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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    Not Peer Reviewed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:

    1995For quoth the King, an Angell shalt thou see:
    Yet feare not thou but speake audaciously.
    The Boy replyde, An Angell is not euill:
    I should haue feard her had shee been a deuill.
    With that all laught, and clapt him on the shoulder,
    2000Making the bolde wagg by their prayses bolder.
    One rubbd his elbow thus, and fleerd, and swore,
    A better speach was neuer spoke before.
    Another with his fynger and his thume,
    Cried via we will doo't come what wil come.
    2005The thirde he caperd and cryed, All goes well.
    The fourth turnd on the tooe, and downe he fell:
    With that they all did tumble on the ground,
    With such a zelous laughter so profund,
    That in this spleene rediculous appeares,
    2010To checke their follie pashions solembe teares.
    Quee. But what, but what, come they to visite vs?
    Boy. They do, they do; and are appariled thus,
    Like Muscouites, or Russians, as I gesse.
    Their purpose is to parlee, to court, and daunce,
    2015And euery one his Loue-feat will aduance,
    Vnto his seuerall Mistres: which they'le know
    By Fauours seuerall, which they did bestow.
    Quee. And will they so? the Gallants shalbe taskt:
    For Ladies; we will euery one be maskt,
    2020And not a man of them shall haue the grace
    Despight of sute, to see a Ladies face.
    Holde Rosaline, this Fauour thou shalt weare,
    And then the King will court thee for his Deare:
    Holde take thou this my sweete, and giue mee thine,
    2025So shall Berowne take me for Rosaline.
    And change you Fauours two, so shall your Loues
    Woo contrarie, deceyued by these remoues.
    Rosa. Come on then, weare the Fauours most in sight.
    Kath. But in this changing, What is your intent?
    2030Quee. The effect of my intent is to crosse theirs:
    They do it but in mockerie merement,
    And mocke for mocke is onely my intent,
    The
    G3