Page:King Lear (1917) Yale.djvu/65

King Lear, II. iv

Poor pelting villages, sheep-cotes, and mills,

Sometime with lunatic bans, sometime with prayers,

Enforce their charity. Poor Turlygood! poor Tom!

That's something yet: Edgar I nothing am.

Lear. 'Tis strange that they should so depart from home,

And not send back my messenger.

Gent. As I learn'd,

The night before there was no purpose in them

Of this remove.

Kent. Hail to thee, noble master!

Lear. Ha!

Mak'st thou this shame thy pastime?

Kent. No, my lord.

Fool. Ha, ha! he wears cruel garters. Horses

are tied by the head, dogs and bears by the neck,

monkeys by the loins, and men by the legs:

when a man is over-lusty at legs, then he wears

wooden nether-stocks.

Lear. What's he that hath so much thy place mistook

To set thee here?

Kent. It is both he and she,

Your son and daughter.

Lear. No.

Kent. Yes.

 18 pelting: contemptible

19 bans: curses

20 Turlygood; cf. n.  7 cruel: pun on crewel, i.e., worsted

11 nether-stocks: stocks was an old word for stockings

