Soe when in age I thought to live in peace, Both care and griefe began then to increase : Amongst my sonnes I had one daughter bright, 35 Which joy'd, and pleased best my aged sight: My deare Lavinia was betrothed than He being slaine, was cast in cruel wise, 40 The moore then fetcht the emperour with speed, 45 But nowe, behold! what wounded most my mind, My daughter ravished without remorse, When they had tasted of soe sweete a flowre, Fearing this sweete should shortly turn to sowre, They cutt her tongue, whereby she could not tell How that dishonoure unto her befell. VOL. I. M 50 56 Then both her hands they basely cutt off quite, My brother Marcus found her in the wood, 60 Staining the grassie ground with purple bloud, That trickled from her stumpes, and bloudlesse armes: Noe tongue at all she had to tell her harmes. But when I sawe her in that woefull case, 65 When as I sawe she could not write nor speake, 70 For with a staffe, without the helpe of hand, 75 I tore the milk-white hairs from off mine head, I curst the houre wherein I first was bred, I wisht this hand, that fought for countrie's fame, In cradle rockt, had first been stroken lame. 80 The moore delighting still in villainy Did say, to sett my sonnes from prison free The moore I caus'd to strike it off with speede, 85 But for my sonnes would willingly impart, But as my life did linger thus in paine, 90 Then past reliefe I upp and downe did goe, I shot my arrowes* towards heaven hie, The empresse then, thinking that I was mad, 95 100 * If the ballad was written before the play, I should suppose this to be only a metaphorical expression, taken from that in the Psalms, "They shoot out their arrows, even bitter words." Ps. Ixiv. 3. I fed their foolish veines * a certaine space, Untill my friendes did find a secret place, I cut their throates, my daughter held the pan 105 Then with their fleshe I made two mighty pyes, Myselfe bereav'd my daughter then of life, Then this revenge against the moore was found, Whereas he stood untill such time he starv'd. 110 115 And soe God send all murderers may be serv'd. 120 * i. e. encouraged them in their foolish humours, or fancies. XIV. Take those Lips Away. The first stanza of this little sonnet, which an eminent critic* justly admires for its extreme sweetness, is found in Shakspeare's Measure for Measure, act. iv. sc. 1. Both the stanzas are preserved in Beaum. and Fletcher's Bloody Brother, act v. sc. 2. Sewel and Gildon have printed it among Shakspeare's smaller poems, but they have done the same by twenty other pieces that were never writ by him; their book being a wretched heap of inaccuracies and mistakes. It is not found in Jaggard's old edition of Shakspeare's Passionate Pilgrime,† &c. TAKE, oh take those lips away, That so sweetlye were forsworne; And those eyes, the breake of day, But my kisses bring againe, Seales of love, but seal'd in vaine. Hide, oh hide those hills of snowe, But first set my poor heart free, * Dr. Warb. in his Shakspeare. 5 10 + Mr. Malone, in his improved edit. of Shakspeare's Sonnets, &c. hath substituted this instead of Marlow's Madrigal, printed above; for which he hath assigned reasons, which the reader may see in his vol. x. p. 340. |