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 SCEN E XVI. t Gon. Do you mark that, my lord? Alb. I cannot be fo partial, Gonerill, To the great love I bear you, X Gon. "Pray you, w be content. * What, Ofwald, ho!You, yfir, more knave than fool, after your mafter. [To the 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 slaughter, 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, He may enguard his dotage with their powers, d And hold our lives at mercy. Ofwald, I say. All but the qu's omit my lord. u The qu's read come, fir, no more, for pray you, be content. w Be is not in the fo's; R. first it in. puts * The qu's omit what, Ofwald, to! y The qu's omit sir. All but the qu's omit and. a The qu's omit thee. b What is in italic is omitted in the qu's. c H. reads is't for 'tis. The fo's and R. read in for at. Gon. 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. |
