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curious tale in telling it, and deliver a plain meffage bluntly. That which ordinary men are fit for, I am qualify'd in; and the best of me is diligence.

Lear. How old art thou?

Kent. Not fo young, Sir, to love a woman for finging; nor fo old, to doat on her for any thing. I have years on my back forty-eight.

Lear. Follow me, thou fhalt ferve me; if I like thee no worse after dinner, I will not part from thee yet. Dinner, ho, dinner-Where's my knave? my fool?

Enter Steward.

Go you, and call my fool hither. You, you, firrah, where's my daughter? Stew. So please you

[Exit: Lear. What fays the fellow there? Call the clodpoll back.-Where's my fool, ho?—I think, the world's afleep. How now? where's that mungrel ?

Knight. He fays, my Lord, your daughter is not well.

Lear. Why came not the flave back to me when I call'd him?

Knight. Sir, he answer'd me in the roundest manner, he would not.

Lear. He would not?

Knight. My Lord, I know not what he matter is, but, to my Judgment, your Highness is not entertain'd with that ceremonious affection as you were wont; there's a great abatement of kin nefs appears as well in the general dependants, as in te Duke himfelf also, and your daughter.

Lear. Ha! fay'ft thou fo?

Knight. I beseech you, pardon me, my Lord, if I be mistaken; for my duty cannot be filent, when I think your Highness is wrong'd.

Lear. Thoy but remember'ft me of my own conception. I have perceived a most faint neglect of late, VOL. VI.

D

which

which I have rather blamed as my own jealous curiofity, than as a very pretence and purpose of unkindness; I will look further into't. But where's my fool? I have not seen him these two days.

Knight. Since my young lady's going into France, Sir, the fool hath much pin'd away.

Lear. No more of that, I have noted it well. Go you and tell my daughter, I would fpeak with her. Go you, call hither my fool.

Enter Steward.

O, you, Sir, come you hither, Sir; who am I, Sir? Stew. My lady's father.

Lear. My lady's father? my Lord's knave! you whorefon dog, you flave, you cur.

Stew. I am none of thefe, my Lord; I befeech your pardon.

Lear. Do you bandy looks with me, you rafcal?

[Striking him:

Stew. I'll not be ftruck, my Lord.
Kent. Nor tript neither, you bafe foot-ball player.

Lear. I thank thee, fellow.

I'll love thee.

[Tripping up his heels. Thou ferv'ft me, and

you

Kent. Come, Sir, arife, away. I'll teach differences. Away, away; if you will measure your lubber's length again, tarry again; but away, go to, have you wisdom? fo.- [Pufbes the Steward out.

Lear. Now, my friendly knave, I thank thee. There's earnest of thy fervice.

[Giving money.

SCENE

2

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Fool. Let me hire him too. Here's my coxcomb.
[Giving Kent his cap.
Lear. How now, my pretty knave? how do'ft thou?
Fool. Sirrah, you were beft take my coxcomb.
Kent. Why, my boy?

Fool. Why? for taking one's part, that is out of favour. Nay, an thou canst not smile as the wind fits, thou'lt catch cold fhortly. There, 'take my coxcomb. Why, this fellow has banifh'd two of his daughters, and did the third a bleffing againft his will; if thou follow him, thou muft needs wear my coxcomb. How now, nuncle? Would I had two coxcombs, and two daughters.

Lear. Why, my boy?

Fool. If I give them all my living, I'll keep my coxcombs myfelf. There's mine, beg another of thy daughters.

Lear. Take heed, Sirrah, the whip.

Fool. Truth's a dog muft to kennel; he must be whip'd out, when the lady brach may ftand by th' fire and ftink.

Lear. A peftilent gall to me.

Fool. Sirrah, I'll teach thee a speech.
Lear. Do.

Fool. Mark it, nuncle.

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[To Kent.

denote a vain conceited meddling fellow. WARBURTON.

4 two coxcombs,] Two fools caps, intended, as it feems, to mark double folly in the man that gives all to his daughters.

Have

Have more than thou showest,
Speak lefs than thou knoweft,

Lend less than thou owest,
Ride more than thou goeft,
"Learn more than thou troweft,
Set less than thou throweft,
Leave thy drink and thy whore,
And keep within door,
And thou fhalt have more
Than two tens to a score.

Kent. This is nothing, fool.

Fool. Then it is like the breath of an unfee'd lawyer, you gave me nothing for't. Can you make no ufe of nothing, nuncle?

Lear. Why, no, boy; nothing can be made out of nothing.

Fool. Pr'ythee, tell him, fo much the rent of his land comes to. He will not believe a fool. [To Kent.

Lear. A bitter fool!

Fool. Doft thou know the difference, my boy, between a bitter fool and a fweet one?

Lear. No, lad, teach me.

6

Fool. That Lord, that counfel'd thee to give away thy Land,

Come, place him here by me! do thou for him ftand;
The fweet and bitter Fool will presently appear,
The one, in motley here; the other, found out there.
Lear. Doft thou call me fool, boy?

Fool. All thy other titles thou haft given away; that thou waft born with.

Lend less than thou oreft,] That is, do not lend all that thou haft. To owe in Old English is to poffs. If owe be taken for to be in debt, the more prudent precept would be,

Lend more than thou oweft. 5 Learn more than thou trouveft,] To trow, is an old word which

fignifies to believe.
cept is admirable.

The pre-
WARB.

This dialogue, from No, lad, teach me, down to, Give me an egg, was reftored from the first edition by Mr. Theobald. It is omitted in the folio, perhaps for political reafons, as it feemed to cenfure monopolies.

Kent.

Kent. This is not altogether fool, my Lord.

Fool. No, faith; Lords, and great men will not let me; if I had a monopoly on't, they would have part on't: nay, the Ladies too, they'll not let me have all fool to my felf, they'll be fnatching.

Give me an egg, nuncle, and I'll give thee two crowns, Lear. What two crowns fhall they be?

Fool. Why, after I have cut the egg i'th'middle and eat up the meat, the two crowns of the egg. When thou cloveft thy Crown i'th'middle and gav'ft away both parts, thou bor'ft thine afs on thy back o'er the dirt. Thou hadst little wit in thy bald crown, when thou gav'ft thy golden crown away. If I fpeak like mylelf in this, let him be whip'd that firft finds it fo. Fools ne'er bad lefs grace in a year, For wife men are grown foppif; And know not how their wits to wear, Their manners are fo apifh.

[Singing,

Lear. When were you won't to be fo full of fongs, firrah?

Fool. I have used it, nuncle, e'er fince thou mad'st thy daughters thy mothers; for when thou gav't them the rod, and put'st down thy own breeches,

Then they for fudden joy did weep,
And I for forrow fung,

That fuch a King should play bo-peep,

And go the fools among.

[Singing

Pr'ythee, nuncle, keep a fchool-mafter that can teach thy fool to lye; I would fain learn to lye.

7 If I had a monopoly on't, they would have a part on't:] A fatire on the grofs abuses of monopolies at that time; and the corruption and avarice of the courtiers, who commonly went fhares with the patentee.

WARB. 8 Fools ne'er bad lefs grace in a

D 3

year,] There never was a time when fools were lefs in favour, and the reafon is, that they were never fo little wanted, for wife men now fupply their place. Such I think is the meaning. The old edition has wit for grace.

Lear.

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