GLO.
No words, no words: hush.
EDG. Child Rowland to the dark tower came,
His word was still,-Fie, foh, and fum,
I smell the blood of a British man. (4)

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.-A Room in Gloucester's Castle.

Enter CORNWALL and EDMUND. CORN. I will have my revenge, ere I depart

his house.

EDм. How, my lord, I may be censured, that nature thus gives way to loyalty, something fears me to think of.

CORN. I now perceive, it was not altogether your brother's evil disposition made him seek his death; but a provoking merit, set a-work by a reproveable badness in himself.

EDM. How malicious is my fortune, that I must repent to be just! This is the letter* he spoke of, which approves him an intelligent party to the advantages of France. O heavens! that this treason were not, or not I the detector!

CORN. Go with me to the duchess. EDM. If the matter of this paper be certain, you have mighty business in hand.

CORN. True, or false, it hath made thee earl of Gloster. Seek out where thy father is, that he may be ready for our apprehension.

EDM. [Aside.] If I find him comforting the king, it will stuff his suspicion more fully.—I will perséver in my course of loyalty, though the conflict be sore between that and my blood.

CORN. I will lay trust upon thee; and thou shalt find a dearer + father in my love. [Exeunt.

SCENE VI-A Chamber in a Farm-house, adjoining the Castle.

Enter GLOUCESTER, LEAR, KENT, Fool, and EDGAR.

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.

KENT. All the power of his wits have given way to his impatience :-the gods reward your kindness! [Exit GLOUCESter.

(*) First folio inserts, which.

(t) First folio, deere.

a Frateretto calls me ;] See the quotation from Harsnet, in the Illustrative Comments to this Act.

b Pray, innocent,-] The term "innocent," though at first given only to idiots, came in time to be applied to professed fools. c FooL. No; he's a yeoman, &c.] This speech is not in the quartos.

d The foul fiend bites my back.] This, with the whole of what follows, down to, and inclusive of

"False justicer, why hast thou let her 'scape?"

is omitted in the folio.

FOOL. No, he's a yeoman that has a gentleman to his son; for he's a mad yeoman, that sees his son a gentleman before him. [spits

LEAR. To have a thousand with red burning Come hissing in upon 'em :

EDG. The foul fiend bites my back.d

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

LEAR. It shall be done; I will arraign them straight.

Come, sit thou here, most learned justicer ;

[TO EDGAR. Thou, sapient sir, sit here. [To the Fool.]—Now, you she-foxes!

EDG. Look, where he stands and glares!— Wantest thou eyes at trial, madam?

Come o'er the bourn,† Bessy, to me :FOOL. Her boat hath a leak,

And she must not speak

Why she dares not come over to thee. EDG. The foul fiend haunts poor Tom in the voice of a nightingale. Hopdance cries in Tom's belly for two white herring. Croak not, black angel; I have no food for thee. KENT. How do you, sir? Stand you not so amaz'd:

Will you lie down and rest upon the cushions? LEAR. I'll see their trial first.-Bring in the‡ evidence.

Thou robed man of justice, take thy place;

[TO EDGAR. And thou, his yoke-fellow of equity, [To the Fool. Bench by his side.-You are o' the commission, Sit you too. [TO KENT.

EDG. Let us deal justly.

Sleepest, or wakest thou, jolly shepherd ?
Thy sheep be in the corn;

And for one blast of thy minikin mouth,
Thy sheep shall take no harm.1

Pur! the cat is grey.

so much,

They'll mar my counterfeiting.

LEAR. The little dogs and all,

Tray, Blanch, and Sweet-heart, see, they bark

at me.

EDG. Tom will throw his head at them.Avaunt, you curs!

Be thy mouth or black or white,
Tooth that poisons if it bite;
Mastiff, grey-hound, mongrel grim,
Hound or spaniel, brach or lym;"
Or bobtail tike, or trundle tail,-
Tom will make them† weep and wail:
For, with throwing thus my head,
Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled.

Do de, de de. Sessa! Come, march to wakes and fairs and market towns. - Poor Tom, thy horn is dry.

LEAR. Then let them anatomise Regan; see

any cause in nature, that makes these hard hearts?-[To EDGAR.] You, sir, I entertain for one of my hundred; only I do not like the fashion of your garments: you will say they are Persian; but let them be changed.

KENT. Now, good my lord, lie here and rest

awhile.

LEAR. Make no noise, make no noise; draw the curtains. So, so: we'll go to supper i' the morning.

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

Re-enter GLOUCESTER.

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;

b Sessa!] This word, in the old text sese, occurs in a previous scene, and is met with also in the Induction to "The Taming of the Shrew." Johnson explains it to be an interjection enforcing cessation of any action, like be quiet, have done."

Which, if convenience will not allow, Stand in hard cure.-Come, help to bear thy master;

Thou must not stay behind.

GLO.

[To the Fool. Come, come, away. [Exeunt KENT, GLOUCESTER, and Fool, bearing off the KING.

EDG. When we our betters see bearing our woes,
We scarcely think our miseries our foes.
Who alone suffers, suffers most i'the mind;
Leaving free things, and happy shows behind:
But then the mind much sufferance doth o'erskip,
When grief hath mates, and bearing fellowship.
How light and portable my pain seems now,
When that which makes me bend, makes the
king bow;

He childed, as I father'd!-Tom, away!
Mark the high noises; and thyself bewray,
When false opinion, whose wrong thought defiles
thee,

In thy just proof, repeals and reconciles thee.
What will hap more to-night, safe 'scape the
king!-
Lurk, lurk.

[Exit.

you are going, to a most festinate preparation : we are bound to the like. Our posts shall be swift and intelligent betwixt us. Farewell, dear sister:-farewell, my lord of Gloster.

Enter Oswald.

How now! Where's the king?

Osw. My lord of Gloster hath convey'd nim hence:

Some five or six and thirty of his knights,

Hot questrists after him, met him at gate;
Who, with some other of the lords dependants,
Are gone with him toward Dover; where they boast
To have well-armed friends.
CORN.

Get horses for your mistress.
[Exit OSWALD.
GON. Farewell, sweet lord, and sister.
CORN. Edmund, farewell.

[Exeunt GONERIL and EDMUND. Go, seek the traitor Gloster, Pinion him like a thief, bring him before us. [Exeunt other Servants. Though well we may not pass upon his life Without the form of justice, yet our power Shall do a courtesy to our wrath, which men May blame, but not control. Who's there? The traitor?

Re-enter Servants, with GLOUCESTER. REG. Ingrateful fox! 't is he. CORN. Bind fast his corky arms. GLO. What mean your graces? friends, consider

c

Good my

You are my guests: do me no foul play, friends.
CORN. Bind him, I say. [Servants bind him.
REG.
Hard, hard :-O filthy traitor!
GLO. Unmerciful lady as you are, I am none.
CORN. To this chair bind him.-Villain, thou
shalt find— [REGAN plucks his beard.
GLO. By the kind gods, 'tis most ignobly done
To pluck me by the beard.

REG. So white, and such a traitor!
GLO.
Naughty lady,
These hairs, which thou dost ravish from my chin,
Will quicken, and accuse thee: I am your host;
With robbers' hands my hospitable favours
You should not ruffle thus. What will you do?
CORN. Come, sir, what letters had you late

from France?

[truth. REG. Be simple-answer'd, for we know the CORN. And what confederacy have you with the traitors Late footed in the kingdom?

GLO. I am tied to the stake, and I must stand
REG. Wherefore to Dover?

GLO. Because I would not see thy cruel nails
Pluck out his poor old eyes; nor thy fierce sister
In his anointed flesh stick boarish fangs.
The sea, with such a storm as his bare head
In hell-black night endur'd, would have buoy'd up,
And quench'd the stelled fires :

Yet, poor old heart, he holp the heavens to rain.
If wolves had at thy gate howl'd that stern time,
Thou shouldst have said, Good porter, turn the key;
All cruels else subscrib'd: -but I shall see
The winged vengeance overtake such children.
CORN. See 't shalt thou never !-Fellows, hold
the chair.-

Upon these eyes of thine I'll set my foot.

GLO. He that will think to live till he be old, Give me some help!-O cruel!-O you gods! REG. One side will mock another; the other too. CORN. If you see vengeance,1 SERV. Hold your haud, my lord! I have serv'd you ever since I was a child; But better service have I never done you, Than now to bid you hold. REG.

How now, you dog! 1 SERV. If you did wear a beard upon your chin, I'd shake it on this quarrel. What do you mean? CORN. My villain! [Draws.

Out, treacherous villain! Thou call'st on him that hates thee: it was he That made the overture of thy treasons to us; Who is too good to pity thee.

smell

GLO. O my follies! Then Edgar was abus'd.— Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him! REG. Go, thrust him out at gates, and let him [look you? His way to Dover.-How is 't, my lord? How CORN. I have receiv'd a hurt:-follow me, lady.Turn out that eyeless villain ;-throw this slave Upon the dunghill.-Regan, I bleed apace: Untimely comes this hurt: give me your arm.

[Exit CORNWALL, led by REGAN ;-Servants unbind GLOUCESTER, and lead him out." 2 SERV. I'll never care what wickedness I do, If this man come to good. 3 SERV. If she live long, And, in the end, meet the old course of death, Women will all turn monsters. [Bedlam

2 SERV. Let's follow the old earl, and get the To lead him where he would: his roguish madness Allows itself to any thing.

3 SERV. Go thou; I'll fetch some flax, and whites of eggs

To apply to's bleeding face.

him!

Now, heaven help [Exeunt severally.

a-and lead him out.] In the folio the scene concludes here.

(1) Old text, subscribe.