Reg. 'Till noon! 'till night, my lord, and all night too. Kent. Why, Madam, if I were your father's dog, You could not use me fo.

Reg. Sir, being his knave, I will. [Stocks brought out. Corn. This is a fellow of the felf-fame nature Our filter fpeaks of. Come, bring away the Stocks, Glo. Let me befeech your Grace not to do fo; His fault is much, and the good King his mafter Will check him for't; your purpos'd low correction Is fuch, as bafest and the meaneft wretches For pilf'rings, and moft common trefpaffes, Are punish'd with. The King must take it ill, That he, fo flightly valued in his meffenger, Should have him thus restrain'd.

Corn. I'll answer that.

Reg. My Sifter may receive it much more worse,
To have her Gentleman abus'd, affaulted,
For following her affairs. Put in his legs

[Kent is put in the Stocks.
Come, my lord, away. [Exeunt Regan and Cornwall.
Glo. I'm forry for thee, friend; 'tis the Duke's pleasure,
Whofe difpofition, all the world well knows,
Will not be rubb'd nor stop'd. I'll intreat for thee.

Kent. Pray, do not, Sir. I've watch'd and travell'd Some time I fhall fleep out, the reft I'll whistle: [hard; A good man's fortune may grow out at heels; Give you good morrow.

Glo. The Duke's to blame in this, 'twill be ill taken.

[Exit. Kent. Good King, that muft approve the common Saw, Thou out of heaven's benediction com'ft

To the warm fun!

Approach, thou beacon to this under-globe,

[Looking up to the moon, That by thy comfortable beams I may

Perufe this letter. Nothing almoft fees miracles,
But mifery. I know, 'tis from Cordelia;
Who hath most fortunately been inform'd
Of my obfcured courfe. I fhall find time
From this enormous ftate, and feek to give

Loffes

Loffes their remedies. All weary and o'er-watch'd, Take vantage, heavy eyes, not to behold

This fhameful lodging.

Fortune, good night; fmile once more, turn thy wheel.

[He fleeps.

SCENE changes to a part of a Heath.

Enter Edgar.

Edg. T'VE heard myself proclaim'd;

I'

And, by the happy hollow of a tree,
Efcap'd the hunt. No port is free, no place,
That Guard and most unusual vigilance

Does not attend my taking. Whiles I may 'fcape,
I will preferve myself: and am bethought"
To take the bafeft and the pooreft shape,
That ever penury in contempt of man

Brought near to beaft: my face I'll grime with filth;
Blanket my loins; elfe all my hair in knots; (+7)
And with prefented nakednefs out-face
The winds, and perfecutions of the iky.
The country gives me proof and prefident
Of bedlam beggars, who, with roaring voices,
Strike in their numb'd and mortify'd bare arms
Pins, wooden pricks, nails, fprigs of rosemary;
And with this horrible object, from low farms,

(17) -put all my bair in knots;] This is a modern reading: All the old copies intended to read, and the first folio actually does ;

-elfe all my

bair in knots.

i. e. twist it in the manner of elfe-locks: i. e. hairs fo intricately interwove, as not to be disengag'd; and by fuperftition fuppos'd to have been twisted by Elves, or Fairies. We find them mention'd in our author's Romeo and Juliet;

That plats the manes of horfes in the night,
And cakes the elf-locks in foul fluttish hairs,

Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes.

And in the induction to Ben. Fonfon's Magnetick Lady.

-But if you light on the wrong end, you will pull all inte a knot or elf-lock; which nothing but the sheers, or a candle, will undo or feparate.

Poor

Poor pelting villages, fheep-coats and mills,

Sometimes with lunatick bans, fometimes with pray'rs, Inforce their charity; poor Turlygood! poor Tom!That's fomething yet: Edgar I nothing am.

[Exit.

SCENE changes, again, to the Earl of Glofter's Caftle.

Lear.

Enter Lear, Fool, and Gentleman.

ear. 'T!

IS ftrange, that they should fo depart from And not fend back my meffenger. [home, Gent. As I learn'd,

The night before, there was no purpose in them
Of this remove.

Kent. Hail to thee, noble mafter!

Lear. Ha! mak'ft thou thy fhame thy pastime?
Kent. No, my lord.

Fool. Ha, ha, he wears cruel garters; horfes are ty’ď by the heads, dogs and bears by th' neck, monkeys by th' loins, and men by th' legs; when a man is overlufty at legs, then he wears wooden nether ftocks.

Lear. What's he, that hath fo much thy place mistook, To fet thee here?

Kent. It is both he and fhe,

Your fon and daughter.

Lear. No.

Kent. Yes.

Lear. No, I fay.

Kent. I fay, yea.

Lear. By Jupiter, I fwear, no.

Kent. By Juno, I swear, ay.

Lear. They durft not do't.

They could not, would not de't; 'tis worse than murder,
To do upon refpe&t fuch violent outrage:

Refolve me with all modeft hafte, which way
Thou might'ft deferve, or they impofe, this ufage,
Coming from us?

Kent. My lord, when at their home

I did commend your Highnefs' letters to them,

Ere

Ere 1 was rifen from the place, that shew'd
My duty kneeling, came a reeking Poft,
Stew'd in his hafte, half breathlefs, panting forth.
From Gonerill his mistress, falutation;
Deliver❜d letters fpight of intermiffion,

Which presently they read: on whofe contents
They fummon'd up their meiny, ftrait took horfe ;
Commanded me to follow, and attend

The leisure of their anfwer; gave me cold looks;
And meeting here the other meffenger,
Whofe welcome, I perceiv'd, had poifon'd mine;
(Being the very fellow, which of late

Difplay'd fo faucily against your Highness,)
Having more man than wit about me, I drew;
He rais'd the houfe with loud and coward cries:
Your fon and daughter found this trefpafs worth
The fhame which here it fuffers.

Fool. Winter's not gone yet,if the wild geefe fly that way. Fathers, that wear rags,

Do make their children blind;

But fathers, that bear bags,

Shall fee their children kind,

Fortune, that arrant whore,

Ne'er turns the key to th' poor.

But, for all this, thou fhalt have as many dolours from Thy dear daughters, as thou canft tell in a year.

Lear. Oh, how this mother fwells up tow'rd my heart! Hofterica paffio,down, thou climbing forrow, Thy element's below; where is this daughter? Kent. With the Earl, Sir, here within, Lear. Follow me not; ftay here,

Gen, Made you no more offence,

But what you speak of?

Kent. None;

[Exit.

How chance the King comes with fo fmall a number? Fool. An thou hadst been fet i' th' ftocks for that queftion, thou'dft well deferved it?

Kent. Why, fool?

Fool. We'll fet thee to fchool to an Ant, to teach thee there's no lab'ring i' th' winter. All, that follow

their nofes, are led by their eyes, but blind men; and there's not a nofe among twenty, but can fmell him that's ftinking-let go thy hold, when a great wheel runs down a hill, left it break thy neck with following it; but the great one that goes upward, let him draw thee after. When a wife man gives thee better counsel, give me mine again; I would have none but knaves follow it, fince a fool gives it.

That Sir, which ferves for gain,
And follows but for form,
Will pack when it begins to rain,
And leave thee in the ftorm:
But I will tarry, the fool will ftay,
And let the wife man fly :

The knave turns fool, that runs away;
The fool no knave, perdy.

Kent. Where learn'd you this, fool?
Fool. Not i' th' Stocks, fool.

Enter Lear and Glo'fter.

Lear. Deny to speak with me? they're fick, they're

weary,

They have travell'd all the night? mere fetches,
The images of revolt and flying off.

Bring me a better answer

Glo. My dear lord,

You know the fiery quality of the Duke:
How unremoveable, and fixt he is

In his own course.

Lear. Vengeance! plague! death! confufion!-
Fiery? what fiery quality? why, Glo'fter,

I'd fpeak with th' Duke of Cornwall, and his wife.
Glo. Well, my good lord, I have inform'd them fo.
Lear. Inform'd them? doft thou understand me, man?
Glo. Ay, my good lord.

[father
Lear. The King would fpeak with Cornwall, the dear
Wou'd with his daughter fpeak; commands her fervice:
Are they inform'd of this ?-my breath and blood!-
Fiery the fiery Duke? tell the hot Duke, that-
No, but not yet; may be, he is not well;

3

Infirmity