Let fame , that all hunt after in their lives , Live regist'red upon our brazen tombs , And then grace us in the disgrace of death ; When , spite of cormorant devouring Time , Th ’ endeavour of this present breath may buy That honour which shall bate his scythe 's keen edge , And make us heirs of all eternity . Therefore , brave conquerors - for so you are That war against your own affections And the huge army of the world 's desires- Our late edict shall strongly stand in force : Navarre shall be the wonder of the world ; Our court shall be a little Academe , Still and contemplative in living art . You three , Berowne , Dumain , and Longaville , Have sworn for three years ’ term to live with me My fellow-scholars , and to keep those statutes That are recorded in this schedule here . Your oaths are pass 'd ; and now subscribe your names , That his own hand may strike his honour down That violates the smallest branch herein . If you are arm 'd to do as sworn to do , Subscribe to your deep oaths , and keep it too . Your oath is pass 'd to pass away from these . Why , that to know which else we should not know . Ay , that is study 's god-like recompense . These be the stops that hinder study quite , And train our intellects to vain delight . How well he 's read , to reason against reading ! Well , sit out ; go home , Berowne ; adieu . How well this yielding rescues thee from shame ! What say you , lords ? Why , this was quite forgot . We must of force dispense with this decree ; She must lie here on mere necessity . Ay , that there is . Our court , you know , is haunted With a refined traveller of Spain , A man in all the world 's new fashion planted , That hath a mint of phrases in his brain ; One who the music of his own vain tongue Doth ravish like enchanting harmony ; A man of complements , whom right and wrong Have chose as umpire of their mutiny . This child of fancy , that Armado hight , For interim to our studies shall relate , In high-born words , the worth of many a knight From tawny Spain lost in the world 's debate . How you delight , my lords , I know not , I ; But I protest I love to hear him lie , And I will use him for my minstrelsy . A letter from the magnificent Armado . Will you hear this letter with attention ? ‘ Great deputy , the welkin 's vicegerent and sole dominator of Navarre , my soul 's earth 's god and body 's fost'ring patron ’ - ‘ So it is ’ - Peace ! No words ! ‘ So it is , besieged with sable-coloured melancholy , I did commend the black oppressing humour to the most wholesome physic of thy health-giving air ; and , as I am a gentleman , betook myself to walk . The time When ? About the sixth hour ; when beasts most graze , birds best peck , and men sit down to that nourishment which is called supper . So much for the time When . Now for the ground Which ? which , I mean , I upon ; it is ycleped thy park . Then for the place Where ? where , I mean , I did encounter that obscene and most prepost'rous event that draweth from my snow-white pen the ebon-coloured ink which here thou viewest , beholdest , surveyest , or seest . But to the place Where ? It standeth north-north-east and by east from the west corner of thy curious-knotted garden . There did I see that low-spirited swain , that base minnow of thy mirth , ’ ‘ that unlettered small-knowing soul , ’ ‘ that shallow vassal , ’ ‘ which , as I remember , hight Costard , ’ ‘ sorted and consorted , contrary to thy established proclaimed edict and continent canon ; which , with , O , with - but with this I passion to say wherewith - ’ ‘ For Jaquenetta - so is the weaker vessel called , which I apprehended with the aforesaid swain - I keep her as a vessel of thy law 's fury ; and shall , at the least of thy sweet notice , bring her to trial . Thine , in all compliments of devoted and heart-burning heat of duty , DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO . ’ Ay , the best for the worst . But , sirrah , what say you to this ? Did you hear the proclamation ? It was proclaimed a year 's imprisonment to be taken with a wench . Well , it was proclaimed damsel . It is so varied too , for it was proclaimed virgin . This ‘ maid ’ not serve your turn , sir . Sir , I will pronounce your sentence : you shall fast a week with bran and water . And Don Armado shall be your keeper . My Lord Berowne , see him delivered o'er ; And go we , lords , to put in practice that Which each to other hath so strongly sworn . Fair Princess , welcome to the court of Navarre . You shall be welcome , madam , to my court . Hear me , dear lady : I have sworn an oath- Not for the world , fair madam , by my will . Your ladyship is ignorant what it is . Madam , I will , if suddenly I may . Madam , your father here doth intimate The payment of a hundred thousand crowns ; Being but the one half of an entire sum Disbursed by my father in his wars . But say that he or we , as neither have , Receiv 'd that sum , yet there remains unpaid A hundred thousand more , in surety of the which , One part of Aquitaine is bound to us , Although not valued to the money 's worth . If then the King your father will restore But that one half which is unsatisfied , We will give up our right in Aquitaine , And hold fair friendship with his Majesty . But that , it seems , he little purposeth , For here he doth demand to have repaid A hundred thousand crowns ; and not demands , On payment of a hundred thousand crowns , To have his title live in Aquitaine ; Which we much rather had depart withal , And have the money by our father lent , Than Aquitaine so gelded as it is . Dear Princess , were not his requests so far From reason 's yielding , your fair self should make A yielding ‘ gainst some reason in my breast , And go well satisfied to France again . I do protest I never heard of it ; And , if you prove it , I 'll repay it back Or yield up Aquitaine . Satisfy me so . It shall suffice me ; at which interview All liberal reason I will yield unto . Meantime receive such welcome at my hand As honour , without breach of honour , may Make tender of to thy true worthiness . You may not come , fair Princess , within my gates ; But here without you shall be so receiv 'd As you shall deem yourself lodg 'd in my heart , Though so denied fair harbour in my house . Your own good thoughts excuse me , and farewell . To-morrow shall we visit you again . Thy own wish wish I thee in every place . Ay me ! ‘ So sweet a kiss the golden sun gives not To those fresh morning drops upon the rose , As thy eye-beams , when their fresh rays have smote The night of dew that on my cheeks down flows ; Nor shines the silver moon one half so bright Through the transparent bosom of the deep , As doth thy face through tears of mine give light . Thou shin'st in every tear that I do weep ; No drop but as a coach doth carry thee ; So ridest thou triumphing in my woe . Do but behold the tears that swell in me , And they thy glory through my grief will show . But do not love thyself ; then thou wilt keep My tears for glasses , and still make me weep . O queen of queens ! how far dost thou excel No thought can think nor tongue of mortal tell . ’ How shall she know my griefs ? I 'll drop the paper- Sweet leaves , shade folly . Who is he comes here ? Enter LONGAVILLE , with a paper What , Longaville , and reading ! Listen , car . In love , I hope ; sweet fellowship in shame ! And I mine too ,. good Lord ! Come , sir , you blush ; as his , your case is such . You chide at him , offending twice as much : You do not love Maria ! Longaville Did never sonnet for her sake compile ; Nor never lay his wreathed arms athwart His loving bosom , to keep down his heart . I have been closely shrouded in this bush , And mark 'd you both , and for you both did blush . I heard your guilty rhymes , observ 'd your fashion , Saw sighs reek from you , noted well your passion . ‘ Ay me ! ’ says one . ‘ O Jove ! ’ the other cries . One , her hairs were gold ; crystal the other 's eyes .You would for paradise break faith and troth ;And Jove for your love would infringe an oath . 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 . Too bitter is thy jest . Are we betrayed thus to thy over-view ? Soft ! whither away so fast ? A true man or a thief that gallops so ? What present hast thou there ? What makes treason here ? If it mar nothing neither , The treason and you go in peace away together . Berowne , read it over . Where hadst thou it ? Where hadst thou it ? How now ! What is in you ? Why dost thou tear it ? What ? Hence , sirs , away . What , did these rent lines show some love of thine ? What zeal , what fury hath inspir 'd thee now ? My love , her mistress , is a gracious moon ; She , an attending star , scarce seen a light . By heaven , thy love is black as ebony . O paradox ! Black is the badge of hell , The hue of dungeons , and the school of night ; And beauty 's crest becomes the heavens well . And Ethiopes of their sweet complexion crack . ‘ Twere good yours did ; for , sir , to tell you plain , I 'll find a fairer face not wash 'd to-day . No devil will fright thee then so much as she . But what of this ? Are we not all in love ? Then leave this chat ; and , good Berowne , now prove Our loving lawful , and our faith not torn . Saint Cupid , then ! and , soldiers , to the field ! And win them too ; therefore let us devise Some entertainment for them in their tents . Away , away ! No time shall be omitted That will betime , and may by us be fitted . Say to her we have measur 'd many miles To tread a measure with her on this grass . Blessed are clouds , to do as such clouds do . Vouchsafe , bright moon , and these thy stars , to shine , Those clouds removed , upon our watery eyne . Then in our measure do but vouchsafe one change . Thou bid'st me beg ; this begging is not strange . Will you not dance ? How come you thus estranged ? Yet still she is the Moon , and I the Man . The music plays ; vouchsafe some motion to it . But your legs should do it . Why take we hands then ? More measure of this measure ; be not nice . Price you yourselves . What buys your company ? That can never be . If you deny to dance , let 's hold more chat . I am best pleas 'd with that . Farewell , mad wenches ; you have simple wits . Fair sir , God save you ! Where 's the Princess ? That she vouchsafe me audience for one word . A blister on his sweet tongue , with my heart , That put Armado 's page out of his part ! Re-enter the PRINCESS , ushered by BOYET ; ROSALINE , MARIA , and KATHARINE All hail , sweet madam , and fair time of day ! Construe my speeches better , if you may . We came to visit you , and purpose now To lead you to our court ; vouchsafe it then . Rebuke me not for that which you provoke . The virtue of your eye must break my oath . O , you have liv 'd in desolation here , Unseen , unvisited , much to our shame . How , madam ! Russians ! We were descried ; they 'll mock us now downright . Teach us , sweet madam , for our rude transgression Some fair excuse . Madam , I was . I was , fair madam . That more than all the world I did respect her . Upon mine honour , no . Despise me when I break this oath of mine . What mean you , madam ? By my life , my troth , I never swore this lady such an oath . My faith and this the Princess I did give ; I knew her by this jewel on her sleeve . Berowne , they will shame us ; let them not approach . I say they shall not come . Here is like to be a good presence of Worthies . He presents Hector of Troy ; the swain , Pompey the Great ; the parish curate , Alexander ; Arinado 's page , Hercules ; the pedant , Judas Maccabaeus . And if these four Worthies in their first show thrive , These four will change habits and present the other five . You are deceived , ‘ tis not so . The ship is under sail , and here she comes amain . Hector was but a Troyan in respect of this . How fares your Majesty ? Madam , not so ; I do beseech you stay . The extreme parts of time extremely forms All causes to the purpose of his speed ; And often at his very loose decides That which long process could not arbitrate . And though the mourning brow of progeny Forbid the smiling courtesy of love The holy suit which fain it would convince , Yet , since love 's argument was first on foot , Let not the cloud of sorrow justle it From what it purpos 'd ; since to wail friends lost Is not by much so wholesome-profitable As to rejoice at friends but newly found . Now , at the latest minute of the hour , Grant us your loves . If this , or more than this , I would deny , To flatter up these powers of mine with rest , The sudden hand of death close up mine eye ! Hence hermit then , my heart is in thy breast . No , madam ; we will bring you on your way . Come , sir , it wants a twelvemonth an ’ a day , And then ‘ twill end . Call them forth quickly ; we will do so .