LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST.

Perfons Represented.

Ferdinand, King of Navarre.

Biron,

Longaville,

Dumain,

Lords, attending on the King.

Boyet, } Lords, attending on the Princess of France.

Mèrcade,

Don Adriano de Armado, a fantastical Spaniard.
Sir Nathaniel, a Curate.

Holofernes, a Schoolmaster.

Dull, a Conftable.

Coftard, a Clown.

Moth, Page to Armado.

A Forefter.

Officers, and others, attendants on the King and Princess

SCENE, Navarre.

ACT I.

SCENE

I.

Navarre. 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 regifter'd upon our brazen tombs,
And then grace us in the difgrace of death;
When, fpight of cormorant devouring time,

The endeavour of this prefent breath may buy

That honour, which fhall bate his fcythe'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 defires,—
Our late edict shall strongly stand in force:
Navarre fhall be the wonder of the world;
Our court shall be a little Academe,
Still and contemplative in living art.
You three, Birón, Dumain, and Longaville,
Have fworn for three years' term to live with me,
My fellow-fcholars, and to keep thofe ftatutes,
That are recorded in this schedule here:

Your oaths are past, and now fubfcribe your names;
That his own hand may ftrike his honour down,
That violates the smallest branch herein:

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

1 I have not hitherto difcovered any novel on which this comedy appears to have been founded; and yet the ftory of it has most of the features of an ancient romance. STEEVENS.

Love's Labour's loft I conjecture to have been written in 1594. See An Attempt to afcertain the order of Shakspeare's Plays, Vol. I. MALONE. -your deep oath,] The old copies have-carbs. Corrected by Mr. Steevens. MALONE.

2

X 3

Long.

Long. I am refolv'd: 'tis but a three years' faft;
The mind fhall banquet, though the body pine:
Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits
Make rich the ribs, but bank'rout quite the wits.

[Jubscribes.

Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortify'd;
The groffer manner of these 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 philofophy3.

[fubfcribes.

Bir. I can but fay their proteftation over,
So much, dear liege, I have already fworn,
That is, To live and study here three years.
But there are other strict obfervances:
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 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.
Bir. Let me fay, no, my liege, an if you please;
I only fwore, to ftudy with your grace,

And stay here in your court for three years' space.
Long. You fwore to that, Biron, and to the rest.
Bir. By yea and nay, fir, then I swore in jeft.-
What is the end of study? let me know.

King. Why, that to know, which elfe we should not know.

3 With all thefe living in philofophy.] The ftyle of the rhyming fcenes in this play is often entangled and obfcure, I know not certainly to what all thefe is to be referred; I fuppofe he means, that he nds love, pomp, and wealth in philofophy. JOHNSON.

4 Not to fee ladies, fudy, faft, not sleep.] That is, to fee no ladies, to study, to fast, and not to fleep. MALONE.

Bir. Things hid and barr'd, you mean, from common

fenfe?

King. Ay, that is ftudy's god-like recompence.
Bir. 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 feast exprefly am forbids;
Or, ftudy where to meet fome mistress fine,

When miftreffes from common fenfe are hid:
Or, having fworn too hard-a-keeping oath,
Study to break it, and not break my troth.
If ftudy's gain be thus, 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 ftops that hinder ftudy quite,

And train our intellects to vain delight.

Bir. Why, all delights are vain; but that most vain, Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain:

As, painfully to pore upon a book,

Tofeek 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 was it blinded by".

5 When I to feast exprefly am forbid ;] The old copy has to faft. This neceffary emendation was made by Mr. Theobald. MALONE.

Tubile truth the while

Doth falfly blind &c.] Falfly is here, and in many other places, the fame as difponeftly or treacherously. The whole fenfe of this gingling declamation is only this, that a man by too clofe ftudy may read bimfelf blind, which might have been told with lefs obfcurity in fewer words. JoHNSON. 7 Who dazzling fo, that eye fhall be bis heed,

And give bim light that was it blinded by.] This is another paffage unneceffarily obfcure: the meaning is, that when he dazzles, that is, has his eye made weak, by fixing bis eye upon a fairer eye, that fairer eye hall be bis beed, his direction or lode-ftar, (See Midfummer Night's Dream,) and give him light that was blinded by it. JOHNSON. The old copies read it was. Corrected by Mr. Steevens. MALONE. X 4

Study