FERDINAND, King of Navarre.

Biron,

Longaville,three Lords, attending upon the King in

Dumain,

his retirement.

Boyet, Lords, attending upon the Princess of Macard,

France.

Don Adriano de Armado, a fantastical Spaniard.
Nathanael, a Curate.

Dull, a Conftable.

Holofernes, a Schoolmaster.

Coftard, a Clown.

Moth, Page to Don Adriano de Armado.
A Forefter.

Princess of France.

Rofaline,

Maria,
Catharine,

} Ladies, attending on the Princess.

}

Jaquenetta, a Country Wench.

Officers, and others, Attendant's upon the King and
Princefs.

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

This enumeration of the perfons was made by Mr. Rowe."

Of this Play there is an edi

tion in 4to 1598, by W. W. for Cuthbert Burby, which I have not feen.

LOVE'S

LOVE'S LABOUR's LOST.

ACT I. SCENE I.

The PALACE.

Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain.

L

KING.

ET Fame, that all hunt after in their lives,
Live registered 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 fhall bate his fcythe's keen edgé
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 edict fhall ftrongly ftand in force.
Navarre fhall be the wonder of the world;
Our Court fhall be a little academy,
Still and contemplative in living arts.
You three, Biron, Dumain, and Longaville,
Have fworn for three years' term to live with me,
My fellow Scholars; and to keep thofe Statutes,
That are recorded in this schedule here.

Your oaths are paft, and now fubfcribe your names:

That

1

That his own hand may ftrike his honour down,
That violates the fmalleft branch herein:

If you are arm'd to do, as fworn to do,
Subfcribe to your deep oaths, and keep them too.
Long. I am refolv'd; 'tis but a three years fast:
The mind shall banquet tho' the body pine;
Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits
Make rich the ribs, but bankerout the wits.

Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortify'd:
The groffer manner of thefe 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 philofophy'.

Biron. I can but fay their proteftation over
So much (dear liege) I have already fworn,
That is, to live and ftudy here three years:
But there are other ftrict obfervances;
As, not to fee 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 feen 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, thefe are barren tafks, too hard to keep;
Not to fee ladies, ftudy, faft, not fleep.

King Your Oath is pafs'd to pafs away from thefe.
Biron. Let me fay, no, liege, an' if you please;

I only fwore to ftudy with your Grace,

And stay here in your Court for three years' space.

With all these living in philofophy.] The file of the rhym ing Icenes in this play is often entangled and obfcure. I know

nót certainly to what all these is to be referred; I fuppofe he means that he finds love, pomp, and wealth in philofophy.

Long.

Long. You fwore to that, Biron, and to the reft. Biron. By yea and nay, Sir, then I fwore in jeft. What is the end of study? let me know?

King. Why, that to know, which elfe we should

not know.

Biron. Things hid and barr'd (you mean) from common fenfe.

King. Ay, that is ftudy's god-like recompence.
Biron. Come on then, I will fwear to ftudy fo,
To know the thing I am forbid to know;
As thus; to ftudy where I well may dine,
When I to feaft exprefly am forbid 2;
Or study 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 this, 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 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,

3

To feek the light of truth; while truth the while ' Doth falfly blind the eye-fight of his look:

Light, feeing light, doth light of light beguile;

2 The copies all have, When I to faft exprefly am forbid.] But if Biron tudied where to get a good Dinner, at a time when he was forbid to faft, how was This ftudying to know what he was forbid to know? Common Senfe, and the whole Tenour of the Context, requires us to read feaft, or to make a Change in the laft Word of the Verfe.

When I to fast exprefly am fore

bid; VOL. II.

I

. e. when I am enjoin'd beforehand to fast. THEOBALD.

3— while truth the while

Doth falfly blind-] Falfly is here, and in many other places, the fame as dishonestly or treacher-ously. The whole fenfe of this gingling declamation is only this, that a man by too clofe fudy may read himself blind, which might have been told with lefs obfcurity in fewer words.

So

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 it was blinded by.
Study is like the Heaven's glorious Sun,

That will not be deep fearch'd with fawcy looks;
Shall have continual plodders ever won,
Save bafe authority from other's books.
Thefe earthly godfathers of heaven's lights,
That give a name to every fixed star,
Have no more profit of their fhining 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."

• Who dazzling fo, that eye
fhall be his heed,
And give him light, that it was

blinded by. This is another paffage unneceffarily obfcure: the meaning is, that when he dazzles, that is, has his eye made weak, by fixing his eye upon a fairer eye, that fairer eye fhall be his beed, his direction or lodeftar, (fee Midsummer Night's Dream) and give him light that was blinded by it.

5 Too much to know, is to know nought but FAME; And every Godfather can give a name.] The first line in this reading is abfurd and impertinent. There are two ways of fetting it right. The first is to read it thus,

Too much to know, is to know nought but SHAME; This makes a fine fenfe, and al

King.

ludes to Adam's Fall, which came from the inordinate paffion of knowing too much. The other way is to read, and point it thus,

Too much to know, is to know

nought: but FEIGN, i.e. to feign. As much as to fay, the affecting to know too much is the way to know nothing. The fenfe, in both these readings, is equally good: But with this difference; If we read the first way, the following line is impertinent; and to fave the correction, we must judge it fpurious. If we read it the fecond way, then the following line compleats the fenfe. Confequently the correction of feign is to be preferred. To know too much (fays the fpeaker) is to know nothing; it is only feigning to know what we do not giving names for things without know. ing their natures; which is falle

knowledge: