KING LEAR [[THE FOLIO TEXT]]

Act 4 Scene 1

(Enter Edgar as a Bedlam beggar)
l1l	Edgar	 Yet better thus and known to be contemned
l2l		Than still contemned and flattered. To be worst,
l3l		The low’st and most dejected thing of fortune,
l4l		Stands still in esperance, lives not in fear.
l5l		The lamentable change is from the best#
l6l		The worst returns to laughter. Welcome, then,
l7l		Thou unsubstantial air that I embrace.
l8l		The wretch that thou hast blown unto the worst
l9l		Owes nothing to thy blasts.
		(Enter the Duke of Gloucester led by an Old Man)
		 But who comes here?
l10l		My father, parti-eyed? World, world, O world!
l11l		But that thy strange mutations make us hate thee,
l12l		Life would not yield to age.
		(Edgar stands aside)
		
	Old Man	
		(to Gloucester)
		 O my good lord,
l13l		I have been your tenant and your father’s tenant
l14l		These fourscore years.
l15l	Gloucester	Away, get thee away, good friend, be gone.
l16l		Thy comforts can do me no good at all#
l17l		Thee they may hurt.
	Old Man	You cannot see your way.
l18l	Gloucester	I have no way, and therefore want no eyes.
l19l		I stumbled when I saw. Full oft ’tis seen
l20l		Our means secure us, and our mere defects
l21l		Prove our commodities. O dear son Edgar,
l22l		The food of thy abusèd father’s wrath—
l23l		Might I but live to see thee in my touch
l24l		I’d say I had eyes again.
	Old Man	How now? Who’s there?
l25l	Edgar	(aside)
		 O gods! Who is ’t can say “I am at the worst”?
l26l		I am worse than e’er I was.
	Old Man	
		(to Gloucester)
		 ’Tis poor mad Tom.
l27l	Edgar	(aside)
		 And worse I may be yet. The worst is not
l28l		So long as we can say “This is the worst.”
l29l	Old Man	(to Edgar)
		 Fellow, where goest?
l30l	Gloucester	Is it a beggarman?
l31l	Old Man	Madman and beggar too.
l32l	Gloucester	A has some reason, else he could not beg.
l33l		I’ th’ last night’s storm I such a fellow saw,
l34l		Which made me think a man a worm. My son
l35l		Came then into my mind, and yet my mind
l36l		Was then scarce friends with him. I have heard more since.
l37l		As flies to wanton boys are we to th’ gods#
l38l		They kill us for their sport.
	Edgar	
		(aside)
		 How should this be?
l39l		Bad is the trade that must play fool to sorrow,
l40l		Ang’ring itself and others.
		(He comes forward)
		 Bless thee, master.
l41l	Gloucester	Is that the naked fellow?
	Old Man	Ay, my lord.
l42l	Gloucester	Get thee away. If for my sake
l43l		Thou wilt o’ertake us hence a mile or twain
l44l		I’ th’ way toward Dover, do it for ancient love,
l45l		And bring some covering for this naked soul,
l46l		Which I’ll entreat to lead me.
	Old Man	Alack, sir, he is mad.
l47l	Gloucester	’Tis the time’s plague when madmen lead the blind.
l48l		Do as I bid thee# or rather do thy pleasure.
l49l		Above the rest, be gone.
l50l	Old Man	I’ll bring him the best ’parel that I have,
l51l		Come on ’t what will.
		(Exit)
		
	Gloucester	 Sirrah, naked fellow!
l52l	Edgar	Poor Tom’s a-cold.
		(Aside)
		 I cannot daub it further.
l53l	Gloucester	Come hither, fellow.
	Edgar	
		(aside)
		 And yet I must.
l54l		(To Gloucester)
		 Bless thy sweet eyes, they bleed.
	Gloucester	Know’st thou the way to Dover?
l55l	Edgar	 Both stile and gate, horseway and footpath. Poor
l56l		Tom hath been scared out of his good wits. Bless thee,
l57l		goodman’s son, from the foul fiend.
l58l	Gloucester	 Here, take this purse, thou whom the heavens’ plagues
l59l		Have humbled to all strokes. That I am wretched
l60l		Makes thee the happier. Heavens deal so still.
l61l		Let the superfluous and lust-dieted man
l62l		That slaves your ordinance, that will not see
l63l		Because he does not feel, feel your power quickly.
l64l		So distribution should undo excess,
l65l		And each man have enough. Dost thou know Dover?
l66l	Edgar	Ay, master.
l67l	Gloucester	There is a cliff whose high and bending head
l68l		Looks fearfully in the confinèd deep.
l69l		Bring me but to the very brim of it
l70l		And I’ll repair the misery thou dost bear
l71l		With something rich about me. From that place
l72l		I shall no leading need.
l73l	Edgar	Give me thy arm.
l74l		Poor Tom shall lead thee.
		(Exit Edgar guiding Gloucester)