Page 285 - King Lear: The Cambridge Dover Wilson Shakespeare

2io NOTES 3.4.
Booth's Lear drew 'a thorn or wooden spike from
Edgar's arm and thrust it into his own' (Sprague,
p. 291).
74. pelican daughters Cf. Ham. 4. 5.146-7; Leir,
512-13, I am as kind as the Pellican | That kils it selfe,
'
to saue her young ones liues', and Batman upon Bartho-
lome (ed. 1582, XII, 295 fol. 186 b):

The Pellican Ioueth too much her children. For when the
children bee haught and begin to waxe hoare they smite the
father and mother in the face [W.A.W.].

The legend of the pelican feeding its young on blood
drawn from its breast is familiar as symbolizing Christ's
sacrifice in eccles. art.
75. Pillicock see G. Edg. distorts 'pelican' and
delivers 'part of a nursery rhyme' (K.), with indecent
quibble alluding to 'this flesh begot', etc. [Muir].
75-6. Hill...loo! ( < F 'hill, alow: alow, loo, loo.')
Q 'hill, a lo lo lo.\
76. Alow!...loo! Theob. (ed. 11) 'Halloo, halloo,
loo,loo!' Various explanations. 'Perh. a wild "halloo"
as if he were calling a hawk*, cf. Ham. 1. 5. 116 (K.);
'a cry to excite dogs' (Craig), cf. Trot/. 5. 7.10.
79. th'foul fiend Suggested by the similarity between
'fool' and 'foul'; see Kokeritz, p. 75, citing a like word-
play at 5 H. VI, 5. 6. 18-20.
79-82. Obey...array A number of biblical injunc-
tions by keeping which the 'foul fiend' may be held at
bay. Obey thy parents Eph. vi. 1 and Exod.xx. 12 (5th
Commandment); keep thy word justly Deut. xxiii, 23
f
and Catechism, Be true and just in all thy dealings'.
swear not Matt. v. 34; cf. Exod. xx. 7 (3rd Command-
ment); commit...spouse Exod. xx. 14 (7th Command-
ment), see G. 'commit'; set...array Cf. I Tim. ii. 9
[Noble, p. 230].
80. word justly (Pope+Camb.) Q 'words iustly'