And with this horrible object, from low farms', [Exit. SCENE IV. Before GLOSTER'S Castle. Enter LEAR, Fool, and a Gentleman. Lear. Tis strange that they should so depart from Mak'st thou this shame thy pastime? Kent. No, my lord. Fool. Ha, ha! look; he wears cruel 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 netherstocks3. 1 Lear. What's he, that hath so much thy place mistook, from low farms,] Thus the folio: the quartos "from low service." "Pelting villages," in the next line, are petty villages. See Vol. vi. p. 108. 2 Poor Turlygood!] In all the old copies it is printed Turlygod, but “Turlygood" is perhaps a corruption of Thoroughlygood. Warburton, without any authority would read Turlupin; but we know nothing of any Turlupins (at least by that name) in England. wooden nether-stocks.] "Nether-stocks" were stockings, and were distinguished from "upper-stocks" or "over-stocks," as breeches were sometimes called. 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 Thou might'st deserve, or they impose, this usage, Kent. Which presently they read: on whose contents, The leisure of their answer; gave me cold looks: Display'd so saucily against your highness) Yes, they have.] This answer and Lear's previous assertion, “No, no; they would not," are only in the quartos; but they omit Kent's asseveration, "By Juno, I swear, ay." 5 They summon'd up their MEINY,] i. e. their retinue or followers. The word is sometimes used for a household, and sometimes in the sense of the multitude. See "Coriolanus," Vol. vi. p. 199. Having more man than wit about me, drew: 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. Fortune, that arrant whore, Ne'er turns the key to the poor. But, for all this, thou shalt have as many dolours for thy daughters, as thou canst tell in a year. Lear. O, how this mother swells up toward my heart! Hysterica passio! down, thou climbing sorrow! Lear. Stay here. Follow me not: [Exit. Gent. 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 labouring i' 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 • Winter's not gone yet ;] i. e. the troubles of Lear (says Johnson,) are not ended. No part of the speech is in the quartos: the Fool's last speech, "Ha, ha! look, he wears cruel garters," &c. is there made verse, but the regulation in this respect is generally merely arbitrary in the quarto impressions. 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 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. The knave turns fool that runs away, Kent. Where learn'd 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-nights? Mere fetches, The images of revolt and flying off. Fetch me a better answer. Glo. My dear lord, You know the fiery quality of the duke; In his own course. Lear. Vengeance! plague! death! confusion!— Fiery? what quality? Why, Gloster, Gloster, I'd speak with the duke of Cornwall and his wife. Glo. Well, my good lord, I have inform'd them so. 7 that goes UP THE HILL,] So the quartos: the folio poorly reads "that goes upward," to the injury of the antithesis. Four lines lower, "and seeks” is from the folio. They have travell'd hard to-night?] The folio reads "travell'd all the night." 9 what quality?] The quartos read "what fiery quality," but the epithet was obviously wrongly repeated. Lear. Inform'd them! Dost thou understand me, man'? Glo. Ay, my good lord. Lear. The king would speak with Cornwall; the dear father Would with his daughter speak, commands her ser vice2: Are they inform'd of this? My breath and blood!— Whereto our health is bound; we are not ourselves, And am fallen out with my more headier will, For the sound man.-Death on my state! wherefore [Looking on KENT. Should he sit here? This act persuades me, Is practice only. Give me my servant forth. Till it cry-" Sleep to death." Glo. I would have all well betwixt you. [Exit. Lear. O me! my heart, my rising heart!-but, down1. Fool. Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the 1 Dost thou understand me, man?] This speech by Lear, and the preceding one by Gloster, are only in the folio. 2 commands HER service:] The folio "commands, tends, service." The next line is not in the quartos. 3 Tell the hot duke, that-] After " that," the quartos add "Lear," but they omit "fiery" in the first instance. 66 O me! my heart, my rising heart!-but, down.] For this line the quartos have only "O my heart! my heart!" Here again we have some minor differences between the quartos and the folio. 5 the cockney] 'Cockney" would here seem to mean cook, as in the |