pervert a reconciled maid.' |
THE END |
<<THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM |
SHAKESPEARE IS COPYRIGHT 1990-1993 BY WORLD LIBRARY, INC., AND IS |
PROVIDED BY PROJECT GUTENBERG ETEXT OF ILLINOIS BENEDICTINE COLLEGE |
WITH PERMISSION. ELECTRONIC AND MACHINE READABLE COPIES MAY BE |
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