Her spirit, but declared that she
Lived spotless in her chastity.
No sin without consent
For though the body may endure
Befoulment forced, the soul is pure,
And never sin hath body shent,
When lacked thereto the heart’s consent.
But she, disdainful of her life
Through grief, snatched suddenly a knife
From out her bosom’s folds, then cried
To those who, weeping, stood beside9050
Her couch: Fair sirs, though nobly ye
Declare me innocent to be
In this foul deed which I deplore,
Lucrece forgives it not, nor more
Can lift her face to meet the shame
She suffers, though absolved from blame.
L
How fair Lucrece, through wrath she bare
At heart, her noble besom tare
With murderous knife, and death did win
In face of husband, sire, and kin.9060
Then through her heart, with anguish filled.
She drove the cruel steel and spilled
tier life blood, but her friends charged first.
To venge her on her foe accurst.
From this example, through all time.
It is that whoso such foul crime
Commits, is doomed the death to die.
Proud Tarquin and his family
