THE PASSIONATE PILGRIM1

This miscellany, of which only those numbered I, II, III, V, XVII, can positively be assigned to Shakespeare, was first issued in 1599, by an enterprising publisher, William Jaggard, as "The Passionate Pilgrime. By W. Shake-speare." A "third" edition by Jaggard came out in 1612, with a fresh appendix of anonymous verse (by Thomas Heywood). No copy of a second edition is known.

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.”

10

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,
Till my bad angel fire my good one out.

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."

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