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William Shakespeare, 1564-1616 [1640], Poems: vvritten by Wil. Shake-speare. Gent (Printed... by Tho. Cotes, and are to be sold by Iohn Benson [etc.], London) [word count] [S11600].

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Losse and gaine. [Sonnet XLI / Sonnet XLII]
Those pretty wrongs that libertie commits,
When I am sometimes absent from thy heart,
Thy beautie, and thy yeares full well befits,
For still temptation followes where thou art.
Gentle thou art, and therefore to be wonne,
Beautious thou art, therefore to be assailed.
And when a woman wooes, what womans sonne,
Will sourely leave her till he have prevailed.
Aye me, but yet thou mightst my seate forbeare,
And chide thy beautie, and thy straying youth,
Who lead thee in their ryot even there
Where thou art forc't to break a twofold truth:
Hers by thy beautie tempting her to thee,
Thine by thy beautie being false to me.
That thou hast her it is not all my griefe,
And yet it may be sayd I lov'd her dearely,
That she hath thee is of my wayling cheefe,
A losse in love that touches me more neerely.
Loving offendors thus I will excuse yee,
Thou doest love her, because thou knowst I love her,
And for my sake even so doth she abuse me,
Suffering my friend for my sake to approve her,

-- --

If I loose thee, my losse is my loves gaine,
And loosing her, my friend hath found that losse;
Both finde each other, and I loose both twaine,
And both for my sake lay on me this crosse,
But here's the joy, my friend and I are one,
Sweet flattery, then shee loves but me alone.
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William Shakespeare, 1564-1616 [1640], Poems: vvritten by Wil. Shake-speare. Gent (Printed... by Tho. Cotes, and are to be sold by Iohn Benson [etc.], London) [word count] [S11600].