GON. You strike my people; and your disorder'd rabble Make servants of their betters.

Enter ALBANY.

LEAR. Woe, that too late repents,—O, sir, are you come? Is it your will? [To ALB.] Speak, sir.-Prepare my horses. Ingratitude! thou marble-hearted fiend,

More hideous, when thou show'st thee in a child.

Than the sea-monster !

ALB.

Pray, sir, be patient.

LEAR. Detested kite! thou liest:

My train are men of choice and rarest parts,
That all particulars of duty know:

And in the most exact regard support

[To GONERIL

The worships of their name.-O most small fault,
How ugly didst thou in Cordelia show!

Which, like an engine, wrench'd my frame of nature
From the fix'd place; drew from my heart all love,
And added to the gall. O Lear, Lear, Lear!
Beat at this gate, that let thy folly in,

[Striking his head. And thy dear judgment out!-Go, go, my people. ALB. My lord, I am guiltless, as I am ignorant

Of what hath mov'd you.

LEAR. It may be so, my lord,—

Hear, nature, hear; dear goddess, hear!
Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend
To make this creature fruitful!

Into her womb convey sterility!
Dry up in her the organs of increase;
And from her derogate body never spring
A babe to honour her! If she must teem,
Create her child of spleen; that it may live,
And be a thwart disnatur'd torment to her!
Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth;
With cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks;
Turn all her mother's pains, and benefits,
To laughter and contempt; that she may feel
How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is
To have a thankless child.-Away, away!

ALB. Now, gods, that we adore, whereof comes this ?

[Exit.

GON. Never afflict yourself to know more of it; But let his disposition have that scope

As dotage gives it.

Re-enter LEAR.

LEAR. What, fifty of my followers at a clap! Within a fortnight?

ALB.

What's the matter, sir?

LEAR. I'll tell thee;-Life and death! I am asham'd That thou hast power to shake my manhood thus:

[To GONERIL.
That these hot tears, which break from me perforce,
Should make thee worth them.-Blasts and fogs upon thee!
The untented woundings of a father's curse

Pierce every sense about thee !-Old fond eyes,
Beweep this cause again, I 'll pluck ye out;

And cast you, with the waters that you lose,
To temper clay.-Ha! Let it be so :-
I have another daughter,

Who, I am sure, is kind and comfortable;

When she shall hear this of thee, with her nails
She'll flay thy wolfish visage. Thou shalt find,
That I'll resume the shape which thou dost think
I have cast off for ever.

[Exeunt LEAR, KENT, and Attendants.

GON. Do you mark that?

ALB. I cannot be so partial, Goneril,

To the great love I bear you,

GON. Pray you, content.-What, Oswald, ho!

You, sir, more knave than fool, after your master.

[To the Fool.

FOOL. Nuncle Lear, nuncle Lear, tarry; take the fool with thee.

A fox when one has caught her,
And such a daughter,

Should sure to the slaughter,
If my cap would buy a halter;

So the fool follows after.

GON. This man hath had good counsel:

:- - A hundred

knights!

"T is politic, and safe, to let him keep

At point a hundred knights! Yes, that on every dream,
Each buz, each fancy, each complaint, dislike,

He may enguard his dotage with their powers,
And hold our lives in mercy.-Oswald, I say!—
ALB. Well, you may fear too far.

GON. Safer than trust too far.

Let me still take away the harms I fear,
Not fear still to be taken. I know his heart:
What he hath utter'd I have writ my sister;
If she sustain him and his hundred knights,

When I have show'd the unfitness-How now, Oswald ?

Enter Steward.

What, have you writ that letter to my sister?

STEW. Ay, madam.

GON. Take you some company, and away to horse:

Inform her full of my particular fear;

And thereto add such reasons of your own,

As may compact it more.

And hasten your return.

Get you gone;

[Exit Steward.] No, no, my lord

This milky gentleness, and course of yours,
Though I condemn it not, yet, under pardon,
You are much more attask'd for want of wisdom,
Than prais'd for harmful mildness.

ALB. How far your eyes may pierce I cannot tell;
Striving to better, oft we mar what 's well.

LEAR. Go you before to Gloster with these letters: acquaint my daughter no further with anything you know, than comes from her demand out of the letter: If your diligence be not speedy, I shall be there afore you.

KENT. I will not sleep, my lord, till I have delivered your letter. [Exit.

FOOL. If a man's brains were in his heels, were 't not in danger of kibes ?

LEAR. Ay, boy.

FOOL. Then, I prithee, be merry; thy wit shall not go slip-shod.

LEAR. Ha, ha, ha!

FOOL. Shalt see thy other daughter will use thee kindly; for though she's as like this as a crab 's like an apple, yet I can tell what I can tell.

LEAR. What canst tell, boy?

FOOL. She will taste as like this as a crab does to a crab. Thou canst tell why one's nose stands i' the middle of one's face?

LEAR. NO.

FOOL. Why, to keep one's eyes of either side one's nose; that what a man cannot smell out he may spy into.

LEAR. I did her wrong:

FOOL. Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell?
LEAR. NO.

FOOL. Nor I neither; but I can tell why a snail has a house.
LEAR. Why?

FOOL. Why, to put his head in; not to give it away to his daughters, and leave his horns without a case.

LEAR. I will forget my nature.—So kind a father !—Be my horses ready?

FOOL. Thy asses are gone about 'em. The reason why the seven stars are no mo than seven is a pretty reason. LEAR. Because they are not eight?

FOOL. Yes, indeed: Thou wouldst make a good fool. LEAK. To take it again perforce !—Monster ingratitude! FOOL. If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I 'd have thee beaten for being old before thy time.

LEAR. How 's that?

FOOL. Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.

LEAR. O let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven! Keep me in temper; I would not be mad!

Enter Gentleman.

How now! are the horses ready?

GENT. Ready, my lord.

LEAR. Come, boy.

FOOL. She that's a maid now, and laughs at my depar

ture,

Shall not be a maid long, unless things be cut shorter.

[Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE I-A Court within the Castle of the Earl of Gloster. Enter EDMUND and CURAN, meeting.

EDM. Save thee, Curan.

CUR. And you, sir. I have been with your father; and given him notice that the duke of Cornwall, and Regan, his duchess, will be here with him this night.

EDM. How comes that?

CUR. Nay, I know not: You have heard of the news abroad; I mean, the whispered ones, for they are yet but ear-kissing arguments?

EDM. Not I. 'Pray you, what are they?

CUR. Have you heard of no likely wars toward, 'twixt the dukes of Cornwall and Albany ?

EDM. Not a word.

CUR. You may do then, in time. Fare you well, sir.

[Exit.

EDM. The duke be here to-night! The better, best!

This weaves itself perforce into my business!
My father hath set guard to take my brother;
And I have one thing, of a queazy question,
Which I must act :-Briefness, and fortune, work!-
Brother, a word;-descend :-Brother, I say;

Enter EDGAR.

My father watches :-O sir, fly this place;
Intelligence is given where you are hid;