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FRANCIS BACON'S CRYPTIC RHYMES 69
manner in the early edition. It stands out from the
rest by being printed in italics, and presents the
following appearance:
Aske me no reason why I love you, for though Love use
Reason for her precisian, hee admits him not for his Counsailour :
you are not yong, no more am I :
goe to then, there's simpathie:
you are merry, so am I ; ha, ha, then there's more simpathie :
you love sacke, and so do I : would you desire better simpathie ?
Let it suffice thee (Mistris Page) at the least if the Love of Souldier
can suffice, that I love thee : I will not say pitty me,
Souldier-like phrase ; but I say, love me :
By me^ thine own true Knight, by day or night;
Or any kinde of light,
with all his might,
'tis not a
For thee to fight.
John Falstaffe.
The editors
(From the Folio Edition of 1623.)
of to-day have noticed that where the
shorter lines begin there the rhymed verses commence,
and they accordingly print the final lines, thus :
Thine own true knight,
By day or night,
Or any kind of light,
With all his might
For thee to fight.
John Falstaff.
(From the Tauchnitz Edition.)
Tieck's translation of that letter runs thus :
Fordert keine Vernunftgriinde von mir, warum ich euch
Hebe : denn wenngleich Liebe die Vernunft als Sittenrichterin
braucht, wendet sie sich doch nicht an sie als ihre Ratgeberin.
Ihr seid nicht Jung ; ich ebensowenig ;
wohlan denn, hier ist
Sympathie. Ihr seid munter, das bin ich auch : haha ! hier
ist mehr Sympathie. Ihr Hebt Sekt, ich auch : kOnnt ihr mehr
Sympathie verlangen ? Lass dir's genugen, Frau Page (wenn
anders die Liebe eines Soldaten dir genugen kann), dass ich