Seccombe and Arber, comps. Elizabethan Sonnets. 1904.
Parthenophil and Parthenophe[Dedicatory Sonnets.] To the Right Noble Lord Henry, Earl of Northumberland
Barnabe Barnes (1569?–1609)D
Which my black mournful Muse presenteth here!
Blushing, at her first entrance, in for fear;
Where of herself, her self She doth accuse,
And seeking Patronage, bold means doth use
To shew that duty, which in heart I bear
To your thrice noble House! which shall outwear
Devouring Time itself, if my poor Muse
Divine aright: whose virtuous excellence
She craves, her ruder style to patronise.
Vouchsafe, then, noble Lord! to give defence:
Who, when her brighter glory shall arise,
Shall fly to fetch Fame, from her Fort of Brass;
Which, with your virtues, through the world shall pass!