The PRINCESS of France..
ROSALINE,
MARIA,
ladies attending on
KATHARINE,
the Princess.
JAQUENETTA, a country wench.

Lords, Attendants, &c.

SCENE: Navarre.

ACT I.

SCENE I. The king of Navarre's park.

Enter FERDINAND, king of NAVARRE, BIRON, LONGAVILLE, and DUMAIN.

King. Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives,
Live register'd upon our brazen tombs
And then grace us in the disgrace of death;
When, spite of cormorant devouring Time,
The endeavour of this present breath may buy
That honour which shall bate his scythe'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 desires,-
Our late edict shall strongly stand in force:
Navarre shall be the wonder of the world;
Our court shall be a little Academe,

Still and contemplative in living art.
You three, Biron, Dumain, and Longaville,
Have sworn for three years' term to live with me
My fellow-scholars and to keep those statutes

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are recorded in this schedule here :

oaths are pass'd; and now subscribe your names,
his own hand may strike his honour down
violates the smallest branch herein :

are arm'd to do as sworn to do,

eribe to your deep oaths, and keep it too.
g. I am resolved; 'tis but a three years' fast:
mind shall banquet, though the body pine:
aunches have lean pates, and dainty bits
rich the ribs, but bankrupt quite the wits.
m. My loving lord, Dumain is mortified:
rosser manner of these world's delights
rows upon the gross world's baser slaves:
ve, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die;
all these living in philosophy.
-on. I can but say their protestation over;
ch, dear liege, I have already sworn,
is, to live and study here three years.
here are other strict observances;
ot to see a woman in that term,

·

I hope well is not enrolled there; -ne day in a week to touch no food ut one meal on every day beside, hich I hope is not enrolled there; hen, to sleep but three hours in the night, ot be seen to wink of all the day

I was wont to think no harm all night nake a dark night too of half the dayI hope well is not enrolled there: se are barren tasks, too hard to keep, see ladies, study, fast, not sleep! g. Your oath is pass'd to pass away from these on. Let me say no, my liege, an if you please: swore to study with your grace

cay here in your court for three years' space. 9. You swore to that, Biron, and to the rest. on. By yea and nay, sir, then I swore in jest. is the end of study? let me know.

sense?

7. Ay, that is study's god-like recompense.
n. Come on, then ; I will swear to study so,
ow the thing I am forbid to know:
s,-to study where I well may dine,
en I to feast expressly am forbid;
dy where to meet some mistress fine,

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7. Why, that to know, which else we should not know. n. Things hid and barr'd, you mean, from common

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When mistresses from common sense are hid;
Or, having sworn too hard a keeping oath,
Study to break it and not break my troth.
If study's gain be thus and this be so,
Study knows that which yet it doth not know:
Swear me to this, and I will ne'er say no.

King. These be the stops that hinder study quite And train our intellects to vain delight.

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Biron. Why, all delights are vain; but that most vain, Which with pain purchased doth inherit pain: As, painfully to pore upon a book

To seek the light of truth; while truth the while Doth falsely blind the eyesight of his look:

Light seeking light doth light of light beguile :
So, ere you find where light in darkness lies,
Your light grows dark by losing of your eyes
Study me how to please the eye indeed

By fixing it upon a fairer eye,

Who dazzling so, that eye shall 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-search'd with saucy looks: Small have continual plodders ever won

Save base authority from others' books.
These earthl" 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 fame;
And every godfather can give a name.

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.
Piron. The spring is near when green geese are a-breed-

ing.

Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled mirth;
But like of each thing that in season grows,

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Dum. How follows that?
Biron.

Fit in his place and time

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Dum. In reason nothing. Biron. Something then in rhyme. King. 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 any abortive birth? At Christmas I no more desire a rose

to study now it is too late,

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'er the house to unlock the little gate. Well, sit you out: go home, Biron: adieu. -. No, my good lord; I have sworn to stay with you: -ugh I have for barbarism spoke more

for that angel knowledge you can say, fident I'll keep what I have swore Dide the penance of each three years' day. the paper; let me read the same;

the strict'st decrees I'll write my name.

How well this yielding rescues thee from shame! . [reads] "Item, That no woman shall come within f my court:" Hath this been proclaimed ?

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Four days ago.

. Let's see the penalty. [Reads] "On pain of lostongue." Who devised this penalty? Marry, that did I.

c. Sweet lord, and why?

To fright them hence with that dread penalty.

. A dangerous law against gentility!

s] "Item, If any man be seen to talk with a woman che term of three years, he shall endure snch public s the rest of the court can possibly devise."

cicle, my liege, yourself must break;

ell you know here comes in embassy. ench king's daughter with yourself to speakid of grace and complete majestyurrender up of Aquitaine

-r decrepit, sick and bedrid father:

re this article is made in vain,

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inly comes the admired princess hither.

What say you, lords? why, this was quite forgot.

-. So study evermore is overshot:

t doth study to have what it would
forget to do the thing it should,
en it hath the thing it hunteth most,
as towns with fire, so won, so lost.

We must of force dispense with this decree ; st lie here on mere necessity.

-. Necessity will make us all fors worn housand times within this three years' space; ry man with his affects is born,

y might master'd but by special grace: ak faith, this word shall speak for me; Tsworn on mere necessity."

،،

e laws at large I write my name.
e that breaks them in the least degree
SHAK. I.-12

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[Subscribes.

Stands in attainder of eternal shame :
Suggestions are to other as to me ;
But I believe, although I seem so loath,
I am the last that will last keep his oath.
But is there no quick recreation granted?

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King. Ay, that there is. Our court, you know, is haunted
With a refined traveller of Spain;

A man in all the world's new fashion planted,
That hath a mint of phrases in his brain;
One whom the music of his own vain tongue
Doth ravish like enchanting harmony;
A man of complements, whom right and wrong
Have chose as umpire of their mutiny:
This child of fancy that Armado hight

For interim to our studies shall relate
In high-born words the worth of many a knight
From tawny Spain lost in the world's debate.
How you delight, my lords, I know not, I;
But, I protest, I love to hear him lie
And I will use him for my minstrelsy.

Biron. Armado is a most illustrious wight,
A man of fire-new words, fashion's own knight.
Long. Costard the swain and he shall be our sport;
And so to study, three years is but short.

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Enter DULL with a letter, and COSTARD.
Dull. Which is the duke's own person?
Biron. This, fellow; what wouldst?

Dull. I myself reprehend his own person, for I am his grace's tharborough: but I would see his own person in flesh and blood.

Biron. This is he.

Dull. Signior Arme-Arme-commends you. There's villany abroad this letter will tell you more.

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Cost. Sir, the contempts thereof are as touching me.

king. A letter from the magnificent Armado.

Biron. How low soever the matter, I hope in God for high words.

Long. A high hope for a low heaven: God grant us pa tience!

Biron. To hear? or forbear laughing?

Long. To hear meekly, sir, and to laugh moderately; or to forbear both.

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Biron. Well, sir, be it as the style shall give us cause to climb in the merriness.

Cost. The matter is to me, sir, as concerning Jaquenetta. The manner of it is, I was taken with the manner.