Glo. Our flesh and blood, my lord, is grown so vile,

That it doth hate what gets it.

Edg. Poor Tom's a-cold.

Glo. Go in with me: my duty cannot suffer To obey in all your daughters' hard commands. Though their injunction be to bar my doors, And let this tyrannous night take hold upon you, Yet have I ventured to come seek you out, And bring you where both fire and food is ready. Lear. First let me talk with this philosopher.What is the cause of thunder?

Kent. Good my lord, take his offer: Go into the house.

Lear. I'll talk a word with this same learned Theban.

SCENE V.-A Room in GLOSTER's Castle.

Enter CORNWALL and EDMUND.

Corn. I will have my revenge ere I depart his house.

Edm. How, my lord, I may be censured that nature thus gives way to loyalty, something fears me to think of.

Corn. I now perceive it was not altogether your brother's evil disposition made him seek his death; but a provoking merit, set a-work by a reproveable badness in himself.

Edm. How malicious is my fortune, that I must repent to be just! This is the letter he spoke of, which approves him an intelligent party to the advantages of France. O heavens! that this treason were not, or not I the detector! Corn. Go with me to the duchess.

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

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

Edm. [aside]. If I find him comforting the King, it will stuff his suspicion more fully.—I will persevere in my course of loyalty, though the conflict be sore between that and my blood.

Corn. I will lay trust upon thee; and thou shalt find a dearer father in my love. [Exeunt.

SCENE VI-A Chamber in a Farmhouse, adjoining the Castle.

Enter GLOSTER, LEAR, KENT, Fool, and EDGAR. Glo. Here 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.

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

Edg. Frateretto calls me; and tells me, Nero is an angler in the lake of darkness. Pray, innocent, and beware the foul fiend.

Fool. Pr'y thee, 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 son: for he 's a mad yeoman that sees his son a gentleman before him.

Lear. To have a thousand with red burning spits Come hissing in upon them!

Edg. The foul fiend bites my back.

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

Her boat hath a leak,

And she must not speak

Why she 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? Stand you not so amazed:

Will you lie down and rest upon the cushions? Lear. I'll see their trial first.-Bring in the evidence.

Thou robéd man of justice, take thy place;— [TO EDGAR. And thou, his yoke-fellow of equity, [To the Fool. Bench by his side.-You are of the commission; Sit you too. [TO KENT.

Edg. Let us deal justly.

Sleepest, or wakest thou, jolly shepherd?

Thy sheep be in the corn;

And for one blast of thy minikin mouth,
Thy sleep shall take no harm.

Pur! the cat is grey.

Lear. Arraign her first; 'tis Goneril. I here take my oath before this honourable assembly, she kicked the poor king her father.

Fool. Come hither, mistress. Is your name Goneril?

Lear. She cannot deny it.

Fool. Cry you mercy; I took you for a jointstool.

Lear. And here's another, whose warpéd looks proclaim

What store her heart is made of.-Stop her there! Arms, arms, sword, fire!-Corruption in the place! False justicer, why hast thou let her 'scape?

Edg. Bless thy five wits!

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

Edg. My tears begin to take his part so much, They'll mar my counterfeiting.

Lear. The little dogs and all,

[Aside.

Tray, Blanch, and Sweetheart, see they bark

at me.

Edg. Tom will throw his head at them :Avaunt, you curs!

Be thy mouth or black or white, Tooth that poisons, if it bite; Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel grim, Hound or spaniel, brach or lym; Or bobtail tike, or trundle-tail; Tom will make them weep and wail: For, with throwing thus my head, Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled. Do de, de de; sessa. Come, march to wakes and fairs, and market towns.-Poor Tom, thy horn is dry.

Lear. Then let them anatomise Regan; see what breeds about her heart. Is there any cause in nature that makes these hard hearts?-You, sir, I entertain you for one of my hundred; only I do not like the fashion of your garments: you will say they are Persian attire; but let them be changed. [To EDGAR. Kent. Now, good my lord, lie here, and rest

awhile.

Lear. Make no noise, make no noise; draw the curtains: so, so, so. We'll go to supper i' the morning: so, so, so.

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

Re-enter GLOSTER.

Glo. Come hither, friend: where is the King, my master?

Kent. Here, sir: but trouble him not, his wits

are gone.

Glo. Good friend, I pr'y thee take him in thy

arms:

I have o'erheard 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 master:
If thou shouldst dally half an hour, his life,
With thine, and all that offer to defend him,
Stand in assuréd loss. Take up, take up;
And follow me, that will to some provision
Give thee quick conduct.

Kent. Oppressed nature sleeps:-
This rest might yet have balmed thy broken senses,
Which, if convenience will not allow,
Stand in hard cure.--Come, help to bear thy

Glo. What mean your graces?-Good my
friends, consider

You are my guests: do me no foul play, friends.
Corn. Bind him, I say. [Servants bind him.
Reg. Hard, hard.-O filthy traitor!
Glo. Unmerciful lady as you are, I am none.
Corn. To this chair bind him.-Villain, thou
shalt find [REGAN plucks his beard.
Glo. By the kind gods, 't is most ignobly done
To pluck me by the beard.

Reg. So white, and such a traitor!

Then Edgar was abused.

Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him! Reg. Go, thrust him out at gates, and let him smell

His way to Dover.-How is 't, my lord? how look you?

Corn. I have received a hurt.-Follow me, lady.

Turn out that eyeless villain ;-throw this slave Upon the dunghill.-Regan, I bleed apace : Untimely comes this hurt. Give me your arm. [Exit CORNWALL, led by REGAN. Servants unbind GLOSTER, and lead him out. 1st Serv. I'll never care what wickedness I do, If this man come to good.

Glo. Away, get thee away; good friend, be gone:

Thy comforts can do me no good at all;
Thee they may hurt.

Old Man. Alack, sir, you cannot see your way.
Glo. I have no way, and therefore want no eyes:
I stumbled when I saw. Full oft 't is seen,
Our mean secures us; and our mere defects
Prove our commodities. Ah, dear son Edgar,
The food of thy abuséd father's wrath!
Might I but live to see thee in my touch,
I'd say I had eyes again!

Old Man.

How now? Who's there?

Edg. [aside]. O gods! Who is 't can say, "I am at the worst?"

I am worse than e'er I was.

Old Man. 'Tis poor mad Tom.

Edg. [aside]. And worse I may be yet. The worst is not,

So long as we can say, "This is the worst."
Old Man. Fellow, where goest?
Glo.

Is it a beggar-man?

Old Man. Madman and beggar too.

Glo. He has some reason, else he could not beg. I' the last night's storm I such a fellow saw; Which made me think a man a worm. My son Came then into my mind; and yet my mind Was then scarce friends with him: I have heard more since.

As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods:
They kill us for their sport.

Edg.

How should this be? Bad is the trade must play the fool to sorrow, Angering itself and others. [Aside.]-Bless thee,