ELEGIES.
109
—Which, if in hell no other pains there were,
Makes me fear hell, because he must be there—
Though by thy father he were hired to this,
Could never witness any touch or kiss.
But O! too common ill, I brought with me
40That, which betray’d me to mine enemy,
A loud perfume, which at my entrance cried
E’en at thy father’s nose; so were we spied.
When, like a tyrant king, that in his bed
Smelt gunpowder, the pale wretch shivered,
Had it been some bad smell, he would have thought
That his own feet, or breath, that smell had wrought;
But as we in our isle imprisoned,
Where cattle only and divers dogs are bred,
The precious unicorns strange monsters call,
50So thought he good strange, that had none at all.
I taught my silks their whistling to forbear;
Even my oppress’d shoes dumb and speechless were;
Only thou bitter-sweet, whom I had laid
Next me, me traitorously hast betray’d,
And unsuspected hast invisibly
At once fled unto him, and stay’d with me.
Base excrement of earth, which dost confound
Sense from distinguishing the sick from sound!
By thee the silly amorous sucks his death
60By drawing in a leprous harlot’s breath;
By thee, the greatest stain to man’s estate
Falls on us, to be call’d effeminate;
Makes me fear hell, because he must be there—
Though by thy father he were hired to this,
Could never witness any touch or kiss.
But O! too common ill, I brought with me
40That, which betray’d me to mine enemy,
A loud perfume, which at my entrance cried
E’en at thy father’s nose; so were we spied.
When, like a tyrant king, that in his bed
Smelt gunpowder, the pale wretch shivered,
Had it been some bad smell, he would have thought
That his own feet, or breath, that smell had wrought;
But as we in our isle imprisoned,
Where cattle only and divers dogs are bred,
The precious unicorns strange monsters call,
50So thought he good strange, that had none at all.
I taught my silks their whistling to forbear;
Even my oppress’d shoes dumb and speechless were;
Only thou bitter-sweet, whom I had laid
Next me, me traitorously hast betray’d,
And unsuspected hast invisibly
At once fled unto him, and stay’d with me.
Base excrement of earth, which dost confound
Sense from distinguishing the sick from sound!
By thee the silly amorous sucks his death
60By drawing in a leprous harlot’s breath;
By thee, the greatest stain to man’s estate
Falls on us, to be call’d effeminate;
l. 40. So 1635; 1633, my
l. 44. 1669, smells
l. 46. 1669, the smell
l. 50. 1669, thought he sweet strange
