Sentence:  Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner / transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the / force of honesty can translate beauty into his / likeness: this was sometime a <WSD>paradox</WSD>, but now the / time gives it proof. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A statement which is difficult to believe, or which goes against general belief.