Lear. Take heed, firrah, the whip

Fool. Truth's a dog that muft to kennel; he must be whipt out, when the lady f brach may ftand by th' fire and tink.

Lear. A peftilent 8 gall to me.

Fool. Sirrah, I'll teach thee a fpeech.

Lear. Do.

h

Fool. Mark it, nuncle.

Have more than thou fhoweft,
Speak lefs than thou knoweft,
Lend more than thou oweft,
Ride more than thou goest,
Learn more than thou trowest,
Set lefs than thou throweft,
Leave thy drink and thy whore,
And keep i in a door,

And thou shalt have more

Than two tens to a score.

Kent. This is nothing, fool.

[To Kent,

Fool. Then 'tis like the breath of an unfee'd lawyer, you m gave me nothing for't. Can you make no ufe of nothing, " nuncle?

d All but the qu's omit that.

The qu's read, when lady o'the brach, &c.

f Nos quidem hodie brach dicimus de cane fœmined, qua leporem ex odore perfequitur. Spelm. Gloff. in voce Bracco.

8 The qu's read gull for gall.

h The qu's read unckle.

i So the qu's and two first fo's: the two laft fo's and R. read in door; P,

and all after within door.

k The qu's give this fpeech to Lear.

1 The qu's omit 'tis.

The two laft fo's, R. and P. read give for gave.

The qu's read uncle.

C 4

Lear.

Lear. Why, no, boy; nothing can be made out of nothing, Fool. Pr'ythee, tell him, fo much the rent of his land comes to: he will not believe a fool. [To Kent.

Lear. A bitter fool!

Fool. Deft thou know the difference, my boy, between a bitter fool and a fweet P fool?

*Lear. No, lad, teach me.

"Fool. That lord that counfel'd thee to give away thy land, Come place him here by me! or do thou for him ftand; "The fweet and bitter fool will presently appear, "The one, in motley here; the other, found out there. "Lear. Doft thou call me fool, r boy?

"Fool. All thy other titles thou haft given away; that "thou waft born with.

"Kent. This is not altogether fool, my lord.

"Fool. No, faith; lords and great men will not let me "if I had a monopoly s out, they would have part1an't; u and ladies too, they will not let me have all

• What is in italic is omitted, or degraded to the margin, by P. and H. and what has the commas prefixed is omitted in the fo's and R. By which we fee that P. by omitting from the fo's, and restoring (and that but in part) from the qu's, has made the paffage incoherent; for the fpeech which gave occafion to Lear's, Doft thou call me fool, boy? as this does to the three fpeeches following, is left out in P. and H.

P So the qu's; the rest read one for fool.

a Or is here added; both the fenfe and measure point out that there is a word loft in this place; and the fenfe fhews it to be or.

P. and H. omit boy.

So the qu's; a monopoly out, i. e. a patent out of court for being fole fool. The reft read on't for out.

So the ft q. an't is a clown fh way of pronouncing on't; the ad q. and the reft read on't.

For and, P. and all after read nay the.

The 2d q. reads lodes for ladies.

*All but the qu's read they'll for they will.

the

A

z

❝y the fool to myfelf, they'll be fiatching."- Give me an egg, nuncle, and I'll give thee two crowns.

Lear. What two crowns fhall they be?

Fool. Why, after I have cut the egg i'th' middle and eat up the meat, the two crowns of the egg. When thou cloveft thy crown i'th' middle and gav'ft away

a

bor'ft thine afs on thy back o'er the dirt.

both parts, thou

Thou hadst little

one

wit in thy bald crown, when thou gav'ft thy golden away. If I fpeak like myfelf in this, let him be whipp'd that firft finds it fo.

Fools had ne'er lefs grace in a year,

For wife men are grown foppish;

And know not how their wits f to wear,

Their manners are fo apifh.

[Singing.

Lear. When were you wont to be fo full of fongs, firrah? Fool. I have us'd it, nuncle, e'er fince thou mad'ft thy daughters thy 8 mothers; for when thou gav'ft them the rod, and put'ft down thy own breeches,

Then they for fudden joy did weep,

And I for forrow fung,

That fuch a king fhould play bo-peep,

And go the fools among.

[Singing.

Pr'ythee, nuncle, keep a schoolmafter that can teach thy fool to lye; I would fain learn to lye.

y So the 1t q. the 2d q. and the rest omit the.

The fo's and R. read, Nuncle, give me an egg, and, &c.

a The 1ft f. reads crowns.

b J. reads crown for one.

W. reads footh, i. e. truth, for fo.

P. and all after read ne'er had lefs, &c.

The qu's read wit for grace.

f The qu's read do for to.

The qu's read mother.

The 1ft and 2d fo's read foole.

Lear.

Lear. i If you lye, k firrah, we'll have you whipp'd.

Fool. I marvel what kin thou and thy daughters are: they'll have me whipt for speaking true; thou wilt have me whip for lying; and fometimes I am whipt for holding my peace. I had rather be any kind of thing than a fool, and yet I would not be thee, nuncle; thou haft pared thy wit o' both fides, and left nothing i'th' middle; here comes one o'th' parings.

SCENE XIV.

To them enter Gonerill.

Lear. How now, daughter? what makes that frontlet on? You are too much of late i'th' frown.

m

Fool. Thou waft a pretty fellow, when thou hadft no need to care for her frown; 1 now thou art an O without a figure: I am better than thou art now; I am a fool, thou art nothing. Yes, forfooth, I will hold my tongue; [to Gonerill] fo your face bids me, tho' you fay nothing.

Mum, mum, he that keeps

neither cruft nor crumb,

Weary of all, fball want fome.

That's a fheal'd peafcod.

Gon. Not only, fir, P this your all-licens'd fool,

But 9 other of your infolent retinue,

i The 1ft q. the fo's, and R. read and for if. The qu's omit firrah.

1 So the qu's; the rest frowning.

m The 2d q. reads thou for now.

n So the qu's; all the rest nor. W. reads thou'rt for that's.

P J. reads thus.

J. reads others.

[Singing.

Do

Do hourly carp and quarrel, breaking forth

In rank, and not to be endured riots, fir.

Is had thought, by making this well-known unto you,
To have found a fafe redress; but now grow fearful,

By what yourself too late have spoke and done,

u

That you protect this course, and put " it on
By your allowance; if you should, the fault
Would not 'scape cenfure, nor the w redresses fleep,
Which, in the tender of a wholesome weal,
Might in their working do you that offence,
Which elfe were fhame, that then neceffity
y Will call discreet proceeding.

Fool. For you know, nuncle,

The hedge fparrow fed the cuckow fo long,

b

C

That a it had its head bit off by its young.

So out went the candle, and we were left darkling.
Lear. Are you our daughter?

Gon. d Come, fir;

I would you would make use of that good wifdom,

↑ T. W. and J. omit sir.

• So all before P. who omits had; followed by the ret.

So all before P. who alters it, t' have; followed by the rest.

The qu's omit it.

w The qu's read redreffe.

The qu's read that for which.

The qu's read must for will. Z. The qu's read proceedings.

a The ift f. reads its.

b The qu's read it.

The qu's read be it for by its.

↑ All but the qu's omit come, fir.

So the qu's; all the reft your for that. If we read your, we make the pext clause of the fentence, whereof I know you are fraught, unnecessary.

Whereof