The History of King Lear.
¶Thou mai
st de
serue, or they purpo
se this v
sage,
¶Kent. My Lord, when at their home
¶I did commend your Highne
sse Letters to them,
1305Ere I was ri
sen from the place that
shewed
¶My duty kneeling, came there a reeking Po
ste,
¶Stewd in his ha
ste, halfe breathle
sse, panting forth
¶From
Gonorill his Mi
stris,
salutations,
¶Deliuered letters
spite of intermi
ssion,
1310Which pre
sently they read; on who
se contents
¶They
summoned vp their men,
straight tooke hor
se,
¶Commanded me to follow, and attend the lei
sure
¶Of their an
swer, gaue me cold lookes,
¶And meeting heere the other Me
ssenger,
1315Who
se welcome I perceiu'd had poi
soned mine,
¶Being the very fellow that of late
¶Di
splaid
so
sawcily again
st your Highne
sse,
¶Hauing more man then wit about me, drew;
¶He rai
sed the hou
se with loud and coward cries,
1320Your
sonne and daughter found this tre
spa
sse worth
¶This
shame which here it
suffers.
¶Lear. O how this mother
swels vp toward my heart,
¶Historica passio downe thou climing
sorrow,
1330Thy element's below, where is this daughter?
¶Kent. With the Earle
sir within.
¶Lear. Follow me not,
stay there.
¶Knight. Made you no more offence then what you
speake of?
1335Kent. No, how chance the King comes with
so
small a traine?
¶Foole. If thou had
st beene
set in the
stockes for that que
stion,
¶_thou had
st well de
serued it.
1340Foole. Wee'l
set thee to
schoole to an Ant, to teach thee ther's
¶no labouring in the winter, all that follow their no
ses, are led by
¶their eyes, but blinde men, and there's not a no
se among a hun-
¶dred, but can
smell him that's
stincking; let goe thy hold when
¶a great wheele runs downe a hill, lea
st it breake thy necke with
1345following it, but the great one that goes vp the hil, let him draw
