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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, Birón, 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 subscribe your names;
That his own hand may strike his honour down
That violates the smallest branch herein:
If you are armed to do as sworn to do,
Subscribe to your deep oath, and keep it too.

Long. I am resolved: 't is but a three years' fast; The mind shall banquet, though 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 mortified. 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 study 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, And make a dark night too of half the day); Which I hope well is not enrolléd there : O, these are barren tasks, too hard to keep; Not to see ladies,-study,-fast,-not sleep. King. Your oath is passed to pass away from

these.

Biron. Let me say 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, Birón, and to the rest. Biron. By yea and nay, sir, then I swore in jest.

What is the end of study?-let me know. King. Why, that to know which else we should not know.

Biron. Things hid and barred, you mean, from common sense?

King. Ay, that is study's godlike recompense. 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 feast expressly am forbid: 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 thus, and this be so, Study knows that which yet he 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.

Biron. Why, all delights are vain; and that most vain,

Which, with pain purchased, doth inherit pain: As, painfully to pore upon a book,

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 was it blinded by.
Study is like the heaven's glorious sun,

That will not be deep-searched with saucy looks; Small have continual plodders ever won,

Save base authority from others' books. These earthly godfathers of heaven's lights, That give a name to every fixéd 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.

Biron. The spring is near, when green geese are a-breeding.

Dum. How follows that?
Biron.

Fit in his place and time.
Dum. In reason nothing.
Biron. Something, then, in rhyme.
King. 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 any abortive birth? At Christmas I no more desire a rose, Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled shows; But like of each thing that in season grows. 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!

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To seek the light of truth; while truth the while Hath this been proclaimed?

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Long. Four days ago.
Biron. Let's see the penalty.

Reads.

"On pain of losing her tongue."

Who devised this penalty?
Long. Marry, that did I.

Biron. Sweet lord, and why?

Long. To fright them hence with that dread penalty.

Biron. A dangerous law against gentility.

Reads.

"Item, If any man be seen to talk with a woman within the term of three years, he shall endure such public shame as the rest of the court shall possibly devise."

This article, my liege, yourself must break ;

For well you know, here comes in embassy The French king's daughter, with yourself to speak,

A maid of grace and cómplete majesty,— About surrender-up of Aquitain

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

Or vainly comes the admiréd princess hither. King. What say you, lords?—why, this was quite forgot.

Biron. So study 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; so won, so lost. King. We must of force dispense with this decree;

She must lie here on mere necessity.

Biron. Necessity will make us all forsworn Three thousand times, within this three years' space :

For every man with his affects is born;

Not by might mastered, but by special grace: If I break faith, this word shall speak for me, I am forsworn on mere necessity.

So to the laws at large I write my name :

[Subscribes. And he that breaks them in the least degree, Stands in attainder of eternal shame :

Suggestions are to others as to me; But I believe, although I seem so loth, I am the last that will last keep his oath. But is there no quick recreation granted? King. Ay, that there is: our court you know is haunted

With a refinéd 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

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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 having: God grant us patience!

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

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.

Biron. In what manner?

Cost. In manner and form following, sir; all those three: I was seen with her in the manorhouse, sitting with her upon the form, and taken following her into the park; which, put together, is in manner and form following. Now, sir, for the manner, it is the manner of a man to speak to a woman for the form,-in some form. Biron. For the following, sir.

Cost. As it shall follow in my correction; and God defend the right!

King. Will you hear this letter with attention? Biron. As we would hear an oracle.

Cost. Such is the simplicity of man to hearken after the flesh.

KING reads.

"Great deputy, the welkin's vicegerent, and sole

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air; and, as I am a gentleman, betook myself to walk. The time when? About the sixth hour; when beasts most graze, birds best peck, and men sit down to that nourishment which is called supper. So much for the time when. Now for the ground which; which, I mean, I walked upon: it is ycleped thy park. Then for the place where; where, I mean, I did encounter that obscene and most preposterous event, that draweth from my snow-white pen the ebon-coloured ink, which here thou viewest, beholdest, surveyest, or seest. But to the place where, it standeth north-north-east and by east from the west corner of thy curious-knotted garden: there did I see that low-spirited swain, that base minnow of thy mirth,"

Cost. Me.

KING reads.

-"that unlettered small-knowing soul,"Cost. Me.

KING reads.

"that shallow vassal,"

Cost. Still me.

KING reads. which, as I remember, hight Costard,"

Cost. O me!

KING reads.

-"sorted and consorted, contrary to thy established proclaimed edict and continent canon, withwith-O with-but with this I passion to say wherewith,"

Cost. With a wench.

KING reads.

-"with a child of our grandmother Eve, a female; or, for thy more sweet understanding, a woman. Him, I (as my ever-esteemed duty pricks me on) have sent to thee, to receive the meed of punishment, by thy sweet grace's officer, Antony Dull; a man of good repute, carriage, bearing, and estimation."

Dull. Me, an 't shall please you; I, Antony Dull.

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