FERDINAND, King of Navarre.
Biron,
three Lords, attending upon the King in his Longaville,
retirement. Boyet,
, . Don Adriano de Armado, a fantaftical Spaniard. Nathaniel, a Curate. Dull, a Constable. Holofernes, a Schoolmaster. Costard, a Clown. Moth, Page to Don Adriano de Armado. A Forefter.
Princess of France.
Rosaline,
Maria, Ladies, attending on the Princess.
Catharine,
Jaquenetta, a Country Wench.
Oficers, and others, Attendants upon the King and
Princess.
SCENE, the King of Navarre's Palace,
and the Country near it.
Enter the King, Biron, Longaville and Dumain.
KING
ET Fame, that all hunt after in their lives,
Live regiftred upon our brazen tombs ;
And then grace us in the disgrace of death :
When, fpight of cormorant devouring time,
Th' endeavour of this present breath may buy
That honour, which thall 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,
And the huge army of the world's desires ;
Our late ediêt shall strongly stand in force.
Navarre shall be the wonder of the world ;
Our court till be a little academy,
Still and contemplative in living arts.
You three, Biron, Dumain, and Longaville,
Have sworn for three years term to live with me,
My fellow-scholars; and to keep those statutes,
That are recorded in this schedule here.
Your oaths are past, and now fubscribe your names :
That
That his own hand may ítrike his honour down,
That violates the smallest branch herein :
If you are arm'd to do, as sworn to do,
Subícribe to your deep oaths, and keep them too.
Long. I am resolv'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 grosser manner of these world's delights
He throws upon the gross world's baser slaves :
To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die;
With all these living in philosophy.
Biron. I can but say their protestation over,
So much (dear Liege) I have already sworn,
That is, to live and Atudy here three years :
But there are other strict observances :
As, not to see 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 beside ;
The which, I hope, is not enrolled there.
And then to sleep 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, (1)
And make a dark’night too of half the day ;)
Which, I hope well, is not enrolled there.
O, these are barren tasks, too hard to keep;
Not to see Ladies, study, faft, not sleep.
King. Your oath is pafs'd to pass away from these.
Biron. Let me fay, no, my Liege, an if you please ; I only swore to study with your Grace, And stay here in your court for three years space.
Long. You swore to that, Biron, and to the rest. Biron. By yea and nay, Sir, then I swore in jest. (1) Ibn I was wont to think no barm all night,] i. e. When I was used to seep all night long, without once waking. The Latines have a proverbial expression very nigh to the sense of our author's thought here: Qui bene dormir, nibil mali cogitat.
What
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 com
mon sense.
King. Ay, that is ftudy's god-like recompence.
Biron. Come on then, I will swear to study so,
To know the thing I am forbid to know;
As thus; to study where I well may dine,
When I to fealt exprefly am forbid ; (2)
Or study where to meet some mistress fine,
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 this, 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 intelleas 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,
To seek the light of truth ; while truth the while
Doth falsly blind the eye-sight 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 fearch'd with saucy looks ;
(2) Wben 1 100 fast exprefly am forbid.) This is the reading of all the copies in general ; but I would fain ask our aci urate editors, if Biron studied where to get a good dinner, at a time when he was forbid to faft, how was this studying to know what he was forbid to know? common sense, and the whole tenor of the context require us to read, either as I have restor'd; or, to make a change in the last word of the verse, which will bring us to the same meaning ;
When I to fast exprefly am fore-bid ; i. e, when I am enjoin'd before-hand to falt.
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