| Seccombe and Arber, comps. Elizabethan Sonnets. 1904. | | | | Parthenophil and Parthenophe | [Dedicatory Sonnets]
To the Right Noble Lord Henry, Earl of Northumberland | | Barnabe Barnes (1569?–1609) |
| | | DEIGN, mighty Lord! these verses to peruse, | |
| Which my black mournful Muse presenteth here! | |
| Blushing, at her first entrance, in for fear; | |
| Where of herself, her self She doth accuse, | |
| And seeking Patronage, bold means doth use | 5 |
| To shew that duty, which in heart I bear | |
| To your thrice noble House! which shall outwear | |
| Devouring Time itself, if my poor Muse | |
| Divine aright: whose virtuous excellence | |
| She craves, her ruder style to patronise. | 10 |
| Vouchsafe, then, noble Lord! to give defence: | |
| Who, when her brighter glory shall arise, | |
| Shall fly to fetch Fame, from her Fort of Brass; | |
| Which, with your virtues, through the world shall pass! | | | | |
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