Pluck out his poor old eyes; nor thy fierce sister The sea, with such a storm as his bare head In hell-black night endur'd, would have buoy'd up, If wolves had at thy gate howl'd that stern time, The winged vengeance overtake such children. Corn. See it shalt thou never:-Fellows, hold the chair: Upon these eyes of thine I'll set my foot. [GLOSTER is held down in his Chair, while CORNWALL plucks out one of his Eyes, and sets his Foot on it. Glo. He that will think to live till he be old, Give me some help :-O cruel! O ye gods! Reg. One side will mock another; the other too. Hold your hand, my lord: I have serv'd you ever since I was a child ; Reg. How now, you dog? Serv. If you did wear a beard upon your chin, I'd shake it on this quarrel: What do you mean? 2 Corn. My villain! [Draws, and runs at him. Serv. Nay then, come on, and take the chance of anger. [Draws. They fight. CORNWALL is wounded. Reg. Give me thy sword.-[To another Servant.] A peasant stand up thus! occasion. [Snatches a Sword, comes behind, and stabs him. subscrib'd:] Yielded, submitted to the necessity of the Serv. O, I am slain!-My lord, you have one eye left To see some mischief on him : :-0! [Dies. Corn. Lest it see more, prevent it:-Out, vile jelly! Where is thy lustre now? [Tears out GLOSTER's other Eye, and throws it on the Ground. Glo. All dark and comfortless. Where's my son Edmund ? Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature, Reg. Out, treacherous villain! 3 Thou call'st on him that hates thee: it was he Glo. Then Edgar was abus'd.— O my follies! Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him! Reg. Go, thrust him out at gates, and let him smell His way to Dover.-How is't, my lord? How look you? Corn. I have receiv'd a hurt :-Follow me, lady.— Turn out that eyeless villain ;-throw this slave Upon the dunghill.-Regan, I bleed apace: Untimely comes this hurt: give me your arm. [Exit CORNWALL, led by REGAN ;-Servants unbind GLOSTER, and lead him out. 1 Serv. I'll never care what wickedness I do, If this man come to good. 2 Serv. If she live long, And, in the end, meet the old course of death", Women will all turn monsters. 3 1 Serv. Let's follow the old earl, and get the bedlam the overture of thy treasons—] Overture is here used for an opening or discovery. It was he who first laid thy treasons open to us. 4 the old course of death,] that is, die a natural death. To lead him where he would; his roguish madness 2 Serv. Go thou; I'll fetch some flax, and whites of eggs, To apply to his bleeding face. Now, heaven help him! [Exeunt severally. ACT IV. SCENE I.-The Heath. Enter EDGAR. Edg. Yet better thus, and known to be contemn'd, Than still contemn'd and flatter'd. To be worst, The lowest, and most dejected thing of fortune, Stands still in esperance, lives not in fear: The lamentable change is from the best; The worst returns to laughter. Welcome then, Thou unsubstantial air, that I embrace! The wretch, that thou hast blown unto the worst, Owes nothing to thy blasts.-But who comes here?— Enter GLOSTER, led by an old Man. My father, poorly led ?-World, world, O world! But that thy strange mutations make us hate thee,] O world! if reverses of fortune and changes such as I now see and feel, from ease and affluence to poverty and misery, did not show us the little value of life, we should never submit with any kind of resignation to the weight of years, and its necessary consequence, infirmity and death. MALONE. Old Man. O my good lord, I have been your tenant, and your father's tenant, these fourscore years. Glo. Away, get thee away; good friend, be gone : Thy comforts can do me no good at all, Thee they may hurt. Old Man. Alack, sir, you cannot see your way. Old Man. How now? Who's there? Edg. [aside.] O gods! Who is't can say, I am at the worst? I am worse than e'er I was. Old Man. 'Tis poor mad Tom. Edg. [aside.] And worse I may be yet: The worst is not, So long as we can say, This is the worst. Old Man. Fellow, where goest? Is it a beggar-man ? Old Man. Madman and beggar too. Glo. He has some reason, else he could not beg. I'the last night's storm I such a fellow saw; Which made me think a man a worm: My son Came then into my mind; and yet my mind Was then scarce friends with him: I have heard more since : As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods; They kill us for their sport. Edg. How should this be? Bad is the trade must play the fool to sorrow, Our mean secures us:] Mean is here a substantive, and signifies a middle state. Mr. Malone reads, " Our means secure us." Ang'ring itself and others. [Aside.]-Bless thee, master! Glo. Is that the naked fellow? Old Man. Ay, my lord. Glo. Then, pr'ythee, get thee gone: If, for my sake, Thou wilt o'ertake us, hence a mile or twain, I'the way to Dover, do it for ancient love; And bring some covering for this naked soul, Whom I'll entreat to lead me. Old Man. Alack, sir, he's mad. Glo. 'Tis the times' plague, when madmen lead the blind. Do as I bid thee, or rather do thy pleasure; Above the rest, be gone. Old Man. I'll bring him the best 'parrel that I have, Come on't what will. Glo. Sirrah, naked fellow. [Exit. Edg. Poor Tom's a-cold.-I cannot daub' it further. [Aside. Glo. Come hither, fellow. Edg. [aside.] And yet I must. -Bless thy sweet eyes, they bleed. Glo. Know'st thou the way to Dover? Edg. Both stile and gate, horse-way, and foot-path. Poor Tom hath been scared out of his good wits: Bless the good man from the foul fiend! Five fiends have been in poor Tom at once; of lust, as Obidicut; Hobbididance, prince of dumbness; Mahu, of stealing; Modo, of murder; and Flibbertigibbet, of mopping and mowing; who since possesses chamber-maids and waiting-women. So, bless thee, master! Glo. Here, take this purse, thou whom the heaven's plagues Have humbled to all strokes: that I am wretched, |