Lost' the Comedy of Leisure. T is certain that in the commonwealth of King Ferdinand of Navarre we have

"All men idle, all;

And women too."

But still all this idleness is too energetic to warrant us in calling this the Comedy of Leisure. Let us try again. Is it not the Comedy of Affectations?

Molière, in his Précieuses Ridicules,' has admirably hit off one affectation that had found its way into the private life of his own times. In 'Love's Labour's Lost' Shakspere presents us almost every variety of affectation that is founded upon a misdirection of intellectual activity. We have here many of the forms in which cleverness is exhibited as opposed to wisdom, and false refinement as opposed to simplicity. The affected characters, even the most fantastical, are not fools; but, at the same time, the natural characters, who, in this play, are chiefly the women, have their intellectual foibles. All the modes of affectation are developed in one continued stream of fun and drollery;-every one is laughing at the folly of the other, and the laugh grows louder and louder as the more natural characters, one by one, trip up the heels of the more affected. The most affected at last join in the laugh with the most natural; and the whole comes down to "plain kersey yea and nay,”— from the syntax of Holofernes, and the "fire-new words " of Armado, to "greasy Joan" and "roasted crabs."

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

FERDINAND, King of Navarre. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 3. Act V. sc. 2. BIRON, a lord attending on the King.

Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 1. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 3. Act V. sc. 2.

LONGAVILLE, a lord attending on the King. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 3. Act V. sc. 2.

DUMAIN, a lord attending on the King.

Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 3. Act V. sc. 2.

BOYET, a lord attending on the Princess of France. Appears, Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc 2. MERCADE, a lord attending on the Princess of France. Appears, Act V. sc. 2.

DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO, a fantastical Spaniard.
Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2.

SIR NATHANIEL, a curate.
Appears, Act IV. sc. 2. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2.

HOLOFERNES, a schoolmaster.
Appears, Act IV. sc. 2. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2.

DULL, a constable.

Appears, Act I. sc. 1; sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 2. Act V. sc. 1.

COSTARD, a clown.

Appears, Act I. sc. 1; sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1; sc. 2. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2.

MOTн, page to Armado.

Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2.
A Forester.
Appears, Act IV. sc. 1.

PRINCESS OF FRANCE.

Appears, Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2.

ROSALINE, a lady attending on the Princess of France. Appears, Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2.

MARIA, a lady attending on the Princess of France. Appears, Act II. sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2.

KATHARINE, a lady attending on the Princess of France.
Appears, Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2.

JAQUENETTA, a country wench.
Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 2.

SCENE,-NAVARRE.

LOVE'S LABOUR 'S LOST.

SCENE I.-Navarre.

ACT I.

A Park, with a Palace in it.

Enter the KING, BIRON, LONGAVILLE, and DUMAIN.
King. Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives,
Live register'd upon our brazen tombs,
And then grace us in the disgrace of death;
When, spite of cormorant devouring Time,

Th' endeavour of this present breath may buy

That honour, which shall bate his scythe'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 desires,-
Our late edict shall strongly stand in force:
Navarre shall 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 sworn for three years' term to live with me,
My fellow-scholars, and to keep those statutes

That are recorded in this schedule here :

Your oaths are pass'd, and now subscribe your names;
That his own hand may strike his honour down,
That violates the smallest branch herein :

If you are arm'd to do, as sworn to do,
Subscribe to your deep oath, and keep it too.

Long. I am resolv'd: 't is but a three years' fast;

The mind shall banquet, though 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 mortified.
The grosser manner of these world's delights
He throws upon the gross world's baser slaves :
To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die;
With all these living in philosophy."

Biron. I can but say their protestation over,
So much, dear liege, I have already sworn,
That is, To live and study here three years.
But there are other strict observances :
As, not to see 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 beside;
The which, I hope, is not enrolled there:
And then to sleep 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 see

ladies,-study,-fast,-not sleep.
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.
Biron. By yea and nay, sir, 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 sense?

• With all these. To love, to wealth, to pomp, Dumain is dead; but philosophy, in which he lives, includes them all.