The tyranny of the open night's too rough Lear. Let me alone. Kent, Good my lord, enter here. Lear. Wilt break my heart? enter. ¡quagmire; that hath laid knives under his pillow, [Storm fill and halters in his pew; fet ratfbane by his por ridge; made him proud of heart, to ride on a bay trotting horfe over four-inch'd bridges, to courie his own fhadow for atraitor:-Blefis thy five wits1! Kent. I'd rather break mine own: Good my lord, Tom's a-cold.--O, do de, do de, do de.-Hefs thee The leffer is fcarce felt. Thou'dft fhun a bear; The body's delicate: the tempeft in my mind O, that way madness lies; let me shun that ; [eafe; Kent. Good my lord, enter here. vexes:There could I have him now,-and there,-and there,-and there again, and there. [Storm fil Lear. What, have his daughters brought him to this pats ? Fall? Could't thou fave nothing? Didst thou give them Fool. Nay, he referv'd a blanket, elie we had been all fhamed. Lear. Now, all the plagues that in the penda Hang fated o'er men's faults, light on thy daughters! Lear. Death, traitor! nothing could have fub- To fuch a lownels, but his unkind daughters.- F45. Pillicock fat on pillicock-hill ;- Fool. This cold night will turn us all to fools and madmen. Eug. Take heed o' the foul fiend: Obey thy Nay, get thee in. I'll pray, and then I'll fleep.-parents; keep thy word juftly; fwear not; com[Fool goes in. mit not with man's worn fpoufe; fet not thy fweet heart on proud array: Tom's a-cold. Poor naked wretches, wherefoe'er you are, Edg. [within.] Fathom and half, fathom Lear. What halt thou been? Edg. A ferving-man, proud in heart and mind; that curl'd my hair, wore gloves in my cap 4, ferv'd the luft of my miftrefs's heart, and did the aft of darkness with her : fwore as many oatis as I fpake words, and broke them in the tweet face of heaven: one that flept in the contriving of luft, and wak'd to do it: Wine lov'd I deeply; dice and dearly; and in woman, out-paramour'd the Turk : Falfe of heart, light of ear 5, bloody of hand; Hig Fool. Come not in here, nuncle, here's a fpirit.in floth, fox in ftealth, wolf in greedinefs, dog in Help me, help me! [The Fool runs out from the bovil, Gent. Give me thy hand.---Who's there? Fool. A fpirit, a fpirit; he fays his name's poor [the straw Kent. What art thou that doft grumble there Come forth. half! Poor Tom! Tom. madnefs, lion in prey. Let not the creaking of fhoes, nor the rustling of filks, betray thy poor heart to women: Keep thy foot out of brothels, thy hand out of plackets, thy pen from lenders' i'books, and defy the foul fiend.- -Still through the hawthorn blows the cold wind: Says fuum, mun, ha nononny, dolphin my boy, boy, Selfy; et him trot by. [Storx fill. Enter Edgar, difguis'd as a madman. And art thou come to this? Lear. Why thou were better in thy grave, than to aniwer with thy uncover'd body this extremity of the fkies-Is man no more than this? Confider him well: thou oweft the worm no filk, the beat Edg. Who gives any thing to poor Tom? whom no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume :the foul fiend hath led through fire and through Ha! here's three of us are fophifticated! fláme, through foid and whirlpool, over bog and art the thing itself; unaccommodated man is no 1 So the five fenfes were called by our old writers. 2 To take is to blaft, or flike with ma lignant influence. 3 The young pelican is fabled to fuck the mother's blood. 41. c. his miftrefs' favours: which was the fashion of that time. 51. e. ready to receive malicious reports. mere here. more but fuch a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art. -Off, off, you lendings :-Come; unbutton [Tearing off his clothes. Fool. Pr'ythee, nuncle, be contented; this is a naughty night to fwim in.--Now a little fire in a wild field, were like an old lecher's heart; a small fpark, and all the rest of his body cold.-Look, here comes a walking fire. Edg. This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet: he begins at curfew, and walks 'till the firft cock; he gives the web and the pin, fquints the eye, and makes the hare-lip; mildews the white wheat, and hurts the poor creature of earth. Saint Withold footed thrice the wold 2; And her troth plight, And, Avoynt thee, witch, aroynt thee 3! Kent. How fares your grace? Enter Glofter, with a torch. Lear. What's he? Kent. Who's there? What is 't you feek? But mice, and rats, and fach fmall deer 5, Glo. What, hath your grace no better company? [vile, Glo. Our flesh and blood, my lord, is grown fo That it doth hate what gets it. Edg. Poor Tom's a-cold. Glo. Go in with me; my duty cannot fuffer Kent. My good lord, take his offer; | He faid it would be thus :-Poor banish'd man!-- I am almoft mad myfelf: I had a fon, Lear. O, cry you mercy, fir :- I [warm, Glo. In, fellow, there, to the hovel: keep thee Kent. This way, my lord. Lear. With him ; will keep ftill with my philofopher. Kent. Good my lord, footh him; let him take the fellow. Glo. Take him you on. Kent. Sirrah, come on; go along with us. Glo. No words, no words: hufh. 3 These 1 Difeafes of the eye.. 2 Wold fignifies a down, or ground hilly and void of wood. verfes were no other than a popular charm, or night-fpell against the Epialtes; and the laft line is the formal execration or apoftrophe of the fpeaker of the charm to the witch, aroynt thee right, i. e. depart forthwith. Bedlams, gipfies, and fuch-like vagabonds, ufed to fell these kind of fpells or charms to the people. They were of various kinds for various diforders. 4 A tything is a divifion of a place, a diftrict; the fame in the country, as a ward in the city. In the Saxon times every hundred was divided into things. $ Deer in old language is a general word for wild animals. 6 In the old times of chivalry, the noble youth who were candidates for knighthood, during the feafon of their probation, were called Infans, Varlets, Damoyfels, Bacheliers; the most noble of the youth par ticularly, Infans. Here a story is told, in fome old ballad, of the famous hero and giant-killer Roland, before he was knighted, who is, therefore, called Infans; which the ballad-maker tranflated, Child Roland. Come, fit thou here, moft learned justicer ;- Edg. Look, where he ftands and glares! "And the muft not fpeak וי Edg. me. Tom will throw his head at them :— Be thy mouth or black or white, And market towns:-Poor Tom, thy horn is dry. [To Edgar. 1 i. e. Supporting, helping. 2 Abourn in the North fignifies a rivulet or broek. Hence the names of many of our villages terminate in burn, as Milburn, Sherburn, &c. 3 White herrings are pickled herrings. 4 Minikin was anciently a term of endearment. 5 This is a proverbial expreffion. 6 To have the roof of the mouth black is in tome dogs a proof that their breed is genuine. 7 Aracke is a dog that hunts by fcent wild beatts, birds, and even fishes, and the female of it is called a brache. A limmer or leamer, a dog of the chace, was fo called from the leam or leath in which he was held he was let flip.. 9 Tijk is the Runic word for a little, or worthless dog. Kent, Kent. Now, good my lord, lie here, and reft when you are going, to a most feftinate preparaa while. [curtains: tion; we are bound to the like. Our posts shall Lear. Make no noise, make no noife; draw the be fwift, and intelligent betwixt us. So, fo, fo: We'll go to fupper 'i the morning: dear fifter;-farewel, my lord of Gloiter. So, fo, fo. If thou should'it dally half an hour, his life, Kent. Oppreffed nature fleeps:- Enter Steward. How now? Where's the king? Farewel, Stew. My lord of Glofter hath convey'd him hence : Some five or fix and thirty of his knights, To have well-armed friends. Corn. Get horfes for your mistress. [Exeunt Goneril, and Edmund. Corn. Edmund, farewel.-Go, feek the traitor Glofter, Pinion him like a thief, bring him before us : This reft might yet have balm'd thy broken fenfes, Shall do a courtesy to our wrath 3, which men Stand in hard cure.--Come, help to bear thy mafter; Glo. Come, come, away. [To the Fool [Exeunt, bearing off the King. Edg. When we our betters fee bearing our woes, He childed, as I father'd!——Tom, away : thee, In thy juft proof, repeals and reconciles thee. SCEN E VII. [Exit. Enter Cornwall, Regan, Goneril, Edmund, and Ser May blame, but not controul. The traitor? Who's there? Enter Glofter, brought in by fervants. Corn. Bind faft his corky 4 arms. Glo. What mean your graces ?-Good my You are my guests: do me no foul play, friends. [They bind him. 1. c. States clear from diftrefs. 2. A queftris is one who goes in fearch or queft of another. 3. To do a courte fy is to gratify, to comply with. To pas, as to pass a judicial sentence. 4 i. c. dry, a wither'd, hulky arms. S-Favours bere means the fame as features, i, e. the different parts of which a face is compofed. Walt Waft thou not charg'd at peril Corn. Wherefore to Dover? Let him first an- Glo. Becaufe I would not fee thy cruel nails If wolves had at thy gate howl'd that ftern time, the chair: Upon these eyes of thine I'll fet my foot. [Glofter is held down, while Cornwall treads out one of his eyes. Glo. He, that will think to live 'till he be old, Give me fome help :- O cruel! O ye gods! Reg. One fide will mock another; the other too. Serv. Hold your hand, my lord: I have ferv'd you ever fince I was a child; Reg. How now, you dog? Serv. If you did wear a beard upon your chin, I'd shake it on this quarrel: What do you mean? Corn. My villain 3! [Draws, and runs at him. Serv. Nay, then come on, and take the chance of anger. [Fight; Cornwall is wounded. Reg. [To another fervant.] Give me thy fword.— A peafant ftand up thus ! [Comes bebind, and kills him. Where is thy luftre now? [Treads the other out. Glo. All dark and comfortlets.-Where's my fon Edmund ? Edmund, enkindle all the fparks of nature, Reg. Out, treacherous villain! Thou call'ft on him that hates thee: it was he That made the overture of thy treasons to us ; Who is too good to pity thee. Glo. O my follies! Then Edgar was abus’d.— Kind gods, forgive me that, and profper him! Reg. Go, thruft him out at gates, and let him fmell His way to Dover.-How is 't, my lord? How look you? Cors. I have receiv'd a hurt :-Follow me, ladyTurn out that eyelefs villain ;-throw this flave Upon the dunghill.-Regan, I bleed apace: Untimely comes this hurt: Give me your arm. [Exit Cornwall, led by Regan ;-Servanti irad Glofter out. 1ft Serv. I'll never care what wickedness I do, If this man come to good. 2d Serv. If the live long, And, in the end, meet the old courfe of death, Women will all turn monsters. [Bedlam Edg. YET better thus, and known to be con-Owes nothing to thy blafts.--But who comes here è temn'd, Than still contemn'd and flatter'd. To be worst, The lowest, and most dejected thing of fortune, Stands ftill in efperance, lives not in fear: Enter Glofter, led by an old man, My father, poorly led-World, world, O world ! But that thy ftrange mutations make us hate thee, Life would not yield to age 4.. 4 The fenfe 1 i. e. the running of the dogs upon me. 2 i. e. yielded, fubmitted to the neceflity of the occafion. 3 Villain is here perhaps ufed in its original fenfe of one in fervitude. of this obfcure paffage is, O world fo much are human minds captivated with thy pleasures, that were it not for thofe fucceffive miferies, each worfe than the other, which overload the scenes of life, we should never be willing to fubmit to death, though the infirmities of old age would teach us to chufe it as a proper afylum. Befides, by uninterrupted profperity, which leaves the mind at eafe, the body would generally preferve fuch a flate of vigour as to bear up long against the decays of time. Thefe are the two reafons, it is fuppofed, why he faid, "Life would not yield to age." And how much the pleafures of the body pervert the mind's judgment, and the perturbations of the mind diforder the body's frame, is known to all. |