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Hark! the duke's trumpets. I know not why he

comes.

All ports I'll bar; the villain shall not 'scape;
The duke must grant me that: besides, his picture
I will send far and near, that all the kingdom
May have due note of him; and of my land,
Loyal and natural boy, I'll work the means
To make thee capable.

Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, and Attendants.

Corn. How now, my noble friend! since I came hither,

(Which I can call but now) I have heard strange news3.

Reg. If it be true, all vengeance comes too short, Which can pursue th' offender. How dost, my lord? Glo. O, madam! my old heart is crack'd, it's crack'd. Reg. What did my father's godson seek your life? He whom my father nam'd? your Edgar?

Glo. O, lady, lady! shame would have it hid.

Reg. Was he not companion with the riotous knights That tend upon my father?

Glo. I know not, madam: 'tis too bad, too bad.— Edm. Yes, madam, he was of that consort*. Reg. No marvel, then, though he were ill affected: "Tis they have put him on the old man's death, To have th' expense and waste of his revenues". I have this present evening from my sister

Been well inform'd of them; and with such cautions, That if they come to sojourn at my house,

ence to the question "Would he deny his letter?" In the next line for "I know not why he comes," the folio has " I know not where he comes."

3

I have heard STRANGE NEWS.] The folio is very imperfectly printed in this part of the scene, and the quartos are far from correct: for "strange news,"

the folio has strangeness.

4

of that consort.] These words are from the folio. "Consort" is company. 5 To have th' expense and waste of his revenues.] The quartos give this line as follows:-"To have these-and waste of this his revenues,"—obviously neither sense nor measure.

I'll not be there.

Corn.

Nor I, assure thee, Regan.Edmund, I hear that you have shown your father

A child-like office.

Edm.

'Twas my duty, sir.

Glo. He did bewray his practice'; and receiv'd This hurt you see, striving to apprehend him. Corn. Is he pursued?

Glo.

Ay, my good lord.

Corn. If he be taken, he shall never more

Be fear'd of doing harm: make your own purpose,
How in my strength you please.-For you, Edmund,
Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant

So much commend itself, you shall be ours:
Natures of such deep trust we shall much need;
You we first seize on.

Edm.

Truly, however else.

Glo.

I shall serve you, sir,

For him I thank your grace.

Corn. You know not why we came to visit you.

Reg. Thus out of season, threading dark-ey'd night'. Occasions, noble Gloster, of some poize3,

Wherein we must have use of your advice.
Our father he hath writ, so hath our sister,

Of differences, which I best thought it fit

To answer from our home: the several messengers
From hence attend despatch. Our good old friend,
Lay comforts to your bosom, and bestow
Your needful counsel to our business",

6 He did BEWRAY his practice ;] The quartos here afford a comment on the folio, by reading betray for "bewray."

7

8

THREADING dark-ey'd night.] The quartos read, threatening.

- of some POIZE,] So two copies of the quartos: the other, for "poize" reads prize, which is also the word in the folio. It was an easy misprint. Lower down, one quarto reads, "from our home," and the others, "from our hand:" the folio seems rightly to have "home."

9to our BUSINESS,] The folio has businesses, instead of "business" of the quartos: the verb "craves," in the next line, is, nevertheless, in the singular in the folio, which serves to show that "business" is right.

[blocks in formation]

Enter KENT and OSWALD, severally.

Osw. Good dawning to thee, friend: art of this house1?

Kent. Ay.

Osw. Where may we set our horses?

Kent. I' the mire.

Osw. Pr'ythee, if thou love me, tell me.

Kent. I love thee not.

Osw. Why, then I care not for thee.

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

Osw. Why dost thou use me thus? I know thee not.

Kent. Fellow, I know thee.

Osw. What dost thou know me for?

Kent. A knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundredpound, 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, beg

1 Good DAWNING to thee, friend: art of THIS house?] The quartos have eren for "dawning," and the for" this."

2

- glass-gazing, superserviceable, finical rogue ;] Malone makes a difficulty of nothing, as if "glass-gazing" did not mean gazing in a glass, with reference to Oswald's vanity and conceit. The quartos read merely, "superfinical rogue," with much loss of meaning.

gar, coward, pandar, and the son and heir of a mongrel bitch: one whom I will beat into clamorous whining, if thou deniest the least syllable of thy addition.

Osw. 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 knowest me. Is it two days since I tripped up thy heels, and beat thee, before the king? Draw, you rogue; for, though it be night, yet the moon shines: I'll make a sop o' the moonshine of you: [Drawing his Sword.] Draw, you whoreson cullionly barber-monger, draw.

Osw. 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, part3, against the royalty of her father. Draw, you rogue, or I'll so carbonado your shanks:-draw, you rascal; come your ways.

Osw. Help, ho! murder! help!

Kent. Strike, you slave: stand, rogue, stand; you

neat slave, strike.

Osw. Help, ho! murder! murder!

[Beating him.

Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, GLOSTER, EDMUND, and

Edm. How now!

Servants.

What's the matter? Part1.

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?

3- and take Vanity, the puppet's part,] The allusion is evidently to the character of Vanity, in some of the early Moralities or Moral-plays. She had also probably been represented in a puppet-show, and hence Kent calls her "Vanity, the puppet."

4 What's the matter? PART.] "Part" is wanting in the quartos.

Reg. The messengers from our sister and the king. Corn. What is your difference? speak.

Osw. I am scarce in breath, my 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?

Osw. 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 unbolted villains into mortar, and daub 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 hath 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

The messengers-] All the old copies have "messengers," but Oswald is the only one upon the stage.

6 nature disclaims IN thee :] We should now say 66 nature disclaims thee;" but the text was the phraseology of the time, as may be proved by various instances: one from Ben Jonson's "Fox," A. iii. sc. 5, will be sufficient: "And, then, his father's oft disclaiming in him."

7 Ay, a tailor, sir: a stone-cutter, or a painter, could not have made him so ill,] The folio, by omitting " Ay," which is in all the quartos, and by faulty punctuation, makes the passage read, as if Kent had contradicted himself, by saying first that a tailor had made Oswald, and next that a tailor could not have made him so ill. The folio also substitutes years for "hours."

8

this UNBOLTED villain-] . e. this unsifted or coarse villain. To "bolt" is to sift see Vol. v. p. 506.

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