Then childish fear avaunt! debating die !
Respect and reason, wait on wrinkled age!
My heart shall never countermand mine eye :
Sad pause and deep regard befeem the sage;
My part is youth, and beats these from the stage:
Defire my pilot is, beauty my prize;

Then who fears finking where such treasure lies?

As corn o'ergrown by weeds, fo heedful fear
Is almost chok'd by unrefifted luft.

Away he steals with open listening ear,
Full of foul hope, and full of fond mistrust;
Both which, as fervitors to the unjust,

So cross him with their oppofite perfuafion,
That now he vows a league, and now invasion.

Within his thought her heavenly image fits,
And in the self same seat fits Collatine:

That eye which looks on her, confounds his wits;
That eye which him beholds, as more divine,
Unto a view fo falfe will not incline;

But with a pure appeal feeks to the heart,
Which once corrupted, takes the worfer part;

And therein heartens up his fervile powers,
Who, flatter'd by their leader's jocund show,
Stuff up his luft, as minutes fill up hours;
And as their captain, fo their pride doth grow,
Paying more flavish tribute than they owe.
By reprobate defire thus madly led,

The Roman lord marcheth to Lucrece' bed.

The locks between her chamber and his will,
Each one by him enforc'd, 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-wandring weefels fhriek to see him there;
They fright him, yet he still pursues his fear.

As each unwilling portal yields him way, 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 cafe;

But his hot heart, which fond defire doth scorch, Puffs forth another wind that fires the torch:

And being lighted, by the light he spies
Lucretia's glove, wherein her needle sticks;
He takes it from the rushes where it lies;
And griping it, the neeld his finger pricks :
As who should fay, this glove to wanton tricks
Is not inur'd; return again in haste;

Thou feeft our mistress' ornaments are chafte.

But all these poor forbiddings could not stay him ;
He in the worst fenfe conftrues their denial:
The doors, the wind, the glove that did delay him,
He takes for accidental things of trial;

Or as thofe bars which stop the hourly dial,
Who with a ling'ring stay his course doth let,
Till every minute pays the hour his debt

So, fo, quoth he, these lets attend the time,
Like little frofts that sometime threat the spring,
To add a more rejoicing to the prime,

And give the sneaped birds more cause to fing,
Pain pays the income of each precious thing;

Huge rocks, high winds, ftrong pirates, shelves and fands, 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 fought.
So from himself impiety hath wrought,

That for his prey to pray he doth begin,
As if the heavens fhould countenance his fin.

But in the midst of his unfruitful prayer,
Having folicited the eternal power,

That his foul thoughts might compafs his fair fair,
And they would stand aufpicious to the hour,
Even there he starts :-quoth he, I must deflower;
The powers to whom I pray, abhor this fact,
How can they then affift 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,
The blackeft fin is clear'd with abfolution;
Against love's fire fear's froft hath diffolution.
The eye of heaven is out, and misty night
Covers the shame that follows fweet delight.

This faid, his guilty hand pluck'd up the latch,
And with his knee the door he opens wide :
The dove fleeps faft that this night-owl will catch
Thus treason works ere traitors be espied.
Who fees the lurking ferpent, steps afide;
But she, found fleeping, fearing no fuch thing,
Lies at the mercy of his mortal fting.

Into the chamber wickedly he stalks,
And`gazeth on her yet unstained bed.
The curtains being close, about he walks,
Rolling his greedy eye-balls in his head :
By their high treason is his heart misled;

Which gives the watch-word to his hand full foon, To draw the cloud that hides the filver moon.

Look as the fair and firy-pointed fun,
Rushing from forth a cloud, bereaves our fight;
Even fo, the curtain drawn, his eyes begun
To wink, being blinded with a greater light:
Whether it is, that she reflects fo bright,

That dazzleth them, or else some shame supposed;
But blind they are, and keep themselves enclosed.

O, had they in that darkfome prifon died,
Then had they seen the period of their ill!
Then Collatine again by Lucrece' fide,
In his clear bed might have repofed ftill:
But they muft ope, this bleffed league to kill;
And holy-thoughted Lucrece to their fight
Must fell her joy, her life, her world's delight.

Her lily hand her rofy cheek lies under,
Cozening the pillow of a lawful kiss;

Who therefore angry, seems to part in funder,
Swelling on either fide to want his blifs;
Between whofe hills her head intombed is :
Where, like a virtuous monument, the lies,
To be admir'd of lewd unhallow'd eyes.

Without the bed her other fair hand was,
On the green coverlet ; whofe perfect white
Show'd like an April daisy on the grass,
With pearly sweat, resembling dew of night.
Her eyes, like marigolds, had sheath'd their light,
And, canopied in darkness, sweetly lay,

Till they might open to adorn the day.

Her hair, like golden threads, play'd with her breath ;
O modeft wantons! wanton modesty !
Showing life's triumph in the map of death,
And death's dim look in life's mortality.
Each in her sleep themselves fo beautify,

As if between them twain there were no ftrife,
But that life liv'd in death, and death in life..

Her breasts, like ivory globes circled with blue,
A pair of maiden worlds unconquered,
Save of their lord no bearing yoke they knew,
And him by oath they truly honoured.
These worlds in Tarquin new ambition bred;
Who, like a foul ufurper, went about
From this fair throne to heave the owner out.