SCENE II. LOVE'S LABOR'S LOST. Mar. This, and these pearls, to me sent Lon- That in this spleen ridiculous appears, gaville; The letter is too long by half a mile. Prin. I think no less: Dost thou not wish in heart, The chain were longer, and the letter short? Mar. Ay, or I would these hands might never part. Prin. We are wise girls to mock our lovers so. 0, that I knew he were but in by the week! Prin. None are so surely caught, when they are As wit turn'd fool: folly, in wisdom hatch'd, excess, As gravity's revolt to wantonness. Mar. Folly in fools bears not so strong a note, Enter BOYET. Prin. Here comes Boyet, and mirth is in his face. Prin. Thy news, Boyet? I should have fear'd her, had she been a devil. shoulder; Making the bold wag by their praises bolder. To check their folly, passion's solemn tears. Prin. But what, but what, come they to visit us? Like Muscovites, or Russians: as I guess, Ros. Come on then; wear the favors most in sight. Ros. But shall we dance, if they desire us to't? heart, And quite divorce his memory from his part. Prin. Therefore I do it; and I make no doubt Moth. All hail, the richest beauties on the earth! [The Ladies turn their backs to him. That ever turn'd their-backs-to mortal views! Biron. Their eyes, villain, their eyes. Moth. That ever turn'd their eyes to mortal views! Out Boyet. True; out, indeed. Moth. Out of your favors, heavenly spirits, vouchsafe, Not to behold Biron. Once to behold, rogue. Moth. Once to behold with your sun-beamed eyes, sun-beamed eyes with your out. Biron. Is this your perfectness? begone, you rogue. minds, Boyet: If they do speak our language, 'tis our will Metheglin, wort, and malmsey;-Well run, dice. There's half a dozen sweets. That some plain man recount their purposes: Boyet. What would you with the princess? Boyet. Nothing but peace, and gentle visitation. Ros. Why, that they have; and bid them so begone. Boyet. She says, you have it, and you may be gone. King. Say to her, we have measur'd many miles To tread a measure with her on this grass. Boyet. They say that they have measur'd many a mile, To tread a measure with you on this grass. Ros. It is not so: ask them how many inches Is in one mile: if they have measur'd many, The measure then of one is easily told. Boyet. If to come hither you have measur'd miles, Biron. Tell her, we measure them by weary steps. How many weary steps, you; Our duty is so rich, so infinite, That we may do it still without accompt. Ros. My face is but a moon, and clouded too. King. Blessed are clouds, to do as such clouds do! Vouchsafe, bright moon, and these thy stars, to shine (Those clouds remov'd) upon our wat'ry eyne. Ros. O vain petitioner! beg a greater matter; Thou now request'st but moonshine in the water. King. Then, in our measure do but vouchsafe one change; Thou bid'st me beg; this begging is not strange. Ros. Play, music, then: nay, you must do it [Music plays. soon. Not yet;-no dance:--thus change I like the moon. King. Will you not dance? How come you thus estrang'd? Ros. You took the moon at full; but now she's chang'd. King. Yet still she is the moon, and I the man. The music plays; vouchsafe some motion to it. Ros. Our ears vouchsafe it. King. But your legs should do it. Ros. Since you are strangers and come here by chance, We'll not be nice: take hands;-we will not dance. King. Why take we hands then? Ros. Only to part friends:Court'sy, sweet hearts; and so the measure ends. King. More measure of this measure; be not nice. Ros. We can afford no more at such a price. King. Prize you yourselves; What buys your company? Ros. Your absence only. King. That can never be. Ros. Then cannot we be bought: and so adieu; Twice to your visor, and half once to you! King. If you deny to dance, let's hold more chat. Ros. In private then. King. I am best pleas'd with that. [They converse apart. Biron. White-handed mistress, one sweet word with thee. Prin. Honey, and milk, and sugar; there is three. Biron. Nay then, two treys, (an if you grow so nice,) Say you so? Fair lord,Please it you, Take that for your fair lady. As much in private, and I'll bid adieu. [They converse apart. Kath. What, was your visor made without a tongue? Long. I know the reason, lady, why you ask. And would afford my speechless visor half. Long. Let's part the word. No, a fair lord calf. No, I'll not be your half. Take all, and wean it; it may prove an ox. Long. Look, how you butt yourself in these sharp mocks! As is the razor's edge invisible, Cutting a smaller hair than may be seen; Above the sense of sense: so sensible Seemeth their conference; their conceits have wings, Fleeter than arrows, bullets, wind, thought, swifter things. Ros. Not one word more, my maids; break off, break off. Biron. By heaven, all dry-beaten with pure scoff? King. Farewell, mad wenches; you have simple wits. [Exeunt KING, Lords, MoTB, Music, and Attendants. Prin. Twenty adieus, my frozen Muscovites.Are these the breed of wits so wonder'd at? Boyet. Tapers they are, with your sweet breaths puff'd out. Ros. Well-liking wits they have: gross, gross; fat, fat. Prin. O poverty in wit, kingly-poor flout! Will they not, think you, hang themselves to-night? Or ever, but in visors, show their faces! This pert Birón was out of countenance quite. Ros. O! they were all in lamentable cases! The king was weeping-ripe for a good word. Prin. Birón did swear himself out of all suit. Mar. Dumain was at my service, and his sword: No point, quoth I; my servant straight was mute. Kath. Lord Longaville said, I came o'er his heart; And trow you, what he call'd me? Prin. Kath. Yes, in good faith. Prin. Qualm, perhaps. | Enter the PRINCESS, ushered by BOYET; ROSALINE, MARIA, KATHARINE, and Attendants. Biron. See where it comes!-Behavior, what wert thou, Go, sickness as thou art! Ros. Well, better wits have worn plain statutecaps.* But will you hear? the king is my love sworn. In their own shapes; for it can never be, Prin. How blow? how blow? speak to be understood. Boyet. Fair ladies, mask'd, are roses in their bud: Dismask'd, their damask sweet commixture shown, Are angels vailing clouds, or roses blown. Prin. Avaunt, perplexity! What shall we do, If they return in their own shapes to woo? Ros. Good madam, if by me you'll be advis'd, Let's mock them still, as well known, as disguis'd: Let us complain to them what fools were here, Disguis'd like Muscovites, in shapeless gear; And wonder what they were; and to what end Their shallow shows, and prologue vilely penn'd, And their rough carriage so ridiculous, Should be presented at our tent to us. Boyet. Ladies, withdraw; the gallants are at hand. Prin. Whip to our tents, as roes run over land. [Exeunt PRINCESS, Ros., KATH., and MARIA. Enter the KING, BIRON, LONGAVILLE, and DuMAIN, in their proper habits. King. Fair sir, God save you! Where is the princess? Boyet. Gone to her tent: Please it your majesty, Command me any service to her thither? King. That she vouchsafe me audience for one word. Boyet. I will; and so will she, I know, my lord. At wakes and wassels. meetings, markets, fairs; King. A blister on his sweet tongue, with my heart, That put Armado's page out of his part! Better wits may be found among citizens. Nor God, nor I, delight in perjur'd men. King. Rebuke me not for that which you provoke; The virtue of your eye must break my oath. Prin. You nick-name virtue: vice you should have spoke; For virtue's office never breaks men's troth. Now by my maiden honor, yet as pure As the unsullied lily, I protest, A world of torments though I should endure, I would not yield to be your house's guest: So much I hate a breaking-cause to be Of heavenly oaths, vow'd with integrity. King. O, you have liv'd in desolation here, Unseen, unvisited, much to our shame. Prin. Not so, my lord; it is not so, I swear; We have had pastimes here, and pleasant game; A mess of Russians left us but of late. King. How, madam? Russians? Prin. Ay, in truth, my lord; Trim gallants, full of courtship, and of state. Ros. Madam, speak true:-It is not so, my lord; My lady, (to the manner of the days,") In courtesy, gives undeserving praise. In Russian habit: here they stay'd an hour. We four, indeed, confronted here with four And talk'd apace; and in that hour, my lord, They did not bless us with one happy word. I dare not call them fools; but this I think, When they are thirsty, fools would fain have drink. Biron. This jest is dry to me- -Fair, gentle, sweet, Your wit makes wise things foolish; when we greet With eyes best seeing heaven's fiery eye, By light we lose light: Your capacity Is of that nature, that to your huge store Wise things seem foolish, and rich things but poor. Ros. This proves you wise and rich; for in my mand you this? Ros. There, then, that visor; that superfluous case, That hid the worse, and show'd the better face. King. We are descried: they'll mock us now downright. Dum. Let us confess, and turn it to a jest. Prin. Amaz'd, my lord? Why looks your highness sad? Ros. Help, hold his brows! he'll swoon! Why look you pale? Sea-sick, I think, coming from Muscovy. Biron. Thus pour the stars down plagues for perjury. After the fashion of the times. Can any face of brass hold longer out?Here stand I, lady; dart thy skill at me; Bruise me with scorn, confound me with a Thrust thy sharp wit quite through my ignorance; Nor never more in Russian habit wait. Nor to the motion of a school-boy's tongue; Nor never come in visor to my friend; Nor woo in rhyme, like a blind harper's song: Taffeta phrases, silken terms precise, Three-pil'd hyperboles, spruce affectation, Figures pedantical; these summer-flies Have blown me full of maggot ostentation: I do forswear them: and I here protest, By this white glove, (how white the hand, Henceforth my wooing mind shall be express'd Prin. No, they are free, that gave these tokens to us. Some fair excuse. Prin. When she shall challenge this, you will reject her. 1 King. Upon mine honor, no. Prin. Peace, peace, forbear; Your oath once broke, you force not to forswear. King. Despise me when I break this oath of mine. Prin. I will; and therefore keep it:-Rosaline, What did the Russian whisper in your ear? Ros. Madam, he swore that he did hold me dear As precious eye-sight; and did value me Above this world: adding thereto, moreover, That he would wed me or else die my lover. Prin. God give thee joy of him! the noble lord Most honorably doth uphold his word. King. What mean you, madam? by my life, my troth, I never swore this lady such an oath. Ros. By heaven, you did; and to confirm it plain You gave me this: but take it, sir, again. King. My faith, and this, the princess I did give; I knew her by this jewel on her sleeve. 1 Make no difficulty. Prin. Pardon me, sir, this jewel did she wear, And lord Birón, I thank him, is my dear :What, will you have me, or your pearl again? Biron. Neither of either; I remit both twain.- That smiles his cheek in years; and knows the trick [TO BOYET. Cost. No, sir; but it is vara fine, For every one pursents three., You cannot beg us, sir, I can assure you, sir; we know what we know. I hope, sir, three times thrice, sir,— Biron. Is not nine! Cost. Under correction, sir, we know whereuntil it doth amount. Biron. By Jove, I always took three threes for nine. Cost. O, Lord, sir, it were a pity you should get your living by reckoning, sir. Biron. How much is it? Cost. O, Lord, sir, the parties themselves, the actors, sir, will show whereuntil it doth amount: for my own part, I am, as they say, but to parfect one man,-e'en one poor man; Pompion the great, SCENE II. LOVE'S LABOR'S LOST. Boyet. Your nose says, no, you Prin. Nay, my good lord, let me o'er-rule you | My 'scutcheon plain declares, that stands too right. now; That sport best pleases, that doth least know how: Enter ARMADO. Arm. Anointed, I implore so much expence of thy royal sweet breath, as will utter a brace of words. [ARMADO Converses with the King, and delivers him a paper. Prin. Doth this man serve God? Prin. He speaks not like a man of God's making. chabæus: And if these four worthies in their first show thrive, Biron. There is five in the first show. Abate a throw at novum; and the whole world Cannot pick out five such, take each one in his vein. amain. [Seats brought for the King, Princess, &c. Cost. I Pompey am,— Boyet. Cost. I Pompey am, You lie, you are not he. With libbard's head on knee. Biron. Well said, old mocker; I must needs be friends with thee. Cost. I Pompey am, Pompey surnam'd the big,— Cost. It is great, sir ;-Pompey surnam❜d the That oft in field, with targe and shield, did make my foe to sweat: And, travelling along this coast, I here am come by chance; And lay my arms before the legs of this sweet lass of France. If your ladyship would say, Thanks, Pompey, I had done. Prin. Great thanks, great Pompey. Cost. "Tis not so much worth; but, I hope, I was perfect; I made a little fault in great. Biron. My hat to a halfpenny, Pompey proves the best worthy. Enter NATHANIEL arm'd, for Alexander. Nath. When in the world I liv'd, I was the world's commander, By east, west, north, and south, I spread my conquering might: A game with dice. am Alisander. Biron. Your nose smells, no, in this, most ten- Prin. The conqueror is dismay'd. Proceed, good Nath. When in the world I liv'd, I was the Boyet. Most true, 'tis right; you were so, Ali- away Ali- And when he was a babe, a child, a shrimp, Thus did he strangle serpents in his manus: Hol. Judas I am, Dum. A Judas! Hol. Not Iscariot, sir. Judas I am, ycleped Machabæus. [Exit MoTH. Dum. Judas Machabæus clipt, is plain Judas. Judas? Hol. Judas I am, Dum. The more shame for you, Hol. What mean you, sir? Judas. Boyet. To make Judas hang himself. Biron. Well follow'd: Judas was hang'd on an elder. Hol. I will not be put out of countenance. Dum. The head of a bodkin. Long. The face of an old Roman coin,scarce seen. Biron. Ay, and worn in the cap of a tooth- And now, forward; for we have put thee in coun |