Knight. My lord, I know not what the matter is; but, to my judgment, your highness is not entertained with that ceremonious affection as you were wont; there's a great abatement of kindness appears as well in the general dependants as in the duke himself also and your daughter.

Lear. Ha! sayest thou so?

Knight. I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, if I be mistaken; for my duty cannot be silent when I think your highness wronged.

71

Lear. Thou but rememberest me of mine own conception : I have perceived a most faint neglect of late which I have rather blamed as mine own jealous curiosity than as a very pretence and purpose of unkindness: I will look further into't. But where's my fool? I have not seen him this two days.

Knight. Since my young lady's going into France, sir, the fool hath much pined away.

Lear. No more of that; I have noted it well. Go you, and tell my daughter I would speak with her. [Exit an Attendant.] Go you, call hither my fool. [Exit an Attendant.

Re-enter OsWALD.

O, you sir, you, come you hither, sir : who am I, sir?

Osw. My lady's father.

Lear. My lady's father'! my lord's knave: your whoreson dog! you slave! you cur!

Osw. I am none of these, my lord; I beseech your pardon.

91

Lear. Do you bandy looks with me, you rascal? [Striking him. Osw. I'll not be struck, my lord. Kent. Nor tripped neither, you base football player. [Tripping up his heels. Lear. I thank thee, fellow; thou servest me, and I'll love thee.

Kent. Come, sir, arise, away! I'll teach you differences away, away! If you will measure your lubber's length again, tarry: but away! go to; have you wisdom? so. [Pushes Oswald out. Lear. Now, my friendly knave, thee: there's earnest of thy service.

thank

[Giving Kent money,

Kent.

Ride more than thou goest,

Learn more than thou trowest,

Set less than thou throwest; Leave thy drink and thy whore, And keep in-a-door,

And thou shalt have more

Than two tens to a score.

This is nothing, fool.

140

Fool. Then 'tis like the breath of an unfee'd lawyer; you gave me nothing for't. Can you make no use of nothing, nuncle?

Lear. Why, no, boy; nothing can be made out of nothing.

Fool. [To Kent] Prithee, tell him, so much the rent of his land comes to: he will not believe a fool.

would have part on't and ladies too, they will not let me have all fool to myself; they'll be snatching. Give me an egg, nuncle, and I'll give thee two crowns.

171 Lear. What two crowns shall they be? Fool. Why, after I have cut the egg i' the middle, and eat up the meat, the two crowns of the egg. When thou clovest thy crown i' the middle, and gavest away both parts, thou borest thy ass on thy back o'er the dirt thou hadst little wit in thy bald crown, when thou gavest thy golden one away. If I speak like myself in this, let him be whipped that first finds it so.

180

[Singing] Fools had ne'er less wit in a year;
For wise men are grown foppish,
They know not how their wits to wear,
Their manners are so apish.

Lear. When were you wont to be so full of songs, sirrah ?

Fool. I have used it, nuncle, ever since thou madest thy daughters thy mothers: for when thou gavest them the rod, and put'st down thine own breeches, 190

[Singing] Then they for sudden joy did weep, And I for sorrow sung,

That such a king should play bo-peep,
And go the fools among.

Prithee, nuncle, keep a schoolmaster that can teach thy fool to lie: I would fain learn to lie.

Lear. An you lie, sirrah, wo'll have you whipped.

Fool. I marvel what kin thou and thy daughters are: they'll have me whipped for speaking true, thou'lt have me whipped for lying; and sometimes I am whipped for holding my peace. I had rather be any kind o' thing than a fool: and yet I would not be thee, nuncle; thou hast pared thy wit o' both sides, and left nothing i' the middle: here comes one o' the parings.

Fool. Thou wast a pretty fellow when thou hadst no need to care for her frowning; now thou art an O without a figure: I am better than thou art now; I am a fool, thou art nothing. [To Gon.] Yes, forsooth, I will hold my tongue; so your face bids me, though you say nothing. Mum, mum,

He that keeps nor crust nor crum, Weary of all, shall want some. [Pointing to Lear] That's & shealed peascod. Gon. Not only, sir, this your all-licensed fool,

But other of your insolent retinue

220

Do hourly carp and quarrel; breaking forth
In rank and not-to-be endured riots. Sir,
I had thought, by making this well known

unto you,

To have found a safe redress; but now grow fearful,

By what yourself too late have spoke and done,

That you protect this course, and put it on By your allowance; which if you should, the fault

Would not 'scape censure, nor the redresses sleep, 229

Which, in the tender of a wholesome weal, Might in their working do you that offence, Which else were shame, that then necessity Will call discreet proceeding.

Fool. For, you trow, nuncle,

The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long,

That it's had it head bit off by it young. So, out went the candle, and we were left darkling.

Lear. Are you our daughter?
Gon. Come, sir,

I would you would make use of that good 240

wisdom,

Whereof I know you are fraught; and put

Fool. Which they will make an obedient father.

Lear. Your name, fair gentlewoman?
Gon. This admiration, sir, is much o' the

savor

Of other your new pranks. I do beseech you To understand my purposes aright: 260 As you are old and reverend, you should be wise.

Here do you keep a hundred knights and squires;

Men so disorder'd, so debosh'd and bold,
That this our court, infected with their man-

Of what hath moved you.

300

Lear. It may be so, my lord. Hear, nature, hear; dear goddess, hear! Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend To make this creature fruitful! Into her womb convey sterility! Dry up in her the organs of increase; And from her derogate body never spring A babe to honor her! If she must teem, Create her child of spleen; that it may live, And be a thwart disnatured torment to her! Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth; With cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks; Turn all her mother's pains and benefits To laughter and contempt; that she may feel How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is 310 To have a thankless child! Away, away!

[Exit. Alb. Now, gods that we adore, whereof comes this ?

Gon. Never afflict yourself to know the

hundred knights!

'Tis politic and safe to let him keep

At point a hundred knights: yes, that, on every dream,

Each buzz, each fancy, each complaint, dis

like,

He may enguard his dotage with their pow

How now, Oswald ! What, have you writ that letter to my sister? Osw. Yes, madam.

Gon. Take you some company, and away to horse:

360

Inform her full of my particular fear;
And thereto add such reasons of your own
As may compact it more. Get you gone;
And hasten your return. [Exit Oswald. No,

no, my lord,

This milky gentleness and course of yours Though I condemn not, yet, under pardon,

SCENE I. The Earl of Gloucester's castle. Enter EDMUND, and CURAN meets him. Edm. 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 duchess will be here with him this night.

Edm. How comes that ?

Cur. Nay, I know not. You have heard of the news abroad; I mean the whispered ones, for they are yet but ear-kissing arguments?

Edm. Not I pray you, what are they? 10 Cur. Have you heard of no likely wars toward, 'twixt the Dukes of Cornwall and Albany ?

Brother, a word; descend: brother, I say!
Enter EDGAR.

My father watches: O sir, fly this place;
Intelligence is given where you are hid;
You have now the good advantage of the night:
Have you not spoken 'gainst the Duke of Corn-
wall?

He's coming hither: now, i' the night, i' the haste,

And Regan with him have you nothing said Upon his party 'gainst the Duke of Albany? Advise yourself.

Edg.

I am sure on't, not a word 29 Edm. I hear my father coming: pardon me; In cunning I must draw my sword upon you: Draw; seem to defend yourself; now quit you well.

Yield come before my father. Light, ho, here!

Fly, brother. Torches, torches! So, farewell. [Exit Edgar.

Some blood drawn on me would beget opinion [Wounds his arm.

Of my more fierce endeavor: I have seen drunkards

Do more than this in sport. Father, father! Stop, stop! No help?

Enter GLOUCESTER, and Servants with torches.

Glou. Now, Edmund, where's the villain?

Edm. Look, sir, I bleed.
Glow.
Where is the villain, Edmund ?
Edm. Fled this way, sir. When by no
means he could-

Glou Pursue him, ho! Go after. [Exeunt

some Servants. By no means what? Edm. Persuade me to the murder of your lordship

But that I told him, the revenging gods

51

'Gainst parricides did all their thunders bend;
Spoke, with how manifold and strong a bond
The child was bound to the father; sir, in fine,
Seeing how loathly opposite I stood
To his unnatural purpose, in fell motion,
With his prepared sword, he charges home
My unprovided body, lanced mine arm :
But when he saw my best alarum'd spirits,
Bold in the quarrel's right, roused to the en-
counter,

Or whether gasted by the noise I made,
Full suddenly he fled.

Glou.
Let him fly far:
Not in this land shall he remain uncaught;
And found-dispatch. The noble duke my.
master,

60

My worthy arch and patron, comes to-night : By his authority I will proclaim it,

That he which finds him shall deserve our

thanks,

Bringing the murderous coward to the stake; He that conceals him, death.

Edm. When I dissuaded him from his intent,

And found him pight to do it, with curst speech

:

I threaten'd to discover him he replied, 'Thou unpossessing bastard! dost thou think, If I would stand against thee, would the reposal

70

Of any trust, virtue, or worth in thee Make thy words faith'd? No: what I should deny,

As this I would ay, though thou didst produce

My very character,-I'ld turn it all

To thy suggestion, plot, and damned practice:
And thou must make a dullard of the world,
If they not thought the profits of my death
Were very pregnant and potential spurs
To make thee seek it.'

Glou.
Strong and fasten'd villain !
Would he deny his letter? I never got him.
[Tucket within. 81
Hark, the duke's trumpets! I know not why

he comes.

All ports I'll bar; the villain shall not 'scape; The duke must grant me that: besides, his picture

I will send far and near, that all the kingdom May have the due note of him; and of my land,

Which can pursue the offender. How dost, my lord ?

Glou. O, madam, my old heart is crack'd, it's crack'd!

Reg. What, did my father's godson seek your life?

He whom my father named? your Edgar? Glou. O, lady, lady, shame would have it hid!

Reg. Was he not companion with the riotous knights

That tend upon my father?

[too bad. Glou. I know not, madam: 'tis too bad, Edm. Yes, madam, he was of that consort. Reg. No marvel, then, though he were ill affected: 100

'Tis they have put him on the old man's death, To have the expense and waste of his revenues. I have this present evening from my sister Been well inform'd of them; and with such cautions,

That if they come to sojourn at my house,
I'll not be there.
Corn.

Nor I, assure thee, Regan. Edmund, I hear that you have shown your father

How in my strength you please. For you, Edmund,

Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant So much commend itself, you shall be ours: Natures of such deep trust we shall much

need;
You we first seize on..

Edm.
I shall serve you, sir,
Truly, however else.
Glou.

For him I thank your grace. Corn. You know not why we came to visit you,120 Reg. Thus out of season, threading darkeyed night:

Occasions, noble Gloucester, of some poise,
Wherein we must have use of your advice:
Our father he hath writ, so hath our sister,
Of differences, which I least thought it fit
To answer from our home; the several mer-
sengers