LOVE'S LABOUR LOST,

A

COME D Y.

VOL. I.

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BOYET,

MERCADE,

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Lords, attending upon the Princess of
France.

Don ADRIANO de ARMADO, a fantastical Spaniard.

NATHANIEL, a Curate.

DULL, a Conftable.

HOLOFERNES, a Schoolmafter.

COSTARD, a Clown.

MOTH, Page to DON ADRIANO de ARMADO.

Officers, and others, attendants upon the King and Princess.

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

THIS PLAY, probably the earlieft of Shakespeare's comic productions, was firft written in the year 1591, but retouched, when prefented before Queen Elizabeth in 1597.

LOVE'S LABOUR LOST.

ACT I. SCENE I,

Navarre. The Palace.

Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain. King. Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives, Live registred upon our brazen tombs,

And then grace us in the disgrace of death;

When, spight of cormorant devouring time, The endeavour of this prefent breath may buy

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That honour, which fhall bate his fcythe's keen edge,
And make us heirs of all eternity.

Therefore, brave conquerors! for so you are,
That war against your own affections,
And the huge army of the world's defires,—
Our late edict shall strongly stand in force:
Navarre fhall be the wonder of the world;
Our court shall be a little Academe,
Still and contemplative in living art.

You three, Biron, Dumain, and Longaville,
Have fworn for three years' term to live with me,
My fellow scholars, and to keep those statutes,
That are recorded in this fchedule here:

↳ breath may buy]-life may gain.

When,]-Since. bate]-take off.

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Your

Your oaths are paft, and now fubfcribe your names;
That his own hand may strike his honour down,
That violates the smallest branch herein :

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

Subscribe to your deep oath, and keep it too.

Long. I am refolv'd: 'tis but a three years faft; The mind fhall banquet, though the body pine: Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits Make rich the ribs, but bankerout the wits.

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Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortify'd;
The groffer manner of these world's delights
He throws upon the grofs world's bafer flaves:
To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die;
With all these living in philofophy.

Biron. I can but say their proteftation over,
So much, dear liege, I have already fworn,
That is, To live and ftudy here three years,
But there are other ftrict observances:
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;

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(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-study-fast-not sleep.

King. Your oath is pafs'd to pafs away from these.

d arm'd.]-prepared.

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bankerout]-impoverish. f living]-enjoying all that these can boaft, in a more exalted degree than the world is capable of doing, by embracing philofophy. of all]-through all. hall night 1-in fleeping all night.

Biron. Let me fay, 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 fwore to that, Biron, and to the rest. Biron. By yea and nay, fir, then I fwore in jeft.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
fense?

King. Ay, that is ftudy's god-like recompence.
Biron. Come on then, I will fwear to study so,
To know the thing I am forbid to know:
As thus,-To study where I well may dine,
When I to feast exprefsly am forbid;
Or, ftudy where to meet fome mistress fine,

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When mistreffes 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 thus, and this be so,

Study knows that, which yet it doth not know:
Swear me to this, and I will ne'er fay, no.

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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

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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 lies,
Your light grows dark by lofing of your eyes.

i from common fenfe are hid:]—from fuch as only take common pains to find them.

k falfly]-treacherously.

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Study