Reg. 'Till noon! 'till night, my lord, and all night too. Kent. Why, Madam, if I were your father's dog, You could not use me fo. Reg. Sir, being his knave, I will. [Stocks brought out. Corn. This is a fellow of the felf-fame nature Our filter fpeaks of. Come, bring away the Stocks, Glo. Let me befeech your Grace not to do fo; His fault is much, and the good King his mafter Will check him for't; your purpos'd low correction Is fuch, as bafest and the meaneft wretches For pilf'rings, and moft common trefpaffes, Are punish'd with. The King must take it ill, That he, fo flightly valued in his meffenger, Should have him thus restrain'd. Corn. I'll answer that. Reg. My Sifter may receive it much more worse, [Kent is put in the Stocks. Kent. Pray, do not, Sir. I've watch'd and travell'd Some time I fhall fleep out, the reft I'll whistle: [hard; A good man's fortune may grow out at heels; Give you good morrow. Glo. The Duke's to blame in this, 'twill be ill taken. [Exit. Kent. Good King, that muft approve the common Saw, Thou out of heaven's benediction com'ft To the warm fun! Approach, thou beacon to this under-globe, [Looking up to the moon, That by thy comfortable beams I may Perufe this letter. Nothing almoft fees miracles, Loffes Loffes their remedies. All weary and o'er-watch'd, Take vantage, heavy eyes, not to behold This fhameful lodging. Fortune, good night; fmile once more, turn thy wheel. [He fleeps. SCENE changes to a part of a Heath. Enter Edgar. Edg. T'VE heard myself proclaim'd; I' And, by the happy hollow of a tree, Does not attend my taking. Whiles I may 'fcape, Brought near to beaft: my face I'll grime with filth; (17) -put all my bair in knots;] This is a modern reading: All the old copies intended to read, and the first folio actually does ; -elfe all my bair in knots. i. e. twist it in the manner of elfe-locks: i. e. hairs fo intricately interwove, as not to be disengag'd; and by fuperftition fuppos'd to have been twisted by Elves, or Fairies. We find them mention'd in our author's Romeo and Juliet; That plats the manes of horfes in the night, Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes. And in the induction to Ben. Fonfon's Magnetick Lady. -But if you light on the wrong end, you will pull all inte a knot or elf-lock; which nothing but the sheers, or a candle, will undo or feparate. Poor Poor pelting villages, fheep-coats and mills, Sometimes with lunatick bans, fometimes with pray'rs, Inforce their charity; poor Turlygood! poor Tom!That's fomething yet: Edgar I nothing am. [Exit. SCENE changes, again, to the Earl of Glofter's Caftle. Lear. Enter Lear, Fool, and Gentleman. ear. 'T! IS ftrange, that they should fo depart from And not fend back my meffenger. [home, Gent. As I learn'd, The night before, there was no purpose in them Kent. Hail to thee, noble mafter! Lear. Ha! mak'ft thou thy fhame thy pastime? Fool. Ha, ha, he wears cruel garters; horfes are ty’ď by the heads, dogs and bears by th' neck, monkeys by th' loins, and men by th' legs; when a man is overlufty at legs, then he wears wooden nether ftocks. Lear. What's he, that hath fo much thy place mistook, To fet thee here? Kent. It is both he and fhe, Your fon and daughter. Lear. No. Kent. Yes. Lear. No, I fay. Kent. I fay, yea. Lear. By Jupiter, I fwear, no. Kent. By Juno, I swear, ay. Lear. They durft not do't. They could not, would not de't; 'tis worse than murder, Refolve me with all modeft hafte, which way Kent. My lord, when at their home I did commend your Highnefs' letters to them, Ere Ere 1 was rifen from the place, that shew'd Which presently they read: on whofe contents The leisure of their anfwer; gave me cold looks; Difplay'd fo faucily against your Highness,) Fool. Winter's not gone yet,if the wild geefe fly that way. Fathers, that wear rags, Do make their children blind; But fathers, that bear bags, Shall fee their children kind, Fortune, that arrant whore, Ne'er turns the key to th' poor. But, for all this, thou fhalt have as many dolours from Thy dear daughters, as thou canft tell in a year. Lear. Oh, how this mother fwells up tow'rd my heart! Hofterica paffio,down, thou climbing forrow, Thy element's below; where is this daughter? Kent. With the Earl, Sir, here within, Lear. Follow me not; ftay here, Gen, Made you no more offence, But what you speak of? Kent. None; [Exit. How chance the King comes with fo fmall a number? Fool. An thou hadst been fet i' th' ftocks for that queftion, thou'dft well deferved it? Kent. Why, fool? Fool. We'll fet thee to fchool to an Ant, to teach thee there's no lab'ring i' th' winter. All, that follow their nofes, are led by their eyes, but blind men; and there's not a nofe among twenty, but can fmell 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 upward, 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 Sir, which ferves for gain, The knave turns fool, that runs away; Kent. Where learn'd you this, fool? 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, Bring me a better answer Glo. My dear lord, You know the fiery quality of the Duke: In his own course. Lear. Vengeance! plague! death! confufion!- I'd fpeak with th' Duke of Cornwall, and his wife. [father 3 Infirmity |