Kent. Sirrah; come on; along with us.
Lear. Come, good Athenian.

Glo. No words, no words, hufh.

Edg. Child Rowland to the dark tower came,`` His word ftill, fy, foh, and fum,

I fmell the blood of a British man.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Glo'fter's Cafle.

Corn. I

Enter Cornwall and Edmund.

Will have revenge, ere I depart his house.

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. Oh heavens! that this treafon were not; or not I the detector!

Corn. Go with me to the Dutchefs.

Edm. If the matter of this

mighty bufinefs in hand.

paper be certain, you have

Corn. True or falfe, it hath made thee Earl of Glofter: feek out where thy father is, that he may be ready for our apprehenfion.

Edm. If I find him comforting the King, it will stuff his fufpicion more fully.[afde.] I will perfevere in my courfe of loyalty, though the conflict be fore between that and my blood.

Corn. I will lay truft upon thee; and thoufhalt find a dearer father in my love.

[Exeunt.

SCENE,

Glo.

SCENE, a Chamber, in a Farm-house.

Enter Kent and Glofter.

ERE is better than the open air, take it

H thankfully: I will piece out the comfort with

what addition I can; I will not be long from you. [Exit. Kent. All the power of his wits has given way to his impatience the Gods reward your kindness!

Enter Lear, Edgar, and Fool.

Edg. Fraterreto calls me, and tells me, Nero is an angler in the lake of darkness: pray innocent, and beware the foul fiend. (16.)

Fool. Pr'ythee, nuncle, tell me, whether a madman be a gentleman, or a yeoman?

Lear. A King, a King.

Fool. No, he's a yeoman, that has a gentleman to his fon for he's a mad yeoman, that fees his fon a gentleman before him.

Lear. To have a thousand with red burning fpits Come hizzing in upon 'em

Edg. The foul fiend bites my

back.

Fool. He's mad that trufts in the tameness of a wolf, the health of a horse, the love of a boy, or the oath of a whore.

Lear. It fhall be done, I will arraign 'em ftrait. Come, fit thou here, most learned justicer; Thou fapient Sir, fit here--now, ye fhe-foxes!Edg. Look, where the ftands and glares. Wanteft thou eyes A trial, Madam?

Come o'er the Broom, Beffy, to me.

Fool. Her Boat hath a Leak, and she must not speak.
Why she dares not come over to thee.

(16) Fraterrito calls me,] As Mr. Pope had begun to infert feveral Speeches in the mad way, in this Scene, from the Old Edition; I have ventur'd to replace feveral others, which ftand upon the fame Footing, and had an equal right of being restor❜d.

Edg

Edg. The foul fiend haunts poor Tom in the voice of a nightingale. Hopdance cries in Tom's belly for two white Herrings. Croak not, black angel, Í have no food for thee.

I

Kent. How do you, Sir? stand you not so amaz'd; Will you lie down, and reft upon the cushions ? Lear. I'll fee their trial firft, bring me in the evidence. Thou robed man of justice, take thy place; And thou his yoke-fellow of equity,

Bench by his fide. You are o'th' commiffion, fit you too.
Edg. Let us deal juftly.

Sleepest, or wakeft thou, jolly shepherd?
Thy fheep be in the corn;

And for one blaft of thy minikin mouth,
Thy sheep hall take no harm.

Purre, the cat is grey.

Lear. Arraign her firft, 'tis Gonerill. I here take my path before this honourable affembly, fhe kick'd the poor King her father."

Fool. Come hither, Mistress, is your name Gonerill ? Lear. She cannot deny it.

Fool. Cry you mercy, I took you for a joint-ftool. Lear. And here's another, whofe warpt looks proclaim What store her heart is made of. Stop her there; Arms, arms, fword, fire,-Corruption in the place! Falfe jufticer, why haft thou let her 'fcape? Edg. Blefs thy five wits.

Kent. O pity! Sir, where is the patience now, That you fo oft have boafted to retain ?

Edg. My tears begin to take his part so much, They mar my counterfeiting.

Lear. The little dogs and all,

[Afide.

Tray, Blanch, and Sweet-heart, fee, they bark at me-

Edg. Tom will throw his head at them; avant, you curs!

Be thy mouth or black or white,

Tooth that poifons if it bite;

Maftiff, grey-hound, mungril grim,
Hound or spaniel, brache, or hym;

Or

Or bobtail tike, or trundle-tail, F
Tom will make him weep and wail;
For, with throwing thus my head,
Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled.

Do, de, de, de Seffey, come, march to wakes and fairs,
And market towns poor Tom, thy horn is dry..
Lear. Then let them anatomize Regan

fee what breeds about her heart-Is there any caufe in nature that makes these hard hearts? You, Sir, I entertain for one of my hundred; only, I do not like the fashion of your garments. You will fay, they are Perfian; but let them be chang'd.

Re-enter Glo'fter.

Kent. Now, good my Lord, lie here and rest a while. Lear. Make no noife, make no noife, draw the curtains; So, fo, we'll go to fupper i'th' morning.

Fool. And I'll go to bed at noon.

Glo.Come hither, friend; where is the King, my master?
Kent. Here, Sir, but trouble him not; his wits are gone.
Glo. Good friend, I pr'ythee, take him in thy arms:
I have o'er-heard a plot of death upon him:
There is a litter ready, lay him in't,

And drive tow❜rd Dover, friend, where thou fhall meet
Both welcome and protection. Take up thy mafter.
If thou fhouldft dally half an hour, his life,
With thine, and all that offer to defend him,
Stand in affured lofs. Take up, take up,
And follow me, that will to fome provifion
Give thee quick conduct.

Kent. Oppreft Nature fleeps: (17)

(17) oppreft Nature fleeps :] Thefe two concluding Speeches by Kent and Edgar, and which by no means ought to have been cut off, I have reftored from the Old Quarto. The Soliloquy of Edgar is extremely fine and the Sentiments of it are drawn equally from Nature and the Subject.Befdes, with regard to the Stage it is abfolutely neceffary: For as Edgar is not defign'd, in the Conftitution of the Play, to attend the King to Dover; how abfurd would it look for a Character of his Importance to quit the Scene without one Word faid, or the leaft Intimation what we are to expect from him?

This reft might yet have balm'd thy broken fenfes,
Which, if conveniency will not allow,

Stand in hard cure.

Come, help to bear thy mafter ;

Thou must not stay behind.

[To Fool. Gio. Come, come, away. [Exeunt, bearing of the King..

Manet Edgar.

Edg. When we our betters fee bearing our woes, We fcarcely think our miseries our foes, Who alone fuffers, fuffers most i'th' mind; Leaving free things, and happy fhows behind: But then the mind much fuff'rance does o'erkip, When grief hath mates, and bearing fellowship. How light, and portable, my pain feems now, When that, which makes me bend, makes the King bow; He childed, as I father'd!-Tom, away; Mark the high noifes, and thyfelf bewray,

When falfe opinion, whofe wrong thought defiles thee, In thy juft proof repeals, and reconciles thee.

What will, hap more to-night; fafe 'fcape the King! Lurk, lurk.[Exit Edgar.

SCENE changes to Glo'fter's Caftle.

Enter Cornwall, Regan, Gonerill, Edmund, and Servants.

Corn. Oft fpeedily to my Lord your husband, fhew him this letter; the army of France is landed;

feek out the traitor Glo'fter.

Reg. Hang him inftantly,
Gon. Pluck out his eyes..

Corn. Leave him to my displeasure. Edmund, keep you our fifter company; the revenges, we are bound to take upon your traiterous father, are not fit for your beholding. Advise the Duke, where you are going, to a moft feftinate preparation; we are bound to the like. Our pofts fhall be fwift, and intelligent betwixt us. Farewel, dear fifler; farewel, my Lord of Glo'fter.

Enter