Enter OSWALD. You, you, sirrah, where's my daughter? Osw. So please you,― Lear. What says the fellow there? Call the clotpoll back. [Exit. 50 [Exit a Knight. Where's my fool, ho? I think the world's asleep. Re-enter Knight. How now! where's that mongrel? Knight. He says, my lord, your daughter is not well. called him? Knight. Sir, he answered manner, he would not. Lear. He would not! 55 me in the roundest 60 Knight. My lord, I know not what the matter is; but, to my judgment, your highness is not entertained with that ceremonious affection as you were wont; there's a great abatement of 65 kindness appears as well in the general dependants as in the duke himself also and your daughter. Enter Oswald Capell, Enter Steward (at line 49) F, Q. 49. You, you] F, You Q. 52. Exit a Knight Dyce; omitted Q, F. 54. Re-enter Knight Dyce; omitted Q, F. 56. daughter] Q, daughters F. Knight] F, Servant Q. 61. He] Q 2, F; AQI. 65, 66. of kindness] F, omitted Q. 52. clotpoll blockhead, clown, literally clod-pate; see Troilus and Cressida, 11. i. 128. It is found in Twelfth Night, III. iv. 208, in the form clodpole; see also Brome, The Northern Lasse, 1. vi. 19: "Ho. I said that as you bade me forsooth. Fit. As I bade you, clotpoll?" 59, 62. Lear. Ha! sayest thou so? Knight. I beseech you, pardon me, my lord, if I be 70 mistaken; for my duty cannot be silent when I think your highness wronged. Lear. Thou but rememberest me of mine own conception: I have perceived a most faint neglect of late; which I have rather blamed as mine own jealous curiosity than as a very pretence and purpose of unkindness: I will look further into 't. But where's my fool? I have not seen him this two days. Knight. Since my young lady's going into France, sir, the fool hath much pined away. 75 80 Lear. No more of that; I have noted it well. Go you, and tell my daughter I would speak with her. [Exit an Attendant. Go you, call hither my fool. [Exit an Attendant. 85 70, etc. Knight] F, Servant Q. 77. purpose] F, purport Q. 78. 84, 85. Exit an Attendant] Dyce; 72. wronged] Q1, F; is wronged Q 2. my] F, this Q. 82. well] F, omitted Q. omitted Q, F. 73. rememberest] remindest. So Winter's Tale, 111. ii. 231: "I'll not remember you of my own lord"; and Ford, The Lover's Melancholy, ii. 1: "I will remember you of an old tale that something concerns you." Gifford, Works, 1827, i. 38. 74. most faint hardly perceptible, very slight. Schmidt explains “dull, languid, cold," comparing Midsummer Night's Dream, 1. i. 73. Compare "Feynt, segnis Promptorium Parvulorum," 1440. Furness argues that Lear, at this stage of the play, would not have stood most cold neglect." This passage in the old play the History of King Leir makes for the meaning "languid, cold." Leir, speaking to Cordella of Gonorill, says: Re-enter OSWALD. O! you sir, you sir, come you hither, sir. Osw. My lady's father. Lear. "My lady's father"! my lord's knave: you whoreson dog! you slave! you cur! Osw. I am none of these, my lord; I beseech your pardon. Lear. Do you bandy looks with me, you rascal? Osw. I'll not be strucken, my lord. 90 [Striking him. Kent. Nor tripped neither, you base foot-ball player. 95 [Tripping up his heels. Lear. I thank thee, fellow; thou servest me, and I'll love thee. Steward Capell, omitted Q, F. Re-enter Oswald Collier; Re-enter 86. you sir... sir]_F, you sir, come you hither Q. 91. these] F, this Q. 91, 92. your pardon] F, you pardon me Q. Q, F. 94. strucken] F, struck Q. Q, F. delicate stroke Shakespeare gives us an insight into the characters of Cordelia and of Lear, and also of the Fool, who, by the way, seems to be the most perfect of all the poet's wonderful creations of that kind of person age. 93. bandy looks] to impudently exchange glances, to endeavour to outface, outlook, or bear down with looks. To bandy is a term in the game of tennis, meaning to toss or drive the ball from side to side. See Cotgrave, Tripoter, to bandie, or tosse to and fro as a ball at tennis." Malone quotes "Cole, Dict. 1679" (really Elisha Cole's English-Latin Dictionary, 1679): "Clava pilam torquere, to bandie a ball; reticulo pellere, to bandie 93. Striking him] Rowe; omitted 95. Tripping...] Rowe; omitted at tennis." Compare the common expression "to bandy words." See II. iv. 178, "to bandy hasty words." Also Taming of the Shrew, v. ii. 172: "To bandy word for word, and frown for frown." And Beaumont and Fletcher, Fair Maid of the Inn: "I'll not bandy words, But thus dissolve the contract." 94. strucken] stricken dumb with wonder; see Coriolanus, IV. v. I ; and Drayton, England's Heroical Epistles, Edward the Fourth to Jane Shore, line 14. 95. you foot-ball player] The game of football was at this time played much by idle boys in the streets, in Cheapside, etc., to the great annoyance of the citizens. Kent. Come, sir, arise, away! I'll teach you differences: away, away! If you will measure your lubber's length again, tarry; but away! Go 100 to; have you wisdom? so. [Pushes Oswald out. thank thee: Lear. Now, my friendly knave, I there's earnest of thy service. Enter Fool. [Gives Kent money. Fool. Let me hire him too: here's my coxcomb. [Offers Kent his cap. Lear. How now, my pretty knave! how dost thou? 105 Fool. Sirrah, you were best take my coxcomb. ΙΟΙ. 98. arise, away] F, omitted Q. 100, 101. Go to] F, omitted Q. have you wisdom? so] Theobald, have you wisdom, so F, you have wisedome Q. Pushes. .] Theobald (substantially), omitted Q, F. 102. my] F, omitted Q. 103. Gives . . .] Capell. 104. Offers Kent .] Capell (substantially). 98. I'll . . . differences] “I'll teach you your position, which you know not, the difference between the king and a base mongrel like yourself." 99, 100. measure. length] See Cymbeline, I. ii. 25: "Till you had measured what a fool you were upon the ground"; also Midsummer Night's Dream, III. ii. 429; Romeo and Juliet, III. iii. 70. 101. have you wisdom?] are you in your senses, that you dare to be so familiar and outspoken in the presence of the king? The Lord Chief Justice similarly, in 2 Henry IV. v. v. 49, addresses Falstaff in the presence of Henry v.: “Have you your wits? Know you to whom you speak?" 103. earnest] earnest-money, a small sum paid to secure a bargain, called also hansel, god's-penny, arles. See Henry V. II. ii. 169: "And from his coffers Received the golden earnest of his death." We find in Junius' The Nomenclator, Higgins, 1585: "Arha, an earnestpenny, or God's pennie, money which is given to confirm and assure a bargain. See also Greene's Philomela, Grosart, Works, xi. 183: "And pulling his purse out of his pocket, gave it to him for an earnest-penny for future friendship." 104. coxcomb] the cap of the professional fool. We read in Minshew's Ductor in Linguas, 1617: “Natural idiots and fools have, and still accustom themselves to wear, cock's feathers, or a hat with the neck and head of a cock on the top, with a bell thereon." See Douce, Illustrations of Shakespeare, 1807, for representations, and there is a beautiful one prefixed to Rowland's Fool upon Fool. 106. you were best] it were, it would be best for you, are forms very common in Shakespeare. We find also the forms "I were best," "thou wert best." See Speed's Chronicle, p. 1136: "My counsel is that you were best to yield.” Kent. Why, fool? Fool. Why? for taking one's part that's out of favour. Fool. If I gave them all my living, I'd keep my Lear. Take heed, sirrah; the whip. Fool. Truth's a dog must to kennel; he must be whipped out when Lady the brach may stand by the fire and stink. 115 I 20 107. Kent. Why] Q, Lear. Why F; Why, fool?] Q, Why iny Boy? F. 108. one's] Q 2, F; on's Q I. III. has] F, hath Q; on's] Q 1, F; of his Q 2. 112. did] F, done Q. 117. all my] F, any Q. 118. coxcombs] Q 1, F; coxcombe Q 2. 121. Truth's a] F, Truth is a Q; must to] F, that must to Q. 122. Lady the brach] Malone (Steevens, comma after "Lady"), Lady oth'e brach Q, the Lady Brach F. uncle." The expressions nuncle and 117. living] property. See Mer- 122. Lady the brach] In 1 Henry IV. III. i. 240, Hotspur says: "I had rather hear Lady my brach, howl in Irish." Brach, French brac, or braque, was the name given to a species of small hound which hunted by scent. See Troilus and Cressida, II. i. 126, and this play, III. vi. 68; but it was generally in Shakespeare's day used (to quote the Gentleman's Recreation) as a mannerly name for all |