Edm. How malicious is my fortune, that I must repent to be juft? This is the letter, which he spoke of; which approves him an intelligent party to the advantages of France. Oh heavens! that this treafon were not; or not I the detector ! Corn. Go with me to the Dutchess. Edm. If the matter of this paper be have mighty business in hand. certain, you Corn. True or falfe, it hath made thee Earl of Glofter. Seek out where thy father is, that he may be ready for our apprehenfion. Edm. [Afide.] If I find him comforting the King, it will stuff his fufpicion more fully.-I will perfevere in my course of loyalty, though the conflict be fore between that and my blood. Corn. I will lay truft upon thee; and thou shalt find a dearer father in my love. Glo. HE SCENE IX. A Chamber, in a Farm-Houfe. Enter Kent and Glo'fter. [Exeunt. ERE 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. [Exit. Kent. All the power of his wits has given way to his impatience. The Gods reward your kindness! s comforting] He ufes the word in the juridical fenfe for fupporting, helping, according to its derivation; falvia confortat ne vos. Schol. Sal. Enter Enter Lear, Edgar, and Fool. Edg. Fraterreto 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 fon for he's a mad yeoman, that fees his fon a gentleman before him. Lear. To have a thousand with red burning fpits Come hizzing in upon 'em Edg. The foul fiend bites my back. Fool. He's mad that trufts in the tameness of a wolf, 7a borfe's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath. Lear. It fhall be done, I will arraign them strait. Come, fit thou bere, moft learned justicer; Thou fapient Sir, fit bere-now, ye she-foxes!— Edg. Look, where he stands and glares. Wanteft thou eyes? At trial, Madam. Come o'er the Broom, Befly, to me. Edg. The foul fiend haunts poor Tom in the voice of a nightingale. Hopdance cries in Tom's belly for two white Herrings. Croak not, black angel, I have no food for thes. Kent. How do you, Sir? Stand you not so amaz'd; Will you lie down, and rest upon the Cushions? Lear. I'll fee their trial first, bring me in the ev dence. Thou robed man of justice, take thy place; And thou his yoke-fellow of equity, Bench by his fide. You are oth' commiffion, fit you too. Sleepest, or wakeft thou, jolly Shepherd? And for one blast of thy minikin Mouth, Purre, the Cat is grey. Lear. Arraign her firft; 'tis Gonerill. I here take my Fool. Come hither, Miftrefs, is your name Gonerill? Fool. Cry you mercy, I took you for a Joint-Stool. What store her heart is made of. Stop her there; Kent. O pity! Sir, where is the patience now, That you fo oft have boafted to retain? Edg. My tears begin to take his part so much, They mar my counterfeiting. Lear. The little dogs and all, [Afide. Tray, Blanch, and Sweet-heart, fee, they bark at me. Edg. Tom will throw his head at them. Avaunt, you curs! Be thy mouth or black or white, 1 Do de, de de. Seffey, come, march to wakes and fairs, And market towns. 2 Poor Tom, thy horn is dry. Lear. Then let them anatomize Regan. See what breeds about her heart. Is there any caufe in nature that makes these hard hearts?—You, Sir, I entertain for one of my hundred; only, I do not like the fafhion of your garments. You will fay, they are Perfian; but let them be chang'd. Re-enter Glo'fter. Kent. Now, good my Lord, lie here and reft a while. brachy, or bym, &c.] Names of particular forts of dogs. POPE. Sir T. Hanmer for hym reads 15m. Here is Seffey again, which I take to be the French word effex pronounced ceffey, which was, I fuppofe, like fome others in common use among us. It is an interjection enforcing ceffa-. tion of any action, like, be quiet, have done. It seems to have been gradually corrupted into, So, So. 2 Thy horn is dry.] Men that begged under pretence of lunacy uíed formerly to carry a horn, and blow it through the streets. Lear Lear. Make no noife, make no noife, draw the curtains. So, fo, we'll go to fupper i' th' morning. Fool. And I'll go to bed at noon. Glo. Come hither, friend. mafter? Where is the King, my Kent. Here, Sir; but trouble him not; his wits are gone. Glo. Good friend, I pr'ythee, take him in thy arms. I have o'erheard a plot of death upon him. There is a litter ready, lay him in't, And drive tow'rd Dover, friend, where thou shalt meet Both welcome and protection. Take up thy mafter. Kent. Oppreft Nature fleeps. This Reft might yet have balm'd thy broken Senfes, Stand in hard Cure. Come, help to bear thy Mafter; Thou must not stay behind. Glo. Come, come, arvay. [To Foot [Exeunt, bearing off the King. 3Oppret Nature fleeps: Thefe two concluding Speeches by Kent and Edgar, and which by no means ought to have been cut off, I have restored from the Old Quarto. The Soliloquy of Edgar is extremely fine; and the Sentiments of it are drawn equally from Nature and the Subject. Befides, with regard to the Stage it is abfolutely neceffary: For as Edgar is not defign'd, in the Conftitution of the Play, to attend the King to Dover; how abfurd would it look for a Charafter of his Importance to quit the Scene without one Word faid, or the leaft Intimation what we are to expect from him? THEOR. The lines inferted from the quarto are in Italicks. The omiffion of them in the folio is certainly faulty: yet I believe the folio is printed from Shakepeare's laft revifion, carelefly and halily performed, with more thought of fhortening the fcenes, than of continuing the action: H 2 Manet |