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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 fame.

Enter LEAR, KENT, and Fool:

[Exeunt.

Lear. Go you before to Glofter 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 fhall be there before you 3. Kent. I will not fleep, my lord, till I have delivered your letter.

[Exit. Fool. If a man's brains were in his heels, were't not in danger of kibes?

Lear. Ay, boy.

Fool. Then, I pr'ythee, be merry; thy wit fhall not go flip-fhod.

Lear. Ha, ha, ha!

Fool. Shalt fee, thy other daughter will use thee kindly:

2 Striving to better, oft we mar what's well.] So, in our authour's 103d Sonnet:

3

"Were it not finful then, ftriving to mend,

"To mar the fubject that before was well ?" MALONE. there before you.] He feems to intend to go to his daughter, but it appears afterwards that he is going to the houfe of Glofter. JOHNSON.

The word there in this fpeech fhews, that when the king lays, “Go you before to Glofter," he means the town of Glofter, which, as Mr; Tyrwhitt has obferved, Shakspeare chose to make the refidence of the duke of Cornwall and Regan, in order to give a probability to their fetting out late from thence, on a vifit to the earl of Glofter, whofe caftle our poet conceived to be in the neighbourhood of that city. Our old English earls usually refided in the counties from whence they took their titles. Lear, not finding his fon-in-law and his wife at home, follows them to the earl of Glofter's caftle, See Mr. Tyrwhitt's note, P. 557, n. 7. MALONE.

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for though fhe's as like this as a crab is like an apple, yet I can tell what I can tell.

Lear. Why, what can't thou tell, my boy 3?

Fool. She will tafte as like this, as a crab does to a crab. Thou canst tell, why one's nose stands i' the middle of his face?

Lear. No.

Fool. Why, to keep his eyes on either fide his nofe; that what a man cannot smell out, he may spy into. Lear. I did her wrong+:

Fool. Can't tell how an oyster makes his shell?
Lear. No.

Fool. Nor I neither; but I can tell why a fnail 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 cafe.

Lear. I will forget my nature.-So kind a father!Be my horfes ready?

Fool. Thy affes are gone about 'em. The reason why the seven stars are no more than feven, is a pretty reason. Lear. Because they are not eight?

Fool. Yes, indeed: Thou would't make a good fool. Lear. To take it again perforce !-Monfter ingratitude!

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

Lear. How's that?

Fool. Thou fhould'st not have been old, before thou hadft been wife.

Lear. O, let me not be mad, not mad, fweet heaven! Keep me in temper; I would not be mad!—

3 Why, what canft thou tell, my boy ?] So the quartos. The folio reads-What canit tell, boy? MALONE.

4 I did her wrong:-] He is mufing on Cordelia. JOHNSON.

5 To take it again perforce !] He is meditating on the resumption of his royalty. JOHNSON.

He is rather meditating on his daughter's having in fo violent a marner deprived him of thofe privileges which before the had agreed to grant him. STEEVENS,

Enter

Enter Gentleman.

How now! Are the horses ready?

Gent. Ready, my lord.

Lear. Come, boy.

Fool. She that is maid now, and laughs at my departure,

Shall not be a maid long, unless things be cut fhorter.

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[Exeunt.

SCENE I.

A Court within the Caftle of the earl of Glofter.
Enter EDMUND, and CURAN, meeting.

Edm. Save thee, Curan.

Cur. And you, fir. I have been with your father; and given him notice, that the duke of Cornwall, and Regan his dutchess, will be here with him to-night. Edm. How comes that?

Cur. Nay, I know not: You have heard of the news abroad; I mean, the whisper'd ones, for they are yet but ear-kiffing 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 then, in time. Fare you well, fir. [Exit. Edm. The duke be here to-night? The better! Beft! This weaves itself perforce into my business!

my brother;
My father hath set guard to take
And I have one thing, of a queazy queftion',

Which

5-ear-kiffing arguments ] Ear-kiffing arguments means that they

are yet in reality only whisper'd ones.

STEEVENS.

6 Cur.] This and the following speech, are omitted in one of the quartos. STEEVENS.

7 - -queazy question,] Something of a fufpicious, questionable, and This is, I think, the meaning. JOHNSON. uncertain nature.

Queazy,

Which I must act :-Briefness, and fortune, work!
Brother, a word;-defcend:-Brother, I fay;
Enter EDGAR,

My father watches:-O fir, 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 faid
Upon his party 'gainst the duke of Albany??
Advise yourself,

Edg. I am fure on't, not a word.

Edm. I hear my father coming,-Pardon me :In cunning, I muft draw my fword upon you :Draw: Seem to defend yourself: Now quit you well. Yield: come before my father;-Light, ho, here!Fly, brother ;-Torches! torches !-So, farewel.

[Exit Edgar,

Some blood drawn on me would beget opinion

[wounds his arm; Of my more fierce endeavour: I have feen drunkards Do more than this in fport.-Father! father! Stop, ftop! No help?

Enter GLOSTER, and Servants with torches, Glo. Now, Edmund, where's the villain?

Edm. Here food he in the dark, his sharp fword out,

Queazy, I believe, rather means delicate, what requires to be handled nicely. So, Ben Jonfon, in Sejanus:

"Thofe times are fomewhat queasy to he touch'd.

"Have you not feen or read part of his book?

Again, in Much Ado about nothing:

"Defpight of his quick wit, and queazy ftomach." STEEV. 8 - the bafte,] I fhould fuppofe we ought to read only in bafte; the being repeated accidentally by the compofitor. STEEVENS. bave you nothing faid

bave

Upon bis party 'gainst the duke of Albany ?] The meaning is, you faid nothing upon the party formed by bim against the duke of Albany? HANMER.

I cannot but think the line corrupted, and would read:
Against his party, for the duke of Albany? JOHNSON.

Mumbling

Mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon *
To ftand his aufpicious miftrefs:-

Glo. But where is he?

Edm. Look, fir, I bleed.

Glo. Where is the villain, Edmund ?

Edm. Fled this way, fir. When by no means he couldGlo. Purfue him, ho!-Go after. [Exit Servant.] By no means,-what?

Edm. Perfuade me to the murder of your lordship; But that I told him, the revenging gods

'Gaint parricides did all their thunders bend;
Spoke, with how manifold and ftrong a bond

The child was bound to the father;-Sir, in fine,
Seeing how lothly oppofite I ftood

To his unnatural purpose, in fell motion,
With his prepared fword, he charges home
My unprovided body, lanc'd mine arm:
But when he faw my beft alarum'd fpirits,

Bold in the quarrel's right, rous'd to the encounter,
Or whether gafted by the noise I made,
Full fuddenly he fled.

Glo. Let him fly far:

Not in this land fhall he remain uncaught;

And found-Dispatch 4.-The noble duke my mafter, My worthy arch and patron, comes to-night:

By

1 Mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon-] This was a proper circumstance to urge to Glofter; who appears, by what paffed between him and his baftard fon in a foregoing fcene, to be very superftitious with regard to this matter. WARBURTON.

The quartos read, warbling instead of mumbling. STEEVENS.

2

conjuring the moon

To ftand his aufpicious miftrefs:-] So, in All's well that ends well:
And fortune play upon thy profperous helm,

"As tby aufpicious miftrefs." MALONE.

their thunders-] First quarto; the reft have it, the thunder.

3-gafted-] Frighted. JOHNSON.

JOHNSON.

either

So, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Wit at fever al Weapons: " the fight of the lady has gafted him, or elfe he's drunk." STEEVENS. 4 Not in this land fhall be remain uncaught;

And found-Dispatch.] The fenfe is interrupted. He shall caught and found, he shall be punished. Difpatch. JOHNSON. 5- arch-] i. e. Chief; a word now ufed only in compofition, as

arch

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