Lear. Say? How is that?

Reg. I cannot think, my fifter in the leaft
Would fail her obligation. If, perchance,
She have restrain'd the riots of your followers;
'Tis on fuch ground, and to fuch wholesome end,
As clears her from all blame.

Lear. My curses on her!

Reg. O Sir, you are old,

Nature in you ftands on the very verge
Of her confine; you fhould be rul'd and led
By some discretion, that difcerns your ftate
Better than you yourfelf: therefore, I pray you,
That to our fifter you do make return;
Say, you have wrong'd her, Sir.

Lear. Afk her forgiveness?

Do you but mark, how this becomes the Ufe?

Dear daughter, I confefs, that I am old;

Age is unneceffary: on my knees I beg,

(18)

That you'll vouchsafe me raiment, bed, and food.
Reg. Good Sir, no more; these are unfightly tricks ;
Return you to my fifter.

Lear. Never, Regan:

She hath abated me of half

my train;

(18) Do you but mark borv this becomes the house?] This phrafe is to me unintelligible, and feems to fay nothing to the purpose: Neither can it mean, as I conceive, how this becomes the order of famifies. Lear would certainly intend to reply, how does afking my daughter's forgiveness become me as a father, and agree with common fashion, the eftablish'd rule and custom of nature? And therefore it seems no doubt to me, but the poet wrote, as I have alter'd the text. Let us examine, how he has expreffed elsewhere upon this fentiment. Alonfo fays, in the Tempeft;

But, oh, how oddly will it found, that I

Muft afk my child forgiveness?

And Volumnia, in Coriolanus, fays to her fon;
I kneel before thee, and unproperly
Shew duty as miftaken all the while

Between the child and parent.

Now what is odd, and improper, and miftaken, must be concluded to be against rule and cuftom: And that Shakespeare employs Use in this fignification, is too obvious to want a proof.

Look'd

Look'd blank upon me; struck me with her tongue, (19)

Most ferpent-like, upon the very heart.

All the stor'd vengeances of heaven fall

On her ungrateful Top! strike her young bones,

You taking airs, with lameness!-

Corn, Fie, Sir! fie!

Lear. You nimble lightnings, dart your blinding flames

Into her scornful eyes! infect her beauty,

You fen-fuck'd fogs, drawn by the pow'rful fun
To fall, and blaft her pride.

Reg. O the blest gods !

So will you wish on me, when the rash mood is on.
Lear. No, Regan, thou shalt never have my curse:
Thy tender-hefted nature shall not give (20)

Thee

(19) Look'd black upon me,] This is a phrase which I do not understand; neither have I any where else met with it. But to look blank is a known expreffion, signifying, either to give difcouraging looks to another, or to sland dismayed and disappointed one's-felf. The poet means here, that Regan gave him cold looks, as he before phrases it in this play. In Hamlet, he has changed the adjective into a verb;

Each oppofite, that blanks the face of joy.

Milton (a studious imitator not only of our poet's words, but phrafes;) often uses blank in our author's sense here;

There without fign of boaft, or fign of joy,
Solicitous and blank, he thus began.
And with confufion blank his worshippers.
And noble grace that dash'd brute violence;

With sudden adoration and blank awe.

-Adam, foon as he heard

Par. Reg. B. 2.
Sampf. Agonist.

Mafque at Ludlow-Caftle

The fatal trespass done by Eve, amaz'd,.
Aftonied stood and blank.

Par. Loft, B. 9.

And in another paffage, with an equivalent expression;

Thus while he spake, each paffion dimm'd his face. Ibid. B. 4.

(20) Thy tender-hearted nature] This, as I prefume, was Mr. Pope's fophistication; I have restored from the old copies, tenderkefted: (which, I am fatisfied, was the poet's word) i. e, whose bosom is beav'd with tender paffions. So in Winter's Tale.

- But if one present

Th' abhorr'd ingredient to his eye make known
How he hath drunk, he cracks his gorge, his fides,
With violent befts.

VOL. VI,

Ani

Thee o'er to harshness; her eyes are fierce, but thine
Do comfort, and not burn. "Tis not in thee
To grudge my pleasures, to cut off my train,
To bandy hafty words, to fcant my fizes,
And, in conclufion, to oppofe the bolt
Against my coming in. Thou better know’st
The offices of nature, bond of child-hood,
Effects of courtesy, dues of gratitude:

Thy half o' th' kingdom thou hast not forgot,
Wherein I thee endow'd.

Reg. Good Sir; to th' purpose.

Lear. Who put my man i' th' stocks?

Enter Steward.

Corn. What trumpet's that?

[Trumpet within.

Reg. I know't, my fifter's: this approves her letter, That the would foon be here. Is your lady come? Lear. This is a flave, whofe eafy-borrow'd pride Dwells in the fickle grace of her he follows.

Out, varlet, from my fight.

Corn. What means your Grace ?

Enter Gonerill.

Lear. Who ftock't my fervant? Regan, I've good hope, Thou did't not know on't.- Who comes here? O Heav'ns,

If

you

your

do love old men, if sweet sway (21) Hallow obedience, if yourfelves are old,

And again afterwards in the fame play;

That

'Tis fuch as you,

creep like fhadows by him, and do figh At each his needlefs beavings.

So, fpeaking of Cordelia's grief, in our prefent play,

Once, or twice,

She bear'd the name of father

Pantingly forth.

And fo the Dauphin, in King John.

Lift up thy brow, renowned Salisbury;

And with a great heart beave away this storm,

(21) ---------if your sweet fway

Make

Allow obedience,] Could any man in his fenfes, and Lear has 'em yet, make it a question whether heaven allow'd obedience? undoubtedly,

the

Make it your cause; send down and take my part.
Art not asham'd to look upon this beard?

O Regan, will you take her by the hand?

Gon. Why not by th' hand, Sir? how have I offended?

All's not offence, that indiscretion finds,

And dotage terms fo.

Lear. O fides, you are too tough!

Will you yet hold?-how came my man i' th' Stocks? Corn. I set him there, Sir: but his own disorders

Deserv'd much less advancement.

Lear. You? did you ?

Reg. I pray you, father, being weak, seem so.
If, 'till the expiration of your month,
You will return and sojourn with my fister,
Difmiffing half-your train, come then to me;
I'm now from home, and out of that provision
Which shall be needful for your entertainment.

Lear. Return to her? and fifty men dismiss'd?
No, rather I abjure all roofs, and chuse (22)
To be a comrade with the wolf and owl;

To wage, against the enmity o' th' air,
Neceffity's sharp pinch-Return with her?
Why, the hot-blooded France, that dow'rless took
Our youngest born, I could as well be brought
To knee his throne, and 'Squire-like pension beg,
To keep base life a-foot; -Return with her?
Perfuade me rather to be slave, and sumpter,
To this detested groom.

Gon. At your choice, Sir.

the poet wrote-hallow obedience, i. e. if by your ordinances you hold and pronounce it fanctified; and punish the violators of it as facrilegious persons, Mr. Warburton.

(22)-

------and chufe

To wage against the enmity o' th' air,
To be a comrade with the wolf and owl,

Neceffity's sharp pinch.] The breach of the sense here is a manifest proof, that these lines were transposed by the first editors: Neither can there be any syntax or grammatical coherence, unless we fuppofe Neceffity's sharp pinch to be the accusative to wage. As I've placed

the verses, the sense is fine and easy; and the sentence compleat and finished.

Lear. I pr'ythee, daughter, do not make me mad,
I will not trouble thee, my child. Farewel;
We'll no more meet, no more fee one another;
But yet thou art my flefh, my blood, my daughter,
Or rather a difeafe that's in my fieth,

Which I muft needs call mine; thou art a bile,
A plague-fore, or imboffed carbuncle,

In my corrupted blood; but I'll not chide thee.
Let fhame come when it will, I do not call it;
I do not bid the thunder-bearer shoot,

Nor tell tales of thee to high-judging Jove.
Mend, when thou can'ft; be better, at thy leifure.
I can be patient, I can ftay with Regan;
I, and my hundred Knights.

Reg. Not altogether io ;

I look'd not for you yet, nor am provided
For your fit welcome; give ear to my fifter;
For thofe that mingle reafon with your paffion,
Must be content to think you old, and fo-
But fhe knows what she does.

Lear. Is this well-spoken ?

Reg. I dare avouch it, Sir; what, fifty followers ? Is it not well? what fhould you need of more? Yea, or fo many? fince both charge and danger Speak 'gainst fo great a number: how in one house Should many people under two commands Hold amity? 'tis hard, almost impossible.

Gon. Why might not you, my Lord, receive attendance From those that the calls fervants, or from mine?

Reg. Why not, my Lord? if then they chanc'd to

flack ye,

We could controul them; if you'll come to me,

(For now I fpy a danger) I intreat you

To bring

but five and twenty; to no more

Will I give place or notice.

Lear. I gave you all

Reg. And in good time you gave it.

Lear. Made you my Guardians, my depofitaries;

But kept a refervation to be follow'd