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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    Not Peer Reviewed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)

    called Loues Labor's lost.

    1715For Charitie it selfe fulfilles the Law:
    And who can seuer Loue from Charitie.
    King. Saint Cupid then and Souldiers to the fielde.
    Berow. Aduaunce your standars, and vpon them Lords.
    Pell, mell, downe with them: but be first aduisd,
    1720In conflict that you get the Sunne of them.
    Long. Now to plaine dealing. Lay these glozes by,
    Shall we resolue to woe these gyrles of Fraunce?
    King. And winn them too, therefore let vs deuise,
    Some enterteinment for them in their Tentes.
    1725Ber. First from the Parke let vs conduct them thither,
    Then homeward euery man attach the hand
    Of his faire Mistres, in the afternoone
    We will with some strange pastime solace them:
    Such as the shortnesse of the time can shape,
    1730For Reuels, Daunces, Maskes, and merrie houres,
    Forerunne faire Loue, strewing her way with flowers.
    King. Away, away, no time shalbe omitted,
    That will be time and may by vs befitted.
    Ber. Alone alone sowed Cockell, reapt no Corne,
    1735And Iustice alwayes whirles in equall measure:
    Light Wenches may proue plagues to men forsorne,
    If so our Copper byes no better treasure.

    Enter the Pedant, the Curat, and Dull.
    1740Pedant. Satis quid sufficit.
    Curat. I prayse God for you sir, your reasons at Dinner
    haue been sharpe & sententious: pleasant without scurillitie,
    wittie without affection, audatious without impudencie,
    learned without opinion, and strange without heresie: I did
    1745conuerse this quondam day with a companion of the kings,
    who is intituled, nominated, or called, Don Adriano de Ar-
    matho.
    Ped. Noui hominum tanquam te, His humour is loftie, his
    discourse peremptorie: his tongue fyled, his eye ambitious,
    1750his gate maiesticall, and his generall behauiour vaine, redicu-
    lous, & thrasonicall. He is too picked, to spruce, too affected,
    to od as it were, too peregrinat as I may call it.
    Curat
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