SCENE 11-Before Gloster's castle.
Kent and Steward, severally.

Enter

Stew. Good dawning to thee, friend: Art of the house?

Kent. Ay.

Stew. Where may we set our horses?

Kent. I'the mire.

Stew. Pr'ythee, if thou love me,

Kent. I love thee not.

tell me.

Stew. Why, then I care not for thee.

Kent. If I had thee in Lipsbury pinfold, I would make thee care for me.

Stew. Why dost thou use me thus? I know thee

not.

Kent. Fellow, I know thee.

Stew. What dost thou know me for?

Kent. A knave; a rascal, an eater of broken meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, threesuited, hundred-pound, filthy worsted-stocking knave; ;a lily-liver'd, action-taking knave; a whoreson, glass-gazing, superserviceable, finical rogue; one-trunk-inheriting slave; one that wouldest be a bawd, in way of good service, and art nothing but the composition of a knave, beggar coward, pander, and the son and heir of a mongrel bitch: one. whom I will beat into clamorous whining, if thou deny'st the least syllable of thy addition.

Stew. Why, what a monstrous fellow art thou, thus to rail on one, that is neither known of thee, nor knows thee!

Kent. What a brazen-faced varlet art thou, to deny thou know'st me! Is it two days ago, since I tripped up thy heels, and beat tee before the king? Draw, you rogue: for, though it be night, the moon shines; I'll make a sop o'the moonshine of you: Draw, you whoreson cullionly barbermonger, draw. [Drawing his sword.

(1) Titles.

Stew. Away; I have nothing to do with thee. Kent. Draw, you rascal: you come with letters against the king; and take Vanity the puppet's part, against the royalty of her father: Draw, you rogue, or I'll so carbonado your shanks :-draw, you rascal; come your ways.

Stew. Help, ho! murder! help!

Kent. Strike, you slave; stand, rogue, stand; you neat slave, strike. [Beating him. Stew. Help, ho! murder! murder!

Enter Edmund, Cornwall, Regan, Gloster, and Servants.

Edm. How now? what's the matter? Part. Kent. With you, goodman boy, if you please; come, I'll flesh you; come on, young master. Glo. Weapons! arms! What's the matter here? Corn. Keep peace, upon your lives;

He dies that strikes again: What is the matter? Reg. The messengers from our sister and the king. Corn. What is your difference? speak.

Stew. I am scarce in breath, iny lord.

Kent. No marvel, you have so bestirred your valour. You cowardly rascal, nature disclaims in thee; a tailor made thee.

Corn. Thou art a strange fellow: a tailor make a man?

Kent. Ay, a tailor, sir; a stone-cutter, or a painter, could not have made him so ill, though they had been but two hours at the trade.

Corn. Speak yet, how grew your quarrel? Stew. This ancient ruffian, sir, whose life I have spar'd,

At suit of his grey beard,

Kent. Thou whoreson zed! thou unnecessary letter!-My lord, if you will give me leave, I will tread this unbolted2 villain into mortar, and daub

(1) A character in the old moralities,
(2) Unrefined.

the wall of a jakes with him.-Spare my grey beard, you wagtail?

Corn. Peace, sirrah!

You beastly knave, know you no reverence?
Kent. Yes, sir; but anger has a privilege.
Corn. Why art thou angry?

Kent. That such a slave as this should wear a sword,

Who wears no honesty. Such smiling rogues as

these,

Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain,

Which are too intrinse2 t'unloose: smooth every passion

That in the natures of their lords rebels;
Bring oil to fire, snow to their colder moods;
Renege,3 affirm, and turn their halcyon4 beaks
With every gale and vary of their masters,
As knowing nought, like dogs, but following.-
A plague upon your epileptic visage !
Smile you ry speeches, as I were a fool?
Goose, if I had you upon Sarum plain,
I'd drive ye cackling home to Camelot.5
Corn. What, art thou mad, old fellow?

Glo. Say that.

How fell you out!

Kent. No contraries hold more antipathy, Than I and such a knave.

Corn. Why dost thou call him knave? What's

his offence?

Kent. His countenance likes me not.6

Corn. No more, perchance, does mine, or his, or

hers.

Kent. Sir, 'tis my occupation to be plain;

(1) Privy. (2) Perplexed. (3) Disown. (4) The bird called the king-fisher, which, when dried and hung up by a thread, is supposed to turn his bill to the point from whence the wind blows. (5) In Somersetshire, where are bred great quan tities of geese.

(6) i. e. Pleases me not.

I have seen better faces in my time,
Than stands on any shoulder that I see
Before me at this instant.

Corn. This is some fellow, Who, having been prais'd for bluntness, doth affect A saucy roughness; and constrains the garb, Quite from his nature: He cannot flatter, he!— An honest mind and plain,-he must speak truth: An they will take it, so; if not, he's plain.

These kind of knaves I know, which in this plain

ness

Harbour more craft, and more corrupter ends,
Than twenty silly ducking observants,
That stretch their duties nicely.

Kent. Sir, in good sooth, in sincere verity, Under the allowance of your grand aspect, Whose influence, like the wreath of radiant fire On flickering Phoebus' front,

Corn.

What mean'st by this? Kent. To go out of my dialect, which you discommend so much. I know, sir, I am no flatterer : he that beguiled you, in a plain accent, was a plain knave; which, for my part, I will not be, though I should win your displeasure to entreat me to it. Corn. What was the offence you gave him? Stew. Never any: It pleas'd the king his master, very late, To strike at me, upon his misconstruction;

When he, conjunct, and flattering his displeasure, Tripp'd me behind; being down, insulted, rail'd,

And put upon him such a deal of man,

That worthy'd him, got praises of the king
For him attempting who was self-subdu'd;

And, in the fleshment of this dread exploit,
Drew on me here.

Kent. None of these rogues, and cowards, But Ajax is their fool.2

(1) Simple or rustic.

(2) i. e. Ajax is a fool to them.

Corn.

Fetch forth the stocks, ho!

You stubborn ancient knave, you reverend brag.

gart,

We'll teach you

Kent. Sir, I am too old to learn: Call not your stocks for me: I serve the king, On whose employment I was sent to you: You shall do small respect, show too bold malice Against the grace and person of my master, Stocking his messenger.

Corn.

Fetch forth the stocks:

As I've life and honour, there shall he sit till noon. Reg. Till noon! till night, my lord; and all night

too.

Kent. Why, madam, if I were your father's dog, You should not use me so.

Reg.

Sir, being his knave, I will. [Stocks brought out. Corn. This is a fellow of the self-same colour Our sister speaks of:-Come, bring away the stocks. Glo. Let me beseech your grace not to do so : His fault is much, and the good king his master Will check him for't: your purpos'd low correction Is such, as basest and contemned'st wretches, For pilferings, and most common trespasses, Are punish'd with: the king must take it ill, That he's so slightly valued in his messenger, Should have him thus restrain'd.

Corn.

I'll answer that.

Reg. My sister may receive it much more worse, To have her gentleman abus'd, assaulted,

For following her affairs.-Put in his legs.

[Kent is put in the stocks.

Come, my good lord; away.

[Exeunt Regan and Cornwall.

Glo. I am sorry for thee, friend; 'tis the duke's

pleasure,

Whose disposition, all the world well knows,

Will not be rubb'd, nor stopp'd: I'll entreat for

thee.