DRAMATIS

PERSON Æ.

FERDINAND, King of Na- || Costard, a clown.

varre.

SCENE, the King of Navarre's palace, and the country"

near it.

A C T I.

SCENE I.

The palace.

Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain.

King.

L

ET fame, that all hunt after in their lives,,
Live regiftred upon our brazen tombs†;
When, fpight of cormorant devouring
time,

Th' 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 fo you are,

That war against your own affections,

*In this play are to be perceived several strokes of Shakespear's pen, but the whole ought by no means to pass for the work of it.

brazen tombs;

And then grace us in the difgrace of death :.

When, fpight of, &c..

And the huge army of the world's defires ;
Our late edict fhall strongly 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-fcholars; and to keep thofe ftatutes,
That are recorded in this schedule here.

Your oaths are pafs'd, and now fubfcribe your names s
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,

Subscribe to your deep oaths, and keep them too.
Long. I am refolv'd; 'tis but a three years' faft:
"The mind fhall 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 thefe living in philofophy.

Biron. 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 fee a woman in that term;
Which I hope well is not inrolled 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 inrolled 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 inrolled there.
O, these are barren tasks, too hard to keep;
Not to fee ladies, ftudy, faft, not sleep.

King. Your oath is pass'd to pass away from thefe.
Biron. Let me fay, No, my Liege, an' if you please

I only fwore to ftudy with your Grace,
And ftay here in your court for three years' space.
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 ftudy? let me know.

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

Biron. Things hid and barr'd (you mean) from com-
mon fenfe.

King. Ay, that is ftudy's god-like recompence.
Biron. Come on then, I will fwear to study so,
To know the thing I am forbid to know;
As thus; to ftudy where I well may dine,
When I to feaft expressly am forbid ;
Or ftudy where to meet fome mistress fine,
When miftreffes from common fense 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 ftops that hinder ftudy quite,
And train our intellects to vain delight.

Birou. 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 feek the light of truth; while truth the while Doth falfely 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 shall be his heed,
And give him light, that it was blinded by.
Study is like the heaven's glorious fun,

That will not be deep-fearch'd with faucy looks;
Small have continual plodders ever won,
Save base authority from others' books.
Thefe earthly godfathers of heaven's lights
That give a name to every fixed star,

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 feign; "And every godfather can give a name."

King. How well he's read, to reafon against reading! Dum. Proceeded well, to ftop all good proceeding. Long. He weeds the corn, and ftill let's grow the weeding.

Biron. The fpring is near when green geefe are abreeding.

Dum. How follows that?

Biron. Fit in his place and time.
Dum. In reafon nothing.

Biron. Something then in rhime.

Long. Biron is like an envious fineaping froft, That bites the firft-born infants of the fpring.

Biron. Well; fay, I am; why fhould proud fummer boaft,

Before the birds have any caufe to fing?

Why should I joy in an abortive birth?
At Christmas I no more defire a rofe,

Than wish a fnow in May's new-fangled shows :
But like of each thing that in feason

So you, to study now it is too late,

grows.

Climb o'er the houfe t' unlock the little gate.

King. Well, fit you out-Go home, Biron: adieu! Biron. No, my good Lord, I've 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 fame;
And to the ftrict'ft decrees I'll write my name.
King. How well this yielding refcues thee from

fhame!

Biron. Item, That no woman fhall come within a

Biron. Sweet Lord, and why?

Long. To fright them hence with that dread penalty.

Biron. A dangerous law against gentility!

Item. [reading.] If any man be feen to talk with a woman within the term of three years, he fhall endure fuch public fhame as the rest of the court can poffibly devife.

This article, my Liege, yourfelf must break;

For, well you know, here comes in embaffy The French King's daughter, with yourself to speak, A maid of grace and compleat majefty, About furrender up of Aquitain

To her decrepit, fick, and bed-rid father: Therefore this article is made in vain,

Or vainly comes th' admired Princess hither.
King. What fay you, Lords? why, this was quite
forgot.

Biron. So ftudy evermore is overshot ;
While it doth study to have what it would,
It doth forget to do the thing it should:
And when it hath the thing it hunteth most,
'Tis won, as towns with fire; fo won, fo loft.

King. We muft, of force, difpenfe with this decree; She muft lie here on mere neceffity.

Biron. Neceffity will make us all forfworn.

Three thousand times within this three years? fpace:

For every man with his affects is born:

Not by might mafter'd, but by fpecial grace.
If I break faith, this word fhall fpeak for me:
I am forfworn on mere neceffity.-

So to the laws at large I write my name,

And he that breaks them in the leaft degree,
Stands in attainder of eternal fhame.

Suggeftions are to others, as to me;
But I believe, although I feem fo loth,
I am the laft that will last keep his oath.
But is there no quick recreation granted?