Venus and Adonis
Pocula Castalia plena ministret aqua.’
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE HENRY
WRIOTHESLEY,
EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON, AND BARON OF TICHFIELD.
Right Honourable,
I know not how I shall offend in dedicating my
unpolished lines to your lordship, nor how the world
will censure me for choosing so strong a prop to support
so weak a burthen: only, if your honour seem8
but pleased, I account myself highly praised, and
vow to take advantage of all idle hours, till I have
honoured you with some graver labour. But if the
first heir of my invention prove deformed, I shall be12
sorry it had so noble a godfather, and never after ear
so barren a land, for fear it yield me still so bad a
harvest. I leave it to your honourable survey, and
your honour to your heart’s content; which I wish16
may always answer your own wish and the world’s
hopeful expectation.
Your honour’s in all duty,
William Shakespeare.
Had ta’en his last leave of the weeping morn,
Rose-cheek’d Adonis hied him to the chase;
Epigraph; cf. n.
Ded. 2 Wriothesley; cf. n.
13 ear: plough
2 weeping: shedding dew
3 Rose-cheek’d; cf. n.
hied him: hastened
