Lear. I thank thee, fellow; thou servest me, and I'll love thee.

Kent. Come, sir, arise, 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? so. [Pushes the Steward out. Lear. Now, my friendly knave, I thank thee: there's earnest of thy service.

comb.

[Giving KENT Money.

Enter Fool.

Fool. Let me hire him too;-Here's my COX[Giving KENT his Cap. Lear. How now, my pretty knave? how dost thou?

Fool. Sirrah, you were best take my
Kent. Why, fool?

coxcomb.

Fool. Why? For taking one's part that is out of favour: Nay, an thou canst not smile as the wind sits, thou'lt catch cold shortly9. There, take my coxcomb: Why, this fellow has banish'd two of his daughters, and did the third a blessing against his will: if thou follow him, thou must needs wear my coxcomb 10.-How now, nuncle 11? 'Would, I had two coxcombs, and two daughters!

9 i. e, be turned out of doors and exposed to the inclemency of the weather.

10 The reader may see a representation of this ornament of the fool's cap in Mr. Douce's Illustrations of Shakspeare, vol. ii. • Natural ideots and fools have, and still do accustome themselves to weare in their cappes cockes feathers, or a hat with a necke and heade of a cocke on the top, and a bell thereon.'-Minsheu's Dictionary, 1617.

11 A familiar contraction of mine uncle, as ningle, &c. It seems that the customary appellation of the old licensed fool to his superiors was uncle. In Beaumont and Fletcher's Pilgrim, when Alinda assumes the character of a fool, she uses the same language. She meets Alphonso, and calls him nuncle; to which

Lear. Why, my boy?

Fool. If I gave them all my living 12, I'd keep my coxcombs myself: There's mine; beg another of thy daughters.

Lear. Take heed, sirrah; the whip.

Fool. Truth's a dog that must to kennel? he must be whipped out, when Lady, the brach 13, may stand by the fire, and stink.

Lear. A pestilent gall to me!

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

Fool. Mark it, nuncle:

Have more than thou showest,

15

Speak less than thou knowest,
Lend less than thou owest 14,
Ride more than thou goest,
Learn more than thou trowest
Set less than thou throwest,
Leave thy drink and thy whore,
And keep in-a-door,

And thou shalt have more

Than two tens to a score.

Lear. This is nothing, fool.

he replies by calling her naunt. In the same style it appears the fools called each other cousin. Mon oncle was long a term of respect and familiar endearment in France, as well as ma tante. They have a proverb, Il est bien mon oncle, qui le ventre me comble.' It is remarkable, observes Mr. Vaillant, that the lower people in Shropshire call the judge of assize' my nuncle the judge.'

12 All my estate or property.

13 It has already been shown that brach was a mannerly name for a bitch. See vol. iii. p. 342, note 8. So Hotspur, in The Second Part of King Henry IV. says:-' I would rather hear lady my brach howl in Irish.

14 That is, do not lend all that thou hast.' To owe in ancient language is to possess.

15 To trow is to believe. The precept is admirable. Set in the next line means stake.

Fool. Then 'tis like the breath of an unfee'd lawyer; you gave me nothing for't; Can you make no use 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.

Lear. A bitter fool!

[TO KENT.

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

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 sweet and bitter fool
Will presently appear;
The one in motley here,

The other found out there.

Lear. Dost thou call me fool, boy?

Fool. All thy other titles thou hast given away; that thou wast 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 out, they would have part on't: and ladies too, they will not let me have all fool to myself; they'll be snatching 16.]—Give me an egg, nuncle, and I'll give thee two crowns.

Lear. What two crowns shall they be?
Fool. Why, after I have cut the egg i'the middle,

16 The passage in brackets is omitted in the folio, perhaps for political reasons, as it seemed to censure the monopolies, the gross abuses of which, and the corruption and avarice of the courtiers, who went shares with the patentee, were more legitimate than safe objects of satire.

VOL. IX.

N N

and eat up the meat, the two crowns of the egg. When thou clovest thy crown i'the middle, and gavest away both parts, thou borest thine ass on thy back over the dirt: Thou had'st little wit in thy bald crown, when thou gavest thy golden one away. If I speak like myself in this, let him be whipp'd that first finds it so.

Fools had ne'er less grace in a year 17; [Singing.
For wise men are grown foppish;

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

Lear. When were you wont to be so full of songs, sirrah?

Fool. I have used it, nuncle, ever since thou madest thy daughters thy mother: for when thou gavest them the rod, and put'st down thine own breeches,

Then they for sudden joy did weep, [Singing.
And I for sorrow sung,

That such a king should play bo-peep,
And go the fools among 18.

Pr'ythee, nuncle, keep a schoolmaster that can
teach thy fool to lie; I would fain learn to lie.
Lear. If you lie, sirrah, we'll have you whipp'd.
Fool. I marvel, what kin thou and thy daughters
17 There never was a time when fools were less in favour;
and the reason is, that they were never so little wanted, for wise
men now supply their place.' In Mother Bombie, a Comedy, by
Lyly, 1594, we find I think gentlemen had never less wit in a
year.' It is remarkable that the quartos read 'less wit,' instead
of 'less grace,' which is the reading of the folio.

18 So in The Rape of Lucrece, by Heywood, 1608 :When Tarquin first in court began,

And was approved king,

Some men for sodden joy gan weep,
And I for sorrow sing.'

are they'll have me whipp'd for speaking true, thou❜lt have me whipp'd for lying; and, sometimes, I am whipp'd for holding my peace. I had rather be any kind of thing, than a fool: and yet I would not be thee, nuncle; thou hast pared thy wit o'both sides, and left nothing in the middle: Here comes one o'the parings.

Enter GONeril.

Lear. How now, daughter! what makes that frontlet 19 on? Methinks, you are too much of late i'the frown.

Fool. Thou wast a pretty fellow, when thou had'st no need to care for her frowning; now thou art an O20 without a figure: I am better than thou art now; I am a fool, thou art nothing.-Yes, forsooth, I will hold my tongue! so your face [To GoN.] bids me, though you say nothing. Mum, mum,

He that keeps nor crust nor crum,
Weary of all, shall want some.

That's a shealed peascod 21. [Pointing to LEAR.
Gon. Not only, sir, this your all-licens'd fool,
But other of your insolent retinue

19 A frontlet, or forehead cloth, was worn by ladies of old to prevent wrinkles. So in George Chapman's Hero and Leander, ad finem:

'E'en like the forehead cloth that in the night,

Or when they sorrow ladies us'd to wear.'

Thus also in Zepheria, a collection of Sonnets, 4to. 1594:'But now, my sunne, it fits thou take thy set

And vayle thy face with frownes as with a frontlet.' And in Lyly's Euphues and his England, 1580:-'The next day coming to the gallery where she was solitary walking, with her frowning cloth, as sicke lately of the sullens,' &c.

20 i. e. a cipher.

21 Now a mere husk that contains nothing. The robing of Richard II,'s effigy in Westminster Abbey is wrought with peascods open, and the peas out; perhaps an allusion to his being once in full possession of sovereignty, but soon reduced to an empty title. See Camden's Remaines, 1674, p. 453, edit. 1657, p. 340.