1 Here is the place, my lord; good my lord, enter: 2 The tyranny of the open night's too rough 3 For nature to endure.
Storm still
KING LEAR
4 Let me alone.
KENT
5 Good my lord, enter here.
KING LEAR
6 Wilt break my heart?
KENT
7 I had rather break mine own. Good my lord, enter.
KING LEAR
8 Thou think'st 'tis much that this contentious storm 9 Invades us to the skin: so 'tis to thee; 10 But where the greater malady is fix'd, 11 The lesser is scarce felt. Thou'ldst shun a bear; 12 But if thy flight lay toward the raging sea, 13 Thou'ldst meet the bear i' the mouth. When the 14 mind's free, 15 The body's delicate: the tempest in my mind 16 Doth from my senses take all feeling else 17 Save what beats there. Filial ingratitude! 18 Is it not as this mouth should tear this hand 19 For lifting food to't? But I will punish home: 20 No, I will weep no more. In such a night 21 To shut me out! Pour on; I will endure. 22 In such a night as this! O Regan, Goneril! 23 Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave all,-- 24 O, that way madness lies; let me shun that; 25 No more of that.
KENT
26 Good my lord, enter here.
KING LEAR
27 Prithee, go in thyself: seek thine own ease: 28 This tempest will not give me leave to ponder 29 On things would hurt me more. But I'll go in. To the Fool 30 In, boy; go first. You houseless poverty,-- 31 Nay, get thee in. I'll pray, and then I'll sleep. Fool goes in 32 Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are, 33 That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, 34 How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, 35 Your loop'd and window'd raggedness, defend you 36 From seasons such as these? O, I have ta'en 37 Too little care of this! Take physic, pomp; 38 Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel, 39 That thou mayst shake the superflux to them, 40 And show the heavens more just.
EDGAR
Within 41 Fathom and half, fathom and half! Poor Tom!
The Fool runs out from the hovel
Fool
42 Come not in here, nuncle, here's a spirit 43 Help me, help me!
KENT
44 Give me thy hand. Who's there?
Fool
45 A spirit, a spirit: he says his name's poor Tom.
KENT
46 What art thou that dost grumble there i' the straw? 47 Come forth.
Enter EDGAR disguised as a mad man
EDGAR
48 Away! the foul fiend follows me! 49 Through the sharp hawthorn blows the cold wind. 50 Hum! go to thy cold bed, and warm thee.
KING LEAR
51 Hast thou given all to thy two daughters? 52 And art thou come to this?
EDGAR
53 Who gives any thing to poor Tom? whom the foul 54 fiend hath led through fire and through flame, and 55 through ford and whirlipool e'er bog and quagmire; 56 that hath laid knives under his pillow, and halters 57 in his pew; set ratsbane by his porridge; made film 58 proud of heart, to ride on a bay trotting-horse over 59 four-inched bridges, to course his own shadow for a 60 traitor. Bless thy five wits! Tom's a-cold,--O, do 61 de, do de, do de. Bless thee from whirlwinds, 62 star-blasting, and taking! Do poor Tom some 63 charity, whom the foul fiend vexes: there could I 64 have him now,--and there,--and there again, and there.
Storm still
KING LEAR
65 What, have his daughters brought him to this pass? 66 Couldst thou save nothing? Didst thou give them all?
Fool
67 Nay, he reserved a blanket, else we had been all shamed.
KING LEAR
68 Now, all the plagues that in the pendulous air 69 Hang fated o'er men's faults light on thy daughters!
KENT
70 He hath no daughters, sir.
KING LEAR
71 Death, traitor! nothing could have subdued nature 72 To such a lowness but his unkind daughters. 73 Is it the fashion, that discarded fathers 74 Should have thus little mercy on their flesh? 75 Judicious punishment! 'twas this flesh begot 76 Those pelican daughters.
EDGAR
77 Pillicock sat on Pillicock-hill: 78 Halloo, halloo, loo, loo!
Fool
79 This cold night will turn us all to fools and madmen.
EDGAR
80 Take heed o' the foul fiend: obey thy parents; 81 keep thy word justly; swear not; commit not with 82 man's sworn spouse; set not thy sweet heart on proud 83 array. Tom's a-cold.
KING LEAR
84 What hast thou been?
EDGAR
85 A serving-man, proud in heart and mind; that curled 86 my hair; wore gloves in my cap; served the lust of 87 my mistress' heart, and did the act of darkness with 88 her; swore as many oaths as I spake words, and 89 broke them in the sweet face of heaven: one that 90 slept in the contriving of lust, and waked to do it: 91 wine loved I deeply, dice dearly: and in woman 92 out-paramoured the Turk: false of heart, light of 93 ear, bloody of hand; hog in sloth, fox in stealth, 94 wolf in greediness, dog in madness, lion in prey. 95 Let not the creaking of shoes nor the rustling of 96 silks betray thy poor heart to woman: keep thy foot 97 out of brothels, thy hand out of plackets, thy pen 98 from lenders' books, and defy the foul fiend. 99 Still through the hawthorn blows the cold wind: 100 Says suum, mun, ha, no, nonny. 101 Dolphin my boy, my boy, sessa! let him trot by.
Storm still
KING LEAR
102 Why, thou wert better in thy grave than to answer 103 with thy uncovered body this extremity of the skies. 104 Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou 105 owest the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep 106 no wool, the cat no perfume. Ha! here's three on 107 's are sophisticated! Thou art the thing itself: 108 unaccommodated man is no more but such a poor bare, 109 forked animal as thou art. Off, off, you lendings! 110 come unbutton here.
Tearing off his clothes
Fool
111 Prithee, nuncle, be contented; 'tis a naughty night 112 to swim in. Now a little fire in a wild field were 113 like an old lecher's heart; a small spark, all the 114 rest on's body cold. Look, here comes a walking fire.
Enter GLOUCESTER, with a torch
EDGAR
115 This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet: he begins 116 at curfew, and walks till the first cock; he gives 117 the web and the pin, squints the eye, and makes the 118 hare-lip; mildews the white wheat, and hurts the 119 poor creature of earth. 120 S. Withold footed thrice the old; 121 He met the night-mare, and her nine-fold; 122 Bid her alight, 123 And her troth plight, 124 And, aroint thee, witch, aroint thee!
KENT
125 How fares your grace?
KING LEAR
126 What's he?
KENT
127 Who's there? What is't you seek?
GLOUCESTER
128 What are you there? Your names?
EDGAR
129 Poor Tom; that eats the swimming frog, the toad, 130 the tadpole, the wall-newt and the water; that in 131 the fury of his heart, when the foul fiend rages, 132 eats cow-dung for sallets; swallows the old rat and 133 the ditch-dog; drinks the green mantle of the 134 standing pool; who is whipped from tithing to 135 tithing, and stock- punished, and imprisoned; who 136 hath had three suits to his back, six shirts to his 137 body, horse to ride, and weapon to wear; 138 But mice and rats, and such small deer, 139 Have been Tom's food for seven long year. 140 Beware my follower. Peace, Smulkin; peace, thou fiend!
GLOUCESTER
141 What, hath your grace no better company?
EDGAR
142 The prince of darkness is a gentleman: 143 Modo he's call'd, and Mahu.
GLOUCESTER
144 Our flesh and blood is grown so vile, my lord, 145 That it doth hate what gets it.
EDGAR
146 Poor Tom's a-cold.
GLOUCESTER
147 Go in with me: my duty cannot suffer 148 To obey in all your daughters' hard commands: 149 Though their injunction be to bar my doors, 150 And let this tyrannous night take hold upon you, 151 Yet have I ventured to come seek you out, 152 And bring you where both fire and food is ready.
KING LEAR
153 First let me talk with this philosopher. 154 What is the cause of thunder?
KENT
155 Good my lord, take his offer; go into the house.
KING LEAR
156 I'll talk a word with this same learned Theban. 157 What is your study?
EDGAR
158 How to prevent the fiend, and to kill vermin.
KING LEAR
159 Let me ask you one word in private.
KENT
160 Importune him once more to go, my lord; 161 His wits begin to unsettle.
GLOUCESTER
162 Canst thou blame him? Storm still 163 His daughters seek his death: ah, that good Kent! 164 He said it would be thus, poor banish'd man! 165 Thou say'st the king grows mad; I'll tell thee, friend, 166 I am almost mad myself: I had a son, 167 Now outlaw'd from my blood; he sought my life, 168 But lately, very late: I loved him, friend; 169 No father his son dearer: truth to tell thee, 170 The grief hath crazed my wits. What a night's this! 171 I do beseech your grace,--
KING LEAR
172 O, cry your mercy, sir. 173 Noble philosopher, your company.
EDGAR
174 Tom's a-cold.
GLOUCESTER
175 In, fellow, there, into the hovel: keep thee warm.
KING LEAR
176 Come let's in all.
KENT
177 This way, my lord.
KING LEAR
178 With him; 179 I will keep still with my philosopher.
KENT
180 Good my lord, soothe him; let him take the fellow.
GLOUCESTER
181 Take him you on.
KENT
182 Sirrah, come on; go along with us.
KING LEAR
183 Come, good Athenian.
GLOUCESTER
184 No words, no words: hush.
EDGAR
185 child rowland to the dark tower came, 186 His word was still,--Fie, foh, and fum, 187 I smell the blood of a British man.