To have her gentleman abused, assaulted.
Kent put in the stocks
CORNWALL Come, my lord, away.
Exeunt. [Gloucester and Kent remain]
GLOUCESTER I am sorry for thee, friend: ’tis the duke’s pleasure145,
Whose disposition all the world well knows
Will not be rubbed147 nor stopped. I’ll entreat for thee.
KENT Pray do not, sir. I have watched148 and travelled hard:
Some time I shall sleep out, the rest I’ll whistle.
A good man’s fortune may grow out at heels150.
Give you good morrow151.
GLOUCESTER The duke’s to blame in this: ’twill be ill taken.
Exit
KENT Good king, that must approve the common saw153,
Thou out of heaven’s benediction com’st154
To the warm sun.
Pulls out a letter
Approach, thou beacon to this under globe156,
That by thy comfortable157 beams I may
Peruse this letter. Nothing almost sees miracles158
But misery. I know ’tis from Cordelia,
Who hath most fortunately been informed
Of my obscurèd course161, and shall find time
From this enormous state162, seeking to give
Losses their remedies. All weary and o’erwatched163,
Take vantage164, heavy eyes, not to behold
This shameful lodging.
Fortune, goodnight: smile once more, turn thy wheel166!
Sleeps
Enter Edgar
EDGAR I heard myself proclaimed167,
And by the happy168 hollow of a tree
Escaped the hunt. No port is free, no place
That guard and most unusual vigilance
Does not attend my taking171. Whiles I may scape,
I will preserve myself, and am bethought172
To take the basest and most poorest shape
That ever penury in contempt of man174
Brought near to beast: my face I’ll grime with filth,
Blanket my loins, elf176 all my hairs in knots,
And with presented177 nakedness outface
The winds and persecutions of the sky.
The country gives me proof and precedent
Of Bedlam180 beggars, who with roaring voices
Strike in their numbed and mortifièd181 arms
Pins, wooden pricks182, nails, sprigs of rosemary,
And with this horrible object, from low183 farms,
Poor pelting184 villages, sheepcotes, and mills,
Sometimes with lunatic bans185, sometime with prayers,
Enforce their charity. Poor Turlygod, poor Tom186!
That’s something yet: Edgar I nothing am187.
Exit
Enter Lear, Fool and Gentleman
LEAR ’Tis strange that they188 should so depart from home
And not send back my messengers.
GENTLEMAN As I learned,
The night before there was no purpose in them
Of this remove.
Wakes
KENT Hail to thee, noble master!
LEAR Ha? Mak’st thou this shame thy pastime?
KENT No, my lord.
FOOL Ha, ha, he wears cruel196 garters. Horses are tied by
the heads, dogs and bears by th’neck, monkeys by th’loins,
and men by th’legs: when a man’s over-lusty at legs198, then he
wears wooden nether-stocks199.
LEAR What’s he that hath so much thy place200 mistook
To201 set thee here?
KENT It is both he and she:
Your son203 and daughter.
LEAR No.
KENT Yes.
LEAR No, I say.
KENT I say, yea.
LEAR By Jupiter, I swear, no.
KENT By Juno209, I swear, ay.
LEAR They durst not do’t:
They could not, would not do’t: ’tis worse than murder
To do upon respect212 such violent outrage.
Resolve me with all modest haste which way213
Thou might’st deserve or they impose this usage214,
Coming from us215.
KENT My lord, when at their home
I did commend217 your highness’ letters to them,
Ere I was risen from the place that showed
My duty kneeling, came there a reeking post219,
Stewed220 in his haste, half breathless, panting forth
From Goneril his mistress salutations,
Delivered letters, spite of intermission222,
Which presently223 they read: on those contents
They summoned up their meiny, straight224 took horse,
Commanded me to follow and attend225
The leisure of their answer, gave me cold looks:
And meeting here the other messenger,
Whose welcome I perceived had poisoned mine —
Being the very fellow which of late
Displayed so saucily against230 your highness —
Having more man than wit about me, drew231.
He raised the house with loud and coward cries:
Your son and daughter found this trespass worth
The shame which here it suffers.
FOOL Winter’s not gone yet if the wild geese fly that way235.
Sings
Fathers that wear rags
Do make their children blind237,
But fathers that bear bags238
Shall see their children kind.
Fortune, that arrant240 whore,
Ne’er turns the key241 to th’poor.
But, for all this, thou shalt have as many dolours242 for thy
daughters as thou canst tell243 in a year.
LEAR O, how this mother244 swells up toward my heart!
Hysterica passio245, down, thou climbing sorrow:
Thy element’s below246!— Where is this daughter?
KENT With the earl, sir, here within.
LEAR Follow me not: stay here.
Exit
GENTLEMAN Made you no more offence but what you speak of?
KENT None. How chance the king comes with so small a
number?
FOOL An thou had’st been set i’th’stocks for that
question, thou’dst well deserved it.
KENT Why, fool?
FOOL We’ll set thee to school to an ant to teach thee255
there’s no labouring i’th’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 stinking258. Let go thy
hold when a great wheel runs down a hill lest it break thy
neck with following: but the great one that goes upward, let
him draw thee after. When a wise man gives thee better
counsel, give me mine again262: I would have none but knaves
follow it, since a fool gives it.
Sings
That sir264 which serves and seeks for gain,
And follows but for form265,
Will pack266 when it begins to rain,
And leave thee in the storm.
But I will tarry, the fool will stay,
And let the wise man fly:
The knave turns fool that runs away,
The fool no knave, perdy271.
Enter Lear and Gloucester
KENT Where learned you this, fool?
FOOL Not i’th’stocks, fool.
LEAR Deny274 to speak with me? They are sick, they are weary,