1 Thou perjured, and thou simular 1 man of virtue, These dreadful summoners grace.—I am a man Kent. Alack, bare-headed! Gracious my lord, hard by here is a hovel; Some friendship will it lend you 'gainst the tem pest: Repose you there; while I to this hard house, (More hard than is the stone whereof 'tis raised; Which even but now, demanding 2 after you, Denied me to come in) return, and force Their scanted courtesy. Lear. My wits begin to turn. Come on, my boy: how dost, my boy? Art cold? That can make vile things precious.-Come, your hovel. Poor fool and knave, I have one part in my heart That's sorry yet for thee. . Fool. He that has a little tiny wit, With heigh, ho, the wind and the rain,Must make content with his fortunes fit; For the rain it raineth every day.' this hovel. Lear. True, my good boy.-Come, bring us to [Exeunt Lear and Kent. Fool. This is a brave night to cool a courtezan. I'll speak a prophecy ere I go : 'When priests are more in word than matter; No squire in debt, nor no poor knight; Come to great confusion: Then comes the time, who lives to see 't, This prophecy Merlin shall make; for I live before his time. [Exit. SCENE III. A room in Gloster's castle. Enter GLOSTER and EDMund. Glos. Alack, alack, Edmund, I like not this unnatural dealing. When I desired their leave that I might pity him, they took from me the use of mine own house; charged me, on pain of their perpetual displeasure, neither to speak of him, entreat for him, nor any way sustain him. Edm. Most savage and unnatural! Glos. Go to; say you nothing: there is division between the dukes; and a worse matter than that: I have received a letter this night;-'tis dangerous to be spoken;-I have locked the letter in my closet: these injuries the king now bears will be revenged home; there is part of a power already footed: we must incline to the king. I will seek him, and privily relieve him: go you, and maintain talk with the duke, that my charity be not of him perceived: if he ask for me, I am ill, and gone to bed. If I die for it, as no less is threatened me, the king my old master must be relieved. There is some strange thing toward, Edmund; pray you, be careful. [Exit. Edm. This courtesy, forbid thee, shall the duke Instantly know; and of that letter too. This seems a fair deserving, and must draw me That which my father loses; no less than all : The younger rises, when the old doth fall. [Exit. SCENE IV. A part of the heath, with a hovel. Enter LEAR, Kent, and Fool. Kent. Here is the place, my lord; good my lord, Kent. Good my lord, enter here. Lear. Wilt break my heart? Kent. I'd rather break mine own: good my lord, enter. Lear. Thou think'st 'tis much, that this contentious storm Invades us to the skin: so 'tis to thee; But where the greater malady is fix'd, The lesser is scarce felt: thou 'dst shun a bear; But if thy flight lay toward the raging sea, Thou 'dst meet the bear i' the mouth. When the mind's free, The body's delicate: the tempest in my mind Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave you all, O, that way madness lies; let me shun that; No more of that. Kent. Good my lord, enter here. Lear. Pr'ythee, go in thyself; seek thine own ease: This tempest will not give me leave to ponder Nay, get thee in: I'll pray, and then I'll sleep.— [Fool goes in. Poor naked wretches, wheresoe'er you are, That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, Edg. [within.] Fathom and half, fathom and half! poor Tom! [the Fool runs out from the hovel. Fool. Come not in here, nuncle; here's a spirit. Help me, help me! Kent. Give me thy hand.—Who's there? Fool. A spirit, a spirit; he says his name's poor Tom. Kent. What art thou that dost grumble there i' the straw? Come forth. Enter EDGAR, disguised as a madman. Edg. Away! the foul fiend follows me! Through the sharp hawthorn blows the cold wind.Humph! go to thy cold bed, and warm thee. Lear. Hast thou given all to thy two daughters ? And art thou come to this? Edg. Who gives any thing to poor Tom? whom |