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Does not attend my taking. While I may 'fcape,
I will preserve myself: and am bethought
To take the bafeft and moft pooreft shape,
That ever penury, in contempt of man,
Brought near to beaft: my face I'll grime with filth;
Blanket my loins; elf all my hair in knots;
And with prefented nakednefs out-face
The winds and perfecutions of the fky,
The country gives me proof and precedent
Of Bedlam beggars, who, with roaring voices,
Strike in their numb'd and mortify'd bare arms
Pins, wooden pricks, nails, fprigs of rofemary;
And with this horrible object, from low farms,
Poor pelting villages, fheep-cotes, and mills,
Sometime with lunatick bans, fometime with
prayers,

Enforce their charity.Poor Turlygood! poor

Tom!

That's fomething yet;-Edgar I nothing am.

[Exit.

SCENE IV. Earl of GLOSTER's Cafile.

Enter LEAR, Fool, and Gentleman.

Lear. "Tis ftrange, that they fhould fo depart
And not fend back my mellenger. [from home,
Gent. As I learn'd,

The night before there was no purpose in them
Of this remove.

Kent. Hail to thee, noble mafter!

Lear. How! mak'ft thou this fhame thy paftime?
Kent. No, my lord.

Fool. Ha, ha! look! he wears cruel garters!
Horfes are ty'd by the heads; dogs, and bears by

the

the neck; monkies by the loins, and men by the legs when a man is over-lufty at legs, then he wears wooden-nether stocks.

Lear. What's he, that hath so much thy place To fet thee here?

Kent. It is both he and she,

Your fon and daughter.

Lear. No.

Kent. Yes.

Lear. No, I fay.

Kent. I fay, yea.

Lear. No, no; they would not.
Kent. Yes, they have.

Lear. By Jupiter, 1 fwear, no.
Kent. By Juno, I fwear ay.

Lear. They durft not do't:

[mistook,

They could not, would not do't; 'tis worse than To do upon refpect fuch violent outrage: [murder, Refolve me, with all modeft hafte, which way Thou might'ft deferve, or they impose, this ufage, Coming from us.

Kent. My lord, when at their home

I did commend your highness' letters to them,
Ere I was risen from the place that fhew'd
My duty kneeling, came there a reeking poft,
Stew'd in his hafte, half breathlefs, panting forth
From Goneril his mistress, falutations;
Deliver'd letters, fpight of intermiffion,
Which prefently they read: on whofe contents,
They fummon'd up their meiny, straight took horse;
Commanded me to follow, and attend

The leifure of their answer; gave me cold looks:
And meeting here the other meffenger,
Whofe welcome, I perceiv'd, had poifon'd mine

(Being the very fellow, which of late

Difplay'd fo faucily against your highness), Having more man than wit about me, I drew; He rais'd the houfe with loud and coward cries : Your fon and daughter found this trefpafs worth The fhame which here it fuffers.

Fool. Winter's not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way.

Fathers, that wear rags,

Do make their children blind;
But fathers, that wear bags,

Shall fee their children kind.
Fortune, that arrant whore,
Ne'er turns the key to the poor.-

But, for all this, thou fhalt have as many dolours from thy dear daughters, as thou canft tell in one

year.

Lear. O, how this mother fwells up toward my

heart!

Hyfterica paffio! down, thou climbing forrow,
Thy element's below!--Where is this daughter?
Kent. With the earl, fir, here within.
Lear. Follow me not; ftay here.

[Exit.

Gent. Made you no more offence than what you Kent. None. [fpeak of? How chance the king comes with so small a train? Fool. An thou hadst been fet i' the stocks for that queftion, thou hadft well deferv'd it.

Kent. Why, fool?

Fool. We'll fet 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 nofe among twenty, but can

fmell

smell him that's ftinking. Let go thy hold, when a great wheel runs down a hill, left it break thy neck with following it; but the great one that goes up the hill, let him draw thee after. When a wife man gives thee better counsel, give me mine again: I would have none but knaves follow it, fince a fool gives it.

That, fir, which ferves and feeks for gain,
And follows but for form,

Will pack, when it begins to rain,

And leave thee in the ftorm.
But I will tarry; the fool will stay,
And let the wise man fly :
The knave turns fool, that runs away;
The fool no knave, perdy.

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 fick?
They are weary?

They have travell'd hard to-night? Mere fetches;
The images of revolt and flying off!
Fetch me a better answer.

Glo. My dear lord,

You know the fiery quality of the duke;
How unremovable and fixt he is

In his own course.

Lear. Vengeance! plague! death! confufion!Fiery? What quality? Why, Glofter, Glofter, I'd speak with the duke of Cornwall, and his wife, Glo. Well, my good lord, I have inform'd them fo.

E

Lear

Lear. Inform'd them! doft thou understand me,
Glo. Ay, my good lord.

[man? Lear. The king would fpeak with Cornwall; the

dear father

Would with his daughter fpeak, commands her fer

vice:

Are they inform'd of this?--My breath and blood!Fiery! the fiery duke-Tell the hot duke, that— No, but not yet :-may be, he is not well: Infirmity doth ftill neglect all office,

Whereto our health is bound; we are not ourselves, When nature, being opprefs'd, commands the mind To fuffer with the body: I'll forbear;

And am fallen out with my more headier will, To take the indifpos'd and fickly fit

For the found man. Death on my ftate! wherefore [Looking on KENT. Should he fit here? This act perfuades me,

That this remotion of the duke and her

Is practice only. Give me my fervant forth:
Go, tell the duke and his wife, I'd fpeak with them,
Now, prefently; bid them come forth and hear me,
Or at their chamber-door I'll beat the drum,
'Till it cry, Sleep to death!

Glo. I would have all well betwixt you. [Exit. Lear. Ome, my heart, my rifing heart!--but down. Fool. Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the eels, when the put them i' the pafle alive; the rapt 'em o' the coxcombs with a flick, and cry'd, Down, wantons, down! 'Twas her brother, that, in pure kindness to his horfe, butter'd his hay.

Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, GLOSTER, and Servants. Lear. Good-morrow to you both.

Corn.

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