I

HEN MY LOVE SWEARS that she is made of truth,

I do believe her, though I know she lies,

That she might think me some untutor❜d youth,

Unskilful in the world's false forgeries.

Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young,

Although I know my years be past the best,

I smiling credit her falsespeaking tongue,

Outfacing faults in love with love's ill rest.

But wherefore says my love that she is young?

I This Sonnet forms, with verbal changes, no. cxxxviii of Shakespeare's Sonnets, 1609. See notes there.

And wherefore say not I that I am old?
O, love's best habit is a soothing tongue,
And age, in love, loves not to have years told.

Therefore I'll lie with love, and love with me,
Since that our faults in love thus smother'd be.

II

Two loves I have, of comfort and despair,
That like two spirits do suggest me still;
My better angel is a man right fair,
My worser spirit a woman colour'd ill.
To win me soon to hell, my female evil
Tempteth my better angel from my side,
And would corrupt my saint to be a devil

4 Unskilful . . . forgeries] Sonnet cxxxviii reads "Unlearned in the world's false subtleties."

6 I know my years be] Sonnet cxxxviii reads "she knows my days are." 7 I smiling credit] Sonnet cxxxviii reads "Simply I credit.”

8 Outfacing faults. . . ill rest] Sonnet cxxxviii reads "On both sides thus is simple truth suppress'd."

9 says my love

unjust."

...

young] Sonnet cxxxviii reads "says she not she is

11 a soothing tongue] Sonnet cxxxviii reads "in seeming trust."

13 I'll lie with love, and love] Sonnet cxxxviii reads "I lie with her, and she."

14 Since that .. smother'd be] Sonnet cxxxviii reads "And in our

faults by lies we flatter'd be."

II This Sonnet forms, with verbal changes, no. cxliv of Shakespeare's Sonnets, 1609. See notes there.

2 That] Sonnet cxliv reads "Which."

6 my side] Sonnet cxliv in the 1609 Quarto misprints "my sight."

Wooing his purity with her fair pride.
And whether that my angel be turn'd fiend,
Suspect I may, yet not directly tell:

For being both to me, both to each friend,
I guess one angel in another's hell:

The truth I shall not know, but live in doubt,
bad angel fire my good one out.

Till

my

III

Did not the heavenly rhetoric of thine eye,
'Gainst whom the world could not hold argument,
Persuade my heart to this false perjury?
Vows for thee broke deserve not punishment.
A woman I forswore; but I will prove,
Thou being a goddess, I forswore not thee:
My vow was earthly, thou a heavenly love;
Thy grace being gain'd cures all disgrace in me.
My vow was breath, and breath a vapour is;
Then, thou fair sun, that on this earth doth shine,

8 fair pride] Sonnet cxliv reads "foul pride."

11 to me] Sonnet cxliv reads "from me."

13 The truth I shall not know] Sonnet cxliv reads "Yet this shall I ne'er know."

III This is Longaville's Sonnet to Maria which with unimportant variations figured in L. L. L., IV, iii, 56-69. The play was published in 1598. Cf. V and XVII, infra.

2 could not] L. L. L., IV, iii, 56 reads "cannot."

9 My vow was breath] L. L. L., IV, iii, 64 reads "Vows are but breath."

10 that on this earth doth] L. L. L., IV, iii, 65 reads "which on my earth dost."

10

10

Exhale this vapour vow; in thee it is:
If broken, then it is no fault of mine.
If by me broke, what fool is not so wise
To break an oath, to win a paradise?

IV

Sweet Cytherea, sitting by a brook

With young Adonis, lovely, fresh and green,
Did court the lad with many a lovely look,
Such looks as none could look but beauty's queen.
She told him stories to delight his ear,

She show'd him favours to allure his

eye;

To win his heart, she touch'd him here and there;
Touches so soft still conquer chastity.

But whether unripe years did want conceit,
Or he refused to take her figured proffer,

11 Exhale] Draw up, as the sun draws vapour up from the earth. L. L. L., IV, iii, 66 reads "Exhalest." Cf. Rom. and Jul., III, v, 13: “It is some meteor that the sun exhales."

12 If broken, then] L. L. L., IV, iii, 67 reads "If broken then."

14 To break] L. L. L., IV, iii, 69 reads "To lose."

IV This sonnet, like Nos. VI, IX, and XI, infra, treats of the same subject as Shakespeare's first narrative poem, Venus and Adonis. No. XI(see note, infra) is assignable with certainty to B. Griffin. The other three may possibly be from the same pen.

1 Cytherea] A frequent appellation of Venus in classical literature, from the island Cythera, where the goddess spent her infancy. Cf. VI, 3, infra. Shakespeare calls Venus by this name in Wint. Tale, IV, iv, 122, Cymb., II, ii, 14, and T. of Shrew, Induction, ii, 49.

3 lovely] amorous.

10

The tender nibbler would not touch the bait,
But smile and jest at every gentle offer:

Then fell she on her back, fair queen, and toward:
He rose and ran away; ah, fool too froward.

If love make me forsworn, how shall I swear to love? O never faith could hold, if not to beauty vowed: Though to myself forsworn, to thee I'll constant prove; Those thoughts, to me like oaks, to thee like osiers bowed.

Study his bias leaves, and make his book thine eyes, Where all those pleasures live that art can comprehend. If knowledge be the mark, to know thee shall suffice; Well learned is that tongue that well can thee commend: All ignorant that soul that sees thee without wonder; Which is to me some praise, that I thy parts admire: Thine eye Jove's lightning seems, thy voice his dreadful

thunder,

Which, not to anger bent, is music and sweet fire

13 toward] willing, ready. Cf. Venus and Adonis, 1157: "where it [love] shows most toward.'

V Biron's address to Rosaline from L. L. L., IV, ii, 100-113; see No. III, supra, and XVII, infra.

2 O] L. L. L., IV, ii, 101 reads "Ah."

3 constant] L. L. L., IV, ii, 102 reads "faithful."

4 like oaks] L. L. L., IV, ii, 103 reads "were oaks."

5 Study his bias leaves] Study leaves its proper bent.

6 art can] L. L. L., IV, ii, 105 reads "art would.”

11 Thine eye. . . seems] L. L. L., IV, ii, 110 reads "Thy eye

bears."

10