THE RAPE OF LUCRECE

TO THE

RIGHT HONOURABLE HENRY WRIOTHESLY,

EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON, AND BARON OF TICHFIELD.

THE love I dedicate to your lordship is without end; whereof this pamphlet, without beginning, is but a superfluous moiety. The warrant I have of your honourable disposition, not the worth of my untutored lines, makes it assured of. acceptance. What I have done is yours; what I have to do is yours; being part in all I have, devoted yours. Were my worth greater, my duty would show greater; meantime, as it is, it is bound to your lordship, to whom I wish long life, still lengthened with all happiness.

Your lordship's in all duty,
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

LUCIUS TARQUINIUS, for his excessive pride surnamed Superbus, after he had caused his own father-in-law Servius Tullius to be cruelly murdered, and, contrary to the Roman laws and customs, not requiring or staying for the people's suffrages, had possessed himself of the kingdom, went, accompanied with his sons and other noblemen of Rome, to besiege Ardea. Durng which siege the principal men of the army meeting one evening at the tent of Sextus Tarquinius, the king's son, in their discourses after supper every one commended the virtues of is own wife; among whom Collatinus extolled the incomparable chastity of his wife Lucretia. In that pleasant humour they all posted to Rome; and intending, by their secret and sudden arrival, to make trial of that which every one had before avouched, only Collatinus finds his wife, though it were late in the night, spinning amongst her maids: the other ladies were all ound dancing and revelling, or in several disports. Whereupon the noblemen yielded Collainus the victory, and his wife the fame. At that time Sextus Tarquinius being inflamed with ucrece' beauty, yet smothering his passions for the present, departed with the rest back to the camp; from whence he shortly after privily withdrew himself, and was, according to his estate, oyally entertained and lodged by Lucrece at Collatium. The same night he treacherously tealeth into her chamber, violently ravished her, and early in the morning speedeth away. Lucrece, in this lamentable plight, hastily dispatched messengers, one to Rome for her father, nother to the camp for Collatine. They came, the one accompanied with Junius Brutus, he other with Publius Valerius; and finding Lucrece attired in mourning habit, demanded the ause of her sorrow. She, first taking an cath of them for her revenge, revealed the actor, and vhole manner of his dealing, and withal suddenly stabbed herself. Which done, with one onsent they all vowed to root out the whole hated family of the Tarquins; and bearing the lead body to Rome, Brutus acquainted the people with the doer and manner of the vile deed, vith a bitter invective against the tyranny of the king: wherewith the people were so moved, hat with one consent and a general acclamation the Tarquins were all exiled, and the state overnment changed from kings to consuls.

RCM the besieged Ardea. all in post,
orne by the trustless wings of false desire,
ust-breathed Tarquin leaves the Roman
host,

And to Collatium bears the lightless fire
Which, in pale embers hid, lurks to aspire
And girdle with embracing flames the waist
Of Collatine's fair love, Lucrece the chaste.

10

Haply that name of 'chaste' unhappily set
This bateless edge on his keen appetite;
When Collatine unwisely did not let
To praise the clear unmatched red and white
Which triumph'd in that sky of his delight,
Where mortal stars, as bright as heaven's
beauties,

With pure aspects did him peculiar duties.

For he the night before, in Tarquin's tent,
Unlock'd the treasure of his happy state;
What priceless wealth the heavens had him lent
In the possession of his beauteous mate;
Reckoning his fortune at such high-proud rate,
That kings might be espoused to more fame,
But king nor peer to such a peerless dame.

O happiness enjoy'd but of a few!
And, if possess'd, as soon decay'd and done
As is the morning's silver-melting dew
Against the golden splendour of the sun!
An expired date, cancell'd ere well begun:

Honour and beauty, in the owner's arms,
Are weakly fortress'd from a world of

harms.

Perchance his boast of Lucrece' sovereignty
Suggested this proud issue of a king;
For by our ears our hearts oft tainted be:
Perchance that envy of so rich a thing,
Braving compare, disdainfully did sting 40
His high-pitch'd thoughts, that meaner men
should vaunt

That golden hap which their superiors want.

But some untimely thought did instigate
His all-too-timeless speed, if none of those:
His honour, his affairs, his friends, his state,
Neglected all, with swift intent he goes
To quench the coal which in his liver glows.
O'rash false heat, wrapp'd in repentant cold,
Thy hasty spring still blasts, and ne'er
grows old!

When at Collatium this false lord arrived, 50
Well was he welcomed by the Roman dame,
Within whose face beauty and virtue strived
Which of them both should underprop her
fame:

When virtue bragg'd, beauty would blush for
shame;

When beauty boasted blushes, in despite
Virtue would stain that o'er with silver white.

But beauty, in that white intituled,

Teaching them thus to use it in the fight When shame' assail'd, the red should fence the white.

This heraldry in Lucrece' face was seen,
Argued by beauty's red and virtue's white:
Of either's colour was the other queen,
Proving from world's minority their right:
Yet their ambition makes them still to fight;
The sovereignty of either being so great,
That oft they interchange each other's seat

Their silent war of lilies and of roses,
Which Tarquin view'd in her fair face's fiel
In their pure ranks his traitor eye encloses
Where, lest between them both it should t
kill'd,

The coward captive vanquished doth yield
To those two armies that would let him
Rather than triumph in so false a foe.

Now thinks he that her husband's shallo

tongue,

The niggard prodigal that praised her so,-
In that high task hath done her beauty wrong
Which far exceeds his barren skill to show:
Therefore that praise which Collatine doth owe

Enchanted Tarquin answers with surmise.
In silent wonder of still-gazing eyes.

This earthly saint, adored by this devil,
Little suspecteth the false worshipper;
For unstain'd thoughts do seldom dream
evil;

Birds never limed no secret bushes fear:
So guiltless she securely gives good cheer
And reverend welcome to her princely gues
Whose inward ill no outward harm e
press'd:

For that he colour'd with his high estate,
Hiding base sin in plaits of majesty;
That nothing in him seem'd inordinate,
Save sometime too much wonder of his eye
Which, having all, all could not satisfy;

But, poorly rich, so wanteth in his stor
That, cloy'd with much, he pineth still

more.

But she, that never coped with stranger eye Could pick no meaning from their parl looks,

From Venus' doves doth challenge that fair Nor read the subtle-shining secrecies

field:

Then virtue claims from beauty beauty's red,
Which virtue gave the golden age to gild 60
Their silver cheeks, and call'd it then their
shield;

Writ in the glassy margents of such books:
She touch'd no unknown baits, nor fear'd

hooks;

Nor could she moralize his wanton sight
More than his eyes were open'd to the lig

That spots and stains love's modest snow- Hateful it is; there is no hate in loving: 24

Within his thought her heavenly image sits,
And in the self-same seat sits Collatine:
That eye which looks on her confounds his
wits;
290

That eye which him beholds, as more divine,
Unto a view so false will not incline;

But with a pure appeal seeks to the heart,
Which once corrupted takes the worser part;

And therein heartens up his servile powers,
Who, flatter'd by their leader's jocund show,
O Stuff up his lust, as minutes fill up hours;
And as their captain, so their pride doth grow.
Paying more slavish tribute than they owe.
By reprobate desire thus madly led, 300
The Roman lord marcheth to Lucrece' bed.

The locks between her chamber and his will,
Each one by him enforced retires his ward;
But, as they open, they all rate his ill,
Which drives the creeping thief to some regard:
The threshold grates the door to have him
heard;

Night-wandering weasels shriek to see him
there;

They fright him, yet he still pursues his fear.

As each unwilling portal yields him way, 309
Through little vents and crannies of the place
The wind wars with his torch to make him stay,
And blows the smoke of it into his face,
Extinguishing his conduct in this case;

To add a more rejoicing to the prime,
And give the sneaped birds more cause to sing.
Pain pays the income of each precious thing;
Huge rocks, high winds, strong pirates,
shelves, and sands,

The merchant fears, ere rich at home he
lands.'

Now is he come unto the chamber door,
That shuts him from the heaven of his thought,
Which with a yielding latch, and with no more,
Hath barr'd him from the blessed thing he
'sought.
340

So from himself impiety hath wrought,
That for his prey to pray he doth begin,
As if the heavens should countenance his sin.

But in the midst of his unfruitful prayer,
Having solicited th' eternal power

That his foul thoughts might compass his fair
fair,

And they would stand auspicious to the hour,
Even there he starts: quoth he, 'I must de-
flower:

The powers to whom I pray abhor this fact,
How can they then assist me in the act?

'Then Love and Fortune be my gods, my
guide!

My will is back'd with resolution:
Thoughts are but dreams till their effects be
tried;

But his hot heart, which fond desire doth The blackest sin is clear'd with absolution; scorch,

Against love's fire fear's frost hath dissolution.
The eye of heaven is out, and misty night
Covers the shame that follows sweet delight.'

This said, his guilty hand pluck'd up the latch,
And with his knee the door he opens wide.
The dove sleeps fast that this night-owl will
catch:
360

Thus treason works ere traitors be espied.
Who sees the lurking serpent steps aside;
But she, sound sleeping, fearing no such
thing,

Lies at the mercy of his mortal sting.

Into the chamber wickedly he stalks,
And gazeth on her yet unstained bed.
The curtains being close, about he walks,
Rolling his greedy eyeballs in his head:
By their high treason is his heart misled;
Which gives the watch-word to his hand
full soon
370

To draw the cloud that hides the silver moon.

Look, as the fair and fiery-pointed sun, Rushing from forth a cloud, bereaves our sight;