| Seccombe and Arber, comps. Elizabethan Sonnets. 1904. | | | | Laura—Part I. | | XXIII. The Gentiles used, in sign of sacrifice | | Robert Tofte (1561–1620) |
| | | THE GENTILES used, in sign of sacrifice, | |
| The blood of men to offer; to appease | |
| The warlike goddess’s wrath, in humble wise; | |
| And through the same, her angry mind did please: | |
| But Thou, more wicked Warrior far than she, | 5 |
| In reason may’st more cruel termèd be. | |
| On Beauty’s altar, to thee dedicate; | |
| Thousands of Lovers, mustering on a row, | |
| Offer their blood and hearts! yet mitigate | |
| Thy hardened mind cannot: which flint doth show. | 10 |
| Then is she cruel less than Thou art now: | |
| Since blood her pleased; and Thee hearts cannot bow. | | | | |
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