PERSONS REPRESENTED. FERDINAND, King of Navarre. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 3. Act V. sc. 2. BIRON, a lord attending on the King. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 1. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 3. Act V. sc. 2. LONGAVILLE, a lord attending on the King. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 3. Act V. sc. 2. DUMAIN, a lord attending on the King. Appears, Act I. sc. 1. Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 3. Act V. sc. 2. BOYET, a lord attending on the Princess of France. Appears, Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2. MERCADE, a lord attending on the Princess of France. Appears, Act V. sc. 2. DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO, a fantastical Spaniard. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2. SIR NATHANIEL, a curate. Appears, Act IV. sc. 2. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2. HOLOFERNES, a schoolmaster. Appears, Act IV. sc. 2. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2. DULL, a constable. Appears, Act I. sc. 1; sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 2. Act V. sc. 1. COSTARD, a clown. Appears, Act I. sc. 1; sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1; sc. 2. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2. MоTH, page to Armado. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act III. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 1; sc. 2. PRINCESS OF FRANCE. Appears, Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2. ROSALINE, a lady attending on the Princess of France. Appears, Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2. MARIA, a lady attending on the Princess of France. Appears, Act II. sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2. KATHARINE, a lady attending on the Princess of France. Appears, Act II. sc. 1. Act IV. sc. 1. Act V. sc. 2. JAQUENETTA, a country wench. Appears, Act I. sc. 2. Act IV. sc. 2. SCENE,-NAVARRE. Neither the quarto edition of 1598, nor the folio of 1623, contains any List of Characters. SCENE I.-Navarre. A Park, with a Palace in it. KING. Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives, Live register'd upon our brazen tombs, When, spite of cormorant devouring time, Th' endeavour of this present breath may buy That honour, which shall bate his scythe's keen edge, 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: Biron. In all the old copies this name is spelt Berowne. In Act IV., Scene 3, we have a line in which Biron rhymes to moon. We may, therefore, suppose the pronunciation to have been Beroon. Boswell says that all French words of this termination were so pronounced in English; and that Mr. Fox always said Touloon (for Toulon) in the House of Commons. 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 Your oaths are pass'd, and now subscribe your names; If you are arm'd to do, as sworn to do, The grosser manner of these world's delights O, these are barren tasks, too hard to keep; 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. Oath. The original copies have oaths. So the folio. The quarto of 1598 reads "bank'rout quite. With all these. To love, to wealth, to pomp, Dumain is dead; but philosophy, in which he lives, includes them all. 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. Come on then, I will swear to study so, To know the thing I am forbid to know: If study's gain be thus, and this be so, Study knows that, which yet it doth not know: KING. These be the stops that hinder study quite, BIRON. Why, all delights are vain; and that most vain, To seek the light of truth; while truth the while Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile : By fixing it upon a fairer eye; Who dazzling so, that eye shall be his heed, That will not be deep-search'd with saucy looks; Save base authority from others' books. These 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 fame; And every godfather can give a name. • Forbid. The old copies read "to fast expressly am forbid." This appears, at first, to be the converse of the oath. But for-bid was a very ancient mode of making bid more emphatical. Biron will study to know what he is forbid to know; he uses here forbid in its common acceptation. But he is expressly for-bid to fast-expressly bid to fast; and he will receive the word as if he were forbidden-bid from fasting. With this view of Biron's casuistry we restore the old word fast. KING. How well he's read, to reason against reading! 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, Why should I joy in anya abortive birth? 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, Biron; adieu! BIRON. No, my good lord; I have sworn to stay with you : 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 strictest decrees I'll write my named. KING. How well this yielding rescues thee from shame! Item, That no woman shall come within a mile of my court Hath this been proclaim'd? LONG. Four days ago. BIRON. Let's see the penalty. [Reads.] -On pain of losing her tongue.— Who devis'd this penalty? LONG. Marry, that did I. BIRON. Sweet lord, and why? LONG. To fright them hence with that dread penalty. For any Pope gave us an. Why? The freedom of dramatic rhythm was no part of his system of versification. So the quarto of 1598. The folio has "That were to climb o'er the house t' unlock the gate." Sit you out. The folio has "fit you out." It is usual to close the sentence at "three years' day;" but the construction requires the rejection of such a pause. |