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Ben Jonson's Epigram to Francis Beaumont

From the 1616 Folio of Jonson's Works
LV.
T O   F R A N C I S   B E A V M O N T.
H Ow I doe loue thee B E A V M O N T, and thy Muse,
   That vnto me dost such religion vse !
How I doe feare my selfe, that am not worth
    The least indulgent thought thy pen drops forth !
At once thou mak'st me happie, and vnmak'st ;
    And giuing largely to me, more thou tak'st.
What fate is mine, that so it selfe bereaues ?
    What art is thine, that so thy friend deceiues ?
When euen there, where most thou praysest mee,
    For writing better, I must enuie thee.           [10]
Link to: Ben Jonson's Works,    A modern spelling version of this epigram
 

© Twilight Pictures, December 1999. This text is freely available for educational, non-profit uses only. Please report any errors or suggestions to Drew Whitehead.