Page:King Lear (1917) Yale.djvu/42

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26
King Lear, I. iv

Set less than thou throwest;
Leave thy drink and thy whore,
And keep in-a-door,
And thou shalt have more 140
Than two tens to a score.

Kent. This is nothing, fool.

Fool. Then 'tis like the breath of an unfee'd
lawyer, you gave me nothing for 't. Can you
make no use of nothing, nuncle? 145

Lear. Why, no, boy; nothing can be made
out of nothing.

Fool. [To Kent.] Prithee, tell him, so much
the rent of his land comes to: he will not be-
lieve a fool. 150

Lear. A bitter fool!

Fool. Dost thou know the difference, my boy,
between a bitter fool and a sweet fool? 153

Lear. No, lad; teach me.

Fool. [That lord that counsell'd thee
To give away thy land, 156
Come place him here by me,
Do thou for him stand:
The sweet and bitter fool
Will presently appear; 160
The one in motley here,
The other found out there.

Lear. Dost thou call me fool, boy?

Fool. All thy other titles thou hast given
away; that thou wast born with. 165

Kent. This is not altogether fool, my lord.

Fool. No, faith, lords and great men will not
let me; if I had a monopoly out, they would

137 Set . . . throwest: stake less than you throw to win
168 monopoly out; cf. n.