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King Lear

Act IV, Scene 1

The heath.
 
[Enter EDGAR]
 
EDGAR
           ,        ,          ,         ,         ,
      Yet bet|ter thus,| and known | to be | contemned,
             ,           ,           ,          ,        ,
      Than still | contemned | and flat|tered, to | be worst:
             x           ,       ,        ,         ,
      The lowest,| and most | dejec|ted thing | of fortune, ????
         T     T    .  T      ,      T    T   .   T
      Stands still in esp|erance,| lives not in fear:
         2   ,    2      ,          ,          ,    oo
      The lamen|table change | is from | the best,|
            ,         ,          ,         ,         ,
      The worst | returns | to laugh|ter. Wel|come then,
            ,      ,        ,         ,       ,
      Thou un|substan|tial air | that I | embrace:
             ,            ,           ,        ,         ,
      The wretch | that thou | hast blown | unto | the worst,
        ,    ,           ___     __     oo
      Owes noth/ing to | thy | blasts.|
           ,            ,         ,       ,      ,
      But who | comes^here?| My fath|er poor|ly led?
       ___     ___    _    ___    oo
      World,| world,| O | world!|
            ,           ,         ,           x       ,
      But^that | thy strange | muta|tions make us | hate thee,
       ,           T    T    .  T
      Lie would | not yield to age.    \\
 
OLD MAN
      ,               ,    ,          ,          ,
      O, my | good* lord,| I have | been your | tenant,
         2       ,        ,         ,       T   T     T
      And your fath|er's ten|ant, these | fourscore years.
 
GLOUCESTER
        ,     ,           ,             ,          ,
      Away,| get thee | away;| good* friend | be gone,
           ,               ,  ,        ,        ,
      Thy com|forts can / do me | no good | at all,
        ,                ,
      Thee, they | may hurt.
 
OLD MAN
                                  ,       ,          ,
                             You can|not see | your way.
 
GLOUCESTER
          ,        ,          ,          ,         ,
      I have | no way,| and there|fore want | no eyes:
          ,         ,       ,          ,          ,
      I stum|bled when | I saw.| Full^oft |'tis seen,
            ,           x       ,          T   T  T
      Our means | secure us, | and our | mere defects
        ,             ,    2      ,     ,        ,
      Prove our | commo|dities*. Oh | dear son^|Edgar,
            ,        ,      ,       ,         ,
      The food | of thy | abu|sed fath|er's wrath:
            ,         ,        ,          ,        ,
      Might^I | but live | to see | thee^in | my touch,
           ,     2      ,       ,
      I'd say | I had eyes | again.
 
OLD MAN
                                         ,            ,
                                   How* now?| Who's^there?
 
EDGAR
          ,          x          ,     2    ,         ,
      O gods!| Who is it | can say | I am at | the worst?
       2     ,           ,       ,
      I am worse | than ere | I was.
 
OLD MAN
                                      .    T   T   T
                                    'Tis poor mad Tom. ??
 
EDGAR
            ,        ,        ,          ,         ,
      And worse | I may | be yet:| the worst | is not,
           ,        ,        ,          ,         ,
      So long | as we | can say | this is | the worst.
 
OLD MAN
       ,               ,
      Fellow,| where goest?
 
GLOUCESTER
                            ,         ,       ,
                           Is it | a beg|gar man?
 
OLD MAN
       ,             ,       ,
      Madman*,| and beg|gar too.   \\
 
GLOUCESTER
                 ,   ,         ,         ,          ,
      He has / some reas|on, else | he could | not beg.
               ,     ,      ,        ,     ,      ,
      In the last night's storm, I such a fellow saw;  ????
              ,         ,        ,        ,        ,
      Which made | me think | a man,| a worm.| My son
        ,          ,          ,         ,         ,
      Came then | into | my mind,| and yet | my mind
            ,       ,      ,                  2       ,             ,
      Was then | scarce friends / with him.| I have heard | more* since:
           ,          ,       ,         ,     2      ,
      As flies | to want|on boys,| are we | to the gods.
             ,        ,            ,
      They kill | us for | their sport.
 
EDGAR
                                               ,           ,
                                        How should | this be?
       ,    2        ,                 ,      ,        ,
      Bad is the | trade that | must play | fool to | sorrow,
       ,   2         ,        ,          ,           ,      2->
      Angering | itself,| and oth|ers. Bless | thee mas||ter.
 
GLOUCESTER
           ,         ,      ,
      Is that | the nak|ed fel|low?
 
OLD MAN
                                     ,         ,
                                    Aye,| my lord.
 
GLOUCESTER
       ,           ,     ,       __    __
      Get thee | away:| if for | my | sake
             ,         ,         ,         ,         ,
      Thou wilt | oretake | us hence | a mile | or twain
        2     ,            ,        x          ,         ,
      In the way | toward^Dov|er, do it | for an|cient love,
            ,            ,        ,          ,       ,
      And bring | some cove|ring for | this nak|ed soul,
            ,        ,          ,
      Who I'll | entreat | to lead | me.  \\
 
OLD MAN
         ,     ,            ,
      Alack | sir, he | is mad.
 
GLOUCESTER
        ,         ___      __
      'Tis the | times'| plague,
            ,        ,          ,
      When mad|men lead | the blind:  (tri with prev)
       ,       ,             ,     ,       ,
      Do as I bid thee, or rather do thy pleasure:  ????
         ,          ,         ,
      Above | the rest,| be gone.   \\
 
OLD MAN
             ,                 ,    ,       ,        ,
      I'll bring | him the / best 'par|el that | I have
        T   Tx     T     __
      Come on it what | will.  \\
 
[Exit]
 
GLOUCESTER
Sirrah, naked fellow.
 
EDGAR
Poor Tom's a-cold. I cannot daub it further.
 
GLOUCESTER
Come hither fellow.
 
EDGAR
And yet I must:
Bless thy sweet eyes, they bleed.
 
GLOUCESTER
Knowst thou the way to Dover?
 
EDGAR
Both stile, and gate; horse-way, and foot-path: poor Tom hath been scared out of his good wits. Bless thee good man's son, from the foul fiend. Five fiends have been in poor Tom at once; of lust, as Obidicut; Hobbididence, prince of dumbness; Mahu, of stealing; Modo, of murder; Flibbertigibbet, of mopping and mowing, who since possesses chambermaids and waiting-women. So bless thee master.
 
GLOUCESTER
              ,           ,       ,               ,          ,
      Here* take | this purse,| thou whom | the heav|ens' plagues
            ,      2    ,       ,            ,        ,
      Have hum|bled to all | strokes: that | I am | wretched
        T     T   .   T    2      x        T   T   T
      Makes thee the hap|pier: heavens | deal so still:
       ,     2    ,    2           ,    ,       ,
      Let the sup|erfluous,| and lust-|diet|ed man,
              ,           ,     ,            ,         ,
      That slaves | your ord|inance,| that will | not see
          ,        ,        ,     ,         x     ,
      Because he doth not feel, feel your power quickly:  ????
          ,      ,         ,        ,       ,
      So dis|tribu|tion should | undo | excess,
            ,     ,             ,      T    T    T      ,    ->
      And each | man have | enough.| Dost thou know || Dover?
 
EDGAR
      ___    ,
      Aye | master.  \\
 
GLOUCESTER
        ,            ,             ,          ,        ,
      There is | a cliff,| whose^high | and bend|ing head
        ,     ,           ,           ,       ,
      Looks fear/fully | in the | confin|ed deep:
        ,         ,            ,      ,        ,
      Bring me | but to | the ve|ry brim | of it,
            ,        ,         ,   2    ,           ,
      And I'll | repair | the mis|ery thou | dost bear
             ,          ,       ,                 ,    ,
      With some|thing rich | about | me: from / that place,
          ,          ,        ,
      I shall | no lead|ing need.
 
EDGAR
                                    ,            ,
                                  Give me | thy arm;
        T   T    T      __     __    oo
      Poor Tom shall | lead | thee.|
 
[Exeunt]

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