Beat. Do not you love me?

Bene. Troth no, no more than Reason.

Beat. Why, then my Coufin, Margaret and Ursula
Are much deceiv'd, for they did fwear you did.
Bene. They fwore you were almost fick for me.
Beat. They fwore your were well-nigh dead for me.
Bene. 'Tis no matter, then you do not love me?
Beat. No truly, but in friendly recompence.

Leon. Come Coufin, I am fure you love the Gentleman.
Cland. And I'll be sworn upon't that he loves her,
For here's a Paper written in his Hand,

A halting Sonnet of his own pure Brain,
Fashion'd to Beatrice.

Hero. And here's another,

Writ in my Coufin's Hamd, ftolen from her Pocket,
Containing her Affection unto Benedick.

Bene. A Miracle, here's our Hands against our Hearts; come I will have thee, but by this Light I take thee for pity.

Beat. I would not deny you, but by this good Day, I yield upon great Perfwafion, and partly to fave your Life, for as I was told, you were in a Confumption.

Leon. Peace, I will ftop your Mouth.

Pedro. How doft thou, Benedick, the Married Man? Bene. I'll tell thee what, Prince, a College of wittycrackers cannot flout me out of my Humour; doft thou think I care for a Satyr, or an Epigram? No, if a Man will be beaten with Brains, he fhall wear nothing handsome about him; in brief, fince I do purpofe to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the World can fay against it; and therefore never flout at me, for what I have faid against it; for Man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclufion; for thy part Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee, but in that thou art like to be my Kinsman, live unbruis'd, and love my Coufin.

Cland. I had well hop'd thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, that I might have Cudgell'd thee out of thy fingle Life, to make thee a double Dealer, which out of Question thou wilt be, if my Coufin do not look exceeding narrowly to thee.

Bene. Come, come, we are Friends, let's have a Dance e'er we are Marry'd, that we may lighten our own Hearts, and our Wives Heels.

Leon. We'll have Dancing afterwards.

Bene. First, of my Word; therefore play Mufick. Prince, thou art fad, get thee a Wife, get thee a Wife, there is no Staff more reverend than one tipt with Horn. (Enter Mef.

Meffen. My Lord, your Brother John is ta'en in flight, And brought with armed Men back to Messina.

Bene. Think not on him 'till to Morrow, I'll devife the brave Punishments for him. Strike up Pipers.

Dance.

[Exeunt.

1

Ferdinand, King of Navarre.

Longavile,
Dumain,

Boyet, }

Macard,

three Lords attending upon the King
in his Retirement.

Lords attending upon the Princess of
France.

Don Adriana de Armado, a fantastical Spaniard.

Nathaniel, a Curate.

Dull, a Conftable.

Holofernes, a Schoolmaster.

Coftard, a Clown.

Officers and other Attendants upon the King
and Princess.

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

Love's Labour's loft.

ACTI. SCENE I.

Enter the King, Biron, Longavile and Dumain,

KING.

ET Fame, that all hunt after in their Lives
Live regiftred upon our brazen Tombs;
And then grace us in the Difgrace of Death:
When fpight of cormorant devouring Time,
Th' Endeavour of this prefent Breath may
buy

That Honour which shall bate his Syth'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 Edi& fhall strongly stand in force;
Navarre fhall be the Wonder of the World,
Our Court shall be a little Academy,
Still and contemplative in living Art.

You three, Biron, Dumain and Longavile,

Have fworn 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 paft, and now fubfcribe your Names:

Cc4

That