| Seccombe and Arber, comps. Elizabethan Sonnets. 1904. | | | | Diella | | Sonnet XII. Thou (like the fair-faced, gold-encovered book | | Richard Linche (fl. 1596–1601) |
| | | THOU (like the fair-faced, gold-encovered book, | |
| whose lines are stuffed with damnèd heresies) | |
| Dost in thy face, bear a celestial look; | |
| when, in thy heart, live hell-born cruelties! | |
| With poisonous toads, the clearest spring ’s infected; | 5 |
| and purest lawn ’s nought worth, if full of stains; | |
| So is fair Beauty, when true love’s rejected; | |
| when coal-black hate within the heart remains. | |
| Then love, my Dear! let that be Methridate | |
| to overcome the venom of disdain! | 10 |
| Be pitiful! tread down this killing hate! | |
| Convert to sugared pleasure, gall-ful pain! | |
| O, sith Disdain is foe unto thy Fair, | |
| Exile him thence! there, let him not repair! | | | | |
|
|
