Kent. His countenance likes me not. 50 For him attempting who was self-subdu'd; Corn. No more, perchance, does mine, nor his, And, in the fleshment of this dread exploit,56 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 accent was a plain knave; which, for my part, I will not be, though I should win your displeasure to entreat me to 't,53 Corn. What was the offence you gave him? Osw. I never gave him any: It pleas'd the king his master very late To strike at me, upon his misconstruction; When he, compact, and flattering his displeasure, Tripp'd me behind; being down, insulted, rail'd,55 And put upon him such a deal of man, That worthied him, got praises of the king 51. Quite from his nature. "His "here used for 'its.' Cornwall implies, in what he says of Kent, that he distorts the style of straightforward speaking quite from its nature, which is sincerity; whereas he makes it a cloak for craft. We explain our view of the passage; because it has been by some commentators, who here follow Johnson, stated to mean, Forces his outside or his appearance to something totally different from his natural disposition;' whereby "his" is understood as the personal pronoun, and not the impersonal one 'its,' which we take it here to be employed for. 52. Nicely. 'Punctiliously,' 'precisely,' with scrupulous exactness.' See Note 66, Act v., 66 Henry V." 53. Though I should win your displeasure to entreat me to 't. "Though I should win you from your displeasure sufficiently to make you entreat me to be a knave.' 54. Compact. Acting in concert with him,' 'joined in a compact with him.' See Note 25, Act v., "Measure, for Measure." 55. Being down, insulted, rail'd. Here I' is understood before "being," and 'he' before "insulted." See Note 34. Act iv., "Timon of Athens." 56. In the fleshment of this dread exploit. 'In the first glory of this grand achievement.' Oswald sneers at Kent's initiative piece of service performed for the king, his master; Fetch forth the stocks ! You stubborn ancient knave, you reverend braggart, We'll teach you Kent. Sir, I am too old to learn: 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. Corn. Fetch forth the stocks!-As I have life and honour, There shall he sit till noon. Reg. Till noon! till night, my lord;58 and all night too. Kent. Why, madam, if I were your father's dog, You should not use me so. "fleshment " being used in reference to the commencing training of a young swordsman. See Note 39 of this Act. 57. Ajax is their fool. Equivalent to Ajax is a fool to them; the whole speech signifying, There is not one of these rogues and cowards but, by his own account, makes out Ajax to be a mere fool compared with himself.' 58. Till noon! till night, my lord. Very artfully is this speech thrown in. Not only does it serve to paint the vindictive disposition of Regan; it also serves to regulate dramatic time, by making the subsequent scene, where Lear arrives before Gloster's castle and finds his faithful messenger in the stocks, appear sufficiently advanced in the morning to allow of that same scene closing with the actual approach of "night" without disturbing the sense of probability. So carefully, so artistically does our dramatist work, that he makes a whole day pass before our eyes during a single scene and dialogue, yet all seems consistent and natural in the course of progression. This great enchanter sways our impressions with such potent art, that the very laws of Nature seem subject to his will; and we accept his order of time and space as established verities. 59. A fellow of the self-same colour our sister speaks of Elliptically expressed; a fellow of exactly the same kind as those "riotous knights" concerning whom my sister wrote to me.' "Colour" is here used for complexional character.' 60. Stocks brought out. Formerly in great houses, as at a later period in some colleges, there were movable stocks" for the correction of the servants. 61. Put in his legs. This line is omitted in the Folio, but given in the Quartos; and its concluding portion certainly is most characteristic of Regan's stony and relentless nature. It is difficult to assign the pre-eminence in repulsive qualities between these two horrible women; but to our thinking there is a brassy malignancy about Regan's manner that is still more repulsive than Goneril's disdainful arrogance. The one is meanly as well as cruelly cold and hard; the other is haughtily unfeeling. 62. Not be rubb'd nor stopp'd. Double negative. The metaphor is from the game of bowling. 63 Watch'd. 'Been awake,' 'been without sleep.' 64. Approve. Support,' 'confirm,' 'justify;' 'make manifest the truth of.' See Note 19, Act iii., "Merchant of Venice." 65. The common saw. 'The common proverb, or adage.' The one here alluded to is given thus in Heywood's "Dialogues on Proverbs: "In your running from him to me ye runne Out of God s blessing into the warm sunne.” And also in Howell's "Collection of English Proverbs," in his Dictionary (1660), together with its explanation::-"He goes out of God's blessing to the warm sun, viz, from good to worse." See Note 47, Act i., "Hamlet." Kent is here thinking that the king is likely to receive even worse treatment from Regan than that which he has experienced from Goneril. 66. This letter. Meaning this letter that I have received;' and possibly being supposed to draw it forth and look at it for a moment, attempting to read it by the still imperfect light of coming dawn. 67. Nothing, almost, sees miracles but misery. 'There is hardly anything but misery that sees miracles.' "Almost" is here used with the effect of 'scarcely' or 'hardly.' See Note 61, Act iii., "Richard III." Kent seems to allude to his having adopted the lowly disguise of a serving-man: which will perchance enable him to behold the miracle of redress for the present unnatural condition of affairs. 68. And shall find time, &c. Here "shall" has been altered to 'she'll,' with a view to give clearness to a passage which has been pronounced to be "obscure" and "perhaps corrupt;" but we think that it is made purposely confused in phraseology, to indicate the situation of Kent. In the first place, we believe that "who" before "hath” is allowed to be elliptically understood as repeated before "shall," in accordance with a frequent practice of Shakespeare's in sentences of similar construction. See, for instance, Note 20, Act ii., "Tempest;" Notes 15, Act ii., and 61, Act iv., "Timon of Athens;" and Note 136, Act i. of the present play, among hosts of other examples that we have denoted. In the next place, we take the portion of this speech from "I know 'tis from Cordelia" to "their remedies," to be a series of disjointed sentences, imperfectly uttered by the soliloquiser; and that the breaks in them are intentionally given, to mark that Kent is dropping off to sleep. The current of his thoughts appears to us to be this :-' I know this letter is from Cordelia, who hath most fortunately been informed of my disguised condition; and she will find an opportunity from this irregular and unnatural state of things' [to convert it into duer order, seeking to give losses their remedies' [by reinstating her father in his kingdom and restoring me to my dukedom]: then finding himself unable to pursue his train of ideas, or even to express them coherently, he interrupts himself with "All weary and o'erwatch'd," &c., and resolves to rest. In this speech we find precisely that felicity of perfect impression in imperfect expression which we have so often pointed out and dwelt upon as one among the numberless excellences of Shakespeare's power in style (see Note 67, Act iii., "Timon of Athens"); as well as that most natural and characteristic inexplicitness in wording, which he gives when writing soliloquy. See Note 34, Activ., "Henry V." 69. Enormous. 'Out of rule,' 'out of order,' contrary to natural ordination; abnormal.' 70. Elf all my hair in knots. Shakespeare has formed the substantive "elf" into a verb, to succinctly express an operation which was popularly supposed to be performed by elves or fairies. See Note 82, Act i., "Romeo and Juliet." 71. Bedlam beggars. Aubrey, in his MS. "Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme," describes the kind of wanderers who were the originals of those here alluded to :-" Before the civil wars, I remember Tom a Bedlams went about begging. They had been such as had been in Bedlam, and come to some degree of sobernesse; and when they were licensed to goe out, they had on their left arme an armilla of tinne printed, of about three inches breadth, which was sodered on." The compassion shown for these veritable lunatics occasioned their condition to be counterfeited by a set of vagabonds, thus mentioned by Randal Holme in his " Academy of Arms and Blazon :"-" The Bedlam is in the same garb, with a long staff, and a cow or ox-horn by his side; but his cloathing is more fantastick and ridiculous; for being a mad man, he is madly decked and dressed all over with rubins, feathers, cuttings of cloth, and what not; to make him seem a mad-man, or one distracted, when he is no other than a dissembling knave." Decker, in "The Bell-man of London (1640), also gives an account of one of these impostors, under the title of Abraham Man (which doubtless gave rise to the cant phrase, to sham Abraham,' signifying to make pretence of illness, or other false condition"):-" He swears he hath been in Bedlam, and will talke frantickely of purpose: you see pinnes stuck in sundry places of his naked flesh, especially in his armes, which paine he gladly puts himself to, only to make you believe he is out of his wits. He calls himselfe by the name of Poore Tom, and, coming near any body, cries out, Poor Tom is a-cold." By Juno, I swear, ay. They could not, would not do't; tis worse than murder, To do upon respect 79 such violent outrage: Resolve me,80 with all modest haste, which way Thou mightst deserve, or they impose, this usage, Coming from us. Kent. My lord, when at their home I did commend your highness' letters to them, 81 75. 'Tis strange, &c. Here it seems to us that Lear has come to Gloster's castle, instead of going to his daughter Regan's residence, having heard from his attendant gentleman that the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall have left their home and repaired hither. See Note 149, Act i. 76. The night before. This expression, introduced at this juncture, serves to denote that morning is now well set in; and therefore, though the duke and duchess have retired to their apartment, and still remain there on the plea that "they have travell'd hard to-night," the effect is given of advancing day, and allows the progress of dramatic time to take place with sufficient rapidity for the spectators being beguiled into easy credence, when, at the close of the present long scene, Gloster says, "The night comes on ;" and Cornwall soon after observes, "Tis a wild night." See Note 58 of this Act. 77. Cruel garters. The fool puns on the word "cruel," as if it were 'crewel;' which is a kind of worsted used for making garters, &c. 78. Nether-stocks. An old term for 'stockings.' See Note 84, Act ii., "First Part Henry IV." 79. To do upon respect. We think that here ". respect" is used, with elliptical significance, to signify that which should command respect.' Shakespeare sometimes thus uses such words as "reproach," 'obloquy," merit," "terror," "offence," &c. See Note 125, Act iii., "Hamlet." As messenger from the king, Kent was entitled to special respect. 80. Resolve me. 'Inform me, satisfy my desire to know.' See Note 74, Act i. 81. Spite of intermission. In defiance of pause required,' for him to take breath, or for me to rise from my knee and receive my answer. That "intermission" bears the sense we here give we think is proved by the mode in which Shakespeare employs the word elsewhere. See Note 37, Act iii., “Merchant of Venice;" the passage referred to in Note 67, Act i., “As 82 Which presently they read: on whose contents, They summon'd up their meiny, s2 straight took horse; Commanded me to follow, and attend The leisure of their answer; gave me cold looks: Fool. Winter's not gone yet, if the wild-geese fly that way.85 Fathers that wear rags Do make their children blind; Shall see their children kind. Ne'er turns the key to the poor.— But, for all this, thou shalt have as many dolours 86 for thy daughters as thou canst tell in a year. Lear. Oh, how this mother swells up toward my heart 187 Hysterica passio,-down, thou climbing sorrow, Thy element's below! Where is this daughter? Kent. With the earl, sir, here within. You Like It;" and the speech before the one adverted to in Note 88, Act iv., " Macbeth." These three, and the one under consideration, are the only four occasions on which Shakespeare uses "intermission ;" and we are thus particular in specifying them because the present passage has been variously explained by other commentators, each giving a different interpretation from ours. The 82. Meiny. Train,' 'retinue.' From the old French, meinie; or, as anciently spelt, mesni?; which Du Cange considers to be a form of mesonie or maisonie, from, maison, 'house.' modern French word is menage, 'household.' Our word * menial,' still in use, is of the same stock as "meiny." 83. Having more man than wit about me, drew. "I" before "perceived" allows the same pronoun to be understood as repeated before "having" or before "drew" in the present line. See Notes 55 and 68 of this Act. Figuratively hinting, 85. Winter's not gone yet, if, &c. 'The king's season of discomfort is not over yet, if this be the way his son and daughter behave.' 86. Dolours. There is a quibble between this word and 'dollars;' and 'for thy daughters' is used in the sense of 'on account of thy daughters,' or 'owing to thy daughters.' See Note 9, Act iv., " Richard III.” 87. How this mother, &c. Lea affects to pass off the swelling of his heart, in its paroxysm of grief and indignation, for the disease called the mother,' or 'hysterica passio,' to which, in Shakespeare's time, men as well as women were believed to be subject. It is probable that our author had this point suggested to him by two passages in Harsnet's "Declaration of Popish Impostures," which he in all likelihood consulted in order to supply him with his characteristic matter for portray Fool. We'll set thee to school to an ant,88 to teach thee there's no labouring i' the winter. All that follow their noses are led by their eyes, but blind men: 89 and there's not a nose among twenty but can smell him that's stinking. Let go thy hold when a great wheel runs down a hill, lest it break thy neck with following it; but the great one that goes up the hill, let him draw thee after. When a wise man gives thee better counsel, give me mine again: I would have none but knaves follow it, since a fool gives it. That sir which serves 90 and seeks for gain And follows but for form, Will pack when it begins to rain, And leave thee in the storm. The knave turns fool that runs away;91 ing his Tom of Bedlam. The first passage runs thus :-"Ma. Maynie had a spice of the hysterica passio, as seems, from his youth; he himself termes it the moother." The other, thus:"The disease I spoke of was a spice of the mother, wherewith I had been troubled before my going into Fraunce: whether I doe rightly term it the mother or no, I knowe not." 88. Set thee to school to an ant. Solomon says, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest." The fool implies, 'Had you learned wisdom of the ant, you would have known that the king has so small a train because few adhere in the cold season of adversity; the majority preferring the sunshine of prosperity, which offers prospect of gain.' 89. All that follow, &c. 'All men, following their noses, are led by their eyes, excepting blind men; and even among these, who have nothing but their nose to guide them, there is not one among twenty but has sense enough to perceive when a man's fortunes are tainted and decaying.' 90. That sir which serves. "Sir" used substantively, and "which" used for who.' See Note 62, Act i., "Winter's Tale." 91. The knave turns fool that runs away. Johnson and others thought that the sense of this line would be improved if the words "knave" and "fool were transposed; but we think that Shakespeare, in his own noble philosophy, here affirms that the cunning rogue who deserts his benefactor in the time of reverse, from motives of prudence, shows himself fool as well as knave, moral miscalculator as well as moral coward. That our poet, through all this jingle of "knave" and "fool" put into the mouth of his subtlest-drawn fool, meant something especially pointed in its bitter and sarcastic irony, he has taken care to mark, by following up the given "counsel" with the words, "I would have none but knaves follow it ;" and, after the entire speech, by Kent's inquiry, "Where learned you this, fool?" 92. Perdy. See Note 104, Act iii., "Hamlet." |