
And think of beauty, which can be bought by the pound in the form of cosmetics, which work miracles on nature, making the women that wear the most of it the most beautiful. Many cowards with disloyal hearts have beards like brave Hercules and Mars, the god of war, even though they have no guts and are easily frightened. Every vice has some outward appearance of virtue. In religion, a damned mistake can be covered over with the nice show of a blessing and some scripture to justify it. In the court of law, a corrupt and false plea can hide its own evil with a pleasant voice. The whole world is tricked by fancy appearances. The appearances of these may be deceiving. But thou, thou meagre lead, Which rather threaten’st than dost promise aught, Thy paleness moves me more than eloquence, And here choose I. Nor none of thee, thou pale and common drudge 'Tween man and man. Therefore then, thou gaudy gold, Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee. Thus ornament is but the guilèd shore To a most dangerous sea, the beauteous scarf Veiling an Indian beauty-in a word, The seeming truth which cunning times put on To entrap the wisest. So are those crispèd snaky golden locks Which maketh such wanton gambols with the wind, Upon supposèd fairness, often known To be the dowry of a second head, The skull that bred them in the sepulcher. Look on beauty, And you shall see ’tis purchased by the weight, Which therein works a miracle in nature, Making them lightest that wear most of it. How many cowards whose hearts are all as false As stairs of sand wear yet upon their chins The beards of Hercules and frowning Mars, Who, inward searched, have livers white as milk, And these assume but valor’s excrement To render them redoubted. In law, what plea so tainted and corrupt But, being seasoned with a gracious voice, Obscures the show of evil? In religion, What damnèd error, but some sober brow Will bless it and approve it with a text, Hiding the grossness with fair ornament? There is no vice so simple but assumes Some mark of virtue on his outward parts. The world is still deceived with ornament. So may the outward shows be least themselves. I'm talking too much, but I'm doing that just to waste time, to draw out the minutes and stretch out the seconds, keeping you from making your decision. Let Lady Luck go to hell for this game of chance, not me. Oh, it's wrong that you are kept from what is yours! Although I am yours, I am not yet officially yours.
