But misery; I know, 'tis from Cordelia; Losses their remedies:-All weary and o'er-watch'd, This shameful lodging. Fortune, good night; smile once more; turn thy wheel! [He sleeps. SCENE III.—A Part of the Heath. Enter EDGAR. Edg. I heard myself proclaim'd; And, by the happy hollow of a tree, Escap'd the hunt. No port is free; no place, That guard, and most unusual vigilance, Does not attend my taking. While I may 'scape, That ever penury, in contempt of man, Brought near to beast: my face I'll grime with filth; Sometime with lunatic bans, sometime with prayers, Enforce their charity.-Poor Turlygood! poor Tom! That's something yet;-Edgar I nothing am. [Exit. SCENE IV.-Before GLOSTER's Castle. Enter LEAR, Fool, and Gentleman. Lear. 'Tis strange, that they should so depart from home, And not send back my messenger. Gent. As I learn'd, The night before there was no purpose in them Of this remove. Kent. Hail to thee, noble master! Lear. How! Mak'st thou this shame thy pastime? Kent. No, my lord. Fool. Ha, ha; look! he wears cruel garters! Horses are tied by the heads; dogs, and bears, by the neck; monkies by the loins, and men by the legs: when a man is over lusty at legs, then he wears wooden netherstocks. Lear. What's he, that hath so much thy place mistook, to set thee here? Kent. It is both he and she, Your son and daughter. Lear. No. Kent. Yes. Lear. No, I say. Kent. I say, yea. Lear. No, no; they would not. Lear. By Jupiter, I swear, no. Kent. By Juno, I swear, ay. Lear. They durst not do't; They could not, would not do't; 'tis worse than murder, Resolve me, with all modest haste, which way Kent. My lord, when at their home I did commend your highness' letters to them, Which presently they read: on whose contents, The leisure of their answer; gave me cold looks: Whose welcome, I perceiv'd, had poison'd mine, Display'd so saucily against your highness,) Your son and daughter found this trespass worth Fool. Winter's not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way. Fathers, that wear rags, Do make their children blind; Shall see their children kind. Ne'er turns the key to the poor. But, for all this, thou shalt have as many dolours, for thy daughters, as thou can'st tell in a year. Lear. O, how this mother swells up toward my heart! Hysterica passio! down, thou climbing sorrow, Thy element's below!-Where is this daughter? Kent. With the earl, sir, here within. Lear. Follow me not; Stay here. [Exit. Gent. Made you no more offence than what you speak of? Kent. None. How chance the king comes with so small a train? Fool. An thou hadst been set 'the stocks for that question, thou hadst well deserved it. Kent. Why, fool? Fool. We'll set thee to school to an ant, to teach thee there's no labouring in the winter. All that follow their noses are led by their eyes, but blind men; and there's not a nose among twenty, but can smell him that's stinking. Let go thy hold, when a great wheel runs down a hill, lest it break thy neck with following it; but the great one that goes up the hill, let him draw thee after. When a wise man gives thee better counsel, give me mine again: I would have none but knaves follow it, since a fool gives it. That, sir, which serves and seeks for gain, And follows but for form, But I will tarry; the fool will stay, The knave turns fool, that runs away; Kent. Where learn'd you this, fool? Fool. Not i'the stocks, fool. Re-enter LEAR, with GLOSTER. Lear. Deny to speak with me? They are sick? they They have travell'd hard to-night? Mere fetches; Fetch me a better answer. Glo. My dear lord, You know the fiery quality of the duke; In his own course. Lear. Vengeance! plague! death! confusion!Fiery? what quality? Why, Gloster, Gloster, I'd speak with the duke of Cornwall, and his wife. Glo. Well, my good lord, I have inform'd them so. Lear. Inform'd them! Dost thou understand me, man? Glo. Ay, my good lord. Lear. The king would speak with Cornwall; the dear father Would with his daughter speak, commands her service: Are they inform'd of this?My breath and blood!— Fiery? the fiery duke?—Tell the hot duke, that— 7 |