I will preferve my felf: and am bethought
To take the bafeft and the poorest 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;
And with prefented nakedness out-face
The winds, and perfecutions of the sky.
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,
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.

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

Lear.

Enter Lear, Fool, and Gentleman.

IS ftrange, that they should fo depart from.
home,

And not fend back my meffenger.

Gent. As I learn'd,

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

Kent. Hail to thee, noble master !

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

Fool. Ha, ha, he wears cruergarters; horses are ty'd 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 stocks.

Lear. What's he, that hath so 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 fwear, ay.
Lear. They durft not do't.

They could not, would not do't; 'tis worse than murther, To do upon refpect fuch violent outrage:

Refolve me with all modeft haste, which way

Thou might'st deserve, or they impose this usage,
Coming from us?

Kent. My lord, when at their home

I did commend your Highness' letters to them,
Ere I was rifen from the place, that fhew'd
My duty kneeling, came a reeking Poft,
Stew'd in his hafte, half breathlefs, panting forth
From Gonerill his miftrefs, falutation;

Deliver'd letters fpight of intermiffion,

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

The leisure of their anfwer; gave me cold looks;
And meeting here the other meffenger,
Whose 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 house with loud and coward cries:
Your fon and daughter found this trespass 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 shalt have as many dolours from Thy dear daughters, as thou canst tell in a year.

Lear

tow'rd my

heart!

Lear. Oh, how this mother fwells up
Hyfterica 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 small a number? Fool. An thou hadit been fet i' th' ftocks for that que ftion, 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 counfel, 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

You know the fiery quality of the Duke:".
How unremovable, and fixt he is
In his own course.

Lear. Vengeance! plague! death! confufion!
Fiery? what fiery quality? why, Glofter,

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?

Lear. The King would fpeak with Cornwall, the
dear father

Wou'd with his daughter fpeak; commands her service:
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;
Infirmity doth still neglect all office,

Whereto our health is bound; we're not our felves,
When Nature, being oppreft, commands the mind
To fuffer with the body. I'll forbear;

And am fall'n out with my more headier will,

To take the indifpos'd and fickly fit

For the found man.-Death on my state! but wherefore
Should he fit here? this Act perfuades me,

That this remotion of the Duke and her

Is practice only. Give me my fervant forth;

Go, tell the Duke and's wife, I'd speak with them:
Now, prefently,bid them come forth and hear me,
Or at their chamber-door I'll beat the drum,
'Till it cry, fleep to death.

[Exit.

Glo. I would have all well betwixt you. Lear. Oh me, my heart! my rifing heart! but down. Fool. Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the Eels, when she put them i' th' Pafty alive; the rapt 'em o'th' coxcombs with a stick, and cry'd, down wantons, down; Twas her brother, that in pure kindness to his horse butter'd his hay.

Enter Cornwall, Regan, Glo'fter, and Servants. Lear. Good morrow to you both.

Corn. Hail to your Grace! [Kent is fet at liberty.

Reg.

Reg. I am glad to fee your Highness.

Lear. Regan, I think, you are; I know, what reason I have to think fo; if thou wert not glad,

I would divorce me from thy mother's tomb,
Sepulchring an adult'refs. O, are you free? [To Kent.
Some other time for that. Beloved Regan,
Thy fifter's naught: oh Regan, fhe hath tied
Sharp-tooth'd unkindness, like a vulture here;

[Points to his heart.

I can scarce speak to thee; thou'lt not believe,
With how deprav'd a quality

oh Regan!

Reg. I pray you, Sir, take patience; I have Hope, You lefs know how to value her defert,

Than fhe to fcant her duty.

Lear. Say? How is that?

Reg. I cannot think, my fifter in the least
Would fail her obligation. If, perchance,
She have restrain'd the riots of your followers;
'Tis on fuch ground, and to fuch wholesom end,
As clears her from all blame.

Lear. My curfes on her!

Reg. Sir, you are old,

Nature in you ftands on the very verge

Of her confine; you fhould be rul'd and led
By fome difcretion, that discerns your ftate
Better than you your Self: therefore, I pray you,
That to our fifter you do make return;
Say, you have wrong'd her, Sir.

Lear. Ask her forgiveness?

Do you but mark, how this becomes the Ufe? (9)

́(9) Do you but mark bow this becomes the Houfe?] This Phrase to me is unintelligible, and feems to fay nothing to the purpofe: Neither can it mean, as I conceive, how this becomes the Order of Families. Lear would certainly intend to reply, how does asking my Daughters Forgiveness become me as a Father, and agree with common Fashion, the establish'd Rule and Custom of Nature? It feems, therefore, no Doubt to me, but the Poet wrote, as I have alter'd the Text. And that ShakeSpeare employs Ufe in this Signification, is too obvious to want

a Proof,

Dear