Glo. Here, take this purfe, thou whom the heavens'

plagues

Have humbled to all ftrokes. That I am wretched;
Makes thee the happier. Heavens deal so still!
Let the fuperfluous, and luft dieted man,

* That flaves your ordinance, that will not fee
Because he does not feel, feel your power quickly :
So diftribution fhould undo excefs,

And each man have enough. Do'st thou know Dover? Edg. Ay, mafter.

Glo. There is a cliff, whofe high and bending head Looks fearfully on the confined deep;

Bring me but to the very brim of it,

From that place

And I'll repair the mifery thou do'st bear,
With fomething rich about me.
I fhall no leading need.

Edg. Give me thy arm;
Poor Tom fhall lead thee..

fers or Jugglers. WARBURTON. The paffage in Italicks is omitted in the folio, because I fuppofe as the ftory was forgotten, the jeft was lost.

Let the fuperfluous,] Lear has before uttered the fame fentiment, which indeed cannot be too strongly impreffed, though it may be too often repeated.

That SLAVES your ordinance,] Superfluous is here used for one living in abundance. But the next line is corrupt. The only fenfe I know of, in which flaves your ordinance can be understood, is when men employ the form or femblance of religion to compafs their ill defigns. But this will not do here. Glo'fter is fpeaking of fuch who by an uninterrupted courfe of profperity

[Exeunt

are grown wanton, and callous to the misfortunes of others; fuch as thofe who fearing no reverfe, flight and neglect, and therefore may be faid to BRAVE the ordinance of heaven. Which is certainly the right reading. And this is the fecond time in which flaves has, in this play, been read for braves. WARB.

The emendation is plaufible, yet I doubt whether it be right. The language of Shakepeare is very licentious, and his words have often meanings remote from the proper and original use. To flave or beflave another is to treat him with terms of indignity; in a kindred fenfe, to flave the ordinance, may be, to flight or ridicule it.

SCENE

Gon.

ELCOME, my Lord. I marvel,' our
mild husband

WE

Not met us on the way.

Enter Steward.

Now, where's your mafter?

Stew. Madam, within; but never man fo chang'd. I told him of the army that was landed;

He smiled at it. I told him, you were coming,
His anfwer was, the worfe. Of Glofler's treachery,
And of the loyal service of his fon,

When I inform'd him, then he call'd me fot;
And told me, I had turn'd the wrong fide out.
What most he should diflike, feems pleafant to him;
What like, offenfive.

Gon. Then fhall you go no further.

It is the cowish terror of his fpirit,

[To Edmund.

Brother;

That dares not undertake; he'll not feel wrongs,
Which tie him to an answer. Our wifhes on the way
May prove effects. Back, Edmund, to my
Haften his mufters, and conduct his powers.
I must change arms at home, and give the diftaff
Into my husband's hands. This trusty fervant
Shall pass between us; you ere long shall hear,
If you dare venture in your own behalf,

A mistress's command. Wear this; fpare speech;
[Giving a favour.

our mild hufband] It must be remembered that Albany, the husband of Gonerill, difliked,

in the end of the first act, the fcheme of oppreffion and ingratitude.

De

Decline your head. This kifs, if it durft speak, Would stretch thy fpirits up into the air. Conceive, and fare thee well.

Edm. Yours in the ranks of death.

Gon. My most dear Glo'fter!

Oh, the strange difference of man, and man!

To thee, a woman's fervices are due,

My fool ufurps my body.

Stew. Madam, here comes my Lord.

Enter Albany.

Gon. I have been worth the whistle.

You are not worth the duft, which the rude wind Blows in your face. I fear your difpofition:

That Nature, which contemns its origine,

3 Cannot be border'd certain in itself;
+ She that herself will fliver, and dif-branch,
From ber maternal fap, perforce muft wither,

5 And come to deadly use.

Gon. No more; 'tis foolish..

Alb. Wisdom and goodnef to the vile feem vile,
Filths favour but themfelves. What have you done?
Tygers, not daughters, what have you perform'd?
A father, and a gracious aged man,

Moft barbrous, moft degenerate, have you madded.
Cou'd my good Brother fuffer you to do it,

A man, a Prince by him fo benefited?
If that the beav'ns do not their vifible Spirits
Send quickly down to tame the vile offences,
Humanity must perforce prey on itself,
Like monfters of the deep.

8

Gon. Milk-liver'd man!

That bear'ft a cheek for blows, a head for wrongs;
Who haft not in thy brows an eye difcerning
Thine honour from thy fuffering, that not know'ft,
Fools do thefe villains pity, who are punish'd

Ere they have done their mischief. Where's thy Drum?
France Spreads his Banners in our noiseless land,
With plumed helm thy flayer begins his threats;
Whilst thou, a meral fool, fit'ft ftill, and cryft,
"Alack! why does he fo?".

Alb. See thyfelf, devil:

• Proper deformity feems not in the fiend
So horrid as in woman,
Gon. O vain fool!

7 A man, a Prince by him fo benefited? After this line, I fufpect a line or two to be wanting, which upbraids her for her fifter's cruelty to Glofter. And my reafon is, that in her anfwer we find thefe words,

Fools do thoje villains pity, who are punish'd

Ere they have done their mifchief

which evidently allude to Glof ter's cafe. Now I cannot conceive that he would here apologize for what was not objected to her. But I fuppofe the Players thought the fpeech too long; which has occafioned thro'out, and more particularly in this play, the retrenchment of nu

merous lines and fpeeches; many of which have been restored by the care and difcernment of Mr. Pope. WARBURTON.

Here is a pompous note to fupport a conjecture apparently erroncous, and confuted by the next scene, in which the account is given for the first time to Albany of Glo'fter's fufferings.

Like monfiers of the deep.] Fishes are the only animals that are known to prey upon their own fpecies.

9 Proper deformity-] i. e. diabolic qualities appear not fohorrid in the devil to whom they belong, as in woman who unnaturally affumes them.

WARBURTON.

Alb.