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 these living in philosophy.

years:

Biron. I can but fay their proteftation over,
So much (dear liege) I have already fworn,
That is, to live and ftudy here three
But there are other ftrict obfervances;
As, not to fee 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 befide;
The which, I hope, is not enrolled there.

And then to fleep but three hours in the night,
And not to 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 enrolled 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 these. 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 fhould not know.

Biron. Things hid and barr'd (you mean) from common fense.

King. Ay, that is ftudy's god-like recompence. Biron. Come on then, I will fwear to study fo, To know the thing I am forbid to know;

As thus; to ftudy where I well

may dine.
When I to feaft exprefly am forbid;
Or ftudy where to meet fome mistress fine,
When miftreffes from common sense 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.

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 feek the light of truth; while truth the while Doth falsely blind the eye-fight 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 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 Heav'ns glorious Sun,

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

fixed ftar,

Have no more profit of their fhining 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.

Too much to know, is to know nought but fame;

And every Godfather can give a name.]The firft Line in this Read

King. How well he's read, to reafon against reading! Dum. Proceeding 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 geese are a breeding.

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 fneaping frost,
That bites the first-born infants of the spring.
Biron. Well; fay, I am; why should proud fum-
mer boast,

Before the birds have any caufe to fing?
Why fhould I joy in an abortive birth?
At Christmas I no more defire a rose,

Than wifh a fnow in May's new-fangled fhows:
But like of each thing, that in feafon grows.
So you, to ftudy now it is too late,

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

King. Well, fit you out-Go home, Biron: Adieu! Biron. No, my good lord, I've fworn to ftay with

you.

And though I have for barbarism spoke more,
Than for that angel knowledge you can fay;

ing is abfurd and impertinent. There are two Ways of fetting it right. The firft is to read it thus,

Too much to know, is to know nought but shame;

This makes a fine Sense, and alludes to Adam's Fall, which came from the inordinate Paffion of knowing too much. The other Way is

to read, and Point it thus,

Too much to know, is to know nought: but feign, i. e, to feign. As much as to fay, the Affecting to know too much is the Way to know nothing. The Sense, in both these Readings, is equally good: But with this Difference; if we read the firft Way, the following Line is impertinent; and to fave the Correction we must judge it spurious. If we read it the fecond Way, then the following Line completes the Senfe. Consequently the Correction of feign is to be preferred.

Yet

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

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!

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 reft of the Court can poffibly devife.

This article, my liege, yourself must break;

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

To her decripit, 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 overfhot;

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, dispense with this decree She muft lie here on mere neceffity.

Biron. Neceffity will make us all forfworn

Three thoufand times within this three years' fpace:

For every man with his affects is born:

Not by might master'd, but by special 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 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 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 mufic of his own vain tongue
Doth ravish, like inchanting harmony:
A man of compliments, whom right and wrong
Have chofe as umpire of their mutiny.
This child of fancy, that Armado hight,

For interim to our Studies, fhall relate
In high-born words the worth of many a Knight
From tawny Spain, loft in the world's debate.
How you delight, my lords, I know not, I;
But, I proteft, I love to hear him lie;
And I will use him for my minstrelfy.

Biron. Armado is a moft illuftrious wight, A man of fire-new words, fashion's own Knight. Long. Coftard the fwain, and he, fhall be our fport; And, so to study, three years are but short.

SCENE