Weak words, so thick come, in his poor heart's aid, That no man could distinguish what he said. Yet sometime Tarquin was pronouncéd plain, Then son and father weep with equal strife, The one doth call her his, the other his, The father says, "She 's mine." "O, mine she is," "O," quoth Lucretius, "I did give that life Which she too early and too late1 hath spilled." "Woe, woe," quoth Collatine, "she was my wife, I owed her, and 'tis mine that she hath killed.” "My daughter" and "my wife" with clamours filled The dispersed air, who, holding Lucrece' life, Answered their cries, "my daughter" and "my wife." Brutus, who plucked the knife from Lucrece' side, Began to clothe his wit in state and pride, 1 Too late, too recently. Burying in Lucrece' wound his folly's show. As silly jeering idiots are with kings, For sportive words, and uttering foolish things. But now he throws that shallow habit by, "Why, Collatine, is woe the cure for woe? 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? "Courageous Roman, do not steep thy heart That they will suffer these abominations, (Since Rome herself in them doth stand disgraced,) By our strong arms from forth her fair streets chased. "Now, by the Capitol that we adore, And by this chaste blood so unjustly stained, By Heaven's fair sun that breeds the fat earth's By all our country rights in Rome maintained, This said, he struck his hand upon his breast, Who, wondering at him, did his words allow : 2 When they had sworn to this advised doom, 1 Complained was formerly used without a subjoined preposition. 2 Allow, approve. 3 Plausibly, with expressions of applause; with acclamation. Plausively, applausively. |