Page:The Palace of Pleasure, Volume 1 (1890).djvu/126

 THE RAPE OF LUCRECE.

faith, and comsorted the penfife and languifhing lady, imputing the offence to the authour and doer of the fame, affirming that her bodye was polluted, and not her minde, and where confent was not, there the crime was absente. Whereunto mee added : " I praye you conlider with your selues, what punimmente is due for the malefa&our. As for my part, though I cleare my selfe of the offence, my body mall feele the punimment : for no vnchast or ijl woman, fhall hereafter impute no difhoneft a& to Lucrece?' Then me drewe out a knife, which me had hidden secretely, vruler her kirtle, and ftabbed her selfe to the harte. Which done, me fell downe grouelinge vppon her wound and died. Whereupon her father and hufband made great lamentation, and as they were bewayling the death of Lucrece, Brutus plucked the knife oute of the wound, which gufhed out with aboundance of bloude, and holding it vp said : " I fweare by the chast bloud of this body here dead, and I take you the immortall Gods to witnes, that I will driue and extirpate oute of this Citie, both L. Tarquinius Superbus, and his wicked wife, with all the race of his children and progenie, so that none of them, ne yet any others mall raigne anye longer in Rome." Then hee deliuered the knife to Collatinus. Lucretius and Valerius, who marueyled at the ftrangenefle of his words : and from whence he mould conceiue that determination. They all fwore that othe. And sollowed Brutus, as their captaine, in his conceiued purpose. The body of Lucrece was brought into the market place, where the people wondred at the vilenefle of that fa&e, euery man complayning vppon the mifchiefe of that facinorous rape, committed by Tarquinius. Whervpon Brutus perfwaded the Romaynes, that they mould ceafe from teares and other childifhe lamentacions, and to take weapons in their handes, to (hew themfelues like men.

Then the luftieft and most defperate persons within the citie, made themfelues prest and readie, to attempte any enterprife: and after a garrison was placed and bestowed at Collatia, diligent watche and ward was kept at the gates of the Citie, to the intent the kinge fhould haue no aduertifement of that fturre. The rest of the souldiours sollowed Brutus to Rome.

When he was come thither, the armed multitude did beate a

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