But not preuailing: truely she fore-tolde
The fall of _Troy_ (with bold erected face:)
They count her hare-brain'd, mad, and ouer-bold,
To presse in presence in so graue a place:
But in meane season _Paris_ he is gone,
To bring destruction on faire _Ilion_.
What, ten-yeeres siedge by force could not subuert,
That, two false traitors in one night destroi'd:
Who richly guerdon'd for their bad desert,
Was of _Æneas_ but small time inioi'd:
Who, for concealement of _Achilles_ loue,
Was banished; from _Ilion_ to remoue.
King _Pryam_ dead and all the Troians slaine;
(His sonnes, his friends and deere confederates)
And lots now cast for captiues that remaine,
(Whom Death hath spared for more cruell fates)
_Cassandra_ then to _Agamemnon_ fell,
With whom a Lemman she disdain'd to dwell.
She, weepes; he, wooes; he would, but she would not:
He, tell's his birth; shee, pleades virginitie:
He saith, selfe-pride doth rarest beauty blot:
(And with that word he kist her louingly:)
Shee, yeeldingly resists; he faines to die:
Shee, fall's for feare; he, on her feareleslie.
But this braue generall of all the _Greekes_,
Was quickly foyled at a womans hands,
For who so rashly such incounters seekes,
Of hard mis-hap in danger euer stands:
Onely chaste thoughts, vertuous abstinence,
Gainst such sweet poyson is the sur'st defence.
But who can shun the force of beauties blow?
Who is not rauisht with a lonely looke?
Grac'd with a wanton eie, (the hearts dumb show)
Such fish are taken with a siluer hooke:
And when true loue cannot these pearles obtaine
_Vnguentum Album_ is the only meane.
Farre be it from my thought (diuinest Maid)
To haue relation to thy heauenly hew,
(In whose sweete voice the Muses are imbaid)
No pen can paint thy commendation due:
Saue only that pen, which no pen can be,
An Angels quill, to make a pen for thee.
But to returne to these vnhappie Louers,
(Sleeping securely in each others armes)
Whose sugred ioies nights sable mantle couers,
Little regarding their ensuing harmes:
Which afterward they iointlie both repented:
"Fate is fore-seene, but neuer is preuented."
Which saying to be true, this lucklesse Dame
Approued in the sequele of her story:
Now waxing pale, now blushing red (for shame),
She scales her lips with silence (womens glory)
Till _Agamemnon_ vrging her replies,
Thus of his death she truely prophecies.
The day shall come, (quoth she) O dismal daie!
When thou by false _Ægistus_ shalt be slaine:
Heere could she tell no more; but made a stay.
(From further speech as willing to refraine:)
Not knowing then, nor little did she thinke,
That she with him of that same cup must drinke.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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