BOYET,

bis retirement.

Lords attending upon the Princess of

MACARD, S France.

Don ADRIANO DE ARMADO, a fantastical Spaniard, NATHANIEL, a Curate.

DULL, a Conflable.

HOLOFERNES, & Schoolmaster.

COSTARD, a Clown.

MOTH, Page to Don Adriano de Armado,

Princess of FRANCE.

ROSALINE,

MARIA,

CATHARINE,

}

Ladies attending on the Princess.

JAQUENETTA, a Country Wench.

Officers and others Attendants upon the King and Princess.

SCENE the King of Navarre's Palace, and the Country near it,

LOVE'S

*LOVE's Labour's loft.

ACT I.

SCENE I.

King.

Enter the King, Biron, Longaville and Dumain,
ET Fame, that all hunt after in their lives,
Live registred upon our brazen tombs; t
When, fpight of cormorant devouring time,
Th' endeavour of this prefent breath may
buy

L

That honour which fhall 'bate his feythe's keen edge,
And make us heirs of all eternity.
Therefore, brave conquerors, for fo you are,
That war against your own affections,
And the huge army of the world's defires,
Our late edict fhall strongly stand in force
Navarre fhall be the wonder of the world,
Our court fhall be a little academy,
Still and contemplative in living arts.
You three, Biron, Dumain and Longaville,
Have fworn for three years' term to live with me
My fellow-fcholars, and to keep those statutes
That are recorded in this fchedule here.

Your oaths are paft, and now fubfcribe your names :
That his own hand may ftrike his honcur down,
That violates the fmalleft branch herein:

In this Play are to be perceived several strokes of Shakespear's pe, but the whole ought by no means to pafs for the work of it.

+--- brazen tombs;

And then grace us in the difgrace of death:

When, fpight of, &c.

If you are arm'd to do as sworn to do,

Subscribe to your deep oaths, and keep them too.
Long. I am refolv'd; 'tis but a three years' faft:
The mind fhall banquet, tho' the body pine;
Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits
Make rich the ribs, but bankrout quite the wits.
Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortify'd:
The groffer manner of these world's delights
He throws upon the grofs world's baser slaves:
To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die;
With all these living in philofophy.

Biron, I can but fay their proteftation over,
So much (dear liege) I have already fworn,
That is, to live and ftudy here three years:
But there are other strict obfervances;
As, not to fee a woman in that term,
Which I hope well is not enrolled there.
And one day in a week to touch no food,.
And but one meal on every day befide;
The which I hope is not enrolled there.
And then to fleep but three hours in the night,
And not be feen to wink of all the day;
When I was wont to think no harm all night,
And make a dark night too of half the day;
Which I hope well is not enrolled there.
O, these are barren tasks, too hard to keep;
Not to fee ladies, ftudy, faft, not fleep.

King. Your oath is paft to pafs away from thefe.
Biron. Let me fay no, my liege, an if you please;
I only swore to ftudy with your Grace,

And ftay here in your court for three years' space.
Long. You fwore to that, Biron, and to the reft.
Biron. By yea and nay, Sir, then I fwore in jeft.
What is the end of ftudy? let me know.

King. Why, that to know which elfe we fhould not knew.
Biron, Things hid and barr'd (you mean) from common

fense.

King. Ay, that is ftudy's god-like recompence. Biron. Come on then, I will fwear to study fo, To know the thing I am forbid to know;

As thus; to ftudy where I well may dine,
When I to faft exprefly am fore-bid ;
Or ftudy where to meet fome mistress fine,
When miftreffes from common fenfe are hid:
Or having fworn too hard-a-keeping oath,
Study to break it, and not break my troth.
If ftudy's gain be this, and this be fo,
Study knows that which yet it doth not know:
Swear me to this, and I will ne'er say no.

King. These be the stops that hinder study quite,
And train our intellects to vain delight.

Biron, Why, all delights are vain, but that most vain
Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain;
As, painfully to pore upon a book

To feek the light of truth, while truth the while
Doth falfly blind the eye-fight of his look:

Light, feeking light, doth light of light beguile;
So ere you find where light in darkness lyes,
Your light grows dark by lofing of your eyes.
Study me how to please the eye indeed,
By fixing it upon a fairer

eye;

Who dazling fo, that eye fhall be his heed,

And give him light that it was blinded by.
Study is like the Heaven's glorious Sun,

That will not be deep fearch'd with fawcy looks
Small have continual plodders ever won,
Save bafe authority from others' books.
Thefe earthly godfathers of heaven's lights,
That give a name to every fixed ftar,
Have no more profit of their fhining nights,

Than those that walk, and wot not what they are.
Too much to know, is to know nought but fame;
And every godfather can give a name.

}

King. How well he's read, to reafon against reading!
Dum. Proceeded well, to ftop all good proceeding.
Long. He weeds the corn, and ftill let's grow the weeding.
Biron. The fpring is near, when green geese are a breeding.
Dum. How follows that?.

Biron. Fit in his place and time.

Dum. In reafon nothing.

VOL. II.

A a

Biron,

Biron. Something then in rhime.

Long. Biron is like an envious fneaping froft,
That bites the first-born infants of the spring.
Biron. Well, fay I am; why fhould proud fummer boaft,
Before the birds have any caufe to fing?
Why should I joy in an abortive birth?

At Christmas I no more defire a rofe,
Than with a fnow in May's new-fangled earth:
But like of each thing that in season grows.

So you, to ftudy now it is too late,

Climb o'er the house t'unlock the little gate.

King. Well, fit you out. Go home, Biron: Adieu. Biron. No, my good lord, I've fworn to stay with you, And though I have for barbarism spoke more, Than for that angel knowledge you can say,

Yet confident I'll keep what I have swore,

And bide the penance of each three years' day.

Give me the paper, let me read the fame,

And to the ftrict'ft decrees I'll write my name..

King. How well this yielding rescues thee from shame!

Biron. Item, That no woman fhall come within a mile

Biron. Sweet lord, and why?

Long. To fright them hence with that dread penalty. Biron. A dangerous law againft gentility!

Item, [reading.] If any man be feen to talk with a woman within the term of three years, he shall endure fuch publick fhame as the rest of the court can poffibly devife.

This article, my liege, your felf must break;

For well you know here comes in enibaffy

The French King's daughter, with your felf to speak,
A maid of grace and compleat majesty,

About