TPTT The Tragedy of King Lear: ACT II
Introduction
ACT I
ACT II
SCENE I. GLOUCESTER's castle.
SCENE II. Before Gloucester's castle.
SCENE III. A wood.
SCENE IV. Before GLOUCESTER's castle. KENT in the stocks.
ACT III
ACT IV
ACT V
About the Play
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SCENE II. Before Gloucester's castle.
Enter KENT and OSWALD, severally
OSWALD
      Good dawning to thee, friend: art of this house?
KENT
      Ay.
OSWALD
      Where may we set our horses?
KENT
      I' the mire.
OSWALD
5     Prithee, if thou lovest me, tell me.
KENT
      I love thee not.
OSWALD
      Why, then, I care not for thee.
KENT
      If I had thee in Lipsbury pinfold, I would make thee
      care for me.
OSWALD
10    Why dost thou use me thus? I know thee not.
KENT
      Fellow, I know thee.
OSWALD
      What dost thou know me for?
KENT
      A knave; a rascal; an eater of broken meats; a
      base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited,
15    hundred-pound, filthy, worsted-stocking knave; a
      lily-livered, action-taking knave, a whoreson,
      glass-gazing, super-serviceable finical rogue;
      one-trunk-inheriting slave; one that wouldst be a
      bawd, in way of good service, and art nothing but
20    the composition of a knave, beggar, coward, pandar,
      and the son and heir of a mongrel bitch: one whom I
      will beat into clamorous whining, if thou deniest
      the least syllable of thy addition.
OSWALD
      Why, what a monstrous fellow art thou, thus to rail
25    on one that is neither known of thee nor knows thee!
KENT
      What a brazen-faced varlet art thou, to deny thou
      knowest me! Is it two days ago since I tripped up
      thy heels, and beat thee before the king? Draw, you
      rogue: for, though it be night, yet the moon
30    shines; I'll make a sop o' the moonshine of you:
      draw, you whoreson cullionly barber-monger, draw.
Drawing his sword
OSWALD
      Away! I have nothing to do with thee.
KENT
      Draw, you rascal: you come with letters against the
      king; and take vanity the puppet's part against the
35    royalty of her father: draw, you rogue, or I'll so
      carbonado your shanks: draw, you rascal; come your ways.
OSWALD
      Help, ho! murder! help!
KENT
      Strike, you slave; stand, rogue, stand; you neat
      slave, strike.
Beating him
OSWALD
40    Help, ho! murder! murder!
Enter EDMUND, with his rapier drawn, CORNWALL, REGAN, GLOUCESTER, and Servants
EDMUND
      How now! What's the matter?
KENT
      With you, goodman boy, an you please: come, I'll
      flesh ye; come on, young master.
GLOUCESTER
      Weapons! arms! What 's the matter here?
CORNWALL
45    Keep peace, upon your lives:
      He dies that strikes again. What is the matter?
REGAN
      The messengers from our sister and the king.
CORNWALL
      What is your difference? speak.
OSWALD
      I am scarce in breath, my lord.
KENT
50    No marvel, you have so bestirred your valour. You
      cowardly rascal, nature disclaims in thee: a
      tailor made thee.
CORNWALL
      Thou art a strange fellow: a tailor make a man?
KENT
      Ay, a tailor, sir: a stone-cutter or painter could
55    not have made him so ill, though he had been but two
      hours at the trade.
CORNWALL
      Speak yet, how grew your quarrel?
OSWALD
      This ancient ruffian, sir, whose life I have spared
      at suit of his gray beard,--
KENT
60    Thou whoreson zed! thou unnecessary letter! My
      lord, if you will give me leave, I will tread this
      unbolted villain into mortar, and daub the wall of
      a jakes with him. Spare my gray beard, you wagtail?
CORNWALL
      Peace, sirrah!
65    You beastly knave, know you no reverence?
KENT
      Yes, sir; but anger hath a privilege.
CORNWALL
      Why art thou angry?
KENT
      That such a slave as this should wear a sword,
      Who wears no honesty. Such smiling rogues as these,
70    Like rats, oft bite the holy cords a-twain
      Which are too intrinse t' unloose; smooth every passion
      That in the natures of their lords rebel;
      Bring oil to fire, snow to their colder moods;
      Renege, affirm, and turn their halcyon beaks
75    With every gale and vary of their masters,
      Knowing nought, like dogs, but following.
      A plague upon your epileptic visage!
      Smile you my speeches, as I were a fool?
      Goose, if I had you upon Sarum plain,
80    I'ld drive ye cackling home to Camelot.
CORNWALL
      Why, art thou mad, old fellow?
GLOUCESTER
      How fell you out? say that.
KENT
      No contraries hold more antipathy
      Than I and such a knave.
CORNWALL
85    Why dost thou call him a knave? What's his offence?
KENT
      His countenance likes me not.
CORNWALL
      No more, perchance, does mine, nor his, nor hers.
KENT
      Sir, 'tis my occupation to be plain:
      I have seen better faces in my time
90    Than stands on any shoulder that I see
      Before me at this instant.
CORNWALL
      This is some fellow,
      Who, having been praised for bluntness, doth affect
      A saucy roughness, and constrains the garb
95    Quite from his nature: he cannot flatter, he,
      An honest mind and plain, he must speak truth!
      An they will take it, so; if not, he's plain.
      These kind of knaves I know, which in this plainness
      Harbour more craft and more corrupter ends
100   Than twenty silly ducking observants
      That stretch their duties nicely.
KENT
      Sir, in good sooth, in sincere verity,
      Under the allowance of your great aspect,
      Whose influence, like the wreath of radiant fire
105   On flickering Phoebus' front,--
CORNWALL
      What mean'st by this?
KENT
      To go out of my dialect, which you
      discommend so much. I know, sir, I am no
      flatterer: he that beguiled you in a plain
110   accent was a plain knave; which for my part
      I will not be, though I should win your displeasure
      to entreat me to 't.
CORNWALL
      What was the offence you gave him?
OSWALD
      I never gave him any:
115   It pleased the king his master very late
      To strike at me, upon his misconstruction;
      When he, conjunct and flattering his displeasure,
      Tripp'd me behind; being down, insulted, rail'd,
      And put upon him such a deal of man,
120   That worthied him, got praises of the king
      For him attempting who was self-subdued;
      And, in the fleshment of this dread exploit,
      Drew on me here again.
KENT
      None of these rogues and cowards
125   But Ajax is their fool.
CORNWALL
      Fetch forth the stocks!
      You stubborn ancient knave, you reverend braggart,
      We'll teach you--
KENT
      Sir, I am too old to learn:
130   Call not your stocks for me: I serve the king;
      On whose employment I was sent to you:
      You shall do small respect, show too bold malice
      Against the grace and person of my master,
      Stocking his messenger.
CORNWALL
135   Fetch forth the stocks! As I have life and honour,
      There shall he sit till noon.
REGAN
      Till noon! till night, my lord; and all night too.
KENT
      Why, madam, if I were your father's dog,
      You should not use me so.
REGAN
140   Sir, being his knave, I will.
CORNWALL
      This is a fellow of the self-same colour
      Our sister speaks of. Come, bring away the stocks!
Stocks brought out
GLOUCESTER
      Let me beseech your grace not to do so:
      His fault is much, and the good king his master
145   Will cheque him for 't: your purposed low correction
      Is such as basest and contemned'st wretches
      For pilferings and most common trespasses
      Are punish'd with: the king must take it ill,
      That he's so slightly valued in his messenger,
150   Should have him thus restrain'd.
CORNWALL
      I'll answer that.
REGAN
      My sister may receive it much more worse,
      To have her gentleman abused, assaulted,
      For following her affairs. Put in his legs.

KENT is put in the stocks

155   Come, my good lord, away.
Exeunt all but GLOUCESTER and KENT
GLOUCESTER
      I am sorry for thee, friend; 'tis the duke's pleasure,
      Whose disposition, all the world well knows,
      Will not be rubb'd nor stopp'd: I'll entreat for thee.
KENT
      Pray, do not, sir: I have watched and travell'd hard;
160   Some time I shall sleep out, the rest I'll whistle.
      A good man's fortune may grow out at heels:
      Give you good morrow!
GLOUCESTER
      The duke's to blame in this; 'twill be ill taken.
Exit
KENT
      Good king, that must approve the common saw,
165   Thou out of heaven's benediction comest
      To the warm sun!
      Approach, thou beacon to this under globe,
      That by thy comfortable beams I may
      Peruse this letter! Nothing almost sees miracles
170   But misery: I know 'tis from Cordelia,
      Who hath most fortunately been inform'd
      Of my obscured course; and shall find time
      From this enormous state, seeking to give
      Losses their remedies. All weary and o'erwatch'd,
175   Take vantage, heavy eyes, not to behold
      This shameful lodging.
      Fortune, good night: smile once more: turn thy wheel!
Sleeps
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