17781560Kent. Here is the place my Lord, good my Lord enter, the tir-

17791561rany of the open night's too ruffe for nature to endure.

17811562Lear. Let me alone.

17821563Kent. Good my Lord enter.

17831564Lear. Wilt breake my heart?

17841565Kent. I had rather breake mine owne, good my Lord enter.

17861566Lear. Thou thinkst tis much, that this crulentious storme

17871567Inuades vs to the skin, so tis to thee,

17881568But where the greater malady is fixt,

17891569The lesser is scarse felt, thou wouldst shun a Beare,

17901570But if thy flight lay toward the raging sea,

17911571Thoud'st meete the beare it'h mouth, when the mind's free,

17921572The bodies delicate, the tempest in my minde;

17931573Doth from my sences take all feeling else,

17941574Saue what beares their filiall ingratitude,

17951575Is it not as this mouth should teare this hand

17961576For lifting food to it? but I will punish sure;

17971577No I will weepe no more; in such a night as this!

17991578O Regan, Gonorill, your old kinde father

18001579Whose franke heart gaue you all, O that way madnesse lies,

18011580Let me shunne that, no more of that.

18031581Kent. Good my lord enter.

18041582Lear. Prethee go in thy selfe, seeke thy owne ease,

18051583This tempest will not giue me leaue to ponder

18061584On things would hurt me more, but Ile go in,

18091585Poore naked wretches, where so ere you are

18101586That bide the pelting of this pittilesse night,

18111587How shall your house-lesse heads, and vnfed sides,

18121588Your loopt and windowed raggednesse defend you

18131589From seasons such as these, O I haue tane

18141590Too little care of this, take physicke pompe,

18151591Expose thy selfe to feele what wretches feele,

18161592That thou maist shake the superflux to them,

18171593And shew the heauens more iust.

18201594Foole. Come not in here Nunckle, here's a spirit, helpe me, help

18211595me.

18221596Kent. Giue me thy hand, who's there?

18231597Foole. A spirit, he sayes his name is poore Tom.

18251598Kent. What art thou that dost grumble there in the straw?

18261599come foorth.

18271600Edg. Away, the foule fiend followes me, through the sharpe

18281601hathorne blowes the cold winde, goe to thy cold bed & warme

18291602thee.

18301603Lear. Hast thou giuen all to thy two daughters, and art thou

18311604come to this?

18321605Edg. Who giues any thing to poore Tom, whom the foule

18331606fiend hath led through fire, and throgh foord, and whirli-poole,

18341607ore bog and quagmire, that has laide kniues vnder his pillow, &

18351608halters in his pue, set ratsbane by his pottage, made him proud

18371609of heart, to ride on a bay trotting horse ouer foure incht bridg-

18381610es, to course his owne shadow for a traitor, blesse thy fiue wits,

18391611Toms a cold, blesse thee from whirl-windes, starre-blusting, &

18401612taking, do poore Tom some charity, whom the foule fiend vexes,

18421613there could I haue him now, and there, and there againe.

18441614Lear. What, his daughters brought him to this passe,

18451615Couldst thou saue nothing? didst thou giue them all?

18461616Foole. Nay he reserued a blanket, else wee had beene all sha-

18471617med.

18481618Lear. Now all the plagues that in the pendulous ayre

18491619Hang fated ore mens faults, fall on thy daughters.

18501620Kent. He hath no daughters sir.

18511621Lear. Death traitor, nothing could haue subdued nature

18521622To such a lownesse, but his vnkinde daughters,

18531623Is it the fashion that discarded fathers,

18541624Should haue thus little mercy on their flesh,

18551625Iudicious punishment, twas this flesh

18561626Begot those Pelicane daughters.

18571627Edg. Pilicock sate on pelicocks hill, a lo lo lo.

18581628Foole. This cold night will turne vs all to fooles & madmen.

18601629Edg. Take heed of the foule fiend, obey thy parents, keepe thy

18611630words iustly, sweare not, commit not with mans sworne spouse,

18621631set not thy sweet heart on proud array; Toms a cold.

18641632Lear. What hast thou beene?

18651633Edg. A seruing man, proud in heart and minde, that curlde my

18661634haire, wore gloues in my cap, serued the lust of my mistris heart,

18671635and did the acte of darknesse with her, swore as many oaths as I

18681636spake words, and broke them in the sweete face of heauen, one

18691637that slept in the contriuing of lust, and wak't to do it, wine lo-

18701638ued I deepely, dice dearely, and in woman, out paramord the

18721639Turke, false of heart, light of eare, bloudy of hand, hog in sloth,

18731640Fox in stealth, Wolfe in greedinesse, Dog in madnesse, Lyon in

18741641prey, let not the creeking of shooes, nor the ruslings of silkes

18751642betray thy poore heart to women, keepe thy foote out of bro-

18761643thell, thy hand out of placket, thy pen from lenders booke, and

18771644defie the foule fiend, still through the hathorne blowes the colde

18791645winde, hay no on ny, Dolphin my boy, my boy, cease let him trot

18801646by.

18811647Lear. Why thou wert better in thy graue, then to answer with

18821648thy vncouered body this extremity of the skies; is man no more

18831649but this? consider him well, thou owest the worme no silke, the

18841650beast no hide, the sheep no wooll, the cat no perfume, he'rs three

18851651ones are sophisticated, thou art the thing it selfe, vnaccomoda-

18871652ted man is no more but such a poore bare forked Animal as thou

18881653art, off, off you leadings, come on be true.

18911654Foole. Prithee Nunckle be content, this is a naughty night to

18921655swim in, now a little fire in a wilde field, were like an old lechers

18931656heart, a small sparke, all the rest in body colde, looke here comes

18941657a walking fire.

18951659Edg. This is the foule fiend Sirberdegibit, he begins at curfue,

18961660and walks till the first cocke, he gins the web, the pinqueuer the

18971661eye, and makes the hart lip, mildewes the white wheate, & hurts

18981662the poore creature of earth, swithald footed thrice the olde anel-

19011663thu night Moore and her nine fold bid her, O light and her troth

19021664plight and arint thee, with arint thee.

19041665Kent. How fares your Grace?

19051666Lear. What's he?

19061667Kent. Whose there? what ist you seeke?

19071668Glost. What are you there? your names.

19081669Edg. Poore Tom, that eates the swimming frog, the toade, the

19091670toade pold, the wall-wort, and the water, that in the fruite of his

19101671heart, when the foule fiend rages,

1672Eates cowdung for sallets, swallowes the old rat, and the ditch-

19121673dog, drinkes the greene mantle of the standing poole, who is

19131674whipt from tything to tything, and stock-punisht and impriso-

19141675ned, who hath had three sutes to his backe, fixe shirts to his bo-

19161676dy, horse to ride, and weapon to weare.

19171677But Mice and Rats, and such small Deere,

19181678Hath beene Toms food for seuen long yeare.

19191679Beware my follower, peace snulbug, peace thou fiend.

19201680Glost, What, hath your Grace no better company?

19211681Edg. The Prince of darknes is a Gentleman, modo hee's called,

19221682and ma hu --------

19231683Glost. Our flesh and bloud is growne so vilde my Lord, that it

19241684doth hate what gets it.

19251685Edg. Poore Toms a colde.

19261686Glost. Go in with me, my duty cannot suffer to obey in al your

19271687daughters hard commands, though their iniunction be to barre

19281688my doores, and let this tyranous night take hold vpon you, yet

19301689haue I venter'd to come seeke you out, and bring you where

19311690both food and fire is ready.

19321691Lear. First let me talke with this Philosopher;

19331692What is the cause of thunder?

19341693Kent. My good Lord take his offer, go into the house.

19361694Lear. Ile talke a word with this most learned Theban; wha[t]

19371695is your study?

19381696Edg. How to preuent the fiend, and to kill vermine.

19391697Lear. Let me aske you one word in priuate.

19401698Kent. Importune him to goe my Lord, his wits begin to vn-

19411699setle.

19421700Glost. Canst thou blame him?

19431701His daughters seeke his death. O that good Kent,

19441702He said it would be thus, poore banisht man,

19451703Thou saist the King growes mad, ile tell thee friend,

19461704I am almost mad my selfe; I had a sonne

19471705Now out-lawed from my bloud, he sought my life

19481706But lately, very late, I lou'd him friend,

19491707No father his sonne dearer, truth to tell thee,

19501708The greefe has craz'd my wits.

19511709What a night's this? I do beseech your Grace.

19521710Lear. O cry you mercy noble Philosopher, your company.

19541711Edg. Tom's a cold.

19551712Glost. In fellow there, into th'houell, keepe thee warme.

19561713Lear. Come, let's in all.

19571714Kent. This way my Lord.

19581715Lear. With him I will keepe still, with my Philosopher.

19601716Kent. Good my Lord sooth him, let him take the fellow.

19621717Glost. Take him you on.

19631718Kent. Sirra come on, go along with vs.

19641719Lear. Come good Athenian.

19651720Glost. No words, no words, hush.

19661721Edg. Childe Rowland, to the darke towne come,

19671722His word was still fye, fo, and fum,

19681723I smell the bloud of a British man.