This fword of mine fhall give them instant way,
Where they shall reft for ever.-Trumpets, speak.

[Alarums. They fight. EDMUND falls.

Alb. O fave him, fave him!

Gon..

This is mere practice, Glofter;

By the law of arms, thou waft not bound to answer
An unknown oppofite; thou art not vanquish'd,
But cozen'd and beguil'd.

Shut your mouth, dame,

Alb.
Or with this paper shall I ftop it: Hold, fir:
Thou worse than any name, read thine own evil:
No tearing, lady; I perceive, you know it.

:

[Gives the letter to Edmund. Gon. Say, if I do; the laws are mine, not thine : Who fhall arraign me for't?

Alb. Go after her: fhe's defperate: govern her.

[To an Officer, who goes out.

Edm. What you have charg'd me with, that have I done;

And more, much more: the time will bring it out;
'Tis paft, and fo am I: But what art thou,

That haft this fortune on me? If thou art noble,
I do forgive thee.

Edg.

Let's exchange charity.

I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund;

If more, the more thou hast wrong'd me.

My name is Edgar, and thy father's fon.
The gods are juft, and of our pleasant vices
Make instruments to scourge us :

The dark and vicious place where thee he got,
Coft him his eyes.

Edm.

Edm.

Thou haft spoken right, 'tis true;

The wheel is come full circle; I am here.
Alb. Methought, thy very gait did prophecy
A royal nobleness :-I must embrace thee;
Let forrow split my heart, if ever I

Did hate thee, or thy father!

Edg.

I know it well.

Worthy prince,

Alb. Where have you hid yourself?

How have you known the miseries of your father?
Edg. By nurfing them, my lord. Lift a brief tale ;-
And, when 'tis told, O, that my heart would burst !--
The bloody proclamation to escape,

That follow'd me fo near, (O our lives' sweetness!
That with the pain of death we'd hourly die,
Rather than die at once!) taught me to shift
Into a madman's rags; to affume a semblance
That very dogs difdain'd: and in this habit
Met I my father with his bleeding rings,
Their precious ftones new loft; became his guide,
Led him, begg'd for him, fav'd him from despair;
Never (O fault!) reveal'd myself unto him,
Until fome half hour past, when I was arm'd,
Not fure, though hoping, of this good fuccefs,
I ask'd his blessing, and from first to last
Told him my pilgrimage: But his flaw'd heart,
(Alack, too weak the conflict to fupport!)
'Twixt two extremes of paffion, joy and grief,
Burft fmilingly.

Edm. This fpeech of yours hath mov'd me,
And fhall, perchance, do good: but fpeak you on;
You look as you had something more to fay.

Alb. If there be more, more woful, hold it in,

For I am almost ready to diffolve,

Hearing of this.

Edg.

This would have feem'd a period

To fuch as love not forrow; but another,
To amplify too-much, would make much more,
And top extremity.

Whilft I was big in clamour, came there a man,
Who having feen me in my worst estate,

Shunn'd my abhorr'd fociety; but then, finding
Who 'twas that fo endur'd, with his ftrong arms
He faften'd on my neck, and bellow'd out

As he'd burft heaven; threw him on my father:
Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him,
That ever ear receiv'd: which in recounting,
His grief grew puiffant, and the strings of life
Began to crack: Twice then the trumpet founded,
And there I left him tranc'd.

Alb.

But who was this?

Edg. Kent, fir, the banish'd Kent; who in disguise Followed his enemy king, and did him service

Improper for a slave.

Enter a Gentleman haftily, with a bloody knife.

Gent. Help! help! O help!

Edg.

Alb.

Edg. What means that bloody knife?

Gent.

What kind of help?

Speak, man.

'Tis hot, it smokes;

Who, man? speak.

It came even from the heart of

Alb.

Gent. Your lady, fir, your lady: and her fifter

By her is poifon'd; fhe confeffes it.

Edm. I was contracted to them both; all three

Now marry in an instant.

Alb. Produce their bodies, be they alive or dead!— This judgement of the heavens, that makes us tremble, Touches us not with pity.

9

[Exit Gent.

Enter

Edg.

Alb. O it is he.

Enter KENT.

Here comes Kent, fir.

The time will not allow the compliment,

Which very manners urges.

Kent.

I am come

To bid my king and mafter aye good night;
Is he not here?

Alb.

Great thing of us forgot!

Speak, Edmund, where's the king? and where's Cordelia ?See'st thou this object, Kent?

[The bodies of GONERIL and REGAN are brought in. Kent. Alack, why thus ?

Edm.

Yet Edmund was belov'd:

The one the other poison'd for my fake,

And after flew herself.

Alb. Even fo.-Cover their faces.

Edm. I pant for life :-Some good I mean to do,
Despite of mine own nature. Quickly fend,-
Be brief in it,-to the caftle; for my writ
Is on the life of Lear, and on Cordelia :
Nay, fend in time.

Alb.

Run, run, O, run

Edg. To who, my lord?-Who has the office? fend

Thy token of reprieve.

Edm. Well thought on; take my fword,

Give it the captain.

Alb.

Haste thee, for thy life.

[Exit EDGAR.

Edm. He hath commiffion from thy wife and me

To hang Cordelia in the prison, and

To lay the blame upon her own despair,

That the fordid herself.

Alb. The gods defend her! Bear him hence awhile.

[EDMUND is borne off.

Enter LEAR, with CORDELIA dead in his arms; EDGAR, Officer, and Others.

Lear. Howl, howl, howl, howl!-O, you are men of ftones;

Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them fo

That heaven's vault fhould crack:-O, the is gone for

ever!

I know when one is dead, and when one lives;
She's dead as earth :-Lend me a looking-glass ;
If that her breath will mift or ftain the ftone,
Why, then she lives.

Kent.

Is this the promis'd end?

Edg. Or image of that horror?

Alb.

Fall, and cease!

Lear. This feather ftirs; fhe lives! if it be so,

It is a chance that does redeem all forrows

That ever I have felt.

Edg.

[kneeling.

'Tis noble Kent, your friend.

Lear. A plague upon you, murderers, traitors all!
I might have fav'd her; now she's gone for ever!—
Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little. Ha!

What is't thou fay'st?-Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low; an excellent thing in woman :--
I kill'd the flave that was a hanging thee.

Off. 'Tis true, my lords, he did.

Lear.

Did I not, fellow?

I have seen the day, with my good biting faulchion
I would have made them skip: I am old now,

And