Enter Glocefter, Lear, Kent, Foole, and Tom.

Gloft. Here is better then the open ayre, take it thankfully, I will peece out the comfort with what addition I can, I will not be long from you.

Kent. All the power of his wits haue giuen way to impatience, the gods deferue your kindneffe.

Edg. Fretereto cals me, and tels me Nero is an angler in the lake of darknesse, pray innocent beware the foule fiend.

Foole. Prethee nunckle tell me, whether a mad man may bee a gentleman or a yeoman.

Lear. A king, a king, to haue a thousand with red burning fpits come hiffing in vpon them.

Edg. The foule fiend bites my backe.

Foole. Hee's mad that trusts in the tameneffe of a wolfe, a horfes health, a boyes loue, or a whores oath.

Lear. It shall be done, I will arraigne them ftraight,

Come fit thou heere moft learned iuftice,

Thou fapient fir, fit heere, now you shee foxes

Edg. Looke where he stands and glars, wantst thou eies at triall madam, come ore the broome Befly to me. Foole. Her boat hath a leake, and the must not speak,

Why the dares not come ouer to thee.

Edg. The foule fiend haunts poore Tom in the voyce of a nightingale, hoppedance cries in Toms belly for two white herring,

Croke not blacke angell, I haue no food for thee.

Kent. How do you fir? stand you not so amaz'd, will you lie downe and reft vpon the cushions?

Lear. Ile fee their triall first, bring in their euidence, thou robbed man of iuftice take thy place, and thou his yoke-fellow of equity, bench by his fide, you are o'th commission, fit you too. VOL. II.

L

Ed.

Ed. Let us deale iuftly, fleepeft or wakeft thou iolly fhepheard, thy fheepe bee in the corne, and for one blast of thy minikin mouth, thy fheepe fhall take no harme, pur the cat

is gray.

Lear. Arraigne her first, tis Gonorill, I here take my oath before this honourable affembly fhe kickt the poore king her father.

Foole. Come hither miftreffe, is your name Gonorill.
Lear. She cannot deny it.

Foole. Cry you mercy, I tooke you for a ioynt stoole.
Lear. And heres another whose warpt lookes proclaime
What ftore her heart is made an, ftop her there,
Armes, armes, fword, fire, corruption in the place,
Falfe iufticer, why haft thou let her scape?

Edg. Bleffe thy fiue wits.

Kent. O pitty fir, where is the patience now. That you fo oft haue boasted to retaine.

Edg. My teares begin to take his part so much, They'l marre my counterfeting.

Lear. The little dogs and all,

Trey, Blanch, and Sweet-hart, fee they barke at me.

Edg. Tom will throw his head at them, auant you curs. Be thy mouth or blacke or white, tooth that poisons if it bite, maftiue, gray-hound, mungrel, grim-hound, or spaniel, brach or him, bobtaile tike, or trundle-taile, Tom will make them weepe and waile. For with throwing thus my head, dogs leape the hatch, and all are fled, loodla doodla, come march to wakes, and faires, and market townes, poore Tom thy horne is dry.

Lear. Then let them anotomize Regan, fee what breeds about her,

Hart is there any cause in nature that makes this hardnesse; You fir, I entertaine you for one of my hundred,

Onely

Onely I do not like the fashion of your garment; you'l fay They are Perfian attire, but let them be changed.

Kent. Now good my lord lie here a while.

Lear. Make no noise, make no noise, draw the curtaines, fo, fo, fo, wee'l go to fupper in the morning, fo, fo, fo.

Enter Glocester.

Gloft. Come hither friend, where is the king my master? Kent. Here fir, but trouble him not, his wits are gone. Gloft. Good friend, I prethee take him in thy armes,

I haue ore-heard a plot of death vpon him,

There is a litter ready, lay him in it, and driue towards Douer, friend,

Where thou shalt meete both welcome and protection; take vp thy master.

If thou shouldft dally halfe an houre, his life with thine,
And all that offer to defend him, ftand in affured loffe,

Take vp to keepe, and follow me that will to fome prouifio,
Giue thee quicke conduct.

Kent. Oppreffed nature fleepes,

This reft might yet haue balmed thy broken finewes,

Which if conuenience will not allow, ftand in hard cure,

Come helpe to beare thy mafter, thou must not stay behinde. Gloft. Come, come, away.

Edg. When we our betters fee bearing our woes,

We scarfely thinke our miseries our foes.

Who alone fuffers, most i'th minde,

Leauing free things and happy fhowes behinde,
But then the minde much fufferance doth ore-fkip,
When griefe hath mates, and bearing fellowship :
How light and portable my paine feemes now,
When that which makes me bend, makes the king bow;

Exit.

He childed as I fatherd, Tom away,

Marke the high noises, and thy felfe bewray,

When falfe opinion, whose wrong thoughts defile thee,
In thy iuft proofe repeals and reconciles thee,
What will hap more to night, fafe fcape the king,
Lurke, lurke.

Enter Cornwall, Regan, Gonorill, and Bastard.

Corn. Pofte fpeedily to my lord your husband, fhew him this letter.

The army of France is landed, feeke out the villaine Glocefter. Regan. Hang him instantly.

Gon. Plucke out his eyes.

Corn. Leaue him to my displeasure, Edmund keepe you our fifter company. The reuenge we are bound to take vpon your traiterous father, are not fit for your beholding, aduise the duke where you are going to a most festuant preparation, wee are bound to the like.

Our poste shall be swift and intelligence betwixt vs;
Farwell deare fifter, farwell my lord of Glocefter.
How now, wheres the king?

Enter Steward.

Stew. My lord of Glocefter hath conueyed him hence, Some fiue or fixe and thirty of his knights hot queftrits after him, met him at gate, who with fome other of the lords dependants are gone with him towards Douer, where they boast to haue well armed friends.

Corn. Get horfes for your miftris.

Gon. Farwell fweete lord and fifter.

Exit Gon. and Baft.

Corn. Edmund farwell: go feeke the traitor Glocefter, Pinion him like a theefe, bring him before vs,

Though

Though we may not paffe vpon his life
Without the forme of iuftice, yet our power
Shall do a curtefie to our wrath, which men may

But not controle; who's there, the traitor?

blame

Enter Glocester, brought in by two or three.

Reg. Ingratefull fox tis he.

Corn. Binde fast his corky armes.

Gloft. What meanes your graces, good my friends confider, You are my guests, do me no foule play friends.

Corn. Binde him I say.

Reg. Hard, hard, O filthy traitor !

Gloft. Vnmercifull lady as you are, I am true.

Corn. To this chaire binde him, villaine thou shalt findGloft. By the kinde gods tis moft ignobly done, to plucke me by the beard.

Reg. So white, and fuch a traitor.

(frō my chin,

Gloft. Naughty lady, these haires which thou doft rauish Will quicken and accufe thee, I am your hoft; With robbers hands, my hofpitable fauours

You should not ruffell thus, what will you do?

Corn. Come fir, what letters had you late from France? Reg. Be fimple anfwerer, for we know the truth.

Corn. And what confederacy haue you with the traitors lately footed in the kingdome?

Reg. To whofe hands haue you fent the lunaticke king, speak?

Gloft. I haue a letter gueffingly fet downe,

Which came from one that's of aneutrall heart,

And not from one opposed.

Corn. Cunning.

Reg. And falfe.

Corn. Where haft thou fent the king?

L3

Gloft.