Classic Poem

O! needlesse fruit (of sinne the meane at first)
Thou forcedst Eve, and Adam didst entice,
To byte their bale, for which the earth was curst,
And headlong they from vertue fell to vice:
Thou wert the baite that Paris gave the dame,
Who in reward, set stately Troy aflame.

Thou didst convey the loving write, that woode
Dianas nymphe, from chaste to foule desire.
By thee too soone I (wretched) understoode
Gilettas scorne, that chaung'd her love to yre;
And not content, but when my woes were dead,
With former cares thou combrest fresh my head.

O, envious fruit! in whom few vertues are,
Thy shew is all; but who so on thee feedes
Shall hardly finde thee helpe, but health impaire:
Then, sith to man such plagues thy beauty breedes,
Would God thy guilt upon each tree
Ingraven were, for every eye to see!
Roberto Rinaldo
Rinaldo, thus freshly entered into the consideration of his former love, likewise felt his former unquietnesse of mynd: faine would he have found out some little sparke of hope, but out, alas! the sowre letter his sweete maistresse delivered, together with her hatefull shewe against him, and her loving zeale towardes Frizaldo, so hugely increased his distrust, as by no means he could away with hope: in so much (quoth he) O cowardly wretch! why dost thou not by death at one dispatch thy sorrowes, rather then to die a thousand deaths proroging a lothed life? canst thou brooke continual bondage, when with one blow thou maist rid thy wretchednesse? Set feare aside, use force upon thy selfe: thou hast lived an exile too long, since thou seest no hope of attonement at home, nor feelest quietnesse abroad. In this desperate passion, Rinaldo was determined to commit murder upon him selfe; and yet he thought best to deferre the execution, until he might convey him selfe eare unto Gilettas lodging, that there her eyes might be witnesse of his loyaltie and her owne crueltie. To hasten which follie, the next night he tooke his journey towardes Bologna castle, and by the way he devised this petition.