149. Canst thou, O cruel! say I love thee not, That is so proud thy service to despise, But, love, hate on, for now I know thy mind; 150. O, from what power hast thou this powerful might To make me give the lie to my true sight, And swear that brightness doth not grace the day? That in the very refuse of thy deeds There is such strength and warrantise of skill, O, though I love what others do abhor, 11 Partake is here equivalent to take part. 12 That is, this power of adorning things ill, or making them appear beautiful. If thy unworthiness raised love in me, 151. Love is too young to know what conscience is ; No want of conscience hold it that I call 152. In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn, For I have sworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness, 18 Amiss again as a substantive. See page 106, note 6.- Cheater here means escheator, an officer of the Exchequer. See vol. vi. page 22, note 12. And, to enlighten thee, gave eyes to blindness, 153. Cupid laid by his brand, and fell asleep : But found no cure: the bath for my help lies 154. The little love-god lying once asleep Laid by his side his heart-inflaming brand, Whilst many nymphs that vow'd chaste 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; Was sleeping by a virgin hand disarm'd. Growing a bath and healthful remedy Came there for cure, and this by that I prove, 14 On these last two Sonnets Malone notes as follows: "They seem to have been early essays of the Poet, who perhaps had not determined which of them he should prefer. He could hardly have intended to send them both into the world." CRITICAL NOTES. Page 93. Look, whom she best endow'd she gave thee more. — So Malone. The original has "she gave the more." See foot-note IO. P. 93. When I behold the violet past prime, And sable curls all silver'd o'er with white; &c.—The original has or instead of all. Malone's correction. Sewell substitutes are. P. 95. And many maiden gardens, yet unset, nal has your instead of you. Lintot's correction. The origi P. 95. So should the line of life that life repair. The original has lines instead of line. See foot-note 6. P. 97. Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws, And make the Earth devour her own sweet brood; &c. - This repetition is awkward, to say the least. Walker says, "Perhaps 'Destroying Time.'” P. 99. Then look I death my days should expirate. — The original has expiate. Steevens proposed expirate, which is right, surely. See vol. ix. page 296, note on " Make haste; the hour of death is expirate." P. 101. The painful warrior famousèd for fight, Is from the book of honour razèd quite, &c. The original has worth instead of fight. The correction is Theobald's; who proposed, if worth were retained, to substitute forth for quite. P. 101. To show me worthy of thy sweet respect. — The original has their instead of thy. The correction is Capell's. |