Lear. Let us afk you one word in private.
Kent. Importune him once more to go, my Lord,
His Wits begin t' unfettle.

Glo. Can't thou blame him?

[Storm fill.

His Daughters feek his death: ah, that good Kent!
He faid, it would be thus; poor banish'd man !—
Thou fay't, the King grows mad; I'll tell thee, friend,
I'm almost mad myfelf; I had a fon,

Now out-law'd from my blood ; he fought my life,
But lately, very late; I lov'd him, friend,

No father his fon dearer: true to tell thee,

The grief hath craz'd my wits. What a night's this è I do befeech your Grace.

Lear. O cry you mercy, Sir

Noble Philofopher, your company.
Edg. Tom's a-cold.

Glo. In, fellow, into th' hovel; keep thee warm
Lear. Come, let's in all.

Kent. This way, my Lord.

Lear. With him

I will keep ftill with my Philofopher.

Kent. Good my Lord, footh him; let him take the fellow.

Glo. Take him you on.

Kent. Sirrah, come on; along with us.

Lear. Come, good Athenian.

Glo. No words, no words, hush.

Edg. Child Rowland to the dark tower came,

His word was ftill, fy, foh, and fum,

I fmell the blood of a British man.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Glo'fter's Caftle,

Corn. I

Enter Cornwall, and Edmund.

Will have revenge, ere I depart his house.

Edm. How, my Lord, I may be cenfur'd, that Nature thus gives way to loyalty, fomething fears me to think of.

Corn. I now perceive, it was not altogether your

brother's

brother's evil difpofition made him feek his death: but a provoking merit, fet a-work by a reprovable badness in himself.

Edm. How malicious is my fortune, that I must repent to be juft? this is the letter, which he spoke of; which approves him an intelligent party to the advantages of France. Oh heavens! that this treason were not; or not I the detector.

Corn. Go with ine to the Dutchefs.

Edm. If the matter of this paper be certain, you have mighty business in hand.

Corn. True or falfe, it hath made thee Earl of Glofter feek out where thy father is, that he may be ready for our apprehension.

:

Edm. If I find him comforting the King, it will ftuff his fufpicion more fully-[afide.] I will perfevere in my courfe of loyalty, though the conflict be fore between that and my blood.

Corn. I will lay truft upon thee; and thou fhalt find a dearer father in my love.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, a Chamber, in a Farm-house.

Glo.

H

Enter Kent and Glo'fter.

ERE is better than the open air, take it thankfully; I will piece out the comfort with what addition I can; I will not be long from you.

[Exit. Kent. All the power of his wits has given way to his impatience the gods reward your kindness!

Enter Lear, Edgar, and Fool.

Edg. Fraterreto calls me, and tells me, Nero is an angler in the lake of darkness; pray innocent, and beware the foul fiend. (32)

(32) Fraterreto calls me,] As Mr. Pope had begun to infert feveral fpeeches in the mad way, into this fcene from the old edition; I have ventur'd to replace feveral others, which ftand upon the fame footing, and had an equal right of being reftor'd.

Fool

Fool. Pr'ythee, nuncle, tell me, whether a madman be a gentleman, or a yeoman?

Lear. A King, a King.

Fool. No, he's a yeoman that has a gentleman to his fon for he's a mad yeoman, that fees his fon a gentleman before him.

Lear. To have a thousand with red burning fpits Come hiffing in upon 'em

Edg. The foul fiend bites my back.

Fool. He's mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, the health of a horse, the love of a boy, or the oath of a whore.

Lear. It fhall be done, I will arraign 'em ftrait. Come fit thou here, most learned justicer; Thou fapient Sir, fit here-now, ye fhe-foxes!Edg. Look, where the ftands and glares. Wantest At tryal, Madam ? [thou eyes Come o'er the Broom, Bey, to me. Fool. Her boat hath a leak, and the muft not speak Why the dares not come over to thee.

Edg. The foul fiend haunts poor Tom in the voice of a nightingale. Hopdance cries in Tom's belly for two white herrings. Croak not, black angel, I have no food for thee.

Kent. How do you, Sir? ftand you not fo amazed; Will you lye down, and rest upon the cushions?

Lear. I'll fee their tryal first, bring me in the evidence. Thou robed man of juftice, take thy place;

And thou his yoke-fellow of equity,

Bench by his fide. You are o' th' commiffion, fit you too, Edg. Let us deal justly.

Sleepeft, or wakeft thou, jolly Shepherd?

Thy fheep be in the Corn;

And for one blaft of thy minikin mouth,

Thy fheep fhall take no harm.

Purre, the cat, is grey.

Lear. Arraign her firft, 'tis Gonerill. I here take my Oath before this honourable Affembly, fhe kick'd the poor King her father.

Fool. Come hither, Miftrefs, is your name Gonerill?

I

Lear.

Lear. She cannot deny it.

Fool. Cry you mercy, I took you for a Joint-ftool. Lear. And here's another, whofe wrapt looks proclaim What store her heart is made of. Stop her there; Arms, arms, fword, fire,-Corruption in the place! Falfe jufticer, why haft thou let her scape? Edg. Blefs thy five wits.

Kent. O pity! Sir, where is the patience now, That you fo oft have boasted to retain ?

Edg. My tears begin to take his part fo much, They mar my counterfeiting.

Lear. The little dogs and all,

[Afide.

Tray, Blanch, and Sweet-heart; fee, they bark at meEdg. Tom will throw his head at them; avaunt, you curs! Be thy mouth or black or white,

Tooth that poisons if it bite;

Maftiff, grey-hound, mungril grim,
Hound or spaniel, brache, or hym;
Or bobtail tike, or trundle-tail,
Tom will make him weep and wail :
For, with throwing thus my head,
Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled.

Do, de, de, de: Seffey, come, march to wakes and fairs,
And market towns; poor Tom, thy horn is dry.

Lear. Then let them anatomize Reganfee what breeds about her heart-Is there any caufe in nature that makes thefe hard hearts? You, Sir, I entertain for one of my hundred; only, I do not like the fashion of your garments. You will fay, they are Perfian; but let them be chang'd.

Re-enter Glo'fter.

Kent. Now, good my Lord, lye here and reft a while. Lear. Make no noife, make no noise, draw the curtains; So, fo, we'll go to fupper i' th' morning.

Fool. And I'll go to bed at noon.

Glo. Come hither, friend; where is the King, my

mafter?

Kent. Here, Sir, but trouble him not; his wits are gone.

Glo.

Glo. Good friend, I pr'ythee, take him in thy arms: I have o'er-heard a plot of death upon him:

There is a litter ready, lay him in't,

And drive toward Dover, friend, where thou shalt meet
Both welcome and protection. Take up thy maiter.
If thou should't dally half an hour, his life,
With thine, and all that offer to defend him,
Stand in aflured lofs. Take up, take up,
And follow me, that will to fome provifion
Give thee quick conduct.

Kent. Oppreft Nature fleeps: (33)

This reft might yet have balm'd thy broken fenfes,

Which, if conveniency will not allow,

Stand in hard cure. Come, help to bear thy master;

Thou must not stay behind.

Glo. Come, come, away.

[To Fool.

[Exeunt, bearing off the King. Manet Edgar.

Edg. When we our betters fee bearing our woes, We fcarcely think our miseries our foes. Who alone fuffers, fuffers most i' th' mind; Leaving free things, and happy fhows behind: But then the mind much fuff'rance does-o'erfkip, When grief hath mates, and bearing fellowship. How light, and portable, my pain feems now, When that, which makes me bend, makes the King bow; He childed, as I father'd !-Tom, away:

Mark the high noifes, and thy felf bewray,

When falfe opinion, whofe wrong thought defiles thee, In thy just proof repeals, and reconciles thee.

(33) oppreft Nature fleeps:] Thefe two concluding speeches by Kent and Edgar, and which by no means ought to have been cut off, I have reftored from the old quarto. The foliloquy of Edgar is extremely fine; and the fentiments of it are drawn equally from nature and the fubject. Befides, with regard to the stage it is abfolutely neceffary: For as Edgar is not defign'd, in the conftitution of the play, to attend the king to Dover; how abfurd would it look for a character of his importance to quit the fcene without one word faid, or the least intimation what we are to expect from him?