That ever penury, in contempt of man, Brought near to beast: my face I'll grime with filth; Blanket my loins; elf all my hair in knots; 1 [Exit. SCENE IV. Before Gloster's castle. Enter LEAR, fool, and gentleman. Lear. 'Tis strange, that they should so depart from home, And not send back my messenger. Gen. As I learn'd, The night before there was no purpose in them 1 Hair thus knotted was vulgarly supposed to be the work of elves and fairies in the night. 2 Curses. Kent. Lear. How! Hail to thee, noble master! Makest thou this shame thy pastime ? Kent. No, my lord. Fool. Ha, ha! look! he wears cruel1 garters! Horses are tied by the head, dogs and bears by the neck, monkeys by the loins, and men by the legs : when a man is over-lusty at legs, then he wears wooden nether-stocks.2 Lear. What's he, that hath so much thy place mistook, 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 worse than murder, To do upon respect such violent outrage. Resolve me, with all modest haste, which way A quibble is here intended on the word crewel, which signifies worsted. 2 The old word for stockings. Thou mightst deserve, or they impose this usage, Coming from us. Kent. My lord, when at their home I did commend your highness' letters to them, Ere I was risen from the place that show'd My duty kneeling, came there a reeking post, Stew'd in his haste, half breathless, panting forth From Goneril his mistress salutations; Deliver❜d letters, spite of intermission, Which presently they read; on whose contents, They summon'd up their meiny, straight took horse; Commanded me to follow, and attend The leisure of their answer; gave me cold looks; And meeting here the other messenger, Whose welcome, I perceived, had poison'd mine, Display'd so saucily against your highness) Fool. Winter's not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way. • Fathers, that wear rags, Do make their children blind; But fathers, that bear bags, Shall see their children kind. SHAK Train, retinue. XIII. E Fortune, that arrant whore, Ne'er turns the key to the poor.' But, for all this, thou shalt have as many dolors 1 for thy daughters as thou canst tell in a year. Lear. O, how this mother 2 swells up toward my heart! Hysterica passio! down, thou climbing sorrow; Lear. Stay here. Follow me not; [Exit. Gen. Made you no more offence than what you speak of? Kent. None. How chance the king comes with so small a train ? Fool. An thou hadst been set i' the stocks for that question, thou hadst well deserved it. Kent. Why, fool? Fool. We'll set thee to school to an ant, to teach thee there's no laboring in the winter. All that follow their noses are led by their eyes, but blind men; and there's not a nose among twenty, but can smell him that's stinking. Let go thy hold, when a great wheel runs down a hill, lest it break thy neck with following it; but the great one that goes up the hill, let him draw thee after. When a wise man gives thee better counsel, give me mine 1 A quibble between dolors and dollars. again: I would have none but knaves follow it, since a fool gives it. That, sir, which serves and seeks for gain, And follows but for form, Will pack, when it begins to rain, And leave thee in the storm. 'But I will tarry; the fool will stay, The knave turns fool, that runs away; Kent. Where learned you this, fool? Re-enter LEAR, with GLOSTER. Lear. Deny to speak with me? They are sick? they are weary? They have travell'd hard to-night? Mere fetches; The images of revolt and flying off! Fetch me a better answer. Glos. My dear lord, You know the fiery quality of the duke; Lear. Vengeance! plague! death! confusion!- A corruption of the French oath par Dieu. |