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TO MY WELL DESERVING
friend, Captaine John Smith.
THou hast no need to covet new applause,
Nor doe I thinke vaine-glory moves thee to it;
But since it is thy will (though without cause)
To move a needlesse thing, yet will I doe it:
Doe it in briefe I will, or else I doe the wrong,
And say, read or'e Captaine Smiths former song;
His first then will invite thee to his latter:
Reader 'tis true; I am not brib'd to flatter.
Nor doe I thinke vaine-glory moves thee to it;
But since it is thy will (though without cause)
To move a needlesse thing, yet will I doe it:
Doe it in briefe I will, or else I doe the wrong,
And say, read or'e Captaine Smiths former song;
His first then will invite thee to his latter:
Reader 'tis true; I am not brib'd to flatter.
[_]
9. "The" was a frequent variant of "thee." In the next line, "or'e" is a variant of
"over" with a misplaced apostrophe.
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