Page:Love's Labour's Lost (1925) Yale.djvu/68

56

What will Berowne say, when that he shall hear

Faith infringed, which such zeal did swear?

How will he scorn! how will he spend his wit!

How will he triumph, leap and laugh at it!

For all the wealth that ever I did see,

I would not have him know so much by me.

Ber. Now step I forth to whip hypocrisy.

Ah! good my liege, I pray thee, pardon me:

Good heart! what grace hast thou, thus to reprove

These worms for loving, that art most in love?

Your eyes do make no coaches; in your tears

There is no certain princess that appears:

You'll not be perjur'd, 'tis a hateful thing:

Tush! none but minstrels like of sonneting.

But are you not asham'd! nay, are you not,

All three of you, to be thus much o'ershot?

You found his mote; the king your mote did see;

But I a beam do find in each of three.

O what a scene of foolery have I seen,

Of sighs, of groans, of sorrow, and of teen!

O me! with what strict patience have I sat,

To see a king transformed to a gnat;

To see great Hercules whipping a gig,

And profound Solomon to tune a jig,

And Nestor play at push-pin with the boys,

And critic Timon laugh at idle toys!

Where lies thy grief? O! tell me, good Dumaine.

And, gentle Longaville, where lies thy pain?

And where my liege's? all about the breast:

 150 by: about

158 like of: like

160 o'ershot: wide of the mark

161 You: i.e. Longaville

his: i.e. Dumaine's

164 teen: grief, pain

166 gnat: a singing insect

167 gig: top

168 tune: play, or hum

169 push-pin: a child's game with pins

170 critic: cynic

toys: trifles

