The Historie of King Lear.
¶Duke. What is the matter
sir?
¶Lear. Ile tell thee,
¶life and death! I am a
sham'd
815that thou ha
st
power to
shake my manhood thus,
¶that the
se hot teares that
breake from me perforce,
¶should make the wor
st
¶bla
sts and fogs
vpon
¶the vntented woundings of a fathers cur
sse,
820pierce euery
sence about the old fond eyes,
¶beweepe this cau
se againe, ile
pluck you out,
¶& you ca
st with the waters that you make
¶to tem-
per clay, yea, i'
st come to this?
¶yet haue I left a daughter,
825whom
I am
sure is kind and comfortable,
¶when
shee
shall heare this of
thee, with her nailes
¶shee'l flea thy wolui
sh vi
sage, thou
shalt
find
¶that ile re
sume the
shape, which thou do
st thinke
¶I haue ca
st
off for euer, thou shalt I warrant thee.
830Gon. Doe you marke that my Lord
?
¶Duke. I cannot bee
so partiall
Gonorill ¶to the great loue I
beare you,
¶Gon. Come
sir no more,
¶you, more knaue then foole, after
your master?
835Foole. Nunckle
Lear, Nunckle
Lear,
¶tary and take the foole
with
¶a fox when one has caught her,
¶and
such a daughter
¶should
sure to the
slaughter,
840if my cap would buy a halter,
¶so the foole
followes after.
¶Gon. What
Oswald, ho.
Oswald. Here Madam,
¶Gon. What haue you writ this letter to my
si
ster?
860Gon. Take you
some company, and away to hor
se,
¶informe
her full of my particular feares,
¶and thereto add
such rea
sons of
your owne,
¶as may compact it more, get you gon,
¶& after your
returne now my Lord,
865this mildie gentlenes and cour
se of yours
¶though I di
slike not, yet vnder pardon
¶y'are much more alapt
want of wi
sedome,
¶then prai
se for harmfull mildnes.
¶Duke. How farre your eyes may pearce I cannot tell,
870striuing
to better ought, we marre whats well.
¶Gon. Nay then.
¶ Duke. Well, well, the euent,
Exeunt
875Lear. Goe you before to
Gloster with the
se letters,
¶acquaint
my daughter no further with any thing you
¶know, then comes
from her demand out of the letter,
¶if your diligence be not
spee-
die, I
shall be there before
¶you.
