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Look'd blank upon me; ftruck me with her tongue, (19) Moft ferpent-like, upon the very heart.

All the ftor'd vengeances of heaven fall

On her ingrateful Top! ftrike her young bones,
You taking airs, with lameness!-

Corn. Fie, Sir! fie!

Lear. You nimble lightnings, dart your blinding flames Into her fcornful eyes! infect her beauty,

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

Reg. O the bleft gods!

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

Thee

(19) Look'd black upon me,] This is a phrase which I do not underftand neither have I any where elfe met with it. But to look blank is a known expreffion, fignifying, either to give difcouraging looks to another, or to ftand difmay'd and difappointed one's-felf. The pott. means here, that Regan gave him cold looks, as he before phrafes it in this play. In Hamlet, he has chang'd the adjective into a verb;

Each oppofite, that blanks the face of joy.

Par. Reg. B. 2.

Milton (a ftudious imitator not only of our poet's words, but phrafes ;) often uses blank in our author's fenfe here; There without fign of boaft, or fign of joy, Sollicitous and blank, he thus began. And with confufion blank his worshippers. And noble grace, that dafh'd brute violence; With fudden adoration and blank awe,

Sampl. Agonist.

Masque at Ludlow-Cafle.

-Adam, foon as he heard
The fatal trefpafs done by Eve, amaz'd,
Aftonied ftood and blank.

Par. loft. B. 9.

And in another paffage, with an equivalent expreffion;

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

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

-But if one present

Th' abhor'd ingredient to his eye make known

How he hath drunk, he cracks his gorge, his fides,

With violent befts.

VOL. VI.

And

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't
The offices of nature, bond of child-hood,
Effects of courtesy, dues of gratitude :

Thy half.o' th' Kingdom thou haft not forgot,
Wherein I thee endow'd.

Reg. Good Sir, to th' purpose.

[Trumpet within. Lear. Who put my man i' th' Stocks?

Enter Steward.

Corn. What trumpet's that?

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

Out, varlet, from my fight.

Corn. What means your Grace?

Enter Gonerill.

Lear, Who stockt my fervant? Regan, I've good hope, Thou didst not know on't.

O Heav'ns,

Who comes here ?

If you do love old men, if your fweet fway (21)
Hallow obedience, if yourselves are old,

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That creep like fhadows by him, and do figh

At each his needlefs heavings.

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

Make

if your fweet fway

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 ftorm.

(21)

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 caufe; fend down and take my part.
Art not afham'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 indifcretion finds,

And dotage terms fo.

Lear. Ŏ fides, you are too tough!

Will you yet hold?-how came my man i' th' Stocks? Corn. I fet him there, Sir: but his own diforders Deferv'd much lefs 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 fojourn with my fifter,
Difmiffing half your train, come then to me;
I'm now from home, and out of that provifion
Which fhall be needful for your entertainment.
Lear. Return to her? and fifty men difmifs'd?
No, rather I abjure all roofs, and chufe (22)
To be a comrade with the wolf and owl;
To wage, against the enmity o' th' air,
Neceffity's fharp pinch-Return with her?
Why, the hot-blooded France, that dow'rlefs took
Our youngest born, I could as well be brought
To knee his throne, and 'Squire-like penfion beg,
To keep bafe life a-foot ;-
Return with her?

Perfuade me rather to be flave, and fumpter,

To this detefted 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 perfons. Mr. Warburten.

To

(22)

and chufe

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

Neceffuy's fharp pinch.] The breach of the fenfe here is a manifeft proof, that thefe lines were tranfpos'd by the first editors: Neither can there be any fyntax or grammatical coherence, unless we fuppofe Neceffity's fharp pinch to be the accufative to wage. As I've plac'd the verfes, the fenfe is fine and eafy; and the fentence compleat and finish'd.

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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 flesh, my blood, my daughter,
Or rather a difeafe that's in my flesh,

Which I must 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 leisure,
I can be patient, I can ftay with Regan;
I, and my hundred Knights.

Reg. Not altogether fo;

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 fhe does.

Lear. Is this well spoken ?

Reg. I dare avouch it, Sir; what, fifty followers? Is it not well? what should 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, almoft impoffible.

Gon. Why might not you, my Lord, receive attendance From thofe that fhe 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'

With

With fuch a number; muft I come to you
With five and twenty? Regan, faid you fo?

Reg. And speak't again, my Lord, no more with me Lear.Thofewicked creatures yet do look well-favour'd, When others are more wicked: Not being worst, Stands in fome rank of praise; I'll go with thee; Thy fifty yet doth double five and twenty; And thou art twice her love.

Gon. Hear me, my lord;

What need you five and twenty, ten, or five,
To follow in a house, where twice fo many
Have a command to tend you?

Reg. What needs one?

Lear. O, reafon not the need: our basest beggars Are in the pooreft thing fuperfluous;

Allow not nature more than nature needs,

Man's life is cheap as beafts. Thou art a Lady;
If only to go warm were gorgeous,

Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st,
Which fcarcely keeps thee warm; but for true need,
You heav'ns, give me that patience which I need!
You fee me here, you gods, a poor old man,
As full of grief as age; wretched in both!
If it be you, that ftir thefe daughters hearts
Against their father, fool me not fo much
To bear it tamely; touch me with noble anger; (23)

(23) touch me with noble anger.] It would puzzle one at firft, to find the fenfe, and drift, and coherence of this petition. For if the gods fent this affliction for his punishment, how could he expect that they would defeat their own defign, and affit him to revenge his injuries by touching him with noble anger? This question cannot wellbe answer'd, without going a little further than ordinary for the folution. We may be affured then, that Shakespeare had here in his mind thofe opinions the ancient poets held of the misfortunes of particular families. They tell us, that when the anger of the gods (for any act of impiety) was rais'd against an offending family, that their method of punishment was this: first, they inflamed the breafts of the children to unnatural acts against their parents; and then, of the~ parents against their children; that they might deftroy one another: and that both thefe outrages were the acts of the gods. To confider Lear

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