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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That
When Menelaus from his house is gone,
Poore Hellen is affraid to lie alone;
And to allay these feares (lodg'd in her breast)
In her warme bosome she receives her guest:
What madnesse was this? Menelaus, say
Thou art abroad whilst in thy house doth stay
Vnder the selfe-same roofe, thy Guest, and Love?
Mad-man unto the Hawke thou trusts the Dove.
And who but such a Gull, would give to keepe
Vnto the Mountaine Woofe full folds of Sheepe?
Hellen is blamelesse, so is Paris too,
And did what thou, or I my selfe would doe.
-- --
The fault is thine, I tell thee to thy face,
By limiting these Lovers, Time and Place.
From thee the seedes of all thy wrongs are growne,
Whose Counsels have they followed, but thine owne?
(Alacke) what should they doe? Abroad thou art,
At home thou leavest thy Guest to play thy part:
To lie alone, the (poore Queene is affraid,
In the next roome an Amorous stranger staid.
Her armes are ope to embrace him, he falls in,
And Paris I acquit thee of the sinne.
And in another place somewhat resembling this.
Orestes liked, but not loved deerely
Hermione, till he had lost her clearely:
Sad Menelaus, why dost thou lament
Thy late mishap? I prethee be content:
Thou knowest the amorous Hellen faire and sweet,
And yet without her didst thou saile to Creet,
And thou wast blithe and merry all the way,
But when thou saw'st she was the Trojans prey,
Then wast thou mad for her, and for thy life,
Thou canst not now one minute want thy wife,
So stout Achilles, when his lovely Bride
Briseis, was dispos'd to great Atride.
Nor was he vainely mov'd: Atrides too
Offer'd no more than he of force must doe:
I should have done as much, to set her free,
Yet I (heaven knowes) am not so wise as he.
-- --
note
This Tale is blaz'd through heaven, how once unware
Venus and Mars were tooke in Vulcans snare:
The god of Warre doth in his brow discover,
The perfect and true patterne of a Lover:
Nor could the Goddesse Venus be so cruell
To deny Mars (soft kindnesse is a Iewell
In any woman, and becomes her well)
In this the Queene of love doth most excell:
(Oh heaven) how often have they mockt and floured
The Smiths polt-foote (whilst nothing he misdoubted)
Made Iests of him and his begrimed trade,
And his smoog'd visage, blacke with Cole-dust made:
Mars, tickled with loud laughter, when he saw
Venus like Vulcan limpe, to halt and draw
One foot behinde another, with sweet grace
To counterfeit his lame uneven pace.
Their meetings first the Lovers hide with feare,
From every jealous eye, and captious eare.
The God of Warre, and Loves lacivious dame,
In publike view were full of bashfull shame;
But the Sunne spies, how this sweet paire agree,
(Oh what bright Phœbus, can be hid from thee?)
The Sunne both sees and blabs the sight forthwith,
And in all post he speeds to tell the Smith:
(Oh Sunne) what bad examples dost thou show?
-- --
What thou in secret seest must all men know?
For silence, aske a bribe from her faire treasure,
Shee'le grant thee that shall make thee swell with pleasure,
The god whose face is smoog'd with smoke and fire,
Placeth about their bed a net of Wiar,
So quaintly made, that it deceives the eye
Streight (as he feignes) to Lemnos he must hie?
The Lovers meete, where he the traine hath set,
And both lie fast catcht in a wiery net:
He calls the gods, the Lovers naked sprall
And cannot rise, the Queene of Love shewes all.
Mars chafes, and Venus weepes, neither can flinch,
Grappled they lie, in vaine they kicke and winch:
Their legges are one within another tide,
Their hands so fast that they can nothing hide:
Amongst these high Spectators, one by chance
That saw them naked in this pitfall dance:
Thus to himselfe said: If it tedious be
Good god of Warre, bestow thy place on me.
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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