Author: William ShakespeareEditor: Timothy BillingsNot Peer Reviewed
Love's Labor's Lost (Folio 1, 1623)
Loues Labour's lost125
361Brag. A mo
st fine Figure.
362Boy. To proue you a Cypher.
363Brag. I will heereupon confe
sse I am in loue: and as
364it is ba
se for a Souldier to loue;
so am I in loue with a
365ba
se wench. If drawing my
sword again
st the humour
366of a
ffe
ction, would deliuer mee from the reprobate
367thought of it, I would take De
sire pri
soner, and ran
some
368him to any French Courtier for a new deuis'd curt
sie. I
369thinke
scorne to
sigh, me thinkes I
should out-
sweare
370Cupid. Comfort me Boy, What great men haue beene
373Brag. Mo
st sweete
Hercules: more authority deare
374Boy, name more; and
sweet my childe let them be men
375of good repute and carriage.
376Boy. Sampson Ma
ster, he was a man of good carriage,
377great carriage: for hee carried the Towne-gates on his
378backe like a Porter: and he was in loue.
379Brag. O well-knit
Sampson,
strong ioynted
Sampson;
380I doe excell thee in my rapier, as much as thou did
st mee
381in carrying gates. I am in loue too. Who was
Sampsons 384Brag. Of what complexion
? 385Boy. Of all the foure, or the three, or the two, or one
387Brag. Tell me preci
sely of what complexion?
388Boy. Of the
sea-water Greene
sir.
389Brag. Is that one of the foure complexions?
390Boy. As I haue read
sir, and the be
st of them too.
391Brag. Greene indeed is the colour of Louers: but to
392haue a Loue of that colour, methinkes
Sampson had
small
393rea
son for it. He
surely a
ffe
cted her for her wit.
394Boy. It was
so
sir, for
she had a greene wit.
395Brag. My Loue is mo
st immaculate white and red.
396Boy. Mo
st immaculate thoughts Ma
ster, are ma
sk'd
398Brag. De
fine, de
fine, well educated infant.
399Boy. My fathers witte, and my mothers tongue a
ssist 401Brag. Sweet inuocation of a childe, mo
st pretty and
403Boy. If
shee be made of white and red,
404Her faults will nere be knowne:
405For blu
sh-in cheekes by faults are bred,
406And feares by pale white
showne:
407Then if
she feare, or be to blame,
408By this you
shall not know,
409For
still her cheekes po
sse
sse the
same,
410Which natiue
she doth owe:
411A dangerous rime ma
ster again
st the rea
son of white
413Brag. Is there not a ballet Boy, of the King and the
415Boy. The world was very guilty of
such a Ballet
some
416three ages
since, but I thinke now 'tis not to be found: or
417if it were, it would neither
serue for the writing, nor the
419Brag. I will haue that
subie
ct newly writ ore, that I
420may example my digre
ssion by
some mighty pre
sident.
421Boy, I doe loue that Countrey girle that I tooke in
422the Parke with the rationall hinde
Costard: she de
serues
424Boy. To bee whip'd: and yet a better loue then my
426Brag. Sing Boy, my
spirit grows heauy in ioue.
427Boy. And that's great maruell, louing a light wench.
429Boy. Forbeare till this company be pa
st.
430 Enter Clowne, Constable, and Wench.
431Const. Sir, the Dukes plea
sure, is that you keepe
Co- 432stard safe, and you mu
st let him take no delight, nor no
433penance, but hee mu
st fa
st three daies a weeke: for this
434Dam
sell, I mu
st keepe her at the Parke,
shee is alowd for
435the Day-woman. Fare you well.
Exit. 436Brag. I do betray my
selfe with blu
shing: Maide.
438Brag. I wil vi
sit thee at the Lodge.
440Brag. I know where it is
situate.
441Mai. Lord how wi
se you are!
442Brag. I will tell thee wonders.
445Mai. So I heard you
say.
446Brag. And
so farewell.
447Mai. Faire weather after you.
448Clo. Come
Iaquenetta, away.
Exeunt. 449Brag. Villaine, thou
shalt fa
st for thy o
ffences ere
451Clo. Well
sir, I hope when I doe it, I
shall doe it on a
453Brag. Thou
shalt be heauily puni
shed.
454Clo. I am more bound to you then your fellowes, for
455they are but lightly rewarded.
456Clo. Take away this villaine,
shut him vp.
457Boy. Come you tran
sgre
ssing
slaue, away.
458Clow. Let mee not bee pent vp
sir, I will fa
st being
460Boy. No
sir, that were fa
st and loo
se: thou
shalt to
462Clow. Well, if euer I do
see the merry dayes of de
so
- 463lation that I haue
seene,
some
shall
see.
464Boy. What
shall
some
see?
465Clow. Nay nothing, Ma
ster
Moth, but what they
466looke vpon. It is not for pri
soners to be
silent in their
467words, and therefore I will
say nothing: I thanke God, I
468haue as little patience as another man, and therefore I
470Brag. I doe a
ffe
ct the very ground (which is ba
se)
471where her
shooe (which is ba
ser) guided by her foote
472(which is ba
se
st) doth tread. I
shall be for
sworn (which
473ia a great argument of fal
shood) if I loue. And how can
474that be true loue, which is fal
sly attempted? Loue is a fa
- 475miliar, Loue is a Diuell. There is no euill Angell but
476Loue, yet
Sampson was
so tempted, and he had an excel
- 477lent
strength: Yet was
Salomon so
seduced, and hee had
478a very good witte.
Cupids But
shaft is too hard for
Her- 479cules Clubbe, and therefore too much ods for a Spa
- 480niards Rapier: The
fir
st and
second cau
se will not
serue
481my turne: the
Passado hee re
spe
cts not, the
Duello he
482regards not; his di
sgrace is to be called Boy, but his
483glorie is to
subdue men. Adue Valour, ru
st Rapier, bee
484still Drum, for your manager is in loue; yea hee loueth.
485A
ssist me
some extemporall god of Rime, for I am
sure I
486shall turne Sonnet. Deui
se Wit, write Pen, for I am for
487whole volumes in folio.
Exit.
L3 Actus