CCLVI

Yet sometime 'Tarquin' was pronounced plain,
But through his teeth, as if the name he tore.
This windy tempest, till it blow up rain,
Held back his sorrow's tide, to make it more;
At last it rains, and busy winds give o'er:

Then son and father weep with equal strife
Who should weep most, for daughter or for wife.

1786

1790

CCLVII

The one doth call her his, the other his,

Yet neither may possess the claim they lay.

The father says 'She's mine.' 'O, mine she is,'
Replies her husband: 'do not take away

My sorrow's interest; let no mourner say

He weeps for her, for she was only mine,
And only must be wail'd by Collatine.'

1793

1797

CCLVIII

1800

'O,' quoth Lucretius, 'I did give that life Which she too early and too late hath spill'd.' 'Woe, woe,' quoth Collatine, 'she was my wife, I owed her, and 'tis mine that she hath kill'd.' 'My daughter' and 'my wife' with clamours fill'd The dispers'd air, who, holding Lucrece' life, Answer'd their cries, my daughter' and 'my wife.'

1804

CCLIX

Brutus, who pluck'd the knife from Lucrece' side,

1807

Seeing such emulation in their woe,

Began to clothe his wit in state and pride,
Burying in Lucrece' wound his folly's show.

1811

He with the Romans was esteemed so

As silly-jeering idiots are with Kings,

For sportive words and utt'ring foolish things:

CCLX

But now he throws that shallow habit by,
Wherein deep policy did him disguise;
And arm'd his long-hid wits advisedly,

To check the tears in Collatinus' eyes.
'Thou wrongéd Lord of Rome,' quoth he, arise:
Let my unsounded self, suppos'd a fool,
Now set thy long-experienced wit to school.

1814

1818

CCLXI

'Why, Collatine, is woe the cure for woe?

1821

Do wounds help wounds, or grief help grievous deeds? Is it revenge to give thyself a blow

For his foul act by whom thy fair wife bleeds?

Such childish humour from weak minds proceeds: 1825 Thy wretched wife mistook the matter so,

To slay herself, that should have slain her foe.

CCLXII

'Courageous Roman, do not steep thy heart
In such relenting dew of lamentations;
But kneel with me and help to bear thy part,
To rouse our Roman Gods with invocations,

1828

That they will suffer these abominations

1832

(Since Rome herself in them doth stand disgraced), By our strong arms from forth her fair streets chased,

CCLXIII

Now, by the Capitol that we adore,

And by this chaste blood so unjustly stainéd,

By heaven's fair sun that breeds the fat earth's store,
By all our country rights in Rome maintained,
And by chaste Lucrece' soul that late complainéd
Her wrongs to us, and by this bloody knife,
We will revenge the death of this true wife.'

1835

1839

CCLXIV

This said, he struck his hand upon his breast,
And kiss'd the fatal knife, to end his vow;
And to his protestation urged the rest,

Who, wond'ring at him, did his words allow :

1842

Then jointly to the ground their knees they bow: 1846 And that deep vow, which Brutus made before,

He doth again repeat, and that they swore.

CCXLV

When they had sworn to this advised doom,
They did conclude to bear dead Lucrece thence;
To show her bleeding body thorough Rome,
And so to publish Tarquin's foul offence:
Which being done with speedy diligence,

1849

1853

The Romans plausibly did give consent
To Tarquin's everlasting banishment.

SONNETS

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