made him proud of heart, to ride on a bay trotting horfe over four-inch'd bridges, to courfe his own fhadow for a traitor:Bleis thy five wits! Tom's a-cold.-O, do de, do de, do de.-Blefs thee from whirlwinds, ftar-blafting, and taking! Do poor Tom fome charity, whom the foul fiend vexes: -There could I have him now-and there and thereand there again, and there. [Storm ftill. Lear. What, have his daughters brought him to this pafs!

Could't thou fave nothing? Did'st thou give them all?

Fool. Nay, he refery'd a blanket, elfe we had been all fhamed.

Lear. Now, all the plagues that in the pendulous

air

Hang fated o'er men's faults, light on thy daughKent. He hath no daughters, fir. [ters! Lear. Death, traitor! nothing could have fubdu'd

nature

To fuch a lownefs, but his unkind daughters.-
Is it the fashion, that difcarded fathers

Should have thus little mercy on their flesh?
Judicious punishment! 'twas this flesh begot
Thofe pelican daughters.

Edg. Pillicock fat on Pillicock-hill ;-
Halloo, halloo, loc, loo!

Fool. This cold night will turn us all to fools and madmen.

Edg. Take heed o' the foul fiend: Obey thy parents; keep thy word juftly; fwear not; commit not with man's fworn fpoufe; fet not thy fweet heart on proud array :-Tom's a-cold.

Lear, What haft thou been?

Edg. A ferving-man, proud in heart and mind; that curl'd my hair, wore gloves in my cap, ferv'd the luft of my miftrefs's heart, and did the act of darkness with her: fwore as many oaths as I fpake words, and broke them in the fweet face of heaven; one, that flept in the contriving of lust, and wak'd to do it: Wine lov'd I deeply; diçe dearly: and, in woman, outparamour'd the Turk: Falfe of heart, light of ear, bloody of hand: Hog in floth, fox in ftealth, wolf in greedinefs, dog in madness, lion in prey. Let not the creaking of fhoes, nor the rustling of filks, betray thy poor heart to women: Keep thy foot out of brothels, thy hand out of plackets, thy pen from lenders' books, and defy the foul fiend. Still through the hawthorn blows the cold wind: Says fuum, mun, ha no nonny, dolphin my boy, boy, Seffy; let him trot by. [Storm ftill.

Lear. Why thou were better in thy grave, than to answer with thy uncover'd body this extremity of the fkies.-Is man no more than this? Confider him well: Thou oweft the worm no filk, the beaft no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume :Ha! here's three of us are fophifticated!-Thou art the thing itself: unaccommodated man is no more but fuch a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art.-Off, off, you lendings!-Come; unbutton here[Tearing off his Clothes.

Fool. Pr'ythee, nuncle, be contented; this is २ naughty night to fwim in.-Now a little fire in a wild field, were like an old lecher's heart; a fmall fpark, and all the reft of his body cold.-Look, here comes a walking fire.

Edg. This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet: he be gins at curfew, and walks 'till the firft cock; he

gives the web and the pin, fquints the eye, and makes the hare-lip; mildews the white wheat, and hurts the poor creature of earth.*

Saint Withold footed thrice the wold;

He met the night-mare, and her nine-fold ;
Bid her alight,

And her troth plight,

And, Aroynt thee, witch, aroynt thee!

Kent. How fares your grace?

Enter GLOSTER, with a torch.

Lear. What's he?

Kent. Who's there? What is't you feek?
Glo. What are you there? your names?

Edg. Poor Tom; that eats the fwimming frog, the toad, the tadpole, the wall-newt, and the waternewt; that in the fury of his heart, when the foul fiend rages, eats cow-dung for fallets; swallows the old rat, and the ditch dog; drinks the green mantle of the ftanding pool: who is whipt from tything to tything, and stock'd, punish'd, and imprifon'd; who hath had three fuits to his back, fix thirts to his body, horfe to ride, and weapon to

Wear

But mice, and rats, and fuch fmall deer,
Have been Tom's food for feven long year.

Beware, my follower:-Peace, Smolkin; peace,

thou fiend!

Glo. What, hath your grace no better company? Edg. The prince of darkness is a gentleman; Modo he's call'd, and Mahu.

Glo.

Glo. Our flesh and blood, my lord, is grown fa That it doth hate what gets it.

Edg. Poor Tom's a-cold.

[vile,

Glo. Go in with me; my duty cannot fuffer 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 feek you out, And bring you where both fire and food is ready, Lear. Firlt let me talk with this philofopher:What is the cause of thunder?

Kent. My good lord, take his offer;

Go into the house.

Lear. I'll talk a word with this fame learned What is your ftudy? [Theban:Edg. How to prevent the fiend, and to kill vermin. Lear, Let me afk you one word in private. Kent. Importune him once more to go, my lord, His wits begin to unfettle.

Glo. Canft thou blame him? [Storm fill His daughters feek his death:-Ah, that good Kent! He faid, it would be thus:-Poor banish'd man!-Thou fay'ft, the king grows mad; I'll tell thee, friend, I am almoft mad myfelf: I had a fon,

Now out-law'd from my blood: he fought my life,
But lately, very late; I lov'd him, friend
No father his fon dearer: true to tell thee,
The grief hath craz'd my wits. What a night's this!
I do befeech your grace-

Lear. O, cry you mercy, fir:

Noble philofopher, your company.

Edg. Tom's a-cold.

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

Lear. Come let's in all.

[warm.

Kent.

Kent. This way, my lord.
Lear. With him;

I will keep ftill with my philofopher.

Kent. Good, my lord, footh 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 ftill

Fie, foh, and fum,

I fmell the blood of a British man. [Exeunt.

SCENE V.

GLOSTER'S Cafile.

Enter CORNWALL, and EDMUND.

Corn. I will have my revenge, erè I depart his houfe.

Edm. How, my lord, I may be cenfur'd, that nature thus gives way to loyalty, fomething fears me to think of.

Corn. I now perceive, it was not altogether your brother's evil difpofition made him feek his death; but a provoking merit, fet a-work by a reprovable badness in himself.

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

Corn. Go with me to the dutchefs.

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

Corn True or false, it hath made thee earl of

Glofter.