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"O," quoth Lucretius, "I did give that life, "Which she too early and too late 57 hath spill'd."

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Woe, woe," quoth Collatine," she was my wife, "I ow'd her, and 'tis mine that she hath kill'd.” My daughter and my wife with clamours fill'd The dispers'd air, who, holding Lucrece' life, Answer'd their cries, my daughter and my wife.

Brutus, who pluck'd the knife from Lucrece' side,
Seeing such emulation in their woe,

Began to clothe his wit in state and pride,
Burying in Lucrece' wound his folly's show.
He with the Romans was esteemed so
As silly jeering idiots are with kings,
For sportive words, and uttering foolish things

But now he throws that shallow habit by,
Wherein deep policy did him disguise;
And arm'd his long-hid wits advisedly,

To check the tears in Collatinus' eyes.

"Thou wronged lord of Rome," quoth he, “arise, "Let my unsounded self, suppos'd a fool, "Now set thy long-experienc'd wit to school.

'Why, Collatine, is woe the cure for woe?

"Do wounds help wounds, or grief help grievous deeds?

Is it revenge to give thyself a blow,

For his foul act by whom thy fair wife bleeds? 57 late] i. e. recently.

"Such childish humour from weak minds proceeds:

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Thy wretched wife mistook the matter so, "To slay herself, that should have slain her foe.

"Courageous Roman, do not steep thy heart
"In such relenting dew of lamentations,
"But kneel with me, and help to bear thy part,
"To rouse our Roman gods with invocations,
"That they will suffer these abominations,

66

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(Since Rome herself in them doth stand dis

grac'd)

[chas'd. By our strong arms from forth her fair streets

"Now, by the Capitol that we adore,

"And by this chaste blood so unjustly stain'd,

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By heaven's fair sun, that breeds the fat earth's

store,

"By all our country rights in Rome maintain'd, "And by chaste Lucrece' soul that late complain'd "Her wrongs to us, and by this bloody knife, “We will revenge the death of this true wife.”

upon

This said, he struck his hand his breast,
And kiss'd the fatal knife to end his vow;
And to his protestation urg'd the rest,
Who wondering at him, did his words allow :58
Then jointly to the ground their knees they bow;
And that deep vow which Brutus made before,
He doth again repeat, and that they swore.
58 allow] i. e. approve,

Ed so to

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When they had sworn to this advised doom,
They did conclude to bear dead Lucrece thence;
To show her bleeding body thorough Rome,
And so to publish Tarquin's foul offence:
Which being done with speedy diligence,
The Romans plausibly 59 did give consent
To Tarquin's everlasting banishment.

59 plausibly] i. e. with acclamations.

SONNETS.

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