pole back.-Where's my fool, ho?—I think, the world's afleep. How now? where's that mungrel? Knight. He fays, my lord, your daughter is not well. Lear. Why came not the flave back to me when I call'd him? Knight. Sir, he answer'd me in the roundest manner, he would not. Lear. He would not! Knight. My lord, I know not what the matter is, but, to my judgment, your highness is not entertain'd with that ceremonious affection as you were wont; there's a great abatement of kindness appears as well in the general dependants, as in the duke himfelf alfo, and your daughter. Lear. Ha! fay't thou fo? Knight. I befeech you, pardon me, my lord, if I be mistaken; for my duty cannot be filent, when I think your highness is wrong'd. Lear. Thou but remember'ft me of my own conception. I have perceived a most faint neglect of late, which I have rather blamed as my own jealous curiofity than as a very pretence and purpose of unkindness: I will look further into't. But where's my fool? I have not seen him thefe two days. Knight. Since my young lady's going into France, Sir, the fool hath much pin'd away. Lear. No more of that; I have noted it well. Go you and tell my daughter I would fpeak with her. Go you, call hither my fool. Re-enter Steward. O, you Sir, you Sir, come you hither: who am I, Sir? Stew. My lady's father. Lear. My lady's father! my lord's knave! you whorefon dog, you flave, you cur! Stew. Stew. I am none of thefe, my lord; pardon me. I beseech you Lear. Do you bandy looks with me, you rafcal? Stew. I'll not be ftruck, my lord. [Striking him. Kent. Nor tript neither, you base foot-ball player. Lear. I thank thee, fellow. I'll love thee. [Tripping up his heels. Thou ferv'ft me, and Kent. Come, Sir, arife, away. I'll teach you differences. Away, away: if you will meature your lubber's length again, tarry; but away: go to; have you wifdom? fo.- [Pufbes the Steward out. Lear. Now, my friendly knave, I thank thee: there's earnest of thy fervice. [Giving money. Enter Fool. Fool. Let me hire him too.-Here's my coxcomb Giving Kent his cap. Lear. how now, my pretty knave? how do'ft thou? Fool. Sirrah, you were beft take my coxcomb. Kent. Why, my boy? Fool. Why? For taking one's part, that is out of favour. Nay, an thou canst not fmile as the wind fits, thou'lt catch cold shortly. There, 4 take my coxcomb. Why, take my coxcomb. -] Meaning his cap, called fo, be'caufe on the top of the fool or jefter's cap was fewed a piece of red cloth, refembling the comb of cock. The word, afterwards, used to denote a vain, conceited, meddling fellow. WARBURTON. Another part of the furniture of a fool was a bauble, which, though it is generally taken to fignify any thing of fmall value, has a precife and determinable meaning. It is, in fhort, a kind of truncheon with a head carved on it, which the fool anciently carried in his hand. There is a reprefentation of it in a picture of Watteau, formerly in the collection of Dr. Mead, which is engraven by Baron, and called Comediens Italiens. A Why, this fellow has banish'd two of his daughters, and did the third a bleffing against his will; if thou follow him, thou must needs wear my coxcomb.How now, nuncle? Would I had 5 two coxcombs, and two daughters. Lear. Why, my boy? Fool. If I gave them all my living, I'd keep my coxcombs myself. There's mine; beg another of thy daughters. Lear. Take heed, firrah; the whip. Fool. Truth's a dog must to kennel; he must be whipp'd out, when the lady brach may stand by the fire and stink. Lear. A peftilent gall to me! Fool. Sirrah, I'll teach thee a speech. Lear. Do. Fool. Mark, nuncle.. Have more than thou showeft, [To Kent. faint refemblance of it may be found in a frontispiece of L. de Guernier to this play in Mr. Pope's edition. HAWKINS. This explanation, which I did not receive till it was too late to infert it more appofitely, is confirmed by a paffage in All's Well, &c. act iv. where the clown fays, "I would give his wife my bauble, Sir." STEEVENS. 5 two coxcombs,-] Two fools caps, intended, as it feems, to mark double folly in the man that gives all to his daughters. JOHNSON. 6 lady brach-] Brach is a bitch of the hunting kind. Dr. Letherland, on the margin of Dr. Warburton's edition, propofed lady's brach, i. e. favoured animal. The old quarto has a much more unmannerly reading, which I would not wifh to establish: but all the other editions concur in reading lady brach. Lady is ftill a common name for a hound. So Hotspur: "I had rather hear lady, my brach, howl in Irish." STEEV, 7 Lend less than thou oweft,] That is, do not lend all that thou baft. To owe, in old English, is to poffefs. If owe be taken for to be in debt, the more prudent precept would be, Lend more than thou oweft. JoHNSON. Learn 8 Learn more than thou troweft, And thou fhalt have more Kent. This is nothing, fool. Fool. Then it is like the breath of an unfee'd lawyer; you gave me nothing for't. Can you make no ufe of nothing, nuncle? 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. Lear. A bitter fool! [To Kent. Fool. Doft thou know the difference, my boy, between a bitter fool and a fweet one? Lear. 9 No, lad, teach me. Fool. That lord that counsel'd thee The other found out there. Lear. Doft thou call me fool, boy? Fool. All thy other titles thou hast 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 Learn more than thou troweft,] To trow, is an old word which fignifies to believe. The precept is admirable. WARB. This dialogue, from No, lad, teach me, down to, Give me an egg, was restored from the first edition by Mr. Theobald. It is omitted in the folio, perhaps for political reasons, as it feemed to cenfure monopolies. JOHNSON. me; me; if I had a monopoly on't, they would have part on't: and the ladies too, they'll not let me have all fool to myself; they'll be fnatching. 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' the middle, and eat up the meat, the two crowns of the egg. When thou cloveft thy crown i' the middle, and gaveft away both parts, thou borest thine afs on thy back over the dirt. Thou hadst little wit in thy bald crown, when thou gavest thy golden one away. If I fpeak like. myself in this, let him be whipp'd that firft finds it fo. 2 Fools ne'er had 3 lefs grace in a year, [Singing. And know not how their wits to wear, Lear. When were you wont to be fo full of fongs, firrah? Fool. I have used it, nuncle, e'er fince thou mad'ft thy daughters thy mothers: for when thou gav'ft them the rod, and put'it down thy own breeches, 1 Then they for fudden joy did weep, That fuch a king should play bo-peep, And go the fools among. [Singing. if I had a monopoly on't, they would have a part on't :-] A fatire on the grofs abuses of monopolies at that time; and the corruption and avarice of the courtiers, who commonly went fhares with the patentee. WARBURTON. 2 Fools ne'er had lefs grace in a year,] There never was a time when fools were lefs in favour; and the reafon is, that they were never fo little wanted, for wife men now fupply their place. Such I think is the meaning. The old edition has wit for grace. JOHNSON. 3- lefs grace-] So the folio. Both the quarto's readlefs wit. STEEVENS. Pr'ythee, |