Sonnets

Sonnet 88

When be disposed to set me light,
And place my merit in the eye of scorn,
Upon side, against my self I’ll fight,
And prove virtuous, though art forsworn:
With mine own weakness being best acquainted,
Upon part I can set down a story
Of faults concealed, wherein I am attainted:
That in losing me, win much glory:
And I by this will be a gainer too,
For bending all my loving thoughts on ,
The injuries that to my self I do,
Doing vantage, double-vantage me.
Such is my love, to I so belong,
That for right, my self will bear all wrong.

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See its words in the cloud.

Modern spelling for reading. The edition is public domain in the United States. Edition source.