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And if thou think’st heerein to doe amisse,
Or hurt thy selfe by louing, yet at lest
Suffer thy selfe to be belou’d. And this
Fond error driue out of thy tender brest.
O suffer of thine owne accord and will,
For forced thou shalt be to this for euer:
While thou and I doe liue, and shalt be still
After thy death and mine, and ended neuer.
Then will me not (Dardanea) to forsake
My perfect loue, which now I haue bewraied:
For more thou dost commaund the lesse I make
Account of it, and lesse shalt be obaied.
And thinke thou art not wronged any whit,
Bicause what thou (faire Mistresse) dost commaund
Is not obaide, for heere it is not fit
Where life for loue and loue for life is pawn’d.
Leaue thou if that thou canst the same thou hast,
Yeelding to nature, what so much on thee
She hath bestowde, and change thy life that’s past,
And leaue moreouer what thou mean’st to be.
Then shalt thou see thy most vniust desire
Fulfill’d, and will perform’d without defect,
Although thou didst the contrarie require,
As fearing colours with some vaine suspect.
But now why should’st thou leaue a perfect being,
By taking that which more imperfect is?
As first mens eies the like was neuer seeing,
The second voide of comfort, ioy and blisse.
So that (sweete Mistresse) it becomes thee not
To anger Loue, and Nature to offend,
For thou art bound (whom they haue not forgot)
Their lawes to loue, their essence to defend.
Since that thy beauties in the world resound,
And dost in vertue hold the highest place,
And dost in knowledge and in wit abound,
In modestie, and euery other grace.
Make them illustrous then by thy requiting,
Take heede, Ingratitude is full of hate,
Hate to reuenge is euer more inuiting,
And so reuenge waites at obliuions gate.
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