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pew; fet ratsbane by his porridge; made him proud of heart, to ride on a bay trotting-horse over four-inch`d bridges, to courfe his own fhadow for a traitor :-Bless thy five wits! Tom's a-cold.—O, do de, do de, do de.— Blefs thee from whirlwinds, star-blasting, and taking! Do poor Tom fome charity, whom the foul fiend vexes: There could I have him now,-and there,-and there,— and there again, and there. [Storm continues.

Lear. What, have his daughters brought him to this

pafs?

Could'ft thou fave nothing? Did❜ft thou give them all? Fool. Nay, he reserved a blanket, else we had been all fhamed.

Lear. Now, all the plagues that in the pendulous air Hang fated o'er men's faults, light on thy daughters! Kent. He hath no daughters, fir.

Lear. Death, traitor! nothing could have fubdu'd nature
To fuch a lownefs, but his unkind daughters.-
Is it the fashion, that discarded fathers

Should have thus little mercy on their flesh?
Judicious punishment! 'twas this flesh begot
Those pelican daughters.

Edg. Pillicock fat on pillicock's-hill ;—
Halloo, halloo, loo, loo!

Fool. This cold night will turn us all to fools and mad

men.

Edg. Take heed o' the foul fiend: Obey thy parents; keep thy word justly; fwear not; commit not with man's fworn spouse; fet not thy fweet heart on proud array:

Tom's a-cold.

Lear. What haft thou been?

Edg. A ferving man, proud in heart and mind; that curl'd my hair; wore gloves in my cap, ferved the luft of my mistress's heart, and did the act of darkness with

her;

her; fwore as many oaths as I fpake words, and broke them in the sweet face of heaven: one, that flept in the contriving of luft, and waked to do it: Wine loved I deeply; dice dearly; and in woman, out-paramour'd the Turk: False of heart, light of ear, bloody of hand; Hog in floth, fox in stealth, wolf in greediness, dog in madnefs, lion in prey. Let not the creaking of fhoes, nor the ruftling of filks, betray thy poor heart to women: Keep thy foot out of brothels, thy hand out of plackets, thy pen from lenders' books, and defy the foul fiend.— Still through the hawthorn blows the cold wind: Says fuum, mun, ha no nonny, dolphin my boy, my boy, feffa; let him trot by. [ftorm continues.

Lear. Why, thou were better in thy grave, than to answer with thy uncover d body this extremity of the fkies.-Is man no more than this? Confider him well: Thou owest the worm no filk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume :-Ha! here's three of us are sophisticated!-Thou art the thing itself: unaccommodated man is no more but fuch a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art.-Off, off, you lendings: Come; unbutton here.[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 spark, all the rest of his body cold.-Look, here comes a walking fire.

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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;

He met the night mare, and her nine fold;

Bid

Bid her alight,
And her troth plight,

And, aroint thee, witch, aroint thee!

Kent. How fares your grace?

Enter GLOSTER, with a torch.

Lear. What's he?

Kent. Who's there? What is't you seek?
Glo. What are you there? Your names?

Edg. Poor Tom; that eats the fwimming frog, the toad, the tadpole, the wall-newt, and the water; that in the fury of his heart, when the foul fiend rages, eats cowdung for fallets; swallows the old rat, and the ditch-dog; drinks the green mantle of the standing pool; who is whipp'd from tything to tything, and stock'd, punish'd, and imprison'd; who hath had three suits to his back, fix fhirts to his body, horse to ride, and weapon to wear,— But mice, and rats, and such small deer, Have been Tom's food for seven long year.

Beware my follower:-Peace, Smolkin; peace, thou fiend!
Glo. What, hath your grace no better company?
Edg. The prince of darkness is a gentleman;

Modo he's call'd, and Mahu.

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

Edg. Poor Tom's a-cold.

Glo. Go in with me; my duty cannot suffer
To obey in all your daughters' hard commands:
Though 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 philosopher :-
What is the cause of thunder?

Kent.

Kent. Good my lord, take his offer;

Go into the house.

Lear. I'll talk a word with this fame learned Theban:

What is your study?

Edg. How to prevent the fiend, and to kill vermin.
Lear. Let me ask you one word in private.

Kent. Importune him once more to go, my lord,
His wits begin to unsettle.

Glo.
Can't thou blame him?
His daughters feek his death:-Ah, that good Kent!-
He faid it would be thus:-Poor banish'd man!-
Thou fay'ft, the king grows mad; I'll tell thee, friend,
I am almost mad myself: I had a fon,

Now outlaw'd from my blood; he fought my life,
But lately, very late; I lov'd him, friend,—

No father his fon dearer: true to tell thee,

[Storm continues. The grief hath craz'd my wits. What a night's this! I do beseech your grace,—

Lear.

O, cry you mercy,

Noble philofopher, your company.

Edg. Tom's a-cold.

Glo. In, fellow, there, to the hovel: keep thee warm. Lear. Come, let's in all.

Kent.

Lear.

This way, my lord.

With him;

I will keep ftill with my philosopher.

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

Glo. Take him you on.

Kent. Sirrah, come on; go along with us.

Lear. Come, good Athenian.

Glo.

Hufh.

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Edg. Child Rowland to the dark tower came,
His word was ftill,-Fie, foh, and fum,

I fmell the blood of a British man.

SCENE V.

A Room in GLOSTER'S Caftle.

Enter CORNWALL and EDMUND.

[Exeunt.

Corn. I will have my revenge, ere I depart his house. Edm. How, my lord, I may be cenfured, 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, 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 treafon were not, or not I the detector!

Corn. Go with me to the duchefs.

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 Glofter. Seek out where thy father is, that he may be ready for our apprehenfion.

Edm. [Afide.] If I find him comforting the king, it will ftuff his fufpicion more fully.-I will perfevere in my course of loyalty, though the conflict be fore between that and my blood.

Corn. I will lay trust upon thee; and thou shalt find a dearer father in my love.

9

[Exeunt.

SCENE

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