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SCENE X.

Enter Lear and Glo'fter.

Lear. Deny to speak with me? They're fick ?
They're weary?

They have travell'd all the night? Mere fetches,
The images of revolt and flying off.

Bring 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 fiery quality? Why, Glofter,

I'd speak with th' Duke of Cornwall, and his wife.
Glo. Well, my good Lord, I have inform'd them fo.
Lear. Inform'd them? Doft thou understand me,
man?

Glo. Ay, my good Lord?

Lear. The King would speak with Cornwall. The dear father

Wou'd with his daughter fpeak, commands her service; Are they inform'd of this ?-My breath and blood!Fiery? The fiery duke? Tell the hot duke, that

[Glocefter offers to go. No, but not yet. May be, he is not well;

Infirmity doth ftill neglect all office,

Whereto our health is bound; we're not ourselves,

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When Nature, being oppreft, commands the mind
To fuffer with the body. I'll forbear;

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

For the found man.

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Death on my ftate! But where

[Looking on Kent.

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's 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, fleep to death.

Glo. I would have all well betwixt you.

[Exit. Lear. Oh me, my heart, my rifing heart! but down. Fool. Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the Eels, when the put them i'th' P.fty alive; fhe rapt 'em o'th' coxcombs with a ftick, and cry'd, down, wantons, down. 'Twas her brother, that in pure kindnefs to his horfe butter'd his hay.

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Enter Cornwall, Regan, Glofter, and Servants.

Lear. Good morrow to you both.

Corn. Hail to your Grace! [Kent is fet at liberty. Reg. I am glad to fee your Highnefs.

Lear. Regan, I think you are; I know, what reafon I have to think fo; if thou wert not glad,

I would divorce me from thy mother's tomb,
Sepulchring an adulteress. Ó, are you free? [To Kent.
Some other time for that. Beloved Regan,
Thy fifter's naught: oh Regan, fhe hath tied
Sharp-

Is practice only. Practice is in Shakespeare, and other old writers, ufed commonly in an ill fense for unlawful artifice.

the Eels, when he put them

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i'th' Paft;] Hinting that the Ecl
and Lear are in the fame danger.
2 --he hath tied
Sharp-tooth'd unkindness like a
vulture here;] Alluding to
the

Sharp-tooth'd unkindness, like a vulture here;

[Points to his heart.

I can scarce speak to thee; thou'lt not believe,
Of how deprav'd a quality-Oh Regan?

Reg. I pray you, Sir, take patience; I have Hope, You lefs know how to value her defert,

+ Than fhe to fcant her duty.

Lear. Say? How is that?

Reg. I cannot think, my fifter in the leaft
Would fail hér obligation. If, perchance,
She have reftrained the riots of your followers,
'Tis on fuch ground, and to fuch wholefome end,
As clears her from all blame.

Lear. My curfes on her!--
Reg. O Sir, you are old,

Nature in you ftands on the very verge
Of her confine; you fhould be rul'd and led
B fome difcretion, that difcerns your state
Better than you your Self; therefore, I pray you,
That to our fifter you do make return;
Say, you have wrong'd her, Sir.

Lear. Afk her forgivenets?

'Do you but mark, how this becomes the Houfe.

the fable of Prometheus. WARB. 3 Of how deprav'd a quality] Thus the quarto. The folio reads,

With bow dprav'd a quality. 4 Than the to fcant her duty.] The word fcant is directly contrary to the fenfe intended. The quarto reads,

-flack her duty, which is no better. May we not change it thus:

You lefs know how to value her d-fert,

Than fhe to scan ber duty. To can may be to measure or proportion. Yet our authour uses

Dear

his negatives with fuch licentioufnefs; that it is hardly fafe to make any alteration.

5 Do you but mark how this

becomes the Houfe?] This Phrafe to me is unintelligible, and feems to fay nothing to the purpofe: Neither can it mean, how this becomes the Order of Families. Lear would certainly intend to reply, how does asking my Daughter's Forgiveness agree with common Fashion, the eftablished Rule and Custom of Nature? No Doubt, but the Poet wrote, becomes the Ufe. And that Shakespeare employs Ule

Dear daughter, I confefs, that I am old,

6

Age is unneceffary; on my knees I beg, [Kneeling. That you'll vouchfafe me raiment, bed, and food.

Reg. Good Sir, no more. Thefe are unfightly tricks.. Return you to my sister.

Lear. Never, Regan:

She hath abated me of half my train;

7 Look'd black upon me; ftruck me with her tongue, Moft ferpent-like, upon the very heart.

All the ftor'd vengeances of heaven fall

On her ingrateful Top! Strike her young bones,
You taking airs, with lameness!--
Corn. Fy, Sir, fy!

in this Signification, is too ob
vious to want a Proof. THEOB.
Do
o you but mark, how this be-
comes the Houfe.] Mr. Theo
bald fays, This phrafe feems to
Jay little to the purpose; and there-
fore alters it to,

becomes the ufe,.

which fignifies lefs. The Oxford Editor makes him fill more familiar-becometh us. All this chopping and changing proceeds from an utter ignorance of a great, a noble, and a mot expreffive phrafe,

becomes the Houfe; which fignifies the order of families, duties of relation. WARB. With this most expreffive phrafe I believe no reader is fatisfied. I fufpect that it has been written originally,

Afk her forgiveness ?

Do you but mark how this be cometh-thus.

Dear daughter, I confess, &c. Becomes the boufe, and becometh thus, might be eafily confounded by readers fo unfkilful as the original printers.

6 Age is unneceffary.]. That is, old age has few wants.

7 Look'd black upon me.] This is a Phrafe which I do not understand; but to lock blank is a known Expreffion, fignifying, either to give difcouraging Looks to another, or to stand dismay'd and difappointed one's felf. The Poet means, that Gonerill gave him cold locks, as he before phrafes it. ТНЕОБ.

Look'd black upon me;] So all the editions. Mr. The bald alters it to blank. A fmall alteration, only turning black to white. His reason is, because to look black upon him is a phrafe he does not understand. I believe fo. But it alludes to a ferpent's turning black, when it fwells with rage and venom, the very creature to which Lear here compares his daughter. WARBURTON.

To look black, may easily be explained to look clowdy or gloomy. See Milton:

So frown'd the mighty com-
batants, that hell
Grew darker at their frown.
Lean..

Lear. You nimble lightnings, dart your blinding

flames

Into her fcornful eyes! Infect her beauty

You fen-fuck'd fogs, drawn by the pow'rful fun
To fall, and blait her pride.

Reg. O the bleft Gods!

So will you wifh on me, when the rash mood is on.
Lear. No, Regan, thou fhalt never have my curfe:
Thy * tender-hefted nature fhall not give

Thee o'er to rashness; her eyes are fierce, but thine
Do comfort, and not burn. 'Tis not in thee
To grudge my pleasures, to cut off my train,
To bandy hafty words,
And, in conclufion, to
Against my coming in.

to fcant my fizes,
oppose the bolt
Thou better know'st

The offices of nature, bond of child-hood,
Effects of court'fy, dues of gratitude:

Thy half o'th' Kingdom thou haft not forgot,

Wherein I thee endow'd,

Reg. Good Sir, to th' purpose.

[Trumpet within.

Lear. Who put my man i' th' Stocks?

Enter Steward.

Corn. What trumpet's that?

Reg. I know't, my fifter's. This approves her letter, That he would foon be here. Is your lady come? Lear. This is a flave, whofe eafy-borrowed pride Dwells in the fickle grace of her he follows.

Out, varlet, from my fight.

Corn. What means your Grace?

To fall, and blast her pride.] Thus the quarto: the folio reads not fo well, to fall and blifier. I think there is fill a fault, which may be easily mended by changing a letter.

Do, fall, and blaft her pride.

-tender befied] This word, though its general meaning be plain, I do not critically underftand.

9 to feant my fixes,] To contract my allowances or pro

-Infect her beauty Ye fen-fuck'd fogs, drawn by the portions fettled, pow'rful fun,

F 3

Lear.

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