Of other your new pranks. I do beseech you
To understand my purposes aright,

As you are old and reverend, should be wise'.

Here do you keep a hundred knights and squires ;
Men so disorder'd, so debauch'd and bold,

That this our court, infected with their manners,

Shows like a riotous inn: epicurism and lust
Make it more like a tavern, or a brothel,

Than a grac'd palace'. The shame itself doth speak
For instant remedy: be, then, desir'd

By her, that else will take the thing she begs,

A little to disquantity your train ;

And the remainder, that shall still depend,
To be such men as may besort your age3,
Which know themselves and you.

Lear.

Darkness and devils!

Saddle my horses; call my train together.-
Degenerate bastard! I'll not trouble thee:
Yet have I left a daughter.

Gon. You strike my people; and your disorder'd

rabble

Make servants of their betters.

Enter ALBANY.

Lear. Woe, that too late repents',-O, sir! [To ALB.] are you come?

Is it your will? Speak, sir.-Prepare my horses.

1

should be wise.] One of the quartos reads, "you should be wise," but you is strictly speaking redundant, or may be understood. "I do beseech you (says Goneril) to understand my purposes aright, as you are old and reverend, you should be wise."

2 Than a GRAC'D palace.] The quartos have great for "grac'd." 3-as may besort your age,] So the folio, and one of the quartos (that without the publisher's address): the other has before for “besort.”

4 WOE, that too late repents,] So the folio, but the conclusion of the line "0 sir! are you come," is from the quartos: they however read as a question, "Is it your will, that we prepare our horses?" There the interruption of Albany Pray, sir, be patient," is wanting; and in Lear's next speech, for "thou liest," of the folios, one quarto has, "thou list my train ;" which may be right, taking to list in the sense of to limit or bound.

66

Ingratitude, thou marble-hearted fiend,

More hideous, when thou show'st thee in a child,
Than the sea-monster!

Alb.

Pray, sir, be patient.

[To GONERIL.

Lear. Detested kite! thou liest :

My train are men of choice and rarest parts,

That all particulars of duty know,

And in the most exact regard support

The worships of their name.-O, most small fault!
How ugly didst thou in Cordelia show,

Which, like an engine, wrench'd my frame of nature
From the fix'd place, drew from my heart all love,
And added to the gall. O Lear, Lear, Lear!
Beat at this gate, that let thy folly in,

[Striking his head.
And thy dear judgment out!-Go, go, my people.
Alb. My lord, I am guiltless, as I am ignorant
Of what hath mov'd you3.

Lear. It may be so, my lord.Hear, nature, hear! dear goddess, hear! Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend To make this creature fruitful!

Into her womb convey sterility!

Dry up in her the organs of increase;
And from her derogate body never spring
A babe to honour her! If she must teem,
Create her child of spleen; that it may live,
And be a thwart disnatur'd torment to her!
Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth;
With cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks;
Turn all her mother's pains, and benefits,

Of what hath mov'd you.] This hemistich (which is completed by Lear's words, "It may be so, my lord,") is only in the folio; and we have regulated the lines as they are there found. In the quartos, the speech is printed as prose, and is otherwise corrupt: thus for "thwart, disnatur'd," they have "thourt disuetur'd." "Disnatur'd," as Steevens observes, was used by Daniel, one of the purest writers of that day, but we do not find it in any of his contemporaries. In the next line but one, the quartos read "accent tears," for "ardent tears." с с

VOL. VII.

To laughter and contempt; that she may feel
How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is

To have a thankless child!-Away! away!

[Exit.

Alb. Now, gods that we adore, whereof comes this? Gon. Never afflict yourself to know the cause'; But let his disposition have that scope

That dotage gives it.

Re-enter LEAR.

Lear. What! fifty of my followers, at a clap, Within a fortnight?

Alb.

What's the matter, sir?

Lear. I'll tell thee.-Life and death! [To GONERIL.]

I am ashamed,

That thou hast power to shake my manhood thus:
That these hot tears, which break from me perforce,
Should make thee worth them. Blasts and fogs upon

thee!

Th' untented woundings of a father's curse

Pierce every sense about thee!-Old fond eyes,
Beweep this cause again, I'll pluck you out,
And cast you, with the waters that you lose,
To temper clay.—Ha!

Let it be so I have another daughter',

Who, I am sure, is kind and comfortable:

When she shall hear this of thee, with her nails

Away! Away!] The quartos repeat "Go, go, my people," with which words Lear had concluded the former speech, and they say nothing of the erit and re-entrance of Lear.

7 to know the cause ;] So the quartos: the folio "to know more of it." • That these hot tears, &c.] Our text is that of the folio: the quartos, quite unintelligibly, give the passage, and what immediately follows it, thus :--“That these hot tears, that break from me perforce, should make the worst blasts and fogs upon the untender woundings of a father's curse, peruse every sense about the old fond eyes, beweep this cause again, &c."

9 Let it be so:-I have another daughter,] We follow the text, though not the regulation of the folio, which makes two imperfect lines instead of only

one:

"To temper clay. Ha! let it be so.

I have another daughter."

The quartos read, "yea; is't come to this? Yet have I left a daughter."

She'll flay thy wolfish visage. Thou shalt find,
That I'll resume the shape, which thou dost think
I have cast off for ever1.

[Exeunt LEAR, KENT, and Attendants.

Gon. Do you mark that, my lord?

Alb. I cannot be so partial, Goneril, To the great love I bear you,

Gon. Pray you, content2.-What, Oswald, ho! You, sir, more knave than fool, after your master.

[To the Fool. Fool. Nuncle Lear, nuncle Lear! tarry, and take the fool with thee.

A fox, when one has caught her,
And such a daughter,

Should sure to the slaughter,

If my cap would buy a halter;

So the fool follows after.

[Exit.

Gon. This man hath had good counsel'.-A hundred

knights!

'Tis politic, and safe, to let him keep

At point a hundred knights: yes, that on every dream,
Each buz, each fancy, each complaint, dislike,

He may enguard his dotage with their powers,
And hold our lives in mercy.-Oswald, I say!—
Alb. Well, you may fear too far.

Gon.
Safer than trust too far.
Let me still take away the harms I fear,
Not fear still to be taken: I know his heart.
What he hath utter'd I have writ my sister:
If she sustain him and his hundred knights,

1 I have cast off for ever.] The quartos, after these words, add "Thou shalt, I warrant thee."

2 Pray you, content.] In the quartos, Goneril interrupts Albany more unceremoniously, "Come, sir, no more." "Come, sir," is there made a favourite expression with her.

3 This man hath had good counsel.] This and the two next speeches, down to "When I have show'd the unfitness," are only in the folio impressions.

When I have show'd th' unfitness,-how now, Oswald'

Re-enter OsWALD.

What, have you writ that letter to my sister?

Osw. Ay, madam.

Gon. Take you some company, and away to horse: Inform her full of my particular fear;

And thereto add such reasons of your own,

As may compact it more.

Get you gone,

And hasten your return. [Exit Osw.] No, no, my lord, This milky gentleness, and course of yours,

Though I condemn not, yet, under pardon,

You are much more attask'd' for want of wisdom,
Than prais'd for harmful mildness.

Alb. How far your eyes may pierce, I cannot tell : Striving to better, oft we mar what's well.

Gon. Nay, then

Alb. Well, well; the event.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

Court before the Same.

Enter LEAR, KENT, and Fool.

Lear. Go you before to Gloster with these letters. Acquaint my daughter no farther with any thing you know, than comes from her demand out of the letter. If your diligence be not speedy, I shall be there before

you.

4- how now, Oswald !] In the quartos Oswald the Steward does not enter until he has been again called by Goneril, “What, Oswald, ho!"

You are much more ATTASK'D] So one of the quartos: in the others the word is alapt, which seems unintelligible. "Attask'd" may mean taken to task, and the folio, somewhat consistently with this interpretation, has at task, but we know of no other instance of the use of that phrase. The quarto, 1655, reads "attask'd," but it is not entitled to be considered any authority.