GON. This man hath had good counsel:a-a hundred knights! 'Tis politic and safe to let him keep

At point a hundred knights: yes, that on every dream,
Each buz, each fancy, each complaint, dislike,
He may enguard his dotage with their powers,
And hold our lives in mercy.-Oswald, I say!-
ALB. Well, you may fear too far.

Safer than trust too far:

GON.
Let me still take away the harms I fear,
Not fear still to be taken: I know his heart.
What he hath utter'd I have writ my sister;
If she sustain him and his hundred knights,
When I have show'd the unfitness,—

How now, Oswald?

Re-enter OSWALD.

What, have you writ that letter to my sister?

Osw. Ay, madam.

GON. Take you some company, and away to horse;

Inform her full of my particular fear;

And thereto add such reasons of your own,

As may compact it more. Get you gone;

And hasten your return.-[Exit Osw.] No, no, my lord,
This milky gentleness and course of yours

Though I condemn not, yet, under pardon,

You are much more attask'd* for want of wisdom,

Than prais'd for harmful mildness.

ALB. How far your eyes may pierce, I cannot tell;

Striving to better, oft we mar what's well.

GON. Nay, then

ALB. Well, well; the event.

SCENE V.-Court before the same.

Enter LEAR, KENT, and Fool.

[Exeunt.

LEAR. Go you before to Gloster with these letters; acquaint my daughter no further with any thing you know, than comes from her demand out of the letter. If your diligence be not speedy, I shall be there afore you.

KENT. I will not sleep, my lord, till I have delivered your letter.

[Exit.

FOOL. If a man's brains were in 's heels, were 't not in danger of kibes?

LEAR. Ay, boy.

FOOL. Then, I pr'ythee, be merry; thy wit shall not go slip-shod. LEAR. Ha, ha, ha!

(*) First folio, at task.

This man hath had good counsel:-] This and what follows down to the entrance of Oswald, are not in the quartos.

FOOL. Shalt see thy other daughter will use thee kindly:a for though she's as like this as a crab's like an apple, yet I can tell what I can tell.

LEAR. What canst tell, boy?

FOOL. She will taste as like this, as a crab does to a crab. Thou canst tell why one's nose stands i' the middle on's face?

LEAR. NO.

FOOL. Why, to keep one's eyes of either side his nose; that what a man cannot smell out, he may spy into.

LEAR. I did her wrong. Indelia

FOOL. Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell ?

LEAR. NO.

FOOL. Nor I neither; but I can tell why a snail has a house.
LEAR. Why?

FOOL. Why, to put his head in; not to give it away to his daughters, and leave his horns without a case.

LEAR. I will forget my nature.-So kind a father!-Be my horses ready?

FOOL. Thy asses are gone about 'em. The reason why the seven stars are no more than seven, is a pretty reason.

LEAR. Because they are not eight?

FOOL. Yes, indeed: thou wouldst make a good fool.

LEAR. To take 't again perforce!-Monster ingratitude!

FOOL. If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I'd have thee beaten for being Sold before thy time.

LEAR. How's that?

FOOL. Thou shouldst not have been old, before* thou hadst been wise.

LEAR. O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven! Keep me in temper; I would not be mad!

Enter Gentleman.

How now! Are the horses ready?

GENT. Ready, my lord.

LEAR. Come, boy.

FOOL. She that's a maid now, and laughs at my departure, Shall not be a maid long, unless things be cut shorter.

[Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE I.-A Court within the Castle of the Earl of Gloucester. Enter EDMUND and CURAN, meeting.

EDM. Save thee, Curan.

First folio, till.

thy other daughter will use thee kindly:] Kindly is here used, as Malone pointed out, with the double meaning of affectionately, and after her nature, or kind.

*

CUR. And you, sir. I have been with your father, and given him notice that the duke of Cornwall and Regan his duchess will be here with him this night.

EDM. How comes that?

CUR. Nay, I know not. You have heard of the news abroad,-I mean the whispered ones, for they are yet but ear-kissing arguments? EDM. Not I; pray you, what are they?

CUR. Have you heard of no likely wars toward, 'twixt the dukes of Cornwall and Albany?

EDM. Not a word.

CUR. You may do, then, in time. Fare you well, sir.
EDM. The duke be here to-night? The better! best!
This weaves itself perforce into my business.
My father hath set guard to take my brother;'
And I have one thing, of a queasy question,

Which I must act :-briefness and fortune, work!—
Brother, a word;-descend :-brother, I say!-

Enter EDGAR.

My father watches:-O, sir, fly this place;
Intelligence is given where you are hid;
You have now the good advantage of the night:-
Have you not spoken 'gainst the duke of Cornwall?
He's coming hither; now, i' the night, i' the haste,
And Regan with him; have you nothing said
Upon his party 'gainst the duke of Albany?
Advise yourself.

EDG.

I am sure on 't, not a word.
EDM. I hear my father coming,-pardon me ;
In cunning I must draw my sword upon you:-
Draw: seem to defend yourself: now quit you well.-
Yield:-come before my father.-Light, ho, here!-
Fly, brother.-Torches! torches !-So, farewell.—
Some blood drawn on me would beget opinion
Of my more fierce endeavour: I have seen drunkards
Do more than this in sport.-Father! father!
Stop, stop! No help?

[Exit,

[Exit EDGAR [Wounds his arm.

Enter GLOUCESTER, and Servants with torches.

GLO. Now, Edmund, where's the villain?

EDM. Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out, Mumbling of wicked charms, cónjuring the moon

To stand auspicious mistress,

GLO.

EDM. Look, sir, I bleed.
GLO.

But where is he?

Where is the villain, Edmund?

EDM. Fled this way, sir. When by no means he could

(*) First folio, your.

GLO. Pursue him, ho!-Go after.-[Exeunt some Servants.] By no

means, what?

EDM. Persuade me to the murder of your lordship;

But that I told him, the revenging gods

'Gainst parricides did all their thunders* bend;
Spoke, with how manifold and strong a bond
The child was bound to the father;-sir, in fine,
Seeing how loathly opposite I stood

To his unnatural purpose, in fell motion
With his prepared sword, he charges home
My unprovided body, lanc'd† mine arm :
But when he saw my best alarum'd spirits,

Bold in the quarrel's right, rous'd to the encounter,
Or whether gasted by the noise I made,

Full suddenly he fled.

GLO.

Let him fly far:

Not in this land shall he remain uncaught;

And found-despatch!-The noble duke my master,
My worthy arch and patron, comes to-night:

By his authority I will proclaim it,

That he which finds him shall deserve our thanks,
Bringing the murderous coward to the stake;
He that conceals him, death.

EDM. When I dissuaded him from his intent,
And found him pight" to do it, with curste speech
I threaten'd to discover him: he replied,

Thou unpossessing bastard! dost thou think,
If I would stand against thee, would the reposal
Of any trust, virtue, or worth, in thee

Make thy words faith'd? No: what I should§ deny,
(As this I would; ay,|| though thou didst produce
My very character) I'd turn it all

To thy suggestion, plot, and damned practice:
And thou must make a dullard of the world,
If they not thought the profits of my death
Were very pregnant and potential spurs ¶

To make thee seek it.
GLO.

First folio, the thunder.

First folio, And.

First folio omits, ay.

(t) First folio, latch'd.
($) First folio, should I.
First folio, spirits.

(**) First folio, O strange.

• But when, &c.] "When" is very probably a misprint for whêr, or whether. gasted-] Gasted, or ghasted, means affrighted, dismayed.

And found-despatch!-] Warburton reads, " And found, dispatch'd;" as also does Mr. Collier's annotator; but the old text is right. Thus, in "Blurt, Master Constable," Act V. Sc. 1,

d

"There to find Fontinelle: found, to kill him."

pight to do it,-] Pight is fixed, settled.

curst speech-] Harsh, bitter speech.

character-] That is, hand-writing.

*

Would he deny his letter?-I never got him.-a [Trumpets without.
Hark, the duke's trumpets! I know not why he comes.-
All ports I'll bar; the villain shall not 'scape;
The duke must grant me that: besides, his picture
I will send far and near, that all the kingdom
May have due note of him; and of my land,
Loyal and natural boy, I'll work the means
To make thee capable.

Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, and Attendants.
CORN. How now, my noble friend! since I came hither,
(Which I can call but now) I have heard strange news.†
REG. If it be true, all vengeance comes too short,
Which can pursue the offender. How dost, my
GLO. O, madam, my old heart is crack'd,-it's crack'd!
REG. What, did my father's godson seek your life?

He whom my father nam'd? your Edgar?

GLO. O, lady, lady, shame would have it hid!

lord?

REG. Was he not companion with the riotous knights
That tend upon my
father?

GLO. I know not, madam: 't is too bad, too bad.-
EDM. Yes, madam, he was of that consort.

REG. No marvel then, though he were ill affected;
'Tis they have put him on the old man's death,
To have the waste and spoil" of his revenues.

I have this present evening from my sister

Been well inform'd of them; and with such cautions
That if they come to sojourn at my house,

I'll not be there.

CORN.
Nor I, assure thee, Regan.-
Edmund, I hear that have shown your
you

father

GLO. He did bewray his practice; and receiv'd This hurt you see, striving to apprehend him.

CORN. Is he pursu'd?

GLO.

Ay, my good lord.

CORN. If he be taken, he shall never more

Be fear'd of doing harm: make your own purpose,
How in my strength you please. For you, Edmund,

Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant

So much commend itself, you shall be ours;

(*) First folio, wher.

(†) First folio, strangenesse.

(+) First folio, tended.

I never got him.-] The folio reads,

"Would he deny his Letter, said he ?"

b- the waste and spoil-] So the first quarto; the second reads, "-these-and waste;" all the other ancient er pies. "-th' expence and wast."