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Mistress Fitton
SONNET NO. 42
- That thou hast her is not all my grief,
And yet it may be said I loved her dearly,
That she hath thee is of my wailing chief,
A loss in love that touches me more nearly,
Loving offenders, thus I will excuse ye,
Thou dost love her because thou know'st I loveher,
And for my sake, even so doth she abuse me,
Suffering my friend for my sake to approve her,
If I lose thee, my loss is my love's gain,
And losing her my friend hath found that loss,
Both find each other and I lose both twain,
And both for my sake lay on me this cross,
But here's the joy-my friend and I are one,
Sweet flattery then she loves but me alone.
This sonnet appears to concern I (Bacon) Thou (Herbert) and She and Her (Mistress Fitton). Bacon writes-that she has Herbert is not the whole of his grief but it may be said that Bacon (I) loved her, this was the chief cause of his (Bacon's) grief, which was a loss in love which touches him. He calls Mistress Fitton and Herbert loving offenders but that he (Bacon) will excuse (forgive) them-that thou (Herbert) dost love her (Mistress Fitton) because he knows that I (Bacon) also loves her and for his sake she suffers (allows) Bacon's friend (Herbert) to approve of her. That if he (Bacon) lose thee (Mistress Fitton) his loss is Herbert's gain and losing her Herbert has found that loss, that both (Herbert and Mistress Fitton) find each other and Bacon loses both but the joy is that my friend (Herbert) and I (Bacon) are one and the same so that she loves Bacon alone. See Sonnet No. 134.
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