Corn. What was th' offence you gave him?
Stew. I never gave him, any:

It pleas'd the King his mafter very lately
To ftrike at me upon his mifconftruction:
When he conjunct, and flatt'ring his difpleafure,
Tript me behind; being down, infulted, rail'd,
And put upon him fuch a deal of man, that
That worthied him; got praifes of the King,
For him attempting who was felf-subdu'd;
And, in the flefhment of this, dread exploit,
Drew on me here again.

Kent. None of thefe rogues and cowards,
But Ajax is their fool.

Corn. Fetch forth the Stocks.

You ftubborn ancient knave, you rev'rend braggart,
We'll teach you

Kent. Sir, I am too old to learn :

Call not your Stocks for me, I ferve the King;-
On whofe imployment I was fent to you.
You fhall do fmall refpect, fhew too bold malice
Against the grace and perfon of my mafter,
Stocking his meffenger.

Corn. Fetch forth the Stocks;

As I have life and honour, there fhall he fit till noon. Reg. 'Till noon! till night, my lord, and all night too. Kent. Why, Madam, if I were your father's dog,

You could not ufe me fo.

Reg. Sir, being his knave, I will:

[Stocks brought out.

Corn. This is a fellow of the felf fame nature

Our fifter fpeaks. of. Come, bring away the Stocks.
Glo. Let me befcech 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 bafeft and the meaneft, wretches
For pilf'rings, and most common trefpaffes,
Are punih'd with. The King must take it ill,
That he, fo flightly valued in his meffenger,
Should have him thus reftrain'd.

Corn. I'll answer that.

Reg. My Sifter may receive it much more worse,

To

To have her Gentleman abus'd, affaulted,
For following her affairs. Put in his legs

[Kent is put in the Stocks. Come, my lord, away. [Exeunt Regan and Cornwall. Glo I'm forry for thee, friend; 'tis the Duke's pleafure, Whofe difpofition, all the world well knows,

Will not be rubb'd nor ftop'd. I'll intreat for thee.
Kent. Pray, do not, Sir. I've watch'd and travell'd
hard;

Some time I fhall fleep out, the reft I'll whiftle:
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'st

To the warm fun!

Approach, thou beacon to this under-globe,

[Looking up to the moons. That by thy comfortable beams I may

Perufe this letter. Nothing almoft fees miracles,
But mifery. I know, 'tis from Cordelia;
Who hath moft fortunately been inform'd
Of my obfcured courfe. I fhall find time
From this enormous ftate, and feek to give
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..

T'VE heard my felf proclaim'd;

Edg. I And, by the happy hollow of a tree,

Efcap'd the hunt. No port is free, no place,
That Guard and most unusual vigilance

Does not attend my taking. Whiles I may 'fcape,

I will

I will preserve my felf: and am bethought
To take the baseft and the poorest shape,
That ever Benury in contempt of man

Brought near to beaft: my face I'll grime with filth;
Blanket my loins; elfe all my hair in knots;
And with prefented nakednefs out-face
The winds, and perfecutions of the sky.
The country gives me proof and prefident
Of bedlam beggars, who, with roaring voices,
Strike in their numb'd and mortify'd bare arms
Pins, wooden pricks, nails, fprigs of rosemary;
And with this horrible object, from low farms,
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.

SCENE changes, again, to the Earl of
Glo'fter's Caftle.

Lear.

Enter Lear, Fool, and Gentleman.

IS ftrange, that they should so depart from home,

'TIS

And not send back my messenger.

Gent. As I learn'd,

The night before, there was no purpose in them
Of this remove.

Kent. Hail to thee, noble master !

Lear. Ha! mak'ft thou thy fhame thy paftime?
Kent. No, my lord.

Fool. Ha, ha, he wears cruel garters; horses are ty'd 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 stocks.

Lear. What's he, that hath so much thy Place mistook, To fet thee here?

Kent. It is both he and she,

Your fon and daughter.

Lear. No.

Kent

Kent. Yes.

Lear. No, I fay.

Kent. I fay, yea.

Lear. By Jupiter, I fwear, no.

Kent. By Juno, I fwear, ay.

Lear. They durft not do't.

They could not, would not do't; 'tis worse than murther, To do upon refpect fuch violent outrage:

Refolve me with all modeft hafte, which way

Thou might'st deserve, or they impofe this ufage,
Coming from us?

Kent. My lord, when at their home

I did commend your Highness' letters to them,
Ere I was rifen from the place, that fhew'd
My duty kneeling, came a reeking Poft,
Stew'd in his hafte, half breathlefs, panting forth
From Gonerill his mistress, falutation;
Deliver'd letters fpight of intermiffion,
Which prefently they read: on whose contents
They fummon'd up their meiny, ftrait took horse;
Commanded me to follow, and attend

The leisure of their answer; gave me cold looks;
And meeting here the other meffenger,
Whose welcome, I perceiv'd, had poison'd mine;
(Being the very fellow, which of late
Difplay'd fo faucily against your Highness,)
Having more man than wit about me, I drew;
He rais'd the houfe with loud and coward cries:
Your fon and daughter found this trespass worth
The fhame which here it fuffers.

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 canst tell in a year.

Lear.

Lear. Oh, how this mother fwells up tow'rd my heart!
Hyfterica 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 smell him that's finking- -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 counfel, give me mine again; I would have none but knaves follow it, fince a fool gives it.

That Sir, which ferves for gain,
And follows but for form,

Will pack, when it begins to rain,
And leave thee in the ftorm:
But I will tarry, the fool will stay,
And let the wife man fly:

'The knave turns fool, that runs away;

The fool no knave, perdy.

Kent. Where learn'd you this, fool?

Fool. Not i' th' Stocks, 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,

The images of revolt and flying off,

Bring me a better answer

Gl. My dear lord,.

You