Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

Horns within.

Enter Lear, Knights and Attendants.

Lear. Let me not stay a jot for dinner, go, get it ready: How now, what art thou?

Kent. A man, Sir.

[To Kent. Lear. What doft thou profess? what would't thou with us ?

Kent. I do profess to be no less than I feem; to ferve him truly, that will put me in truft; to love him that is honeft; to converse with him that is wife and fays little; to fear judgment; to fight when I cannot chufe, and to eat no fish.

Lear. What art thou?

Kent. A very honest-hearted fellow, and as poor as the King.

Lear. If thou beeft as poor for a subject, as he is for a King, thou art poor enough. What would't thou? Kent. Service.

Lear. Whom would't thou ferve?

Kent. You.

Lear. Doft thou know me, fellow?

Kent. No, Sir, but you have that in your countenance, which I would fain call mafter.

Lear. What's that?

Kent. Authority.

Lear. What fervices canft thou do?

Kent. I can keep honeft counfels, ride, run, marr a curious tale in telling it, and deliver a plain meffage bluntly that which ordinary men are fit for, I am qualify'd in; and the best of me is diligence.

Lear. How old art thou?

Kent. Not fo young, Sir, to love a woman for finging; nor fo old, to doat on her for any thing. I have years on my back forty eight.

Lear. Follow me, thou shalt ferve me; if I like thee no worfe after dinner, I will not part from thee yet. Dinner, ho, dinner- -where's my knave? my fool? go you, and call my fool hither. You, you, firrah, where's my daughter?

Enter

Enter Steward.

[Exit.

Stew. So please youLear. What fays the fellow there? call the clotpole back where's my fool, ho?I think, the world's asleep: how now? where's that mungrel?

Knight. He fays, my lord, your daughter is not well. Lear. Why came not the flave back to me when I call'd him?

Knight. Sir, he answer'd me in the roundest manner, he would not.

Lear. He would not?

Knight. My lord, I know not what the matter is; but to my Judgment, your Highness is not entertain'd with that ceremonious affection as you were wont; there's a great abatement of kindness appears as well in the general dependants, as in the Duke himself also, and your daughter.

Lear. Ha! fay'st thou fo?

Knight. I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, if I be mistaken; for my duty cannot be filent, when I think your Highness is wrong'd.

Lear. Thou but remember'ft me of my own conception. I have perceiv'd a moft faint neglect of late, which I have rather blamed as my own jealous curiofity, than as a very pretence and purpofe of unkindness; I will look further into't; but where's my fool? I have not feen him these two days.

Knight. Since my young lady's going into France, Sir, the fool hath much pined away.

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 whorefon dog, you flave, you cur,

Stew.

Stew. I am none of thefe, my lord; I beseech 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 his heels. 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 wifdom? fo.[Pushes the Steward out. Lear. Now, my friendly knave, I thank thee; there's earneft of thy fervice.

To them, Enter Fool.

Fool. Let me hire him too, here's my coxcomb.

[Giving his 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 fmile as the wind fits, thou'lt catch cold shortly. 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 fol low 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 coxcomb my felf; there's mine, beg another of thy daughters.

Lear. Take heed, Sirrah, the whip.

Fool. Truth's a dog muft to kennel, he must be whip'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 a fpeech.

[To Kent.

Lear.

Lear. Do.

Fool. Mark it, nurcle;

Have more than thou showeft,
Speak lefs than thou knoweft,
Lend less than thou oweft,
Ride more than thou goeft,
Learn more than thou trowelt,
Set less than thou throwest,
Leave thy drink and thy whore,
And keep within door,

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

Kent. This is nothing, fool.

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, nuncle?

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

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

[To Kent,

Lear. A bitter fool!. Fool. Doft thou know the difference, my boy, between a bitter fool and a sweet one?

Lear. No lad, teach me. [Land, (10) Fool. That Lord, that counfel'd thee to give away thy Come, place him here by me! do Thou for him stand; The sweet and bitter Fool will presently appear, The One, in motley here; the Other, found out there, Lear. Doft thou call me fool, boy?

Fool. All thy other titles thou hast 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 to myself,, they'll be fnatching.

(10) Fool. That Lord, that counsel'd thee - -] Thefe four lines I have reftor'd from the old 4to; and, furely, the retrenchment of them by the players was very injudicious. For, without them, how very abfurdly does Lear reply, Doft thou call me fool, boy?

[blocks in formation]

Give

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 clovet 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'ft little wit in thy bald crown, when thou gav'ft thy golden one away: if I fpeak like myself in this, let him be whip'd that firft finds it fo.

Fools ne'er had lefs grace in a year,
For wifemen are grown foppifh;

And know not how their wits to wear,
Their manners are fo apish.

[Singing

Lear. When were you wont to be fo full of fongs, firrah?

Fool. I have ufed it, nuncle, e'er fince thou mad'ft thy daughters thy mothers; for when thou gav'ft them the rod, and put'ft down thine own breeches,

Then they for 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-mafter that can teach thy fool to lie; I would fain learn to lie.

Lear. If you lie, firrah, 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, fometimes, 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 halt pared thy wit o'both fides, and left nothing i' th3 middle; here comes one o' th' parings.

To them, Enter Gonerill,

Lear, How now, daughter, what makes that frontlet on you are too much of late i' th' frown.

Fool. Thou waft a pretty fellow, when thou hadst no need to care for her frowning; now thou art an O with

out

« ElőzőTovább »