For him attempting who was felf-fubdu’d;
And, in the fleshment of this dread exploit,
Drew on me here again.

Kent. None of these rogues and cowards,
But Ajax is their fool.

Corn. Fetch forth the Stocks.

You ftubborn ancient knave, you rev'rend braggart,
We'll teach you

Kent. Sir, I am too old to learn.

Call not your Stocks for me, I ferve the King;
On whofe imployment I was fent to you.
You fhall do fmall refpect, fhew too bold malice
Against the grace and perfon of my master,
Stocking his meffenger.

Corn. Fetch forth the Stocks;

As I have life and honour, there fhall he fit till noon. Reg. 'Till noon! 'till night, my Lord, and all night too.

Kent. Why, Madam, if I were your father's dog, You could not use me fo.

Reg. Sir, being his knave, I will.

[Stocks brought out. Corn. This is a fellow of the felf-fame nature Our fifter speaks of. Come, bring away the Stocks. Glo. Let me befeech your Grace not to do fo; His fault is much, and the good King his mafter Will check him for't. Your purpos'd low correction Is fuch, as baseft and the meaneft wretches For pilf'rings, and most common trefpaffes, Are punish'd with; the King must take it ill, That he, fo flightly valued in his messenger, Should have him thus reftrain'd.

Corn. I'll anfwer that,

Reg. My Sifter may receive it much more worse, To have her Gentleman abus'd, affaulted,

For following her affairs. Put in his legs

[Kent is put in the Stocks.

Come, my Lord, away. [Exeunt Regan and Cornwall.

SCENE

Glo. I'm forry for thee, friend. 'Tis the Duke's pleasure,

Whofe difpofition, all the world well knows,

Will not be rubb'd nor ftopp'd. i'll intreat for thee. Kent. Pray, do not, Sir. I've watch'd and travell'd hard;

Sometime I fhall fleep out, the rest I'll whistle.
A good man's fortune may grow out at heels.
Give you good morrow.

Glo. The Duke's to blame in this, 'twill be ill taken.

[Exit. Kent. "Good King, that muft approve the common

Saw,

That out of heaven's benediction com'ft

To the warm fun!

Approach, thou beacon to this under-globe,

[Looking up to the moon.

That by thy comfortable beams I may

Perufe this letter. Nothing almoft fees miracles,
But mifery. I know, 'tis from Cordelia,

8

6 Will not be rubb'd nor ftop'd] Metaphor from bowling. WARB.

7 Good King, that must approve the common Saw,] That art now to exemplify the common proverb,

That ut of, &c. That changeft better for worfe. Hanmer obferves, that it is a proverbial faying, applied to those who are turned out of houfe and home to the open weather. It was perhaps first used of men difmiffed from an hofpital, or house of charity, fuch as was erected formerly in ma

[Reading the letter.

Who

ny places for travellers. Those houfes had names properly enough aliuded to by Heaven's Benediction.

I know, 'tis from Cordelia, &c.] This paffage, which fome of the editors have degraded, as fpurious, to the margin, and others have filently altered, I have faithfully printed according to the quarto, from which the folio differs only in punctuation. The paffage is very obfcure, if not corrupt. Perhaps it may be read thus:

Cordelia-has been―informe !.

Of

Who hath most fortunately been inform'd
Of my obfcured courfe, and fhall find time.
From this enormous ftate feeking to give
Loffes their remedies. All weary and o'er watch'd,
Take 'vantage, heavy eyes, not to behold

This fhameful lodging.

Fortune, good night; fmile once more; turn thy wheel.

SCENE

[He fleeps.

VIII.

Changes to a part of a Heath.

Enter Edgar.

Edg. And, by the happy hollow of a tree,

'VE heard myself proclaim'd;

Efcap'd the hunt. No port is free, no place,
That Guard and moft unusual vigilance
Does not attend my taking. Whiles I may 'scape,
I will preferve myself, and am bethought
To take the baseft and the poorest shape,
That ever Penury in contempt of man

Brought near to beaft. My face I'll grime with filth;
Blanket my loins; elfe all my hair in knots;
And with prefented nakedness out-face
The winds, and perfecutions of the sky.
The country gives me proof and precedent
Of bedlam beggars, who, with roaring voices,
Strike in their numb'd and mortify'd bare arms
Pins, wooden pricks, nails, fprigs of rosemary,
And with this horrible object, from low farms,

Of my obfcured courfe, and shall
find t me
From this enormous flate-feeking,

to give

Lees their remedies. Cordelia is informed of our affairs, and when the enormous care of feeking her fortune will

allow her time, fhe will employ it in remedying loffes. This is harsh; perhaps fomething better may be found. I have at leaft fupplied the genuine reading of the old copies. Enormous is unwonted, out of rule, out of the ordinary courfe of things.

Poor

'Poor pelting villages, fheep-cots and mills, Sometimes with lunatick bans, fometimes with pray'rs, 'Poor Turlygood! poor Tom!

Inforce their charity.

2

That's fomething yet. Edgar I nothing am. [Exit.

SCENE

*

IX.

Changes again to the Earl of Glo'fter's Castle.
Enter Lear, Fool, and Gentleman.

Lear.

"TIS

IS ftrange, that they should fo depart from home,

And not fend back my meffenger.

Gent. As I learn'd,

The night before, there was no purpose in them
Of this remove.

Kent. Hail to thee, noble master!

Lear. Ha! mak'ft thou thy fhame thy pastime?
Kent. No, my Lord.

9 Poor pelting villages,] Pelting is ufed by Shakespear in the fenfe of beggarly: I fuppofe from pelt a skin. The poor being generally clothed in leather. WARBURTON.

Pelting is, I believe, only an accidental depravation of petty. Shakespeare afes it in the MidJammer-Night's dream of Small brooks.

Genebrard's account of them. Turlupin Cynicorum fectam fufcitantes, de nuditate pudendorum, & publico coitu. Plainly, nothing but a band of Tom-o'-Bedlams. WARBURTON.

Hanmer reads, poor Turlurù. It is probable the word Turlygood was the common corrupt pronunciation.

2 Edgar I nothing am.] As Edgar I am out-lawed, dead in law; I have no longer any political exiftence.

* Earl of Glo'fter's Caftle.] It is not very clearly discovered why Lear comes hither. In the foregoing part he sent a letter to Glofler, but no hint is given of its contents. He seems to have gone to vifit Glofter while Cornwall and Regan might prepare to entertain him.

Fool.

Fool. Ha, ha, he wears cruel garters. Horfes are ty'd by the heads, dogs and bears by th' neck, monkeys by th' loins, and men by th' legs. When a man is over-lufty at legs, then he wears wooden nether stocks.

Lear. What's he, that hath fo much thy Place mistook, To fet thee here?

Kent. It is both he and fhe, Your fon and daughter.

Lear. No.

Kent. Yes.

Lear. No, I fay,

Kent. I fay, yea.

Lear. By Jupiter, I swear, no.
Kent. By Juno, I swear, ay.

Lear. They durst not do't.

They could not, would not do't; 'tis worfe than murder,
3 To do upon refpect fuch violent outrage.
Refolve me with all modeft hafte, which way
Thou might'st deserve, or they impose this usage,
Coming from us?

Kent. My Lord, when at their home

I did commend your Highnefs' letters to them,
Ere I was rifen from the place, that shew'd
My duty kneeling, came a reeking Poft,
Stew'd in his hafte, half breathlefs, panting forth
From Gonerill his mistress, falutation,
*Deliver'd letters fpight of intermiffion,
Which presently they read; on whofe contents
They fummon'd up their meiny, ftrait took horse;
Commanded me to follow, and attend

The leifure of their anfwer; gave me cold looks;

3 To do upon respect fuch violent outrage.] To violate the publick and venerable character of a messenger from the King.

4 Deliver'd letters pight of intermiffion,] Intermillion, for another meffage which they had

then before them, to confider of; called intermiffion, because it came between their leifure and the Steward's meflage. WARB. 5 They fummon'd up their meiny,-1 Meiny, i. e. people.

POPE.
And