BOYET, Lords attending on the Princess of France. MERCADE, DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO, a fantastical Spaniard. HOLOFERNES, a Schoolmaster. COSTARD, a Clown. MOTH, page to Armado. Officers and others, attendant on the King and Princess. SCENE,-NAVARRE. LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. ACT I. SCENE I.-Navarre. A Park, with a palace in it. 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 disgrace of death; When, spite of cormorant devouring time, And make us heirs of all eternity. Therefore, brave conquerors !-for so you are, And the huge army of the world's desires,- Our court shall be a little Academe, You three, Biron, Dumain, and Longaville, Your oaths are pass'd, and now subscribe your names; That his own hand may strike his honour down, Subscribe to your deep oaths, and keep it too. fast; The mind shall banquet, though the body pine: Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits Make rich the ribs, but bankrupt quite 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; 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? King. Ay, that is study's godlike recompense. Biron. Come on then, I will swear to study so, To know the thing I am forbid to know: As thus,-To study where I well may dine, When I to fast expressly am forbid ; Or, study where to meet some mistress fine, When mistresses from common sense are hid: Or, having sworn too hard-a-keeping oath, Study to break it, and not break my troth. If study'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 say, 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 most vain, Which, with pain purchased, doth inherit pain: |