PERSONS REPRESENTED. FERDINAND, king of Navarre. BIRON, LONGAVILLE, DUMAIN, BOYET, lords, attending on the king. MERCADE, S lords, attending Don ADRIANO DE ARMADO, a fantastical Spaniard. HOLOFERNES, a schoolmaster. COSTARD, a clown. MOTH, page to Armado. Officers and others, Attendants on the King and Princess. Scene, Navarre. ■This enumeration of persons was made by Mr. Rowe.-JOHNSON. LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. ACT I. SCENE I.-Navarre. A Park, with a Palace in it. Enter the King, BIRON, LONGAVILLE, and DUMAIN. And then grace us in the disgrace of death; When, spite of cormorant devouring time, 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; Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortified; Biron. I can but say their protestation over, King. Your oath is pass'd to pass away from these. I only swore, to study with your grace, And stay here in your court for three years' space. Long. You swore to that, Birón, and to the rest. 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 god-like recompense. Biron. Come on then, I will swear to study so, To know the thing I am forbid to know : Or, having sworn too hard-a-keeping oath, Study knows that, which yet it doth not know: King. These be the stops that hinder study quite, 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; Than those that walk, and wot not what they are. King. How well he's read, to reason against reading! Dum. Proceeded well, to stop all good proceeding !d Long. He weeds the corn, and still lets grow the weeding. Biron. The spring is near, when green geese are a breeding. b If study's gain be thus, and this be so,] Read: If study's gain be this.— RITSON. C— that eye thall be his heed,] i. e. His direction or lodestar.-JOHNSON. Proceeded well, to stop all good proceeding!] He has proceeded well, means only, he has gone on well.-MASON. Long. Birón 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? At Christmas I no more desire a rose, Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled shows ;f So you, to study now it is too late, Climb o'er the house to unlock the little gate. King. Well, sit you out : go home, Birón; 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.— e Long. Marry, that did I. Biron. Who devis'd this? Sweet lord, and why? Long. To fright them hence with that dread penalty. sneaping frost,] So sneaping winds in the Winter's Tale. To sneap is to check, to rebuke. I will not undergo this sneap.-Henry IV. p. 2.-STEEVENS Mays new-fangled shows;] This is only a periphrasis for May.T. WARTON. Well, sit you out :] To sit out, is a term from the card-table. The person who cuts out at a rubber of whist, is still said to sit out; i. e. to be no longer engaged in the party.-STEEVENS. |