Fool. Thou fhouldst not have been old, till thou hadft been wife. Lear. O, let me not be mad, not mad, fweet heaven! Keep me in temper; I would not be mad! Enter Gentleman. How now! are the horfes ready? Gent. Ready, my lord. Lear. Come, boy. Fool. She that's a maid now, and laughs at my de parture, Shall not be a maid long, unless things be cut fhorter. ACT II. [Exeunt. SCENE I. A caftle belonging to the earl of Glofter. Enter Edmund and Curan, feverally. EDMUND, SAVE thee, Curan. Cur. And you, Sir. I have been with your father, and given him notice that the duke of Cornwall and Regan his dutchefs will be here with him to-night. Edm. How comes that? Cur. Nay, I know not: you have heard of the news abroad; I mean the whifper'd ones, for they are yet but ear-kifling arguments. I I Edm. Not I; pray you, what are they? ear-kiffing arguments.] Subjects of difcourfe; topics. JOHNSON. Ear-ifing arguments means no more than that they are yet in reality only whisper'd ones. STEEVENS. Cur, Cur. Have you heard of no likely wars toward, 'twixt the dukes of Cornwall and Albany? Edm. Not a word. Cur. You may do then in time. Fare you well, Sir. [Exit. Edm. The duke be here to-night! The better! best! This weaves itself perforce into my business; My father hath fet guard to take my brother, And I have one thing, of a queazy queftion, Which I must act.-Briefness, and fortune work!— Brother, a word:-descend.—Brother, I say———— Enter Edgar. 2 My father watches: O Sir, fly this place, You have now the good advantage of the night :- 2 queazy question,] Something of a fufpicious, questionable, and uncertain nature. This is, I think, the meaning. JOHNS. Queazy, I believe, rather means delicate, what requires to be handled nicely. So Ben Jonfon in Sejanus, "Those times are fomewhat queafy to be touch'd. So in Ben Jonfon's New Inn, 3 "Notes of a queafy and fick ftomach, labouring 'the hafte,] I fhould fuppofe we ought to read only in hafte; i' the being repeated accidentally by the prefs-fetter." 4 have you nothing faid STEEVENS. Upon his party 'gainst the duke of Albany ?] The meaning is, have you faid nothing upon the party formed by him against the duke of Albany? HANMER. I cannot but think the line corrupted, and would read, Againft his party, for the duke of Albany? JOHNSON. Edg. Edg. I am fure on't, not a word. Edm. I hear my father coming.-Pardon me: In cunning, I muft draw my fword upon you :Draw; feem to defend yourfelf: now quit you well. Yield:-come before my father;-light ho, here! Fly, brother-Torchés! torches !-So farewell [Exit Edgar. Some blood, drawn on me, would beget opinion [Wounds his arm. Of my more fierce endeavour. I have feen drunkards Do more than this in fport. Father! father! Stop, ftop! No help? Enter Glofter, and Servants with torches. Glo. Now, Edmund, where's the villain? out, 5 Mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon To ftand his aufpicious miftrefs. Glo. But where is he? Edmund ? When by no means he Glo. Purfue him, ho.-Go after.By no means, what? Edm. Perfuade me to the murther of your lordship; But that, I told him, the revenging gods 'Gainft parricides did all their thunder bend, Spoke, with how manifold and ftrong a bond The child was bound to the father.—Sir, in fine, 5 Mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon] This was a proper circumftance to urge to Glo'fter; who appears, by what paffed between him and his baftard fon in a foregoing fcene, to be very fuperftitious with regard to this matter. 6 WARBURTON. their thunder- -] Firft quarto; the rest have it, the thunder. JOHNSON. Seeing how lothly oppofite I stood Glo. Let him fly far: Not in this land shall he remain uncaught; And found-Dispatch.-The noble duke my master, That he, who finds him, fhall deferve our thanks, Edm. When I diffwaded him from his intent, 2 And found him pight to do it, with curst speech I threaten'd to discover him: he replied, • Thou unpoffeffing baftard! doft thou think, 7 gafted] Frighted. JOHNSON. So in Beaumont and Fletcher's Wit at feveral Weapons, —either the fight of the lady has gafted him, or "elfe he's drunk." STEEVENS. 8 Not in this land fhall be remain uncaught; And found difpatch-the noble duke, &c.] This nonfenfe fhould be read and pointed thus, Not in this land shall he remain uncaught; And found, difpatch'd. WARBURTON. I do not fee how this change mends the fenfe: I think it may be better regulated as in the page above. The fenfe is interrupted. He fhall be caught and found, he shall be punished. Difpatch. JOHNSON. - arch] i. e. Chief; a word now ufed only in compofition, as arch-angel, arch-duke. STEEVENS. - murtherous coward caitiff. JOHNSON. -] The first edition reads, 2 And found him pight to do it, with curft fpeech] Pight is pitched, fixed, fettled. Curft is fevere, harfh, vehemently angry. JOHNSON. If If I would ftand against thee, 3 would the repofal To thy fuggeftion, plot, and damned practice: [Trumpets within. Glo. Oftrange, fasten'd villain ! Would he deny his letter, faid he?-I never got him. Hark, the duke's trumpets! I know not why he comes. All ports I'll bar; the villain fhall not 'scape; Enter Cornwall, Regan, and Attendants. Corn. How now, my noble friend? Since I came hither, Which I can call but now) I have heard strange news. Reg. If it be true, all vengeance comes too fhort, Which can pursue the offender. How does my lord? Glo. O madam, my old heart is crack'd, is crack'd! Reg. What, did my father's godfon feek your life? He whom my father nam'd? Your Edgar? 3 Glo. O lady, lady, fhame would have it hid! would the repofal] i. e. Would any opinion that men have repofed in thy truft, virtue, &c. WARBURTON. The old quarto reads, could the repofure. STEEVENS. + Strong and feftened. Quarto. JOHNSON. 4 Reg. |