уильям шекспир - King Lear

wheat, and hurts the poor creature of earth.

Chants?

Swithold footed thrice the old 112,

He met the nightmare and her nine-fold 113;

Bid her alight,

And her troth plight 115,

And, aroint 116thee, witch, aroint thee!

KENT How fares your grace?

LEAR What’s 118he?

KENT Who’s there? What is’t you seek?

GLOUCESTER What are you there? Your names?

EDGAR Poor Tom, that eats the swimming frog, the toad,

the tadpole, the wall-newt and the water 122, that in the fury of

his heart, when the foul fiend rages, eats cow-dung for

salads, swallows the old rat and the ditch-dog 124, drinks the

green mantle of the standing pool, who is whipped 125from

tithing 126to tithing, and stocked, punished and imprisoned,

who hath had three suits to his back, six shirts 127to his body:

Horse to ride, and weapon to wear,

But mice and rats and such small deer 129

Have been Tom’s food for seven long year.

Beware my follower. Peace, Smulkin 131, peace, thou fiend!

GLOUCESTER What, hath your grace no better company?

EDGAR The prince of darkness is a gentleman: Modo he’s 133

called, and Mahu.

To Lear

GLOUCESTER Our flesh and blood, my lord, is grown so vile 135,

That it doth hate what gets 136it.

EDGAR Poor Tom’s a-cold.

GLOUCESTER Go in with me: my duty cannot suffer

T’obey in all your daughters’ hard commands:

Though their injunction be to bar my doors

And let this tyrannous night take hold upon you,

Yet have I ventured to come seek you out

And bring you where both fire and food is ready.

LEAR First let me talk with this philosopher.—

To Edgar

What is the cause of thunder?

KENT Good my lord, take his offer: go into th’house.

LEAR I’ll talk a word with this same learnèd Theban 147.—

To Edgar

What is your study?

EDGAR How to prevent 149the fiend and to kill vermin.

They talk apart

LEAR Let me ask you one word in private.

To Gloucester

KENT Importune 151him once more to go, my lord:

His wits begin t’unsettle 152.

GLOUCESTER Canst thou blame him?

Storm still

His daughters seek his death. Ah, that good Kent!

He said it would be thus, poor banished man!

Thou sayest the king grows mad: I’ll tell thee, friend,

I am almost mad myself. I had a son,

Now outlawed from my blood 158: he sought my life

But lately, very late. I loved him, friend:

No father his son dearer. True to tell thee,

The grief hath crazed my wits. What a night’s this!—

To Lear

I do beseech your grace—

LEAR O, cry you mercy 163, sir.—

To Edgar

Noble philosopher, your company.

EDGAR Tom’s a-cold.

To Edgar

GLOUCESTER In, fellow, there, into th’hovel: keep thee warm.

LEAR Come let’s in all.

KENT This way, my lord.

LEAR With him;

I will keep still 170with my philosopher.

To Gloucester

KENT Good my lord, soothe 171him: let him take the fellow.

To Kent

GLOUCESTER Take him you on 172.

To Edgar

KENT Sirrah, come on: go along with us.

LEAR Come, good Athenian 174.

GLOUCESTER No words, no words: hush.

EDGAR Child Rowland to the dark tower came 176,

His word was still: fie, foh and fum, 177

I smell the blood of a British man.

Exeunt

Act 3 Scene 5

running scene 9

Enter Cornwall and Edmund

CORNWALL I will have my revenge ere I depart his 1house.

EDMUND How, my lord, I may be censured, that nature 2thus

gives way to loyalty, something fears 3me to think of.

CORNWALL I now perceive it was not altogether your brother’s

evil disposition made him seek his death, but a provoking 5

merit set a-work by a reprovable badness in himself.

EDMUND How malicious is my fortune — that I must repent

to be 8just! This is the letter which he spoke of Shows a letter

which approves him an intelligent party 9to the advantages of

France. O heavens! That this treason were not, or not I the

detector!

CORNWALL Go with me to the duchess.

EDMUND If the matter of this paper be certain, you have

mighty business in hand.

CORNWALL True or false, it hath made thee Earl of Gloucester.

Seek out where thy father is, that he may be ready for our

apprehension 17.

Aside

EDMUND If I find him comforting the king, it will stuff

his suspicion 19more fully.— I will persevere in my course of

loyalty, though the conflict be sore between that and my

blood.

CORNWALL I will lay trust upon thee, and thou shalt find a dear

father in my love.

Exeunt

Act 3 Scene 6

running scene 10

Enter Kent and Gloucester

GLOUCESTER Here is better than the open air, take it thankfully. I

will piece out 2the comfort with what addition I can: I will not

be long from you.

Exit

KENT All the power of his wits have given way to his

impatience 5: the gods reward your kindness!

Enter Lear, Edgar and Fool

Edgar disguised as Poor Tom

EDGAR Frateretto calls me, and tells me Nero is an angler 6in

the lake of darkness 7. Pray, innocent, and beware the foul

fiend.

FOOL Prithee, nuncle, tell me whether a madman be a

gentleman or a yeoman 10?

LEAR A king, a king!

FOOL No, he’s a yeoman that has a gentleman to 12his son,

for he’s a mad 13yeoman that sees his son a gentleman before

him.

LEAR To have a thousand 15with red burning spits

Come hizzing in upon ’em 16—

EDGAR Bless thy five wits!

KENT O pity! Sir, where is the patience now

That you so oft have boasted to retain?

Aside

EDGAR My tears begin to take his part so much

They mar my counterfeiting 21.

LEAR The little dogs and all,

Trey, Blanch and Sweetheart 23, see, they bark at me.

EDGAR Tom will throw his head at them. Avaunt 24, you curs!

Be thy mouth or black or 25white,

Tooth that poisons 26if it bite,

Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel grim 27,

Hound or spaniel, brach or him 28,

Or bobtail tyke or trundle-tail 29,

Tom will make him weep and wail:

For, with throwing thus my head,

Dogs leapt the hatch 32, and all are fled.

Do de, de, de. Sessa! Come, march to wakes 33and fairs and

market towns. Poor Tom, thy horn 34is dry.

LEAR Then let them anatomize 35Regan: see what breeds

about her heart. Is there any cause in nature that make

To Edgar

these hard hearts?— You, sir, I entertain 37for one of

my hundred; only I do not like the fashion of your garments:

you will say they are Persian 39; but let them be changed.

Enter Gloucester

At a distance

KENT Now, good my lord, lie here and rest awhile.

LEAR Make no noise, make no noise: draw the curtains 41.

So, so, we’ll go to supper i’th’morning.

Sleeps

FOOL And I’ll go to bed at noon.

To Kent

GLOUCESTER Come hither, friend: where is the king my master?

KENT Here, sir, but trouble him not: his wits are gone.

GLOUCESTER Good friend, I prithee take him in thy arms;

I have o’erheard a plot of death upon him:

There is a litter 48ready, lay him in’t

And drive toward Dover 49, friend, where thou shalt meet

Both welcome and protection. Take up thy master:

If thou shouldst dally half an hour, his life,