ACT I. SCENE IV.

Line 617. -to converse with him that is wise, and says little;] To converse signifies immediately and properly to keep company, not to discourse or talk. His meaning is, that he chooses for his companions men of reserve and caution; men who are not tatlers nor tale-bearers. JOHNSON.

We still say in the same sense-he had criminal conversation with her-meaning commerce.

MALONE.

Line 709. take my coxcomb:] Meaning his cap, called so, because, on the top of the fool or jester's cap was sewed a piece of red cloth, resembling the comb of a cock. The word, afterwards, was used to denote a vain, conceited, meddling fellow. WARBURTON.

Line 714. -two coxcombs,] Two fools caps, intended, as it seems, to mark double folly in the man that gives all to his daughters.

JOHNSON.

Line 721. Lady, the brach,] Brach is a bitch of the hunting kind. STEEVENS. Line 729. Lend less than thou owest,] That is, do not lend all that thou hast. To owe, in old English, is to possess. JOHNSON. Line 731. Learn more than thou trowest,] To trow, is an old word which signifies to believe. The precept is admirable. WARBURTON.

Line 762. if I had a monopoly out, they would have part on't:] A satire on the gross abuses of monopolies at that time; and the corruption and avarice of the courtiers, who commonly went shares with the patentee. WARBURTON.

Line 776. Fools had ne'er less grace in a year ;] There never was a time when fools were less in favour; and the reason is, that they were never so little wanted, for wise men now supply their place. Such I think is the meaning. JOHNSON.

Line 802. that frontlet-] A frontlet was a foreheadcloth, used formerly by ladies at night to render that part smooth. Lear, I suppose, means to say, that Goneril's brow was as completely covered by a frown, as it would be by a frontlet. MAL.

Line 812. That's a shealed peascod.] i. e. Now a mere husk, which contains nothing. The outside of a king remains, but

all the intrinsick parts of royalty are gone: he has nothing to give. JOHNSON.

Line 837. Whoop, Jug! I love thee.] This, as I am informed, is a quotation from the burthen of an old song.

STEEVENS.

Line 863. still depend,] Depend, for continue in service. WARBURTON.

879. Than the sea-monster !] Mr. Upton observes, that the sea-monster is the Hippopotamus, the hieroglyphical symbol of impiety and ingratitude. Sandys, in his Travels, says-" that he killeth his sire, and ravisheth his own dam." STEEVENS. Line 887. like an engine,] Mr. Edwards conjectures that by an engine is meant the rack. He is right.

STEEVENS.

from her derogate body-] Derogate for unnaWARBURTON. JOHNSON.

Line 899.

tural.

Rather, I think, degraded, blasted.

Line 920. That these hot tears, &c.] I will transcribe this passage from the first edition, that it may appear to those who are unacquainted with old books, what is the difficulty of revision, and what indulgence is due to those that endeavour to restore corrupted passages.-That these hot tears, that breake from me perforce, should make the worst blasts and fogs upon the untender woundings of a father's curse, peruse every sense about the old fond eyes, beweep this cause again, &c. JOHNSON.

Line 949. At point,] I believe, means completely armed, and consequently ready at appointment or command on the slightest notice.

STEEVENS.

Line 967.

compact it more.] Unite one circumstance with

another, so as to make a consistent account.

JOHNSON.

ACT I. SCENE V.

Line 982.

there before you.] He seems to intend to go to

his daughter, but it appears afterwards that he is going to the

house of Gloster.

STEEVENS.

Line 1002. I did her wrong:] He is musing on Cordelia.

JOHNSON.

1019. To take it again perforce !] He is meditating on

the resumption of his royalty.

JOHNSON.

ACT II. SCENE I.

Line 9.

ear-kissing arguments?] Ear-kissing arguments

means that they are yet in reality only whisper'd ones.

STEEVENS.

Line 19. queazy question,] Something of a suspicious, questionable, and uncertain nature. JOHNSON.

Line 46. Mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon-] This was a proper circumstance to urge to Gloster; who appears, by what passed between him and his bastard son in a foregoing scene, to be very superstitious with regard to this matter." WARBURTON.

Line 67.

gasted-] Frighted.

JOHNSON.

70. Not in this land shall he remain uncaught ; And found-Despatch.—The noble duke &c.] The sense is interrupted. He shall be caught-and found, he shall be punished. Despatch.

JOHNSON.

Line 73. arch-] i. e. Chief; a word now used only in composition, as arch-angel, arch-duke.

STEEVENS.

Line 79. And found him pight to do it, with curst speech-] Pight is pitched, fixed, settled. Curst is severe, harsh, vehemently angry. Line 85.

though thou didst produce

JOHNSON.

My very character,-] i. e. my very handwriting.

MALONE.

Line 134. He did bewray his practice ;] i. e. Discover, betray.

ACT II. SCENE II.

Line 172. Lipsbury pinfold,] The allusion which seems. to be contained in this line I do not understand. In the violent eruption of reproaches which bursts from Kent, in this dialogue, there are some epithets which the commentators have left unexpounded, and which I am not very able to make clear. Of a three-suited knave I know not the meaning, unless it be that he has different dresses for different occupations. Lily-coloured is cowardly; white-blooded and white-livered are still in vulgar use. An one-trunk-inheriting slave, I take to be a wearer of old cast-off clothes, an inheritor of torn breeches. JOHNSON.

Line 189.

addition.] i. e. titles.

MALONE.

198.barber-monger,] Barber-monger perhaps means

one who consorts much with barbers.

MALONE.

Line 202. vanity the puppet's part,] Alluding to the my. steries or allegorical shows, in which vanity, iniquity, and other vices, were personified. JOHNSON.

Line 232. Thou whorson zed! thou unnecessary letter !] Zed is here probably used as a term of contempt, because it is the last letter in the English alphabet, and as its place may be supplied by S, and the Roman alphabet has it not; neither is it read in any word originally Teutonick. STEEVENS

Line 234. –this unbolted villain—] i. e. unrefined by edu. cation, the bran yet in him. Metaphor from the bakehouse.

WARBURTON.

Line 245. Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain

Which are too intrinse t'unloose:] By these holy cords the poet means the natural union between parents and children. The metaphor is taken from the cords of the sanctuary; and the fomenters of family differences are compared to those sacrilegious rats. The expression is fine and noble.

Line 250.

-and turn their halcyon beaks

WARBURTON.

With every gale and vary of their masters,] The halcyon is the bird otherwise called the king-fisher. The vulgar opinion was, that this bird, if hung up, would vary with the wind, and by that means show from what point it blew. STEEVENS. Line 253. epilectick visage !] The frighted countenance

of a man ready to fall in a fit.

JOHNSON.

Line 256. Camelot.] was the place where the romances say king Arthur kept his court in the west; so this alludes to some proverbial speech in those romances. WARBURTON.

Line 285. On flickering Phabus' front,] Flickering, i. e. flut

tering.

Line 340. Will not be rubb'd, nor stopp'd:] Metaphor from bowling. WARBURTON.

Line 349. Good king, that must approve the common saw ! &c.] That art now to exemplify the common proverb, That out of, &c. That changest better for worse.

JOHNSON.

Line 356. —I know, 'tis from Cordelia ; &c.] Cordelia is informed of our affairs, and when the enormous care of seeking her fortune will allow her time, she will employ it in remedying losses. JOHNSON.

Line 376.

ACT II. SCENE III.

elf all my hair in knots;] Hair thus knotted

was vulgarly supposed to be the work of elves and fairies in the night.

STEEVENS.

-384. Poor pelting villages,] Pelting is used by Shakspeare in the sense of beggarly: I suppose from pelt, a skin. The poor being generally clothed in leather.

WARBURTON.

Line 389. -Edgar I nothing am.] Perhaps the meaning is, As poor Tom, I may exist: appearing as Edgar, I am lost.

MALONE.

ACT II. SCENE IV.

Before Gloster's Castle.] It is not very clearly discovered why Lear comes hither. In the foregoing part he sent a letter to Gloster; but no hint is given of its contents. He seems to have gone to visit Gloster while Cornwall and Regan might prepare to entertain him. JOHNSON.

Line 400. he wears cruel garters !] I believe a quibble was here intended. Crewel signifies worsted, of which stockings, garters, night-caps, &c. are made.

Line 403.

STEEVENS.

then he wears wooden nether-stocks.] NetherSTEEVENS.

stocks is the old word for stockings. . Line 421. To do upon respect such violent outrage:] To violate the publick and venerable character of a messenger from the king. JOHNSON.

Line 431. Deliver'd letters, spite of intermission,] Spite of intermission, perhaps means in spite of, or without regarding, that message which intervened, and which was entitled to precedent attention. MALONE.

Line 433. They summed up their meiny,] Meiny, i. e. people.

POPE.