CLII.

In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn,
But thou art twice forfworn, to me love fwearing;
In act thy bed-vow broke, and new faith torn,
In vowing new hate after new love bearing.
But why of two oaths' breach do I accuse thee,
When I break twenty? I am perjured most;
For all my vows are oaths but to misuse thee,
And all my honest faith in thee is loft:

For I have fworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness,
Oaths of thy love, thy truth, thy conftancy;
And, to enlighten thee, gave eyes to blindness,
Or made them fwear against the thing they fee;
For I have fworn thee fair; more perjured I,
To swear against the truth so foul a lie!

CLIII.

Cupid laid by his brand and fell asleep:
A maid of Dian's this advantage found,
And his love-kindling fire did quickly steep
In a cold valley-fountain of that ground;
Which borrow'd from this holy fire of Love
A dateless lively heat, ftill to endure,

And grew a feething bath, which yet men prove
Against strange maladies a fovereign cure.

But at
my mistress' eye Love's brand new-fired,
The boy for trial needs would touch my breast;
I, fick withal, the help of bath defired,
And thither hied, a fad diftemper'd guest,

But found no cure: the bath for my help lies
Where Cupid got new fire, my mistress' eyes.

CLIV.

The little Love-god lying once asleep

Laid by his fide his heart-inflaming brand,

Whilft many nymphs that vow'd chafte life to keep Came tripping by; but in her maiden hand

The faireft votary took up t

that fire

Which many legions of true hearts had warm'd; And so the general of hot defire

Was fleeping by a virgin hand disarm'dı.

14

This brand fhe quenched in a cool well by,
Which from Love's fire took heat perpetual,
Growing a bath and healthful remedy
For men diseased; but I, my mistress thrall
Came there for cure, and this by that I prove,
Love's fire heats water, water cools not love.

NOTES