“ Men's faults do seldom to themselves appear; Their own transgressions partially they smother ”
William Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece (1594). copy citation
| Author | William Shakespeare |
|---|---|
| Source | The Rape of Lucrece |
| Topic | fault |
| Date | 1594 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/RapeOfLucrece.html |
Context
“Thy princely office how canst thou fulfil,
When, pattern'd by thy fault, foul sin may say,
He learn'd to sin, and thou didst teach the way?
'Think but how vile a spectacle it were,
To view thy present trespass in another.
Men's faults do seldom to themselves appear;
Their own transgressions partially they smother:
This guilt would seem death-worthy in thy brother.
O, how are they wrapp'd in with infamies
That from their own misdeeds askance their eyes!
'To thee, to thee, my heaved-up hands appeal,
Not to seducing lust, thy rash relier:”
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