diff --git a/rate.go b/rate.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..447133e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rate.go
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+package tail
+
+// RateMonitor is a naive rate monitor that monitors the number of
+// items processed in the current second.
+type RateMonitor struct {
+	second int64
+	num    int64
+}
+
+func (r *RateMonitor) Tick(unixTime int64) int64 {
+	if r.second != unixTime {
+		r.second = unixTime
+		r.num = 1
+	} else {
+		r.num += 1
+	}
+	return r.num
+}
diff --git a/tail.go b/tail.go
index 1966c7f..5b49791 100644
--- a/tail.go
+++ b/tail.go
@@ -20,16 +20,20 @@ var (
 type Line struct {
 	Text string
 	Time time.Time
+	Err  error // If non-nil, this is an error from tail, and not a
+	// log line itself.
 }
 
 // Config is used to specify how a file must be tailed.
 type Config struct {
-	Location    int  // Tail from last N lines (tail -n)
-	Follow      bool // Continue looking for new lines (tail -f)
-	ReOpen      bool // Reopen recreated files (tail -F)
-	MustExist   bool // Fail early if the file does not exist
-	Poll        bool // Poll for file changes instead of using inotify
-	MaxLineSize int  // If non-zero, split longer lines into multiple lines
+	Location    int   // Tail from last N lines (tail -n)
+	Follow      bool  // Continue looking for new lines (tail -f)
+	ReOpen      bool  // Reopen recreated files (tail -F)
+	MustExist   bool  // Fail early if the file does not exist
+	Poll        bool  // Poll for file changes instead of using inotify
+	MaxLineSize int   // If non-zero, split longer lines into multiple lines
+	LimitRate   int64 // If non-zero, limit the rate of read log lines
+	// by this much per second.
 }
 
 type Tail struct {
@@ -41,6 +45,7 @@ type Tail struct {
 	reader  *bufio.Reader
 	watcher watch.FileWatcher
 	changes *watch.FileChanges
+	rateMon *RateMonitor
 
 	tomb.Tomb // provides: Done, Kill, Dying
 }
@@ -63,6 +68,8 @@ func TailFile(filename string, config Config) (*Tail, error) {
 		Lines:    make(chan *Line),
 		Config:   config}
 
+	t.rateMon = new(RateMonitor)
+
 	if t.Poll {
 		t.watcher = watch.NewPollingFileWatcher(filename)
 	} else {
@@ -153,7 +160,26 @@ func (tail *Tail) tailFileSync() {
 		switch err {
 		case nil:
 			if line != nil {
-				tail.sendLine(line)
+				cooloff := !tail.sendLine(line)
+				if cooloff {
+					msg := "Too much activity; entering a cool-off period"
+					tail.Lines <- &Line{
+						msg,
+						time.Now(),
+						fmt.Errorf(msg)}
+					// Wait a second before seeking till the end of
+					// file when rate limit is reached.
+					select {
+					case <-time.After(time.Second):
+					case <-tail.Dying():
+						return
+					}
+					_, err := tail.file.Seek(0, 2) // Seek to fine end
+					if err != nil {
+						tail.Killf("Seek error on %s: %s", tail.Filename, err)
+						return
+					}
+				}
 			}
 		case io.EOF:
 			if !tail.Follow {
@@ -228,21 +254,31 @@ func (tail *Tail) waitForChanges() error {
 }
 
 // sendLine sends the line(s) to Lines channel, splitting longer lines
-// if necessary.
-func (tail *Tail) sendLine(line []byte) {
+// if necessary. Return false if rate limit is reached.
+func (tail *Tail) sendLine(line []byte) bool {
 	now := time.Now()
+	nowUnix := now.Unix()
 	lines := []string{string(line)}
 
-	// Split longer lins
+	// Split longer lines
 	if tail.MaxLineSize > 0 && len(line) > tail.MaxLineSize {
 		lines = partitionString(
 			string(line), tail.MaxLineSize)
 	}
 
 	for _, line := range lines {
-		tail.Lines <- &Line{line, now}
+		tail.Lines <- &Line{line, now, nil}
+		rate := tail.rateMon.Tick(nowUnix)
+		if tail.LimitRate > 0 && rate > tail.LimitRate {
+			log.Printf("Rate limit (%v < %v) reached file (%v); entering 1s cooloff period.\n",
+				tail.LimitRate,
+				rate,
+				tail.Filename)
+			return false
+		}
 	}
 
+	return true
 }
 
 // partitionString partitions the string into chunks of given size,
diff --git a/tail_test.go b/tail_test.go
index 888d180..3bb9d20 100644
--- a/tail_test.go
+++ b/tail_test.go
@@ -188,6 +188,27 @@ func TestReSeekPolling(_t *testing.T) {
 	_TestReSeek(_t, true)
 }
 
+func TestRateLimiting(_t *testing.T) {
+	t := NewTailTest("rate-limiting", _t)
+	t.CreateFile("test.txt", "hello\nworld\nagain\n")
+	config := Config{
+		Follow:    true,
+		Location:  -1,
+		LimitRate: 2}
+	tail := t.StartTail("test.txt", config)
+	// TODO: also verify that tail resumes after the cooloff period.
+	go t.VerifyTailOutput(
+		tail, []string{
+			"hello", "world", "again",
+			"Too much activity; entering a cool-off period"})
+
+	// Delete after a reasonable delay, to give tail sufficient time
+	// to read all lines.
+	<-time.After(100 * time.Millisecond)
+	t.RemoveFile("test.txt")
+	tail.Stop()
+}
+
 // Test library
 
 type TailTest struct {
@@ -285,6 +306,6 @@ func (t TailTest) VerifyTailOutput(tail *Tail, lines []string) {
 	}
 	line, ok := <-tail.Lines
 	if ok {
-		t.Fatalf("more content from tail: %s", line.Text)
+		t.Fatalf("more content from tail: %+v", line)
 	}
 }