Night, love, and wine to all extremes persuade: Night, shameless wine, and love are fearless made. 60 All have I spent: no threats or prayers move thee; O harder than the doors thou guard'st I prove thee, No pretty wench's keeper may'st thou be, The careful prison is more meet for thee. Now frosty night her flight begins to take, And crowing cocks poor souls to work awake. But thou, my crown, from sad hairs ta'en away, On this hard threshold till the morning lay. That when my mistress there beholds thee cast, She may perceive how we the time did waste. 70 Whate'er thou art, farewell, be like me pained! Careless farewell, with my fault not distained![161] And farewell cruel posts, rough threshold's block, And doors conjoined with an hard iron lock! FOOTNOTES: [154] Not in Isham copy or ed. A. [155] Old eds. "dende." [156] Sometime ("quondam"). [157] "Ante vel a membris dividar ipse meis." [158] Qy. "rebound?" [159] Dyce reads, "If, Boreas, bear'st" (_i.e._, "thou bear'st"). But the change in the old eds. from the second to the third person is not very harsh. [160] A picturesque rendering of "Vitreoque madentia rore Tempora noctis eunt." [161] "Lente nec admisso turpis amante ... vale." Of course "nec" should be taken with "admisso." ELEGIA VII.[162] Ad pacandam amicam, quam verberaverat. Bind fast my hands, they have deservËd chains, While rage is absent, take some friend the pains. For rage against my wench moved my rash arm, My mistress weeps whom my mad hand did harm. I might have then my parents dear misused, Or holy gods with cruel strokes abused. Why, Ajax, master of the seven-fold shield, Butchered the flocks he found in spacious field. And he who on his mother venged his ire, Against the Destinies durst sharp[163] darts require. 10 Could I therefore her comely tresses tear? Yet was she gracËd with her ruffled hair. So fair she was, Atalanta she resembled, Before whose bow th' Arcadian wild beasts trembled. Such Ariadne was, when she bewails, Her perjured Theseus' flying vows and sails. So, chaste Minerva, did Cassandra fall Deflowered[164] except within thy temple wall. That I was mad, and barbarous all men cried: She nothing said; pale fear her tongue had tied. 20 But secretly her looks with checks did trounce me, Her tears, she silent, guilty did pronounce me. Would of mine arms my shoulders had been scanted: Better I could part of myself have wanted. To mine own self have I had strength so furious, And to myself could I be so injurious? Slaughter and mischiefs instruments, no better, DeservËd chains these cursed hands shall fetter. Punished I am, if I a Roman beat: Over my mistress is my right more great? 30