SCENE V. A Room in Gloster's Castle. Enter CORNWALL and EDMUND. Corn. I will have my revenge, ere I depart his house. Edm. 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 persevere 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 GLOSTER, 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 has given way to his impatience. The gods reward your kindness! Edg. Frateretto calls me; and tells me, Nero is an angler in the lake of darkness. Pray, innocent", and beware the foul fiend. Fool. Pr'ythee, nuncle, tell me, whether a madman be a gentleman, or a yeoman? Lear. A king, a king! 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. Lear. To have a thousand with red burning spits Come hizzing+ in upon them: Edg. The foul fiend bites my back. 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? 7 Pray, innocent,] Perhaps he is here addressing the fool. Fools were anciently called innocents. +"whizzing"- MALONE. 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: Thou robed man of justice, take thy place; - Bring in the evi [TO EDGAR. [To the Fool. Bench by his side:- You are of the commission, Sit you too. Edg. Let us deal justly. [TO KENT. And thou, his yoke-fellow of equity, 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. Pur! the cat is grey. Lear. Arraign her first; 'tis Goneril. I here take my oath before this honourable assembly, she kicked the poor king her father. Fool. Come hither, mistress; Is your name Goneril? Lear. She cannot deny it. Fool. Cry you mercy, I took you for a joint-stool. Lear. And here's another, whose warp'd looks proclaim 8 Come o'er the bourn,-] A bourn in the north signifies a rivulet or brook. Arms, arms, sword, fire! - Corruption in the place! False justicer, why hast thou let her 'scape? Edg. Bless thy five wits! Kent. O pity!-Sir, where is the patience now, That you so oft have boasted to retain ? Edg. My tears begin to take his part so much, They'll mar my counterfeiting. Lear. The little dogs and all, [Aside. 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, Do de, de, de. Sessa. Come, march to wakes and fairs, and market towns:- Poor Tom, thy horn is dry. Lear. Then let them anatomize Regan, see what breeds about her heart: Is there any cause in nature, that makes these hard hearts? -You, sir, I entertain you for one of my hundred; only, I do not like the fashion of your garments: you will say, they are Persian attire1; but let them be changed. [To EDGAR. Kent. Now, good my lord, lie here, and rest awhile. Lear. Make no noise, make no noise; draw the curtains: So, so, so: We'll go to supper i'the morning: So, so, so. 9 brach, or lym; &c.] Names of particular sorts of dogs. you will say, they are Persian attire;] Alluding, perhaps, to Clytus refusing the Persian robes offered him by Alexander. Fool. And I'll go to bed at noon. Re-enter GLOSTER. 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; I have o'er-heard a plot of death upon him: There is a litter ready; lay him in't, And drive towards Dover, friend, where thou shalt meet Both welcome and protection. Take up thy master: With thine, and all that offer to defend him, Kent. Oppress'd nature sleeps: This rest might yet have balm'd thy broken senses, Stand in hard cure. Come, help to bear thy master; Thou must not stay behind. Glo. [To the Fool. Come, come, away. [Exeunt KENT, GLOSTER, and the Fool, Edg. When we our betters see bearing our woes, When that, which makes me bend, makes the king bow; 2 free things,] States clear from distress. |