Lear. What art thou? Kent. A very honeft-hearted fellow, and as poor as the king. Lear. If thou be as poor for a fubject, as he is for a king, thou art poor enough. What would'st thou? Kent. Service. Lear. Whom would'ft thou ferve? Kent. You. Lear. Doft thou know me, fellow? Kent. No, fir; but you have that in your countenance, which I would fain call master. Lear. What's that? Kent. Authority. Lear. What fervices can't thou do? Kent. I can keep honeft counsel, ride, run, mar a curious tale in telling it, and deliver a plain meffage bluntly that which ordinary men are fit for, I am qualify'd in; and the best of me is diligence. Lear. How old art thou? Kent. Not fo young, fir, to love a woman for finging; nor fo old, to dote on her for any thing: I have years on my back forty-eight. Lear. Follow me; thou fhalt ferve me; if I like thee no worse after dinner, I will not part from thee yet.-Dinner, ho, dinner!Where's my knave? my fool? Go you, and call my fool hither: was called Cecil's faft. To this difgraceful badge of popery Fletcher alludes in his Woman-hater, who makes the courtezan fay, when Lazarillo, in search of the Umbrano's head, was feized at her house by the intelligencers for a traytor: "Gentlemen, I am glad you have difcovered him. He should not have eaten under my roof for twenty pounds. And fure I did not like him, when he called for fifh." And Marfton's Dutch Courtezan: "I truft I am none of the wicked that eat fish a fryday." WARBURTON. VOL. IX. Ee Enter Enter Steward. You, you, firrah, where's my daughter? [Exit. Lear. What fays the fellow there? Call the clotpole back.-Where's my fool, ho?I think the world's afleep.-How now? where's that mungrel? Knight. He fays, my lord, your daughter is not well. Lear. Why came not the flave back to me, when I call'd him? Knight. Sir, he answer'd me in the roundest manner, he would not. Lear. He would not! Knight. My lord, I know not what the matter is; but, to my judgment, your highness is not entertain'd with that ceremonious affection as you were wont; there's a great abatement of kindnefs appears, as well in the general dependants, as in the duke himfelf alfo, and your daughter. Lear. Ha! fay'ft thou fo? Knight. I befeech you, pardon me, my lord, if I be mistaken; for my duty cannot be filent, when I think your highnefs is wrong'd. Lear. Thou but remember'ft me of mine own conception: I have perceived a moft faint neglect of late; which I have rather blamed as mine own jealous curiofity, than as a very pretence and purpofe of unkindnefs: I will look further into't.-But where's my fool? I have not feen him these two days. Knight. Since my young lady's going into France, fir, the fool hath much pin'd away. Lear. No more of that; I have noted it well.Go you, and tell my daughter I would fpeak with her. Go you, call hither my fool. -to 9a very pretence.] Pretence in Shakspeare generally fignifies defign. So, in a foregoing fcene in this play: no other pretence of danger.' STEEVENS. Re-enter Re-enter Steward. O, you fir, you fir, come you hither: Who am I, fir? Stew. My lady's father. Lear. My lady's father! my lord's knave: you whorefon dog! you flave! you cur!. Stew. I am none of these, my lord; I beseech you, pardon me. Lear. Do you bandy looks' with me, you rascal? [Striking him. Stew. I'll not be ftruck, my lord. Kent. Nor tript neither; you base foot-ball player. [Tripping up his heels. Lear. I thank thee, fellow; thou ferv'ft me, and I'll love thee. Kent. Come, fir, arife, away; I'll teach you differences; away, away: If you will measure your lubber's length again, tarry: but away: go to; Have you wifdom? fo. [Pufbes the Steward out. Lear. Now, my friendly knave, I thank thee: there's earnest of thy fervice. [Giving Kent money. Enter Fool. Fool. Let me hire him too ;-Here's my coxcomb. [Giving Kent his cap. Lear. How now, my pretty knave? how doft thou? Fool. Sirrah, you were best take my coxcomb. bandy looks] A metaphor from Tennis: "Come in, take this bandy with the racket of patience." Decker's Satiromaftix. Again: "buckle with them hand to hand, "And bandy blows as thick as hailstones fall.” Wily Beguiled. Kent. Why, fool? Fool. Why? For taking one's part that is out of favour: Nay, an thou can'ft not finile as the wind fits, thou'lt catch cold fhortly': There, take my coxcomb: Why, this fellow has banifh'd two of his daughters, and did the third a bleffing against his will; if thou follow him, thou must needs wear my coxcomb.-How now, nuncle? 5 Would I had two coxcombs, and two daughters! Lear. Why, my boy? Fool. If I gave them all my living, I'd keep my coxcombs myself: There's mine; beg another of thy daughters. Lear. Take heed, firrah; the whip. Fool. Truth's a dog that must to kennel; he must be whipp'd out, when the 7 lady brach may stand by the fire and ftink. Lear. Why, fool] The folio reads-why, my boy? and gives this queftion to Lear. STEEVENS. 3 -thou'lt catch cold shortly] i. e. be turned out of doors, and expofed to the inclemency of the weather. FARMER. take my coxcemb.] Meaning his cap, called fo, becaufe on the top of the fool or jefter's cap was fewed a piece of red cloth, refembling the comb of a cock. The word, afterwards, was used to denote a vain, conceited, meddling fellow. WARBURTON. See Fig. XII. in the plate at the end of the first part of King Henry IV. with Mr. Tollet's explanation, who has fince added, that Minshew, in his Dictionary, 1627, fays, "Natural ideots and fools, have, and ftill do accuftome themfelves to weare in their cappes cockes feathers, or a hat with a neck and head of a cocke on the top, and a bell thereon, &c." STEEVENs. 5 'Would I had two coxcombs and two daughters.] Perhaps we fhould read-an' two daughters; i. e. if. FARMER. -two coxcombs Two fools caps, intended, as it feems, to mark double folly in the man that gives all to his daughters. JoHNSON. 7 lady brack] Brach is a bitch of the hunting kind. "Nos quidem hodie brach dicimus de cane fœminea, quæ 1cporem ex odore perfequitur. Spelm. Gloff. in voce Bracco." Dr. Lear. A peftilent gall to me! Fool. Sirrah, I'll teach thee a fpeech. [To Kent. Lear. Do. Fool. Mark it, nuncle: Have more than thou showest, And thou fhalt have more Kent. This is nothing, fool'. Fool. Then it is like the breath of an unfee'd lawyer; you gave me nothing for't :-Can make no ufe of nothing, nuncle? you Dr. Letherland, on the margin of Dr. Warburton's edition, propofed lady's brach, i. e. favour'd animal. The third quarto has a much more unmannerly reading, which I would not wish to establish: but all the other editions concur in reading lady brach. Lady is still a common name for a hound. So Hotspur: "I had rather hear lady, my brach, howl in Irish.” Again, in Ben Jonfon's Poem to a Friend, &c. "Do all the tricks of a falt lady bitch." In the old black letter Booke of Huntyng, &c. no date, the lift of dogs concludes thus: "and fmall ladi popies that bere awai the fleas and divers fmall fautes." We might read-" when lady the brach, &c." STEEVENS. $ Lend less than thou oweft,] That is, do not lend all that thou haft. To owe in old English, is to poffefs. If owe be taken for to be in debt, the more prudent precept would be: Lend more than thou oweft. JOHNSON. 9 Learn more than thou troweft,] To trow, is an old word which fignifies to believe. The precept is admirable. WARBURTON. This is nothing, fool.] The quartos give this fpeech to Lear. STEEVENS. |