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Love's Labours Lost

Act IV, Scene 1

The same.
 
[Enter the PRINCESS, and her train, a Forester, BOYET, ROSALINE, MARIA, and KATHARINE]
 
PRINCESS
            ,          ,            ,            ,          ,
      Was that | the king | that spurred | his horse | so hard
          ,           ,      , ,                 ,
      Against | the steep | upri/sing of | the hill?
 
BOYET
          ,     ,             ,               ,   ,
      I know | not, but | I think | it was / not he.
 
PRINCESS
          ,        ,          ,         ,         ,
      Whoere | he was,| he showed | a mount|ing mind.
        T    T     . T     ,           ,             ,
      Well lords, today | we shall | have our | dispatch:
          ,     ,         ,        ,          ,
      On Sat|urday | we will | return | to France.
            ,     ,          ,       ,              ,
      Then for|ester | my friend,| where is | the bush
            ,          ,           ,          ,   2    ,
      That we | must stand | and play | the murd|erer in?
 
FORESTER
           ,   x           ,         ,        x
      Hereby | upon the | edge of | yonder | coppice;
          ,            ,          ,          ,        ,
      A stand | where you | may make | the fair|est shoot.
 
PRINCESS
          ,          ,      ,        ,           ,
      I thank | my beaut|y, I | am fair | that shoot,
            ,     ,            ,           ,         ,
      And there|upon | thou speakst | the fair|est shoot.
 
FORESTER
       ,           ,       ,        ,          ,
      Pardon | me mad|am, for | I meant | not so.
 
PRINCESS
        T     T     T        ,           2   ,          ,
      What, what? First | praise me | and again | say* no?
           ,            ,           ,       ,         ,
      O* short-|lived^pride.| Not^fair?| Alack | for woe.
 
FORESTER
       T    Tx    T
      Yes madam fair.
 
PRINCESS
                        ,             ,         ,
                       Nay, *nev|er paint | me now,
              ,        ,       ,              ,          ,
      Where fair | is not,| praise *can|not mend | the brow.
               ,         ,       ,              ,         ,
      Here* (good | my glass)| take this | for tel|ling true:
        ,   ,               T    T     .   T          ,
      Fair pay/ment for | foul words, is more | than due.
 
FORESTER
       ,              ,         ,           ,         x
      Nothing | but fair | is that | which you | inherit.
 
PRINCESS
       T    T    T     ,          2     ,          x
      See, see, my | beauty | will be saved | by merit.
         ,    ,        ,     ,                ,
      O her|esy | in fair,| fit for | these^days,
         ,        ,             ,            ,             ,
      A giv|ing hand,| though foul,| shall have | fair* praise.
            ,         ,         ,       ,         ,
      But come,| the bow:| now mer|cy goes | to kill,
            ,         ,         ,        ,       ,
      And shoot|ing well | is then | account|ed ill.
        ,             ,         ,      ,         ,
      Thus will | I save | my cred|it in | the shoot:
            ,         ,      ,          ,         x
      Not wound|ing, pi|ty would | not let | me do it;
           ,          ,        ,         ,         ,
      If wound|ing, then | it was | to show | my skill,
             ,           ,           ,         ,          ,
      That more | for praise | than pur|pose meant | to kill.
           ,         ,        ,       ,         ,
      And out | of ques|tion so | it is | sometimes,
       ,        ,     ,             ,         ,
      Glory | grows guil/ty of | detes|ted crimes,
                    ,     ,           ,          ,         ,
      When for / fame's sake,| for praise | and out|ward part,
           ,         ,          ,       ,         ,
      We bend | to that,| the work|ing of | the heart.
         ,          ,        ,          ,         ,
      As I | for praise | alone | now seek | to spill
       .    T     T     T                 ,     ,         ,
      The poor deer's blood,| that my / heart means | no ill.
 
BOYET
                  ,     ,       ,           ,    ,
      Do not / cursed wives | hold that | self-sove/reignty
       ,            ,       ,                  ,         ,
      Only | for praise | sake, when | they strive | to be
        ,                 ,
      Lords ore | their lords?  \\
 
PRINCESS
       ,            ,            ,         ,        ,
      Only | for praise,| and praise | we may | afford,
          ,    ,      ,         ,        ,
      To an|y lad|y that | subdues | a lord.
 
BOYET
             ,        ,       ,        ,        ,
      Here comes | a mem|ber of | the com|monwealth.
 
COSTARD
God dig-you-den all, pray you which is the head lady?
 
PRINCESS
Thou shalt know her fellow, by the rest that have no heads.
 
COSTARD
Which is the greatest lady, the highest?
 
PRINCESS
The thickest, and the tallest.
 
COSTARD
               x        2        x              ,    ,          ,
      The thickest,| and the tallest:| it is / so, truth | is truth.
       .    T    T    T    ,        2       ,    2          ,
      And your waist mist|ress, were as | slender as | my* wit,   ??
                 ,     ,      ,           2       ,           2    ,
      One^of / these maids'| girdles | for your waist | should be fit.
Are not you the chief woman? You are the thickest here?
 
PRINCESS
What's your will sir? What's your will?
 
COSTARD
      ,           ,        ,         ,         ,
      I have | a let|ter from | Monsieur | Berowne,
          ,     ,      ,     ,
      To one | Lady | Rosa|line.
 
PRINCESS
      <- ,         ,            ,         ,     2        ,          ,
         O thy || letter,| thy let|ter: he's | a good friend | of mine.
        ,       ,          ,          ,       2      ,
      Stand a|side good*| bearer.| Boyet,| you can carve,
             ,         ,  ,
      Break^up | this ca|pon.  
 
BOYET
                                       ,          ,
                              I | am bound | to serve.
            ,       ,        ,      2    ,        ,     __
      This let|ter is | mistook:| it import|eth none | here:
        2     ,        ,     ,    
      It is writ | to Ja|quenet|ta.
 
PRINCESS
                                      ,            x         ,
                                     We | will read it,| I swear.
        ,           ,            ,         ,      ,          ,
      Break the | neck of | the wax,| and eve|ry one | give^ear.  (hex with prev two)
 
BOYET
By heaven, that thou art fair, is most infallible: true that thou art beauteous, truth itself that thou art lovely: more fairer than fair, beautiful than beauteous, truer than truth itself: have commiseration on thy heroical vassal. The magnanimous and most illustrate king Cophetua set eye upon the pernicious and indubitate beggar Zenelophon, and he it was that might rightly say, Veni, vidi, vici. Which to annothanize in the vulgar, O base and obscure vulgar; videlicet, He came, saw, and overcame: he came, one; saw two; overcame three. Who came? The king. Why did he come? To see. Why did he see? To overcome. To whom came he? To the beggar. What saw he? The beggar. Who overcame he? The beggar. The conclusion is victory. On whose side? The king: The captive is enriched: on whose side? the beggar's. The catastrophe is a nuptial: on whose side? The king's: no, on both in one, or one in both. I am the king (for so stands the comparison) thou the beggar, for so witnesseth thy lowliness. Shall I command thy love? I may. Shall I enforce thy love? I could: Shall I entreat thy love? I will. What, shalt thou exchange for rags, robes: for tittles titles, for thyself me. Thus expecting thy reply, I profane my lips on thy foot, my eyes on thy picture, and my heart on thy every part. Thine in the dearest design of industry, Don Adriano de Armado.
             ,           ,       2   ,     ,      ,
      Thus^dost | thou hear | the Neme|an li|on roar,
                ,           ,           ,        ,         ,
      'Gainst^thee | thou lamb,| that stand|est as | his prey:
          ,         ,           ,        ,        ,
      Submis|sive fall | his prince|ly feet | before,
           ,         ,        ,        ,          ,
      And he | from for|age will | incline | to play:
           ,           ,             ,          ,           ,
      But if | thou strive |(poor* soul)| what art | thou then?
        ,              ,       ,        ,         ,
      Food for | his rage,| repas|ture for | his den.
 
PRINCESS
What plume of feathers is he that indited this letter? What vane? What weathercock? Did you ever hear better?
 
BOYET
         ,            ,       2       ,             ,
      I am much^|deceived, but I | remember | the style.
 
PRINCESS
      <-                ,  2        ,            ,           ___
         Else  || your memory | is bad, *go|ing ore it | erewhile.
 
BOYET
          2   ,       2    ,               ,               ,
      This Armado | is a Spaniard | that keeps here | in court
      <-           ,      2    ,           ,           D     D
         A || phantasm,| a Monarcho,| and one that | makes sport
        2       ,      2        D   D
      To the prince and his | bookmates.
 
PRINCESS
                                               ,          __
                                         Thou fellow,| a word:
            ,               ,
      Who gave thee | this letter?
 
COSTARD
                                       ,            __
                                   I told you,| my lord.
 
PRINCESS
           ,                      x
      To whom shouldst | thou give it?
 
COSTARD                                            ,           ,
                                       From | my lord to | my lady.
 
PRINCESS
From which lord, to which lady?
 
COSTARD
            ,           ,               ,            ,
      From my lord^|Berowne, a | good* master | of mine,
              ,           ,       2        D    D     ,
      To | a lady | of France that he | called Ros|aline.
 
PRINCESS
      <-    2            ,           ,         D    D      ___
        Thou hast || mistaken | his letter.| Come lords | away.  ??
             ,               ,                 ,    2       ___
      Here sweet, put | up this, 'twill | be thine anoth|er day.
 
[Exeunt PRINCESS and train]
 
BOYET
Who is the shooter? who is the shooter?
 
ROSALINE
            ,          ,         ,
      Shall^I | teach^you | to know?
 
BOYET
Aye my continent of beauty.
 
ROSALINE
           ,           ,          ,
      Why she | that bears | the bow.  Finely put off.
 
BOYET
        3 3     ,              ___    .  ,            ,
      My lady goes to | kill* horns,|   but if | thou marry,
            ,            ,                ,             ,
      Hang^me by | the neck, if | horns^that year*| miscarry.
Finely put on.
 
ROSALINE
Well then,
      ,            ,
      I am the | shooter.
 
BOYET
                                 ,              ,
                          And | who is your | deer?
 
ROSALINE
      <-            ,              D      D    D    D     D    D
        If we || choose by the | horns, your|self come | not near.
Finely put on, indeed!
 
MARIA
       D    D       ,                   ,               ,               ,
      You still | wrangle with | her Boyet,| and she strikes | at the brow.
 
BOYET
       ,            ,            ,            ,           ___
      But she her|self is hit | lower: have | I hit her | now?
 
ROSALINE
Shall I come upon thee with an old saying, that was a man when King Pepin of France was a little boy, as touching the hit it.
 
BOYET
So I may answer thee with one as old that was a woman when Queen Guinover of Britain was a little wench, as touching the hit it.
 
ROSALINE
        ,       2       ,        ,        ,
      Thou canst^not | hit it,| hit it,| hit it,
        ,       2       ,        T   T   T
      Thou canst^not | hit it,| my good man.
 
BOYET
       ,       ,        ,        ,
      And I | cannot,| cannot,| cannot,
       ,          ,       ,      ,
      And I | cannot,| anoth|er can.
 
[Exeunt ROSALINE and KATHARINE]
 
COSTARD
              ,       D    D               ,     D    Dx
      By my troth | most pleas|ant: how* both | did fit it.
 
MARIA
      .   D    D   2            ,               ,     D    Dx
      A mark marv|elous well* shot,| for they both | did hit it. (anapest with prev)
 
BOYET
          ,         D   D           ,         D    D        ,
      A mark, O*| mark but | that mark: a | mark says | my lady.
                ,             ,       2         ,          2    ,    __
      Let the mark | have a prick | in it, to mete | at, if it may | be.
 
MARIA
       __     ,       ___    __         ,            ,        ,    oo
      Wide | of the | bow | hand,| in faith | your hand | is out.|     (next 4 lines oct)
 
COSTARD
          ,         ,            ,      o        ,           ,          ,
      Indeed | he must | shoot^near|er,   | or he'll | nere hit | the clout.
 
BOYET
           ,        ,        ,      ,       ,           ,       __
      And if | my hand | be out,| then be|like your | hand is | in.
 
COSTARD
             ,         ,         ,   ,         __   __         ,
      Then will | she get | the up|shoot by | cleav|ing | the pin.
 
MARIA
        D     D                ,              ,      D    D
      Come, come,| you talk grease|ly, your lips | grow foul.
 
COSTARD
                   ,           2      ,      D    D           2     ,
      She's too* hard | for you at pricks,| sir chal|lenge her to bowl.  ??
 
BOYET
          ,              ,                ,              ___
      I fear too | much^rubbing:| Good* night, my | good owl.
 
[Exeunt BOYET and MARIA]
 
COSTARD    (this is very tricky, but quite rhythmical)
          ,           ,          D   D        ,
      By my soul^|a swain, a | most simp|le clown.
               ,              ,            x               __
      Lord*, Lord, how | the ladies | and I have put^|him down.
      ,       ___      T    T     T       ,      ,      ,       ___   oo
      O my | troth | most sweet jests,| most in|cony | vulgar | wit,|
        ,         ,          ,        ___    ,      ,         2     ,        ,
      When it | comes so | smoothly | off,| so ob|scenely,| as it were,| so fit.
         ,     ,     ,        __    ,      __      ,      ___
      Armad|o ath | to the | side,| O a | most | dainty | man.
          ,          ,        ,       ,      ,         ,         ,    oo
      To see | him walk | before | a lad|y, and | to bear | her fan.|
          ,          ,          ,         ,           ,       ,          ,     oo
      To see | him kiss | his hand,| and how | most^sweet|ly he | will swear:|
                ,      3  3     ,      D    D          ,
      And his page | at^other side,| that hand|ful of wit,
       D    Dx      D  D    2        ,         ,
      Ah heavens,| it is | a most pathe|tical nit.
Sola, sola.
 
[Shout within. Exit COSTARD, running]

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