University of Virginia Library

Life of my Soule; By whom, next heauen, I breath,
Excepting whom, I haue no friend but Death,
How can thy wishes ease my griefe, or stand
My miserie in stead, when as thy hand,
And nothing but thy helping hand can giue me
Reliefe, and yet refuses to relieue me?
Strange kinde of Charity! when, being afflicted,
I finde best wishes, yet am interdicted
Of those best wishes, and must be remou'd
From loues enioyment; why? Because belou'd.
Alas! alas! How can thy wishes be
A blessing to me, if vnblest in thee?
Thy beauty's gone, (thou saist;) why, let it goe;
He loues but ill, that loues but for a show;
Thy beauty is supply'd in my affection;
That neuer yet was slaue to a complexion.
Shall euery day, wherein the earth does lacke
The Suns reflex, b'expell'd the Almanacke?
Or shall thy ouer-curious steps forbeare
A garden, 'cause there be no Roses there?
Or shall the sunset of Parthenia's beauty
Enforce my iudgement to neglect that duty,
The which my best aduis'd affection owes
Her sacred vertue, and my solemne vowes?
No, no; it lyes not in the power of Fate,
To make Parthenia too vnfortunate,
For Argalus to loue.
It is as easie for Parthenia's heart
To proue lesse vertuous, as for me to start
From my firme faith: The flame that honours breath
Hath blowne, nothing hath powre to quench, but death.
Thou giu'st me leaue to chuse a fitter spouse,
And freedome to recall, to quit those vowes
I tooke: VVho gaue thee license to dispense
VVith such false tongues, as offer violence
To plighted faith? Alas, thou canst not free
Thy selfe, much lesse hast power to license me:
Vowes can admit no change; They still perseuer
Against all chance, they binde, they binde for euer:
A vow's a holy thing; no common breath;
The limits of a vow, is heauen, and death;
A vow that's past, is like a bird that's flowne
From out thy hand; can be recall'd by none;
It dies not, like a time beguiling Iest,
As soone as vented; liues not in thy brest,
VVhen vtterd once; but is a sacred word,
Straight enterd in the strict and close record
Of heauen; It is not like a Iuglers knot,
Or fast, or loose, as pleases vs, or not.
Since then thy vowes can finde no dispensation,
And may not be recall'd, recall thy passion;
Performe, performe, what now it is too late
T'vnwish againe; too soone to violate;
Seeke not to quit, what heauen denies to free,
Performe thy vowes to heauen; thy vowes to me.