Edg. Poor Tom's a-cold.

Glo. Go in with me; my duty cannot suffer
To obey in all your daughters' hard commands:
Though their injunction be to bar my doors,
And let this tyrannous night take hold upon you;
Yet have I ventur'd to come seek you out,

And bring you where both fire and food is ready.
Lear. First let me talk with this philosopher :-
What is the cause of thunder?

Kent. Good my lord, take his offer;

Go into the house.

Lear. I'll talk a word with this same learned Theban :What is your study?

Edg. How to prevent the fiend, and to kill vermin. Lear. Let me ask you one word in private.

Kent. Impórtune him once more to go, my lord, His wits begin to unsettle.

Glo. Can'st thou blame him?

His daughters seek his death :-Ah, that good Kent!—
He said it would be thus:-Poor banish'd man!-
Thou say'st, the king grows mad; I'll tell thee, friend,
I am almost mad myself: I had a son,

Now outlaw'd from my blood; he sought my life,
But lately, very late; I lov'd him, friend,—

No father his son dearer true to tell thee,

[Storm continues.

The grief hath craz'd my wits. What a night's this!

I do beseech your grace,

Lear. O, cry you mercy,

Noble philosopher, your company.

Edg. Tom's a-cold.

Glo. In, fellow, there, to the hovel: keep thee warm,

Lear. Come, let's in all.

Kent. This way, my lord.

Lear. With him;

I will keep still with my philosopher.

Kent. Good my lord, sooth him; let him take the

fellow.

Glo. Take him you on.

Kent. Sirrah, come on; go along with us.

Lear. Come, good Athenian.

Glo. No words, no words:

Hush.

Edg. Child Rowland to the dark tower came,
His word was still,-Fie, foh, and fum,

I smell the blood of a British man.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.-A Room in GLOSTER'S Castle.

Enter CORNWALL and EDMUND.

Corn. I will have my revenge, ere I depart his house. Edm. How, my lord, I may be censured, that nature thus gives way to loyalty, something fears me to think of.

Corn. I now perceive, it was not altogether your brother's evil disposition made him seek his death; but a provoking merit, set a-work by a reproveable badness in himself.

Edm. How malicious is my fortune, that I must repent to be just! This is the letter he spoke of, which approves him an intelligent party to the advantages of France.

O heavens! that this treason were not, or not I the detector!

Corn. Go with me to the duchess.

Edm. If the matter of this paper be certain, you have mighty business in hand.

Corn. True, or false, it hath made thee earl of Gloster. Seek out where thy father is, that he may be ready for our apprehension.

Edm. [Aside.] If I find him comforting the king, it will stuff his suspicion more fully. I will persevere in my course of loyalty, though the conflict be sore between that and my blood.

Corn. I will lay trust upon thee; and thou shalt find a dearer father in my love.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VI.-A Chamber in a Farm-House, adjoining the Castle.

Enter GLOSTER, LEAR, KENT, Fool, and EDGAR.

Glo. Here is better than the open air; take it thankfully: I will piece out the comfort with what addition I can: I will not be long from you.

Kent. All the power of his wits has given way to his impatience :-The gods reward your kindness! [Exit GLOSTER.

Edg. Frateretto calls me; and tells me, Nero is an angler in the lake of darkness. Pray, innocent, and beware the foul fiend.

Fool. Pr'ythee, nuncle, tell me, whether a madman be a gentleman, or a yeoman?

Lear. A king, a king!

Fool. No; he's a yeoman, that has a gentleman to his son for he's a mad yeoman, that sees his son a gentleman before him.

Lear. To have a thousand with red burning spits Come hizzing in upon them :

Edg. The foul fiend bites my back.

Fool. He's mad, that trusts in the tameness of a wolf a horse's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath.

Lear. It shall be done, I will arraign them straight:Come, sit thou here, most learned justicer ;

[TO EDGAR. Thou, sapient sir, sit here. [To the Fool.]-Now, you

she foxes!

Edg. Look, where he stands and glares!-Wantest thou eyes at trial, madam?

Come o'er the bourn, Bessy, to me :

Fool. Her boat hath a leak,

And she must not speak

Why she dares not come over to thee.

Edg. The foul fiend haunts poor Tom in the voice of a nightingale. Hopdance cries in Tom's belly for two white herring. Croak not, black angel; I have no food for thee.

Kent. How do you, sir? Stand you not so amaz❜d: Will you lie down and rest upon the cushions?

Lear. I'll see their trial first:-Bring in the evidence.Thou robed man of justice, take thy place ;

[To EDGAR.

And thou, his yoke-fellow of equity,

[To the Fool.

Bench by his side:-You are of the commission,

Sit

you too.

[TO KENT.

Edg. Let us deal justly.

Sleepest, or wakest thou, jolly shephérd?

Thy sheep be in the corn;

And for one blast of thy minikin mouth,

Thy sheep shall take no harm.

Pur! the cat is grey.

Lear. Arraign her first; 'tis Goneril. I here take my oath before this honourable assembly, she kicked the poor king her father.

Fool. Come hither, mistress; Is your name Goneril? Lear. She cannot deny it.

Fool. Cry you mercy, I took you for a joint-stool. Lear. And here's another, whose warp'd looks proclaim

What store her heart is made of.-Stop her there!
Arms, arms, sword, fire!-Corruption in the place!
False justicer, why hast thou let her 'scape?

Edg. Bless thy five wits!

Kent. O pity!-Sir, where is the patience now,

That you so oft have boasted to retain ?

Edg. My tears begin to take his part so much,

They'll mar my counterfeiting.

Lear. The little dogs and all,

[Aside.

Tray, Blanch, and Sweet-heart, see, they bark at me."

Edg. Tom will throw his head at them :

Avaunt, you curs!

Be thy mouth or black or white,

Tooth that poisons if it bite;