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LOVE'S LABOUR's LOST.

L

ACT I SCENE I.

The PALACE.

Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain.

KING.

ET Fame, that all hunt after in their lives,
Live register'd upon our brazen tombs ;
And then grace us in the difgrace of death:
When, fpight of cormorant devouring time,
Th' endeavour of this present breath may buy

That honour which fhall bate his fcythe'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 shall strongly stand in force.
Navarre fhall be the wonder of the world;
Our court shall 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 schedule here.

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

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

Subscribe to your deep oaths, and keep them too.
LONG. I am refolv'd; 'tis but a three years fast:
The mind fhall banquet tho' the body pine;
Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits
Make rich the ribs, but bankerout the wits.

DUM. My loving lord, Dumain is mortify'd:
The groffer manner of thefe 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 fay their protestation over.
So much (dear liege) I have already fworn,
That is, to live and study here three years:
But there are other strict 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 seen 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 sleep.

KING. Your oath is pafs'd, to pafs away from these.
BIRON. Let me fay, no, my liege, an' if you please;
I only fwore 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 swore in 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 fense.

KING. Ay, that is study's god-like recompence.

BIRON. Come on then, I will swear to study fo,

To know the thing I am forbid to know;
As thus; to ftudy where I well may dine,
When I to feaft exprefsly am forbid ;
Or ftudy where to meet some mistress fine,

When mistreffes from common fense 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 fay 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 moft vain, Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain;

As, painfully to pore upon a book,

To fee 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 lies,
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 dazzling fo, that eye fhall be his heed,
And give him light, that it was blinded by.

Study is like the heaven's glorious fun,

That will not be deep fearch'd with faucy looks;
Small have continual plodders ever won,
Şave 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 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 weed-

ing.

BIRON. The fpring is near, when green geefe are a

breeding.

DUM. How follows that?

BIRON. Fit in his place and time.

DUM. In reason nothing.

BIRON. Something then in rhime.

LONG. Biron is like an envious fneaping froft,

That bites the firft-born infants of the fpring.

BIRON. Well; fay, I am : why should proud fummer boast,
Before the birds have any cause 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 study now it is too late,

That were to climb o'er th' houfe t'unlock the 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 fay; 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 same;
And to the ftrict'ft decrees I'll write my name.

KING. How well this yielding refcues thee from shame!

BIRON. Item. "That no woman fhall come within a

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