PERSONS REPRESENTED. FERDINAND, King of Navarre. BIRON, LONGAVILLE, Lords, attending on the King. BOYET, Lords, attending on the Princess of France. DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO, a fantastical Spaniard. COSTARD, a Clown. MOTH, Page to Armado. A Forester. LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. ACT I. SCENE I. Navarre. A Park with a Palace in it. Live register'd upon our brazen tombs, And make us heirs of all eternity. Therefore, brave conquerors!-for so you are, And the huge army of the world's desires,- Your oaths are past, and now subscribe your names: That his own hand may strike his honour down, The mind shall banquet, though the body pine: 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. 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, [while To seek the light of truth: while truth the Doth falsely blind the eyesight of his look: Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile : So, ere you find where light in darkness lies, Your light grows dark by losing of your eyes. Study me how to please the eye indeed, By fixing it upon a fairer eye; Who dazzling so, that eye shall be his heed, And give him light that was it blinded by. Study is like the heaven's glorious sun, That will not be deep-search'd with saucy looks; Small have continual plodders ever won, are, Too much to know, is, to know nought but fame: And every godfather can give a name. reading! - King. How well he's read, to reason against [ceeding! Dum. Proceeded well, to stop all good proLong. He weeds the corn, and still let's grow the weeding. Biron. The spring is near, when green geese are a breeding. Dum. How follows that? Fit in his place and time. Dum. In reason nothing. Before the birds have any cause to sing? |