PERSONS REPRESENTED. Ferdinand, king of Navarre. Biron, Longaville, } Dumain, Boyet, 2 lords, attending on the princess of lords, attending on the king. France. Don Adriano de Armado, a fantastical Spaniard. Sir Nathaniel, a curate. Holofernes, a schoolmaster. Costard, a clown. Moth, page to Armado. A forester. Princess of France. Rosaline, Maria, ladies, attending on the princess. Katharine, Jaquenetta, a country wench. Officers and others, attendants on the king and princess. Scene, Navarre. LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. ACT I. SCENE I. Navarre. A park, with a palace in it. Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain King. LET fame, that all hunt after in their lives, Therefore, brave conquerors !-for so you are, Still and contemplative in living art. My fellow-scholars, and to keep those statutes, Long. I am resolv'd: 'tis but a three years' fast; Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortified; Biron. I can but say their protestation over, King. Your oath is pass'd to pass away from these. Biron. Let me say no, my liege, an if you please; I only swore, to study with your grace, And stay here in your court for three years' space. Long. You swore to that, Biron, and to the rest. jest. What is the end of study? let me know. King. Why, that to know, which else we should not know. Biron. Things hid and barr'd, you mean, from common sense; King. Ay, that is study's god-like recompense. When mistresses from common sense are hid: 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 Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain: To seek the light of truth; while truth the while Doth falsely blind the eyesight of his look: Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile : So, ere you find where light in darkness lies, Your light grows dark by losing of your eyes. Study me how to please the eye indeed, By fixing it upon a fairer eye; Who dazzling so, that eye shall be his heed, And give him light that was it blinded by. Study is like the heaven's glorious sun, That will not be deep-search'd with saucy looks; Small have continual plodders ever won, Save base authority from others' books. These earthly godfathers of heaven's lights, That give a name to every fixed star, Have no more profit of their shining nights, Than those that walk, and wot not what they are. * Dishonestly, treacherously, Too much to know, is, to know nought but fame; King. How well he's read, to reason against read- Dum. Proceeded well, to stop all good proceeding! Long. He weeds the corn, and still lets grow the weeding. Biron. The spring is near, when green geese are Dum. How follows that? Dum. In reason nothing. . Fit in his place and time. mer boast, Before the birds have any cause to sing? At Christmas I no more desire a rose King. Well, sit you out: go home, Birón; adieu! Biron. No, my good lord; I have sworn to stay with you: And, though I have for barbarism spoke more, Than for that angel knowledge you can say, And bide the penance of each three years' day. King. How well this yielding rescues thee from shame! Biron. [Reads.] Item, That no woman shall come within a mile of my court.And bath this been proclaim'd? * Nipping. + Games, sports. |