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, Sir, to love a woman for finging, nor fo old to doat on her for any thing. I have years on my back forty eight.

Lear. Follow me, thou shalt ferve me; if I like thee no worse after dinner, I will not part from thee. Yet no dinner ho dinner-- where's my knave? my fool? go you and call my fool hither. You, you, firrah, where's my daughter?

Enter Steward.

Stew. So please you

[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 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 kindness appears as well in the general dependants, as in the Duke himself also, 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 Highness is wrong'd.

Lear. Thou but remember'ft me of my own conception. I have perceiv'd a most faint neglect of late, which I have rather blamed as my own jealous curiofity, than as a very pretence and purpose of unkindness; 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, Sir, the fool hath much pined away.

Lear,

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. O you, Sir, come you hither, Sir, who am I, Sir?

Enter Steward. Stew. My Lady's father.

Lear. My Lady's father? my Lord's knave, you whor fon dog, you flave, you cur!

Stew. I am none of these, my Lord; I befeech your pardon.

Lear. Do you bandy looks with me, you rafcal?

[Striking bim.

Ster. I'll not be ftruck, my Lord.
Kent. Nor tript neither, you bafe foot-ball player?

[Tripping up bis beels. Lear. I thank thee, fellow. Thou ferv'ft me, and I'll love thee.

Kent. Come, Sir, 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 wisdom? fo. [Pufbes out the Steward.

Lear. Now, my friendly knave, I thank thee; there's carneft of thy fervice.

SCENE XIII.

To them, enter Fool.

Fool. Let me hire him too, here's my coxcomb.

[Giving bis cap. Lear. How now, my pretty knave? how doft thou? Fool. Sirrah, you were beft take my coxcomb. Kent. Why, my boy?'

Fool. Why, for taking one's part that is out of favour; nay, an thou canst not fmile as the wind fits, thou'lt catch cold fhortly. There, take my coxcomb; why, this fellow has banish'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? would I had two Coxcombs, and two daughters.

Lear. Why, my boy?

Fool. If I give them all my living, I'll keep my coxcomb my felf; there's mine, beg another of thy daugh

ters.

Lear.

Lear. Take heed, Sirrah, the whip.

Fool. Truth's a dog muft to kennel, he must be whipp'd out, when the lady brach may ftand by th' fire and stink. Lear. A peftilent gall to me.

Fool. Sirrah, I'll teach thee a fpeech.
Lear. Do.

Fool. Mark it, nuncle;

Have more than thou fhoweft,
Speak lefs than thou knoweft,
Lend less than thou oweft,
Ride more than thou goeft,
Learn more than thou troweft,
Set lefs than thou throwest :
Leave thy drink and thy whore,
And keep within door,

And thou fhalt have more
Than two tens to a fcore.

Kent. This is nothing, fool.

[To Kent

Fool. Then it is 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 no. thing.

Fool. Pr'ythee, tell him, so much the rent of his land comes to: he will not believe a fool. *

Lear. Doft thou call me fool?

[To Kent.

Fool. All thy other titles thou haft given away;

thou waft born with.

Kent. This is not altogether fool, my Lord.

that

Fool. No, 'faith; Lords and great men will not let me ; if I had a monopoly on't, they would have part on't: nay, the Ladies too, they'll not let me have all fool my felf, believe a fool.

Lear. A bitter fool!

Fool. Doft thou know the difference, my boy, between a bitter fool and a fweet one!

Lear. No, lad: teach me.

Fool. That Lord that counsel'd thee to give away thy Land,

Come place him here by me, or do thou for him itand,
The fweet and bitter fool will presently appear,

The one in motley here, the other found out there.

Lear. Doft thou call, &c.

they'll

they'll be fnatching. Give me an egg, huncle, and I'll give thee two crowns.

Lear. What two crowns fhall they be?

Fool. Why, after I have cut the egg i'th' middle and eat up the meat, the two crowns of the egg: when thou cloveft thy crown i'th' middle and gav'ft away both parts, thou bor'ft thine afs on thy back o'er the dirt; thou hadft little wit in thy bald crown, when thou gav'ft thy golden one away: if I fpeak like myself in this, let him be whipp'd that firft finds it fo.

Fools ne'er bad lefs grace in a year,

For wife men are grown foppish,
And know not how their wits to wear,
Their manners are fo apifb.

[Singing.

[rah? Lear. Since when were you wont to be fo full of fongs, SirFool. I have used it, nuncle, e'er fince thou mad'it thy daughters thy mothers; for when thou gav'ft them the rod, and put'ft down thine own breeches,

Then they for fudden joy did weep,
And I for forrow fung,

That fuch a King should play bo-peep,

And go the fools among.

[Singing.

Pr'ythee, nuncle, keep a school-mafter, that can teach thy fool to lie; I would fain learn to lie.

Lear. If you lie, Sirrah, we'll have you whipt.

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

SCENE XIV. To them, Enter Gonerill. Lear. How now, daughter? what makes that frontlet on? you are too much of late i'th' frown.

Fool. Thou waft a pretty fellow when thou hadft 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--yes forfooth I will hold my tongue, [To Gonerill.] to your face bids me, tho' you fay nothing.

Мит,

Mum, mum, be that keeps nor cruft nor crum, [Singing. Weary of all, fhall want fome.

That's a fheal'd peafcod.

Gon. Not only, Sir, this your all-licenc'd fool,
But other of your infolent retinue,

Do hourly carp and quarrel, breaking forth
In rank and not to be endured riots, Sir.

I thought by making this well known unto you,
T' have found a safe redress; but now grow fearful
By what your felf too late have spoke and done,
That you protect this courfe, and put it on
By your allowance; if you fhould, the fault
Would not 'scape cenfure, nor the redreffes fleep,
Which in the tender of a wholfome weal,
Might in their working do you that offence,
Which elfe were shame, that then neceffity
Will call difcreet proceeding.

Fool. For you know, nuncle,

The bedge Sparrow fed the Cuckoo fo long,
That it bad its bead bit off by its young;

So out went the candle, and we were left darkling.
Lear. Are you our daughter?

Gon. I would you would make use of your good wisdom,
Whereof, I know you are fraught, and put away
Thefe difpofitions which of late transport you

From what you rightly are.

Fool. May not an Afs know when the cart draws the

horfe? whoop, Jug, I love thee.

Lear. Does any here know me? this is not Lear: Does Lear walk thus ? fpeak thus ? where are his eyes? Either his notion weakens, his difcernings

Are lethargied-Ha! waking-'tis not fo;
Who is it that can tell me who I am? *

Lear's fhadow? I would learn; for by the marks
Of fovereignty, of knowledge, and of reason,
I fhould be falfe perfuaded I had daughters.

Your name, fair gentlewoman?

....who I am.

Fool. Lear's fhadow.

Lear. Your name, fair gentlewoman?

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