This item is
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
Publicly Available
and licensed under:Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
Files for this item
- Name
- jew-2239.txt
- Size
- 106.34 KB
- Format
- Text file
- Description
- Version of the work in plain text format
JEWM
)
THE JEW OF MALTA.
MACH. ALBEIT THE WORLD THINK MACHIAVEL IS DEAD,
YET WAS HIS SOUL BUT FLOWN BEYOND THE ALPS;
AND, NOW THE GUISE IS DEAD, IS COME FROM FRANCE,
TO VIEW THIS LAND, AND FROLIC WITH HIS FRIENDS.
TO SOME PERHAPS MY NAME IS ODIOUS;
BUT SUCH AS LOVE ME GUARD ME FROM THEIR TONGUES,
AND LET THEM KNOW THAT I AM MACHIAVEL,
AND WEIGH NOT MEN, AND THEREFORE NOT MEN'S WORDS.
ADMIRED I AM OF THOSE THAT HATE ME MOST.
THOUGH SOME SPEAK OPENLY AGAINST MY BOOKS,
YET WILL THEY READ ME AND THEREBY ATTAIN
TO PETER'S CHAIR; AND WHEN THEY CAST ME OFF,
ARE POISONED BY MY CLIMBING FOLLOWERS.
I COUNT RELIGION BUT A CHILDISH TOY
AND HOLD THERE IS NO SIN BUT IGNORANCE.
BIRDS OF THE AIR WILL TELL OF MURDERS PAST?
I AM ASHAMED TO HEAR SUCH FOOLERIES.
MANY WILL TALK OF TITLE TO A CROWN.
WHAT RIGHT HAD CAESAR TO THE EMPIRE?
MIGHT FIRST MADE KINGS, AND LAWS WERE THEN MOST SURE
WHEN, LIKE THE DRACO'S, THEY WERE WRIT IN BLOOD.
HENCE COMES IT THAT A STRONG BUILT CITADE . . .
