Lear. No more of that, I have noted it well; go you and tell my daughter, I would speak with her. Go you, call hither my fool. O you, Sir, come you hither, Sir, who am I, Sir?

Enter Steward.. Stew. My Lady's father,

Lear. My Lady's father? my Lord's knave, you whorfon dog, you flave, you cur!

Stew. I am none of thefe, my Lord; I befeech your pardon.

Lear. Do you bandy looks with me, you rascal?

[Striking him.

Stew. I'll not be ftruck, my Lord.
Kent. Nor tript neither, you base foot-ball player?

[Tripping up bis beels. Lear. I thank thee, fellow. Thou ferv'ft me, and I'll' love thee.

Kent. Come, Sir, arife, away, I'll teach you differences away, away; if you will measure your lubber's length again, tarry; but away, go to; have you wisdom? fo. [Pufbes out the Steward. Lear. Now, my friendly knave, I thank thee; there's earneft of thy fervice.

SCENE XIII. To them, Enter Fool. Fool. Let me hire him too, here's my coxcomb.

[Giving bis cap Lear. How now, my pretty knave? how do'ft thou? Fool. Sirrah, you were beft take my coxcomb. Kent. Why, my boy?

Fool. Why, for taking one's part that is out of favour; nay, an thou canst not smile as the wind fits, thou'lt catch cold fhortly. There, take my coxcomb; why, this fellow has banish'd two of his daughters, and did the third a bleffing against his will; if thou follow him, thou muft needs wear my coxcomb. How now, nuncle? would I had two coxcombs, and two daughters.

Lear. Why, my boy?

Fool. If I give them all my living, I'll keep my cox comb my self; there's mine, beg another of thy daugh

ters.

Lear.

Lear. Take heed, Sirah, the whip.

Fool. Truth's a dog must to kennel, he must be whipp'd out, when the lady brach may ftand by th' fire and flink. Lear. A peftilent gall to me.

Fool. Sirrah, I'll teach thee
Lear, Do.

Fool, Mark it, nuncle ; ra
Have more than thou fhoweft,"
Speak lefs than thou knoweft,
Lend less than thou oweft,
Ride more than thou goeft,

Learn more than thou troweft,

fpeech.

Set lefs than thou throweft an end

Leave thy drink and thy whore,!

And keep within door,

And thou shalt have more a
Than two tens to a score.

-Kent. This is nothing, fool.s

[To Kent.

2

}

Fool. Then it is like the breath of an unfee'd lawyer, you gave me nothing for't; can you make no ufe of nothing, huncle?:

་ ་

Lear, Why, no, boy; nothing can be made out of nothing.

Fool. Pr'ythee, tell him, folmuch the rent of his land comes to: he will not believe a fool. *

Lear. Doft thou call me fool?

[To Kent.

Fool. All thy other titles thou haft, given ‹ away ; that thou waft, born with.

Kent. This is not altogether fool, my Lord.

Fool. No, 'faith; Lords and great men will not let me ; if I had a monopoly on't, they would have part on't: nay, the Ladies too, they'll not let me have all fool my self,

believe a fool,

Lear. A bitter fool!

Fool. Dost thou know the difference, my boy, between a bitter fool and a fweet one?

Lear. No, lad: teach me.

Fool. That Lord that counsel'd thee to give away thy Land,

Come place him here by me, or do thou for him stand.

The fweet and bitter fool will presently appear.

The one m motley here, the other found out there.
Lear. Doft thou call, &c.

2

they'll

they'll be fnatching. Give me an egg, nuncle, and I'll give thee two crowns.

Lear. What two crowns fhall they be?

Fool. Why, after I have cut the egg i'th' middle and eat up the meat, the two crowns of the egg: when thou cloveft thy crown i'th' middle and gav'ft away both parts, thou bor'ft thine afs on thy back o'er the dirt; thou had'st little wit in thy bald crown, when thou gav'ft thy golden one away if I fpeak like my felf in this, let him be whipp'd

that firft finds it fo.

Fools ne'er had lefs grace in a year,
For wife men are grown fappish,
And know not how their wits to

Their manners are fo apifh.

wear,

Lear. Since when were you wont to be fo full of fongs,Sirrah?! Fool. I have used it, nuncle, e'er fince thou mad ft thy daughters thy mothers; for when thou gav'ft them the rody and put'ft down thine own breeches,

Then they for fuch fudden joy did weep,
And I for forrow fung,

That fuch a King fhould play bo-peep,
And go the fools among

[Singing.'

Pr'ythee, nuncle, keep a school-mitter that can teach thy fool to lie; I would fain learn to lie.

Lear. If you lie, Sirrah, we'll have you whipt.

Fool. I marvel what kin thou and thy daughters are % they'll have me whipt for fpeaking true, thou'lt have me whipt for lying, and sometimes I am whipt for holding my peace. I had rather be any kind o' thing than a fool, and yet I would not be thee, nuncle; thou haft pared thy wit o' both fides, and left nothing i'th' middle; here comes one o' th' parings.

SCENE XIV, To them, Enter Gonerill. Lear. How now, daughter? what makes that frontlet Jon? you are too much of late i'th' frown.

Fool. Thou waft a pretty fellow when thou hadft no need to care for her frowning; now thou art an Owithout a figure; I am better than thou art now, I am a fool, thou art nothing-yes forfooth I will hold my tongue, [To Gonerill.] fo your face bids me, "tho' you fay nothing.

Mum

Mum, mum, be that keeps nor cruft nor crum, [Singing. Weary of all, fball want fome.

That's a fheal'd peafcod.

Gon. Not only, Sir, this your all-licenc'd fool,
But other of your infolent retinue,

Do hourly carp and quarrel, breaking forth
In rank and not to be endured riots, Sir.

I thought by making this well known unto you,
T' have found a fafe redrefs; but now grow fearful
By what your felf too late havè fpoke and done,
That you protect this courfe, and put it on

By your

allowance; if you fhould, the fault
Would not 'fcape cenfure, nor the redresses sleep,
Which in the tender of a wholfome weal,
Might in their working do you that offence,
Which elfe were fhame, that then neceffity
Will call difcreet proceeding.

Fool. For you know, nuncle,

The hedge-fparrow fed the Cuckoo fo long,
That it had its bead bit off by its young;

So out went the candle, and we were left darkling.

Lear. Are you our daughter?

Gon. I would you would make use of your good wisdom, Whereof I know you are fraught, and put away

Thefe difpofitions which of late transport you

From what you rightly are.

Fool. May not an Afs know when the cart draws the horfe? whoop, Jug, I love thee.

Lear. Does any here know me? this is not Lear: Does Lear walk thus? fpeak thus? where are his eyes? Either his notion weakens, his difcernings

Are lethargied-Ha! waking-'tis not fo;
Who is it that can tell me who I am?*
Lear's fhadow? I would learn; for by the marks
Of fovereignty, of knowledge, and of reafon,
I fhould be falfe perfuaded I had daughters,
Your name, fair gentlewoman ?-

---who I am?

Fool. Lear's fhadow.

Lear. Your name, fair gentlewoman? ---

Gon. This admiration, Sir, is much o'th' favour
Of other your new pranks. I do beseech you
To understand my purposes aright:

You, as you're old and rev'rend, fhould be wife.
Here do you keep a hundred Knights and 'Squires,
Men fo diforder'd, fo debauch'd and bold,
That this our Court, infected with their manners,
Shews like a riotous Inn; Epicurifm and luft
Make it more like a tavern or a brothel,
Than a grac'd palace. Shame it felf doth speak
For inftant remedy. Be then defir'd

By her, that else will take the thing she begs,
Of fifty to difquantity your train ;

And the remainders that fhall ftill depend,
To be fuch men as may befort your age,
And know themselves and

you.

Lear. Darkness and devils!
Saddle my horfes, call my train together-
Degen'rate baftard! I'll not trouble thee;
Yet have I left a daughter.

Gon. You ftrike my people, and your
Make fervants of their betters.

diforder'd rabble

SCENE XV. To them, Enter Albany. Lear. Woe! that too late repents-oh, Sir, are you

come ?

Is it your will, fpeak, Sir? prepare my horses.
Ingratitude! thou marble-hearted fiend,

More hideous when thou fhew'ft thee in a child,
Than the fea-monfter.

Alb. Pray you, Sir, be patient.

Lear. Detefted kite! thou lieft.

My train are men of choice and rareft parts,

That all particulars of duty know,

And in the most exact regard fupport

[To Gonerill.

The worships of their names. O most small fault,
How ugly didft thou in Cordelia fhew!

Which like an engine wrencht my frame of nature
From the fixt place; drew from my heart all love,
And added to the gall. O Lear, Lear!

Beat at this gate that let thy folly in,
VOL. IV

L

[Striking bis beads

And