here's three of us are sophisticated !-Thou art the thing itself: unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art.-Off, off, you lendings!-Come; unbutton here.

--

[Tearing off his Clothes,

Fool. Pr'ythee, nuncle, be contented; this is a naughty night to swim in.-Now a little fire in a wild field, were like an old lecher's heart; a small spark, and all the rest of his body cold.-Look, here comes a walking fire.

Edg. This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet : he begins at curfew, and walks 'till the first cock; he gives the web.and the pin, squints the eye, and makes the hare-lip; mildews the white wheat, and hurts the poor creature of earth.

Saint Withold footed thrice the wold;
He met the night-mare, and her nine-fold;
Bid her alight,

And her troth plight,

And, Aroynt thee, witch, aroynt thee!

Kent. How fares your grace?

Enter GLOSTER, with a Torch.

Lear. What's he?

Kent. Who's there? What is't you seek?
Glo. What are you there? Your names?

Edg. Poor Tom; that eats the swimming frog, the toad, the tadpole, the wall-newt, and the waternewt; that in the fury of his heart, when the foul fiend rages, eats cow-dung for sallets; swallows the old rat, and the ditch dog; drinks the green `mantle of the standing pool; who is whipt from tything to tything, and stock'd, punish'd, and imprison'd; who hath had theer suits to his back, six shirts to his body, horse to ride, and weapon to wear

But mice, and rats, and such small deer,
Have been Tom's food for seven long year.

Beware, my follower :-Peace, Smolkin; peace, thou fiend!

Glo What, hath your grace no better company ? Edg. The prince of darkness is a gentleman; Modo he's call'd, and Mahu...

Glo. Our flesh and blood, my lord, is grown so vile, That it doth hate what gets it.

Edg Poor Tom's a-cold.

Glo. Go in with me; my duty cannot suffer
To obey in all your daughters' hard commands:
Though their injunction be to bar my doors,
And let this tyrannous night take hold upon you;
Yet have I ventur'd to come seek you out,
And bring you where both fire and food is ready.
Lear. First let me talk with this philosopher:
What is the cause of thunder?

Kent. My good lord, take his offer ;

Go into the house.

Lear. I'll talk a word with this same learned TheWhat is your study?

[ban: Edg. How to prevent the fiend, and to kill vermin. Lear. Let me ask you one word in private.

Kent. Importune him once more to go, my lord,

His wits begin to unsettle.

Glo. Canst thou blame him?

[Storm still. His daughters seek his death :-Ah, that good Kent ! He said, it would be thus :-Poor banish'd man !— Thou say'st, the king grows mad; I'll tell thee, friend, I am almost mad myself: I had a son,

Now out-law'd from my blood: he sought my life,
But lately, very late; I lov'd him, friend-

No father his son dearer: true to tell thee,

The grief hath craz'd my wits.

I do beseech your grace

Lear. O, cry you mercy, sir:

What a night's this!

Noble philosopher, your company.

Edg. Tom's a-cold.

Glo. In, fellow, there, to the hovel: keep thee

Lear. Come let's in all.

Kent. This way my lord.

Lear. With him;

I will keep still with my philosopher.

[warm

Kent. Good my lord, sooth him; let him take the fellow.

Glo. Take him you on.

Kent. Sirrah, come on: go along with us.
Lear. Come, good Athenian.

Glo. No words, no words; hush.

Edg. Child Rowland to the dark tower came,
His word was still-Fie, foh, and fim,

I smell the blood of a British man. [Exeunt.

SCENE V.

I

GLOSTER'S Castle. Enter CORNWALL, and EDMUND. Corn. I will have my revenge, ere I depart his house.

Edm. How, my lord, I may be censur'd, that nature thus gives way to loyalty, something fears me to think of.

Corn. I now perceive, it was not altogether your brother's evil disposition made him seek his death; but a provoking merit, set a-work by a reprovable badness in himself.

Edm. How malicious is my fortune, that I must repent to be just! This is the letter which he spoke of, which approves him an intelligent party to the advantages of France. O heavens! that this treason were not, or not I the detector!

Corn. Go with me to the dutchess.

Edm. If the matter of this paper be certain, you have mighty business in hand.

Corn. True or false, it hath made thee earl of Glos ter. Seek out where thy father is, that he may be ready for our apprehension.

Edm. [Aside.] If I find him comforting the king, it will stuff his suspicion more fully.-I will persevere in my course of loyalty, though the conflict be sore between that and my blood.

Corn. I will lay trust upon thee; and thou shalt find a dearer father in my love. [Exeunt.

SCENE VI.

A Chamber in a Farm-house. Enter GLOSTER, LEAR, KENT, Fool, and EDGAR.

Glo. Here is better than the open air; take it thankfully: I will piece out the comfort with what addition I can: I will not be long from you.

[Exit. Kent. All the power of his wits has given way to his impatience :-The gods reward your kindness!

Edg. Frateretto calls me; and tells me, Nero is an angler in the lake of darkness. Pray, innocent, and beware the foul fiend.

Fool. Pr'ythee, nuncle, tell me, whether a madman be a gentleman, or a yeoman ?

Lear. A king, a king!

1. Fool. No; he's a yeoman, that has a gentleman to his son for he's a mad yeoman, that sees his son a gentleman before him.

Lear. To have a thousand with red burning spits Come hizzing in upon them :

Edg. The foul fiend bites my back.

Fool. He's mad, that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath.

Lear. It shall be done, I will arraign them straight:-Come, sit thou here, most learned justicer ;

[To EDGAR Thou, sapient sir, sit here. [To the Fool.]-Now, you, she foxes!

Edg. Look, where he stands and glares;-Wantest thou eyes at trial, madam?

Fool.

Come o'er the bourn, Bessy, to me :

Her boat hath a leak,

And she must not speak

Why she dares not come over to thee.

Edg. The foul fiend haunts poor Tom in the voice of a nightingale. Hopdance cries in Tom's belly for two white herring. Croak not, black angel! I have no food for thee.

Kent. How do you, sir? Stand you not so amaz’d: Will you lie down and rest upon the cushions?

Lear. I'll see their trial first: Bring in the evis

dence.

Thou robed man of justice, take thy place ;

And thou his yoke fellow of equity,

[To EDGAR.

[To the Fool.

[TO KENT.

Bench by his side:You are of the commission,

Sit you too.

Edg. Let us deal justly.

Sleepest, or wakest thou, jolly shepherd?

Thy sheep be in the corn;

And for one blast of thy minikin mouth,
Thy sheep shall take no harm.

Purre! the cat is grey.

Lear. Arraign her first; 'tis Goneril. I here take my oath before this honourable assembly, she kick'd the poor king her father.

Fool. Come hither, mistress; Is your name Goneril? Lear. She cannot deny it.

Fool. Cry you mercy, I took you for a joint-stool. Lear. And here's another, whose warpt-looks proclaim

What store her heart is made on.-Stop her there!
Arms, arms, sword, fire-Corruption in the place!
False justicer, why hast thou let her 'scape ?
Edg. Bless thy five wits!

Kent. O pity Sir, where is the patience now
That you so oft have boasted to retain ?

Edg. My tears begin to take his part so much,

They'll mar my counterfeiting..

Lear. The little dogs and all,

[Aside.

Tray, Blanch, and Sweet-heart, see, they bark at me. Edg. Tom will throw his head at them:-Avaunt, you curs!

འ

Be thy mouth or black or white,
Tooth that poisons if it bite;
Mastiff, grey-hound, mungril grim,
Hound, or spaniel, brache, or lym;
Or bobtail tike, or trundle-tail;
Tom will make him weep and wail:
For, with throwing thus my head,
Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled.