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dog; drinks the green mantle of the standing pool; who is whipt from tything to tything, and stock-punifh'd, and imprifon'd: who hath had three fuits to his back, fix fhirts to his body;

Horfe to ride, and weapon to wear;

But mice and rats, and fuch fmall h deer

Have been Tom's food for feven long year.

Beware my follower. Peace, i Smulkin, peace, thou fiend. Glo. What, hath your grace no better company?

Edg. The prince of darkness is a gentleman, k Mcdo he's call'd and k Mahu.

Glo. Our flesh and blood, my lord, is grown fo vile, That it doth hate what gets it.

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Edg. Poor Tom's a-cold.

Glo. Go in with me; my duty cannot fuffer
T'obey in all your daughters' hard commands;
Though m their injunction be to bar my doors,
And let this tyrannous night take hold upon you,
Yet have I ventur'd to come feek you out,

And bring you where both fire and food" is ready.
Lear. First, let me talk with this philofopher.-
What is the cause of thunder?

Kent. My good lord, take his offer:

Go into th' house.

8 The fo's, R. and P. omit had.

h H. reads geer, and is followed by W. But deer in old language is a ge

neral word for wild animals. J.

The qu's read Snulbug; T. W. and J. Smolkin.

* J. reads Mohu for Modo, and Ahu for Mahu.

1 So all before P. who omits poor; followed by the rest.

m Before their the 3d and 4th fo's infert all.

a H. reads are for is.

Lear.

Lear. I'll talk a word with this P most learned Theban.

-What is your study ?

Edg. How to prevent the fiend, and to kill vermin.

Lear. Let 9 me afk you one word in private.

Kent. Importune him to go, my lord; his wits begin to

unfettle.

Glo. Canft thou blame him?

[Storm continues.

His daughters feek his death. Ah, that good Kent!

He faid it would be thus-poor banifh'd man!

Thou fay'ft, the king grows mad; I'll tell thee, friend,

I am almoft mad myfelf; I had a fon,

Now out-law'd from my blood; he fought my life,
But lately, very late; I lov'd him, friend,

No father his fon dearer. s True to tell thee,

The grief hath craz'd my wits. What a night's this!
I do befeech your grace.

Lear. O cry you mercy, t fir.

Noble philofopher, your company.
Edg. Tom's a-cold.

Glo. In, fellow, "there, into th' hovel, keep thee warm.
Lear. Come let's in all.

Kent. This way, my lord.

Lear. With him; :

I will keep ftill with my philofopher.

Kent. Good my lord, footh him; let him take the fellow.

• The 3d and 4th fo's read take for talk.

So the qu's; the rest fame for most.

9 So the qu's and 1ft and 2d fo's; the rest us for me.
So the qu's and H.; the rest insert once more before to.
The 2d q. reads truth for true.

The qu's omit fir.

u So all before P. who omits there; followed by the reft.

Glo

Glo. Take him you on.

Kent. Sirrah, come

W

on; go along with us.

Lear. Come, good Athenian.

Glo. No words, no words, hush.

Edg. * Child Rowland to the dark y tower came,

His word was fill, fy, foh, and fum,

Ifmell the blood of a British man.

w So all before P. who omits on; followed by the rest.

[Exeunt.

The fables of fuch a turn as that from which thefe lines are quoted being originally taken from books of Spanish chivalry, it is probable the word stood there Infante Orlando, for which the tranflator ignorantly put Child Rowland: whereas Infante means a prince, one of the king's fons. H.

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 moft noble of the youth particularly 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. W.

This word is in fome of our ballads. There is a fong of Child Walter, and a lady. J.

By these notes it should seem that neither H. W. or 7. had ever read Spencer, who in his Fairy Queen frequently makes ufe of child to fignify a prince or young knight; and I hope he is not to be ranked among your ignoramus's ballad-makers. See Fairy Queen, Book V. Cant. xi. Stanza 8. -But the fad fteele feiz'd not where it was hight

or your

Uppon the childe, (Prince Arthur) but somewhat short did fall—— And Stanza 13 of the fame Canto,

Nought fear'd the childe his looks

The qu's read towne for tower.

SCENE

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Corn. I will have my revenge, ere I depart bhis house. Edm. How, my lord, I may be cenfur'd that nature thus gives way to loyalty, fomething fears me to think of.

Gorn. I now perceive, it was not altogether your brother's evil difpofition made him feek his death; but a provoked fpirit, fet a-work by a reproveable badnefs in himself.

Edm. How malicious is my fortune, that I must repent to be juft. This is the letter which he fpoke of; which approves him an intelligent party to the advantages of France. Oh heavens! that this treafon were f not, or not I the detector!

Corn. Go with me to the dutchefs.

Edm. If the matter of this paper be certain, you have mighty bufinefs in hand.

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

z Omitted by J. who makes nobody enter in this fcene.

So the qu's, and 1st and 2d fo's; the reft omit my.

b The qu's read the for his.

This is H.'s emendation; all the editions befide read provoking merit ; which W. explains, a merit which being neglected by the father, was pro

voked to an extravagant act.

d H. reads him.

The qu's omit which.

f The qu's omit not.

Edm.

Edm. If I find him comforting the king, it will stuff his fufpicion more fully. [afide.]—I will perfevere in my loyalty, though the conflict be fore between that and my blood. Corn. I will lay truft upon thee; and thou fhalt find a dearer father in

my

love.

[Exeunt.

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Glo. Here is better than the open air; take it 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 i have given way to k his impatience. The gods reward your kindness.

1

Enter Lear, Edgar, and Fool.

Edg. m Frateretto calls me, and tells me, angler in the lake of darkness. Pray, innocent, the foul fiend.

The fo's and R. read dear for dearer.

h This is called Scena Sexta in the fo's; in R. Sc. V.

n Nero is an

and beware

iSo all before P. who alters it to has; followed by the reft: but power may be taken here as a noun of multitude (all the power of his wits, fignifying no more than all his wits) and confequently may be joined with a plural

verb.

k The qu's omit his.

The qu's read deserve for reward.

m So the three firft fo's; the qu's Fretereto; the rest Fraterreto.

n Upton is of opinion Shakespeare wrote Trajan instead of Nero. Critical Obfervations, p. 234.

• The qu's omit and.

H

Fool.

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