Don ADRIANO DE ARMADO, a fantastical Spaniard. Sir NATHANIEL, a curate. HOLOFERNES, a schoolmaster. DULL, a constable. COSTARD, a clown. MOTH, page to Armado. A Forester. Princess of France. ROSALINE, MARIA, KATHARINE, ·ladies; attending on the Princess. JAQUENETTA, a country wench. Officers and others, attendants on the King and Princess SCENE.-Navarre. LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. ACT I. SCENE I.-Navarre. A Park, with a Palace in it. King. LET fame, that all hunt after in their lives, Enter the That honour, which shall bate his scythe's keen edge, Therefore, brave conquerors !-for so you are, And the huge army of the world's desires,— Have sworn for three years' term to live with me, Your oaths are past, and now subscribe your names ; If you are arm'd to do, as sworn to do, Long. I am resolv'd: 'tis but a three years' fast; To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die ; Biron. I can but say their protestation over, (When I was wont to think no harm all night, King. Your oath is past to pass away from these. And stay here in your court for three years' space. King. Why,that to know, which else we should not know. mon sense? King. Ay, that is study's god-like recompense. Study knows that, which yet it doth not know: King. These be the stops that hinder study quite, And train our intellects to vain delight. [1] By all these the poet seems to mean, all these gentlemen, who have... sworn to prosecute she same studies with me. STEEVENS. 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, To seek the light of truth; while truth the while Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile : Who dazzling so, that eye shall be his heed, That will not be deep-search'd with saucy looks; Have no more profit of their shining nights, Than those that walk, and wot not what they are. Too much to know, is, to know nought but fame; And every godfather can give a name.3 King. How well he's read, to reason against reading! Dum. Proceeded well, to stop all good proceeding! Long.He weeds the corn,and still lets grow the weeding. Biron. The spring is near, when green geese are a breeding. Dum. How follows that? Biron. Fit in his place and time. Biron. Something then in rhyme. Long. Biron is like an envious sneaping frost, That bites the first-born infants of the spring. Biron.Well,say I am: why should proud summer boast, Before the birds have any cause to sing? Why should I joy in an abortive birth? [2] Falsely is here, and in many other places, the same as dishonestly or treacherously. The whole sense of this jingling declamation is only this, that a man by too close study may read himself blind. JOHNSON [3] The consequence, says Biron, of too much knowledge, is not any real solu tion of doubts but mere empty reputation. That is, too much knowledge gives only fame, a name which every godfather can give likewise. JOHNSON. [4] So sneaping winds in The Winter's Tale. To sneap is to check, to rebuke. Thus also, Faistaff, "I will not undergo this sneap, without reply." STEE. 80* VOL. II. Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled shows ;5 Climb o'er the house t' unlock the little gate. King. Well, sit you out go home, Biron; adieu ! Biron. No, my good lord; I have sworn to stay with you: And, though I have for barbarism spoke more, Than for that angel knowledge you can say, Yet confident I'll keep what I have swore, And 'bide the penance of each three years' day. Give me the paper, let me read the same; And to the strict'st decrees I'll write my name. King. How well this yielding rescues thee from shame! Biron. [Reads.] Item, That no woman shall come within a mile of my court.And hath this been proclaim'd? Long. Four days ago. Biron. Let's see the penalty.-[Reads.] On pain of losing her tongue.-Who devis'd this? Lung. Marry, that did I. Biron. Sweet lord, and why? Long. To fright them hence with that dread penalty. Biron. A dangerous law against gentility. [Reads.] Item. If any man be seen to talk with a woman within the term of three years, he shall endure such public shame as the rest of the court can possibly devise. -This article, my liege, yourself must break; For, well you know, here comes in embassy The French king's daughter, with yourself to speak,A maid of grace, and complete majesty, About surrender-up of Aquitain To her decrepit, sick, and bed-rid father: Or vainly comes the admired princess hither. While it doth study to have what it would, King. We must, of force, dispense with this decree; She must lie here on mere necessity. 6 [5] By shows the poet means Maygames, at which a snow would be very unwelcome and unexpected it is only a periphrasis for May. T.WARTON. [6] Lie here, means reside here, in the same sense as an ambassador is said to lie lieger. REED. |