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And crie, lament, and mourne, and other while
Dissemble like the weeping Crocodile.
Sometimes they make themselues like conquered slaues,
Sometimes themselues most valiant they do faine,
Sometimes great Lords, with many other braues,
Sometimes throwen downe, and vanquished againe:
Their wounds their ioyes, their paines their pleasures make
And happie comfort in their prisones take.
A thousand times they curse their haplesse stars,
Despising life and happie death implore:
Yet in the end so valiant in these wars
Of life and death, and other passions more,
That thousand deaths they say they passe and trie,
And yet they neuer make an end to die.
They giue, they gaine, they heale, they wound, they plie,
their soule, their life, their harms, their harts, their teares,
they ioy, they liue, they burne, they paine, they die,
with hap, with hope, with heate, with greefe, with feares.
And so in all their loues, and what they say,
There is a strange confusion euerie way.
And for this cause when Melibe in vaine
With daily suites his loue to me did make,
By telling me his amorous greefe and paine,
and euerie other passion for my sake:
I answered him (good Shepherd) let not grieue thee,
I understand thee not, and lesse beleeue thee.
See therefore men how iustly you deserue
To leese our loue defam’d by your abuse:
Since from this counsell we must neuer swerue,
(As by the wisest dayly put in vse)
To put no faith nor trust in any lyer,
Nor loue that man, whom loue cannot inspire.
From this day therefore call vs now no more
Vnpitifull and cruell homicides,
For tis no reason, that vpon our score
You should nicke vp so many merie tides,
Nor with our liues and honours (to our cost)
Enrich your selues, and after make your boast.
For if (perhaps) a chaste and honest maide
Should looke vpon you in familiar sort,
Or talke with you, then straight it would be saide,
That she is light, and then with false report
Will iudge her naught, by fauouring with a kisse:
Fie shamelesse men, why blush you not at this.
And in this sort the Shepherdesse and dame
Of what degree soeuer that they bee,
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