Lear. Those wicked creatures yet do look well-favour'd,
When others are more wicked; not being the worst 260
Stands in some rank of praise. [To Goneril.] I'll go with thee:
Thy fifty yet doth double five-and-twenty,
And thou art twice her love.
Gon. Hear me, my lord.
What need you five-and-twenty, ten, or five, 264
To follow in a house, where twice so many
Have a command to tend you?
Reg. What need one?
Lear. O! reason not the need; our basest beggars
Are in the poorest thing superfluous: 268
Allow not nature more than nature needs,
Man's life is cheap as beast's. Thou art a lady;
If only to go warm were gorgeous,
Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st, 272
Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true need,—
You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need!
You see me here, you gods, a poor old man,
As full of grief as age; wretched in both! 276
If it be you that stir these daughters' hearts
Against their father, fool me not so much
To bear it tamely; touch me with noble anger,
And let not women's weapons, water-drops, 280
Stain my man's cheeks! No, you unnatural hags,
I will have such revenges on you both
That all the world shall—I will do such things,—
What they are yet I know not,—but they shall be 284
268 superfluous: possessed of more than they need
271 gorgeous; cf. n.
278 fool . . . much: make me not such a fool
