CLII.

In loving thee thou know'ft I am forfworn,
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 accufe thee,
When I break twenty? I am perjur'd moft;
For all my vows are oaths but to mifufe thee,
And all my honeft faith in thee is loft:
For I have fworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness,
Oaths of thy love, thy truth, thy constancy;
And, to enlighten thee, gave eyes to blindness,
Or made them fwear against the thing they fee';
For I have fworn thee fair: more perjur'd I,
To fwear, against the truth, fo foul a lie!

CLIII.

Cupid lay'd by his brand, and fell asleep":
A maid of Dian's this advantage found,

fwear against the thing they fee ;] So, in Timon: "Swear against objects." STEEVENS

more perjur'd I

And

To fear, against the truth, fo foul a lie!] The quarto is here, I think, corrupt. It reads-more perjur'd eye &c. MALONE.

Cupid lay'd by his brand and fell asleep;] This and the following Sonnet, are compofed of the very fame thoughts differently verified. They feem to have been early effays of the poet, who perhaps had not determined which he fhould prefer. He hardly could have intended to send them both into the world. MALONE. That the poet intended them alike for publication, may be inferred from the following lines in the 105th Sonnet : "Since all alike my fongs and praises be, "To one, of one, ftill fuch and ever fo

"Therefore my verfe

Again:

"One thing expreffing, leaves out difference."

Again:

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 ftrange maladies a fovereign cure.
But at my mistress' eye love's brand new-fired,
The boy for trial needs would touch my breaft;
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 afleep,
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 fairest votary took up that fire

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

Was fleeping by a virgin hand difarm'd.
This brand the quenched in a cool well by,
Which from love's fire took heat perpetual,

"Fair, kind, and true, is all my argument,
"Fair, kind, and true, varying to other words."

-the help of bath defired,

STEEVENS.

And thither bied,] Query, whether we should read Bath (i. e the city of that name). The following words feem to authorize it. STEEVENS.

See the fubfequent Sonnet, which contains the fame thoughts differently verfified:

Growing a bath &c.

but I my mistress' thrall

66

66

"Came there for cure."

So, before, in the prefent Sonnet: "And grew a feething bath.

VOL. I.

MALONE.

Z z

Growing

Growing a bath and healthful remedy

For men difeas'd; but I, my mistress' thrall, Came there for cure, and this by that I prove, Love's fire heats water, water cools not love.

PAS

PASSIONATE PILGRIM.

Zz2

1