Ost. Ay, madam. Enter Gentleman. Gent. Ready, my lord. Lear. Come, boy. Gon. Take you some company, and away to horse: How now! Are the horses ready? [lord, And hasten your return. [Exit Osw.] No, no, my [departure, Fool. She that's a maid now, and laughs at my Shall not be a maid long, unless things be cut shorter. [Exeunt. Alb. How far your eyes may pierce, I cannot tell: Striving to better, oft we mar what's well. Gon. Nay, then Alb. Well, well; the event. [Exeunt. SCENE V.-Court before the Same. Enter LEAR, KENT, and Fool. 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, Lear. Go you before to Gloster with these letters.and given him notice, that the duke of Cornwall, and Regan his duchess, will be here with him to Acquaint my daughter no farther with any thing you night. know, than comes from her demand out of the letter. If your diligence be not speedy, I shall be there 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 more than seven is a pretty reason. Lear. Because they are not eight? Fool. Yes, indeed. Thou wouldest make a good fool. Lear. 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? Cur. You may do, then, in time. Fare you well, [Exit. Edm. The duke be here to-night? The better! This weaves itself perforce into my business. My father watches.-O sir! fly this place; Edg. I am sure on't, not a word. Edm. I hear my father coming.-Pardon me; In cunning, I must draw my sword upon you: Draw: seem to defend yourself. Now 'quit you wel Yield:-come before my father;-Light, ho! here!Fly, brother;-Torches! torches !-So, farewell.[Exit EDGAR Some blood drawn on me would beget opinion [Wounds his arm Of my more fierce endeavor: I have seen drunkará Do more than this in sport.-Father! father! Stop, stop! No help? Enter GLOSTER, and Servants with Torches. Fool. Thou shouldst not have been old before thou To stand auspicious mistress. i Edm. Fled this way, sir. When by no means he could Glo. Pursue him, ho!-Go after.-[Exit Serv.] By no means,-what? Edm. Persuade me to the murder of your lordship; But whether he saw my best alarum'd spirits, Glo. Let him fly far: Not in this land shall he remain uncaught; 2 b And found, dispatch'd.—The noble duke my master, That he, which finds him, shall deserve our thanks, e "Thou unpossessing bastard! dost thou think, To thy suggestion, plot, and damned practice: Glo. [Tucket within. Hark! the duke's trumpets. I know not why he comes. All ports I'll bar; the villain shall not 'scape; Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, and Attendants. Corn. How now, my noble friend! since I came hither, [news. (Which I can call but now) I have heard strange Reg. If it be true, all vengeance comes too short, Which can pursue th' offender. How dost, my lord? Glo. O, madam! my old heart is crack'd, it's crack'd. Reg. What! did my father's godson seek your life? He whom my father nam'd? your heir, your Edgar? Glo. O, lady, lady! shame would have it hid. Reg. Was he companion with the riotous knights That tend upon my father? Glo. I know not, madam: 'tis too bad, too bad. Edm. Yes, madam, "yes; he was of that consort. Reg. No marvel, then, though he were ill-affected: ■"Ghasted," i. e, aghasted; frighted.-"Arch," i, e., chief-Pight," i. e., fixed in his purpose.-"Curst," i. e., angry; bitter.-"The reposal," i. e.. the opinion reposed in thee" Faith'd," i. e., to be believed; to be credited.— "Character," i, e., hand-writing; signature." Strong,' i e, determined; resolute.-"Capable," i. e., capable of succeeding to my land. 'Tis they have put him on the old man's death, Glo. 'Twas my duty, sir. Ay, my good lord, he is. Corn. If he be taken, he shall never more Be fear'd of doing harm: make your own purpose, How in my strength you please.-'As for you, Ed mund, Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant So much commend itself, you shall be ours: Edm. Truly, however else. Osw. Pr'ythee, if thou love me, tell me. Kent. I love thee not. Osw. Why, then I care not for thee. Kent. If I had thee in 10 Finsbury ° pinfold, I would make thee care for me. Osw. Why dost thou use me thus? I know thee not. Kent. Fellow, I know thee. Osw. What dost thou know me for? Kent. A knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats; dred-pound, filthy, worsted-stocking knave; a lilya base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hunliver'd, action-taking knave, a whoreson glass-gazing, slave; one that wouldest be a bawd, in way of good super-serviceable, finical rogue; one-trunk-inheriting knave, beggar, coward, pandar, and the son and service, and art nothing but the composition of a heir of a mongrel bitch: one whom I will beat into clamorous whining, if thou deniest the least syllable of thy Paddition. Osw. Why, what a monstrous fellow art thou, thus to rail on one, that is neither known of thee, nor knows thee. "Bewray his practice," 1. e., reveal his treacherous devices. Poize is weight, moment.-m“ From our home," i. e., away from our home." Dawning for morning" Pin fold," i. e., pound.-p " Of thy addition," i. e., of thy titles. Kent. What a brazen-faced varlet art thou, to deny thou knowest me. Is it two days since I tripped up thy heels, and beat thee, before the king? Draw, you rogue; for, though it be night, yet the moon shines: I'll make a sop o' the moonshine of you: [Drawing his Sword.] Draw, you whoreson cullionly barber-monger, draw. Osw. Away! I have nothing to do with thee. Kent. Draw, you rascal: you come with letters against the king, and take Vanity, the puppet's, part, against the royalty of her father. Draw, you rogue, or I'll so carbonado your shanks :-draw, you rascal; come your ways. Osw. Help, ho! murder! help! Kent. Strike, you slave; stand, rogue, stand; you neat slave, strike. [Beating him. Osw. Help, ho! murder! murder! Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, GLOSTER, EDMUND, and Edm. How now! Servants. What's the matter? Part. Kent. With you, goodman boy, if you please: I'll flesh you; come on, young master. [come, Glo. Weapons! arms! What's the matter here? Corn. Keep peace, upon your lives: He dies that strikes again. What is the matter? Reg. The messengers from our sister and the king. Corn. What is your difference? speak. Osw. I am scarce in breath, my lord. a tailor made thee. b Kent. No marvel, you have so bestirred your valor. You cowardly rascal, nature disclaims in thee; [man? Corn. Thou art a strange fellow: a tailor make a Kent. Ay, a tailor, sir: a stone-cutter, or a paint er, could not have made him so ill, though they had been but two hours at the trade. Corn. Speak yet, how grew your quarrel? Osw. This ancient ruffian, sir, whose life I have At suit of his grey beard,[spar'd Kent. Thou, whoreson zed? thou, unnecessary letter?-My lord, if you will give me leave, I will tread this unbolted villain into mortar, and daub the wall of a djakes with him.-Spare my grey beard, you wagtail? Corn. Peace, sirrah! Corn. Why art thou angry? Kent. That such a slave as this should wear a e ar a sword, Corn. What, art thou mad, old fellow? [his offence? Corn. Why dost thou call him knave? What's Kent. His countenance likes me not. Vanity, a character in the old moralities.- Disclaims in for disclaims.- Unbolted," i. e., coarse; unrefined."Jakes," i. e., privy.-e "Intrinse," i. e., intricate; perplexed. To renege is to deny, disown.-s The halcyon is the kingfisher, which, when dried and hung up by a thread, is supposed to turn his bill to the point whence the wind blows.-"Likes," i. e., pleases. Corn. No more, perchance, does mine, nor his, nor hers. Kent. Sir, 'tis my occupation to be plain: I have seen better faces in my time, Than stand on any shoulders that I see Before me at this instant. Corn. This is some fellow, Who, having been prais'd for bluntness, doth affect A saucy roughness, and constrains the garb Quite from his nature: he cannot flatter, he; An honest mind and plain, he must speak truth: An they will take it, so; if not, he's plain. These kind of knaves I know, which in this plainness Harbor more craft, and more corrupter ends, Than twenty silly ducking observants, That stretch their duties nicely. Kent. Sir, in good sooth, in sincere verity, Under th' allowance of your grand aspect, Whose influence, like the wreath of radiant fire On flickering Phœbus' front, Kent. To go out of my dialect, which you discom mend so much. I know, sir, I am no flatterer: he that beguiled you in a plain accent was a plain knave; which, for my part, I will not be, though I should win your displeasure to entreat me to't. Corn. What was the offence you gave him! To strike at me upon his misconstruction; None of these rogues, and cowards, Kent. But Ajax is their i fool. Corn. · Fetch forth the stocks! You stubborn ancient knave, you reverend braggart, We'll teach you Kent. Sir, I am too old to learn. Call not your stocks for me; I serve the king, On whose employment I was sent to you: You shall do small respect, show too bold malice Against the grace and person of my master, Stocking his messenger. Corn. Fetch forth the stocks! As I have life and honor, there shall he sit till noon. Reg. Till noon! till night, my lord; and all night too. Kent. Why, madam, if I were your father's dog, You should not use me so. Reg. Sir, being his knave, I wil [Stocks brought est. Corn. This is a fellow of the self-same color Our sister speaks of.-Come, bring away the stocks. Glo. Let me beseech your grace not to do so. His fault is much, and the good king his master Will check him for't: your purpos'd low correction Is such, as basest and condemned'st wretches, For pilferings and most common trespasses, Are punish'd with. The king must take it ill, That he, so slightly valued in his messenger, Should have him thus restrain'd. Corn. I'll answer that Reg. My sister may receive it much more worse, To have her gentleman abus'd, assaulted, For following her affairs.-Put in his legs.— KENT is set in the Stocks 1 "Is their fool,” i. e., is a fool to them. Edg. I heard myself proclaim'd; Escap'd the hunt. No port is free; no place, Does not attend my taking. While I may 'scape, Brought near to beast: my face I'll grime with filth, Your son and daughter. Lear. No, no; they would not. They durst not do't; Kent. My lord, when at their home The leisure of their answer; gave me cold looks: Do make their children blind; Shall see their children kind. Thou shalt have as many "dolors For thy daughters * dear, As thou canst tell in a year. Lear. O, how this mother swells up toward my heart! Fool. We'll set thee to school to an ant, to teach thee there's no laboring i' the winter. All that follow their noses are led by their eyes, but blind men ; and there's not a nose among twenty but can smell him that's stinking. Let go thy hold, when a great Nether-stocks, the old word word for stockings.-i" Upon respect," i. e., upon consideration; deliberately.-"Spite of intermission," i. e., 'spite of leaving me unanswered.'— "Meiny," i. e., people; train; suite. A quibble between dolors and dollars. A disease called the mother. wheel runs down a hill, lest it break thy neck with | And leave thee in the storm. The fool turns knave that runs away, Re-enter LEAR, with GLOSTER. Glo. They are sick? Mere a fetches, My dear lord, You know the fiery quality of the duke; Lear. Vengeance! plague! death! confusion!- dear father Whereto our health is bound: we are not ourselves, When nature, being oppress'd, commands the mind Glo. I would have all well betwixt you. [Exit. down. Fool. Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the eels, when she put them i' the paste alive; she 4knapp'd 'em o' the coxcombs with a stick, and cried, "Down, wantons, down:" 'twas her brother, that in pure kindness to his horse butter'd his hay. Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, GLOSTER, and Servants. Lear. Good morrow to you both. Corn. Hail to your grace! [KENT is set at liberty. Reg. I am glad to see your highness. Lear. Regan, I think you are; I know what reason I have to think so: if thou should'st not be glad, I would divorce thee from thy mother's tomb, Sepulchring an adult'ress,-O! are you free? [TO KENT. Some other time for that.-Beloved Regan, I can scarce speak to thee: thou'lt not believe, Lear. Say, how is that? Reg. I cannot think, my sister in the least Would fail her obligation: if, sir, perchance, She have restrain'd the riots of your followers, 'Tis on such ground, and to such wholesome end, As clears her from all blame. Lear. My curses on her! Reg. O, sir! you are old; Nature in you stands on the very verge Of her confine: you should be rul'd, and led By some discretion, that discerns your state Better than you yourself. Therefore, I pray you, That to our sister you do make return: Say, you have wrong'd her, sir. Lear. Ask her forgiveness? Do you but mark how this becomes the mouth: "Dear daughter, I confess that I am old; Age is unnecessary: on my knees I beg, [Kneeling. She hath abated me of half my train; Corn. Fie, sir, fie! Into her scornful eyes! Infect her beauty, [fames Lear. You nimble lightnings, dart your blinding You fen-suck'd fogs, drawn by the powerful sun, To fall and blast her pride! O the blest gods! Reg. So will you wish on me, when the rash mood is on. Lear. No, Regan; thou shalt never have my curse: Thy tender-hearted nature shall not give Thee o'er to harshness: her eyes are fierce; but thine Do comfort, and not burn. 'Tis not in thee To grudge my pleasures, to cut off my train, To bandy hasty words, to scant my 'sizes, And, in conclusion, to oppose the bolt Against my coming in: thou better know'st Effects of courtesy, dues of gratitude; The offices of nature, bond of childhood, Thy half o' the kingdom thou hast not forgot, Wherein I thee endow'd. Reg. Unnecessary is used here in the sense of necessitous — "Fetches," i. e., evasions.-b" Remotion," 1. e., retire-"To fall," ie., to make fall; to humble. A size is s por ment.-"Practice," i. e., artifice. tion or allotment of food, |