| William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Restoration Verse. 1910. | | | | Secret Love | | By Peter Anthony Motteux (1660–1718) |
| | | I LOVE! but she alone shall know, | |
| Who is herself my treasure; | |
| Vain lovers, when their joys they show, | |
| Call partners to their pleasure. | |
| Let empty beaux the favour miss, | 5 |
| While they would have it known; | |
| That soul’s too narrow for the bliss, | |
| Who can’t enjoy alone. | |
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| Then, never let my love be told | |
| By way of modern toasting; | 10 |
| The sweetest joy like fairy gold, | |
| Is lost by selfish boasting. | |
| Too rich to shew, what I possess, | |
| My treasure I’ll conceal; | |
| I may my pains of love confess, | 15 |
| But ne’er my joys reveal. | | | | |
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