Dear daughter, I confess, that I am old,

Age is unneceffary; on my knees I beg, [Kneeling. That you'll vouchfafe me raiment, bed, and food.

Reg. Good Sir, no more. Thefe are unfightly tricks. Return you to my fifter.

Lear. Never, Regan:

She hath abated me of half my train;

7 Look'd black upon me; ftruck me with her tongue, Moft ferpent-like, upon the very heart.

All the ftor'd vengeances of heaven fall
On her ingrateful Top! Strike her young bones,
You taking airs, with lameness!-
Corn. Fy! Sir, fy!

in this Signification, is too ob-
vious to want a Proof. THEOв.
Do you but mark, how this be-

comes the Houfe.] Mr. Theo bald fays, This phrafe frems to Jay little to the purpose; and therefore alters it to,

becomes the ufe,

6 Age is unneceffary.] That is, old age has few wants.

7 Look'd black upon me.] This is a Phrafe which I do not understand; but to look blank is a known Expreffion, fignifying, either to give difcouraging Looks to another, or to stand difmay'd and disappointed one's felf. The Poet means, that Gonerill gave him cold looks, as he before phrafes it. THEOB.

Look'd black upon me ;] So all the editions. Mr. Theobald alters it to blank. A fmall alteration, only turning black to white. His reafon is, becaufe to look black upon him is a phrafe he des not underftand. I believe fo. But it alludes to a ferpent's turning black, when it fwells with rage and venom, the very creature to which Lear here compares his daughter. WARBURTON. To look black, may easily be explained to look clowdy or gloomy. See Milton: So frown'd the mighty com batants, that hell Grew darker at their frown.

Lear.

Lear. You nimble lightnings, dart your blinding

flames

Into her scornful eyes! Infect her beauty

You fen-fuck'd fogs, drawn by the pow'rful fun 'To fall, and blast her pride.

Reg. O the bleft Gods!

So will you wish on me, when the rafh mood is on.
Lear. No, Regan, thou fhalt never have my curfe
Thy tender hefted nature shall not give

Thee o'er to rafhnefs; her eyes are fierce, but thine
Do comfort, and not burn. 'Tis not in thee
To grudge my pleasures, to cut off my train,
To bandy hafty words, 9 to fcant my fizes,
And, in conclufion, to oppose the bolt
Against my coming in. Thou better know'ft
The offices of nature, bond of child-hood,
Effects of court'fy, dues of gratitude:

Thy half o'th' Kingdom thou haft not forgot,
Wherein I thee endow'd.

Reg. Good Sir, to th' purpose.

[Trumpet within. Lear. Who put my man i' th' Stocks?

Enter Steward.

Corn. What trumpet's that?

Reg. I know't, my fifter's. This approves her letter, That the would foon be here. Is your lady come? Lear. This is a flave, whose easy-borrowed pride Dwells in the fickle grace of her he follows. Out, varlet, from my fight.

Corn. What means your Grace?

To fall, and blaft her pride.] Thus the quarto: the folio reads not fo well, to fall and blister. I think there is ftill a fault, which may be eafily mended by changing a letter.

-Infect her beauty Te fen-fuck'd fogs, drawn by the pow'rful fun,

F 3

Do, fall, and blast her pride.

-tender befted] This word, though its general meaning be plain, I do not critically underftand.

9 —to scant my fizes,] To' contract my allowances or proportions fettled.

Lear.

Lear. Who ftockt my fervant? Regan, I've good hope,

Thou didst not know on't.Who comes here?

O Heav'ns,

SCENE

Enter Gonerill.

XII.

'If you do love old men, if your fweet fway Allow obedience, if yourselves are old,

Make it your caufe; fend down, and take my part. Art not asham'd to look upon this beard? [To Gon, O Regan, will you take her by the hand?

Gon. Why not by th' hand, Sir? How have I offended?

All's not offence, that indifcretion finds,

And dotage terms fo.

Lear. O fides, you are too tough!

Will you yet hold?-How came my man i'th' Stocks? Corn. I fet him there, Sir; but his own diforders Deferv'd much lefs advancement.

If you do love old men, if your fewest fway ALLOW obedience, if your felves are old,] Could it be a quef. tion whether heaven allowed obedience? The poet wrote,

HALLOW obedience. i. e. if paternal government here be fo much the image of the mild government of heaven, that it fanctifies the obedience due to parents, and efteems the violaters of it impious, make it your caufe. He adds, if your Jelves are old. This perhaps may appear low and ridiculous to the unlearned reader; but we are to confider this pagan King

Lear. You? did you?

3

Reg. I pray you, Father, being weak, feem fo.
If, 'till the expiration of your month,
You will return and fojourn with my fifter,
Difmiffing half your train, come then to me.
I'm now from home, and out of that provision
Which shall be needful for your entertainment.
Lear. Return to her, and fifty men dismiss'd?
'No, rather I abjure all roofs, and chuse
To wage, against the enmity o'th' air,
To be a comrade with the wolf and owl;
Neceffity's fharp pinch-Return with her?

a man is advanced to the pillory. We should read,

but his own diforders Deferv'd much more advance

ment.

3 I pray you, Father, being weak, SEEM fo.] This is a very odd requeit. She furely afked fomething more reasonable. We should read,

-being weak, DEEM'T . i.e. believe that my husband tells you true, that Kent's diforders deferved a more ignominious punishment. WARBURTON. The meaning is, fince you are weak, be content to think yourfelf weak. No change is needed. + No, rather I abjure all roofs, and chufe To wage against the enmity oth' air;

To be a comrade with the wolf and orul,

Neceffity's harp pinch!] Thus thould thefe lines (in the order they were read, in all the editions till Mr. Theobald's) be pointed. The want of which pointing contributed, perhaps, to mislead him in tranfpofing the fecond and third lines, on which

imaginary regulation he thus defcants, The breach of the fenfe here is a manifeft proof that thefe lines were tranfpofed by the first Editors. Neither can there be any fyntax or grammatical coherence, unless we fuppafe [neceffity's sharp pinch] to be the accufative to [wage.]-But this is fuppofing the verb wage, to want an accufative, which it does not. To wage, or wager against any one, was a common expreffion; and, being a fpecies of acting, (namely, acting in oppofition) was as pro⚫ per as to fay, act against any one. So, to wage against the enmity o'th'air, was to ftrive or fight against it. Neceffity's fharp pinch, therefore, is not the accufative to wage, but declarative of the condition of him who is a comrade of the wolf and owl: in which the verb [is] is underftood. The confequence of all this is, that it was the last editors, and not the first, who tranfpofed the lines from the order the Poet gave them. For the Oxford Editor follows Mr. Theobald.

F 4

WARBURTON.

Why,

Why, the hot blooded France, that dow'rless took
Our youngest born, I could as well be brought
To knee his throne, and 'Squire-like penfion beg,
To keep bafe life a-foot-Return with her?
Perfuade me rather to be flave, and fumpter,
To this detefted groom.

[Looking on the Steward.

me mad

Gon. At your choice, Sir.
Lear. I pr'ythee, daughter, do not make
I will not trouble thee. My child, farewel;
We'll no more meet, no more fee one another.
But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter,
Or rather a difeafe that's in my flesh,

Which I must needs call mine; thou art a bile,
A plague fore, or †imboffed carbuncle,

In my corrupted blood. But I'll not chide thee.
Let fhame come when it will, I do not call it;
I do not bid the thunder bearer fhoot,
Nor tell tales of thee to high-judging Jove.
Mend when thou canft; be better at thy leifure.
I can be patient, I can ftay with Regan;
I, and my hundred Knights.

Reg. Not altogether so;

I look'd not for you yet, nor am provided
For your fit welcome; give ear to my fifter;
For thofe that mingle reafon with your paffion,
Must be content to think you old, and fo
But fhe knows what he does.

Lear. Is this well spoken?

Reg. I dare avouch it, Sir. What, fifty followers? Is it not well? What fhould you need of more? Yea, or fo many, fince both charge and danger Speak 'gainst fo great a number? How in one house Should many people under two commands Hold amity? 'Tis hard, almost impossible.

Gon. Why might not you, my Lord, receive attendance From thofe that fhe calls fervants, or from mine? +-imbofed carbuncle,] Imbofed is fuse ling, protuberant. Reg.

afe life] That is, in a

Servile late.