ear. I'll tell thee--Life and death! I am afham'd That thou haft power to shake my manhood thus; [To Gon. That these hot tears, which break from me perforce, Should make thee worth them.-Blafts and fogs upon thee! Th' untented woundings of a father's curfe

• Pierce every f sense about thee! Old fond eyes, Beweep this cause again, I'll pluck 1 ye out, And caft you, with the waters that 1 you I make, To temper clay. m Ha!" is it come to this? * Let it be fo: P I have another daughter, Who, I am fure is kind and comfortable; When the fhall hear this of thee with her nails She'll flay thy wolfifh vifage. Thou shalt find, That I'll refume the fhape, which thou doft think I have caft off for ever. • Thou shalt I warrant thee. [Exeunt Lear and attendants.

The qu's read that for which.

The qu's read Showld make the worst blafts and fogs upon the untented

(ad q. antender, fo P.) woundings, &c.

eThe ad q. read peruse for pierce.

f W. reads fence.

The qu's read the old fond eyes, &c.

So the qu's, ift f. T. W. and J. the other fo's beweep thee once again;

R. P. and H. beweep her once again.

i The qu's read you for ye.

* The qu's read you caft for caft you.

So the qu's; the 1ft and ad fo's loose for make; the rest lose.

The qu's read yea for ha!

The 1ft q. reads is't for is it. The fo's and R. omit is it come a this ?

The qu's omit let it be fo.

P The qu's read yet have I left a daughter.

The qu's read flay; all the reft flea.

So T. W. and J. the rest wolvish.

• All but the qu's omit thou shalt I warrant thee.

SCENE

SCENE

t

Gon. Do you mark that, my lord?
Alb. I cannot be fo partial, Gonerill,

To the great love I bear you,

X

XVI.

Gon. "Pray you, w be content. What, Ofwald, ho!-You, yfir, more knave than fool, after your mafter. [To the

2

fool. Fool. Nuncle Lear, nuncle Lear, tarry, and take the fool with a thee.

A fox, when one has caught her,

And fuch a daughter,

Should fure to the flaughter,

If my cap would buy a halter;

So the fool follows after.

[Exit.

↳ Gon. This man hath had good counsel.— A hundred knights! 'Tis politic, and fafe, to let him keep

At point a hundred knights; yes, that on ev'ry dream,
Each buz, each fancy, each complaint, dislike,

He may enguard his dotage with their powers,
And hold our lives at mercy. Ofwald, I fay.
Alb. Well, you may fear too far.

All but the qu's omit my lord.

u The qu's read come, fir, no more, for pray you, be content.

Be is not in the fo's; R. firft puts it in.

* The qu's omit what, Ofwald, ho!

1

Gon. Safer than truft too far.

Let me fill take away the harms I fear,

Not fear ftill to be

taken. I know his heart! What he hath utter'd, I have writ my fifter; If fbe fuftain him and his hundred knights, When I have fhew'd th' unfitness—

8 How now, Ofwald?

Enter Steward.

What, have you writ that letter to my fifter?

Stew. h Yes, madam.

i

Gon. Take you fome company, and away to horfe;

Inform her full of my particular fears,

And thereto add fuch reafons of your own,

I There is no word in the place of go in either qu's, fo's, or R.; P. puts

fo; followed by the rest.

For haften the ad q. reads after.

The qu's read now, my lord, &c.

• All the editions read this milky (ad q. mildie) gentleness and course, &ca So that the alteration in the text is conjectural.

r

Though I condemn 9 not, yet under your pardon,. s You are much more at task for want of wisdom, Than w prais'd for harmless mildness.

Alb. How far your eyes may pierce, I cannot tell; y Striving to better, oft we mar what's well.

Gon. Nay, then

Alb. Well, well, th' event.

[Exeunt.

SCENE

XVII.

A court-yard belonging to the Duke of Albany's palace.

Enter, Lear, Kent, a Gentleman, and Fool.

Lear. [to a Gentleman.] Go you before to Glofter with thefe letters. You with this to my daughter Regan. [to Kent.] 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 before you.

P The qu's read dislike for condemn.

9 After condemn, P. and all after read it.

Your is conjectural, being in none of the editions.

s The 1ft f. reads your are, &c.

For at task the ift q. reads attakt; which perhaps Shakespear might have written, meaning thereby call'd to task. The ad q. reads alapt for at task.

w The qu's read praife.

So R. P. and H. the reft read harmful.

The qu's read striving to better ought, we mar, &c.

z This description of the scene first given by T. followed by W. and J.

a The qu's omit, the rest add Gentleman after Kent: and rightly: for it

is plain the letter to Regan was fent by Kent; thofe to Glo'fter by another: the order to Kent is left out; I have therefore fupplied it.

So the qu's; all the rest afore.

Kent.

Kent. I will not fleep, my lord, till I have delivered your letter.

[Exit.

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

Fool. Then I pr'ythee, be merry, thy wit fhall not go flipfhod.

Lear. Ha, ha, ha.

Fool. Shalt fee, thy other daughter will ufe thee kindly; for though fhe's as like this as a crab's like an apple, yet I can tell what I can tell.

Lear. Why what can'ft thou tell, my boy?

Fool. She will tafte as like this, as a crab does to a crab. Thou can'ft not tell why one's nofe ftands i'th' middle i of one's face?

Lear. No.

Fool. Why to k keep one's eyes of either fide one's nose, that what a man cannot fmell out, he may spy into.

Lear. I did her wrong

Fool. Can'ft tell how an oyfter makes his fhell?

Lear. No.

Fool. Nor I neither; but I can tell why a fnail has a house. Lear. Why?

< P. alters this to brain; followed by all after.

The 1ft q. reads where.

The qu's read nere for not.

f The qu's read I con what I can tell.

So the qu's; the rest what can't tell, boy?

So the qu's; the 1ft and ad fo's thou can't tell, &c. the 3d f. and all

after can't thou tell, &c.

i The qu's read of his face; the fo's and R. on's face.

The qu's read keep his eyes on either fide his nofe, &c.

! The fo's read fide's nofe, &c.