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  • Title: Love's Labor's Lost (Quarto 1, 1598)
  • Editor: Timothy Billings

  • Copyright Timothy Billings. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Timothy Billings
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Love's Labor's Lost (Quarto 1, 1598)

    A pleasant conceited Comedie:

    special honours it pleaseth his greatnes to impart to Armado
    1840a Souldier, a man of trauayle, that hath seene the worlde: but
    let that passe; the very all of all is: but sweet hart, I do implore
    secretie, that the King would haue me present the Princesse
    (sweete chuck) with some delightfull ostentation, or show,
    1845or pageant, or antique, or fierworke: Now vnderstanding
    that the Curate and your sweete selfe, are good at such erup-
    tions, and sodaine breaking out of myrth (as it were) I haue
    acquainted you withall, to the ende to craue your assistance.
    1850Peda. Sir, you shall present before her the Nine Worthies,
    Sir Holofernes, as concerning some entertainement of time,
    some show in the posterior of this day, to be rended by our
    assistants the Kinges commaund, and this most gallant il-
    lustrate and learned Gentleman, before the Princesse: I say
    1855none so fit as to present the nine Worthies.
    Curat. Where will you finde men worthie enough to pre-
    sent them?
    Peda. Iosua, your selfe, my selfe, and this gallant Gentle-
    1860man Iudas Machabeus; this Swaine (because of his great lim
    or ioynt) shall passe Pompey the great, the Page Hercules.
    Brag. Pardon sir, error: He is not quantitie enough for
    that worthies thumbe, he is not so big as the end of his Club.
    Peda. Shall I haue audience? He shall present Hercules
    in minoritie: his enter and exit shalbe strangling a Snake;
    and I will haue an Apologie for that purpose.
    Page. An excellent deuice: so if any of the audience hisse,
    1870you may cry, Well done Hercules, now thou crusshest the
    Snake; that is the way to make an offence gracious, though
    few haue the grace to do it.
    Brag. For the rest of the Worthies?
    Peda. I will play three my selfe.
    1875Page. Thrice worthie Gentleman.
    Brag. Shall I tell you a thing?
    Peda. We attende.
    Brag. We will haue, if this fadge not, an Antique. I be-
    seech you follow.
    1880Peda. Via good-man Dull, thou hast spoken no worde all
    this while.
    Dull
    G1