Gon. Holloa, holloa!
That eye that told you so, look'd but a-squint.
Reg. Lady, I am not well; else I should answer
From a full-flowing stomach.-General,
Take thou my soldiers, prisoners, patrimony;
Dispose of them, of me; the walls are thine :
Witness the world, that I create thee here
My lord and master.

Gon. Mean you to enjoy him?

Alb. The let-alone + lies not in your good will.

Edm. Nor in thine, lord.

Alb. Half-blooded fellow, yes.
Reg. Let the drum strike, and prove my title
[To EDMUND.
Alb. Stay yet; hear reason:-Edmund, I
arrest thee

thine.

On capital treason; and, in thy arrest,
This gilded serpent: [Pointing to GoN.]-for
your claim, fair sister,

I bar it in the interest of my wife;
'Tis she is sub-contracted to this lord,

And I, her husband, contradict your bans.
If you will marry, make your love to me,
My lady is bespoke.

Gon. An interlude !

Alb. Thou art arm'd, Gloster :-Let trumpet sound:

Edg. What's he, tha. speaks for Edmund earl
of Gloster?

Edm. Himself;-What say'st thou to him?
Edg. Draw thy sword:

That, if my speech offend a noble heart,
Thy arm may do thee justice here is mine.
Behold it is the privilege of mine honours,
My oath and my profession: I protest,-
Maugre thy strength, youth, place, and emi-
nence,

Despite thy victor sword, and fire-new fortune
Thy valour, and thy heart,-thou art a traitor :
False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father;
Conspirant 'gainst this high illustrious prince;
And, from the extremest upward of thy head,
To the descent and dust beneath thy feet,
A most toad-spotted traitor. Say thou, No,
This sword, this arm, and my best spirits, are
bent

To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak
Thou liest.

Edm. In wisdom I should ask thy name : +
But, since thy outside looks so fair and war-
like,
[breathes,
And that thy tongue some 'say of breeding
What safe and nicely I might well delay
the By rule of knighthood, 1 disdain and spurn:
Back do I toss these treasons to thy head;
With the hell-bated lie o'erwhelm thy heart;
Which, (for they yet glance by, and scarcely
bruise,)
[way,
This sword of mine shall give them instant
Where they shall rest for ever.-Trumpets,
speak.

If none appear to prove upon thy person,
Thy heinous, manifest, and many treasons,
There is my pledge; [Throwing down a Glove.]
I'll prove it on thy heart,

Ere I taste bread, thou art in nothing less
Than I have here proclaim'd thee.

Reg. Sick, O, sick!

[Aside.

Gon. If not, I'll ne'er trust poison.
Edm. There's my exchange: [Throwing down
a Glove.] what in the world he is
That names me traitor, villain-like he lies:
Call by thy trumpet: he that dares approach,
On him, on you, (who not ?) I will maintain
My truth and honour firmly.

Alb. A herald, ho!

Edm. A herald, ho, a herald !
Al5. Trust to thy single virtue!

diers,

for thy sol

All levied in my name, have in my name

Took their discharge.

Reg. This sickness grows upon me.

Enter a HERALD.

Alb. She is not well; convey her to my tent.
[Exit REGAN, led.
Come hither, herald,-Let the trumpet sound,-
And read out this.

Off. Sound, trumpet. [A Trumpet sounds.
HERALD reads.

If any man of quality or degree, within the lists of the army, will maintain upon EDMUND, supposed earl of GLOSTER, that he is a manifold traitor, let him appear at the third sound of the trumpet: He is bold in his defence.

[Alarums. They fight.-EDMUND falls. Alb. O save him, save him!

Gon. This is mere practice, § Gloster:

By the law of arms, thou wast not bound to

Alb. Most monstrous !

Know'st thou this paper?

Gon. Ask me not what I know.

[thine:

[Exit GONERIL. Alb. Go after her: she's desperate; govern her. [To an OFFICER, who goes out. Edm. What you have charg'd me with, that [out;

have I done; And more, much more: the time will bring it 'Tis past, and so am I: But what art thou, That hast this fortune on me? If thou art noble, I do forgive thee.

Edg. Let's exchange charity.

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 son.
Make instruments to scourge us:
The gods are just, and of our pleasant vices
The dark and vicious place where thee he got,

Cost him his eyes.

Edm. Thou hast spoken right, 'tis true;
The wheel is come full circle: I am here.

Alb. Methought, thy very gait did prophesy
A royal nobleness :-I must embrace thee;
Let sorrow split my heart, if ever I
Did hate thee, or thy father!
Edg. Worthy prince,

I know it well.

that my heart would | Speak, Edmund, where's the king? and where's

That very dogs disdain'd: and in this habit
Met I my father with his bleeding rings,
Their precious stones new lost; became his
guide,
[despair:
Led him, begg'd for him, sav'd him from
Never (O fault!) reveal'd myself unto him,
Until some half hour past, when I was arm'd,
Not sure, though hoping, of this good success,
I ask'd his blessing, and from first to last
Told him my pilgrimage: But his

heart,

flaw'd

(Alack, too weak the conflict to support!)
'Twixt two extremes of passion, joy and grief,
Burst smilingly.

Edm. This speech of your's hath mov'd me,
And shall, perchance, do good: but speak

you on;

You look as you had something more to say.

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 sake,
And after slew herself.

Alb. Even so.-Cover their faces.

Edm. I pant for life :-Some good I mean to
do,

Despite of mine own nature. Quickly send,-
Be brief in it,-to the castle; for my writ
Is on the life of Lear, and on Cordelia ;-
Nay, send in time.

Alb. Run, run, O run

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

Thy token of reprieve.

Edm. Well thought on; take my sword,
Give it the captain.

Alb. Haste thee, for thy life. [Exit EDGAR.
Edm. He hath commission from thy wife
and me

To hang Cordelia in the prison, and
To lay the blame upon her own despair,

Alb. If there be more, more woeful, hold it That she fordid herself. *

in ;

He fasten'd on my neck, and bellow'd out
As he'd burst heaven; threw him on my fa-
ther;

Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him,
That ever ear receiv'd: which in recounting
His grief grew puissant, and the strings of life
Began to crack: Twice then the trumpet
sounded,

And there I left him tranc'd.

Alb. But who was this?

Edg. Kent, Sir, the banish'd Kent: who in disguise

Follow'd his enemy king, and did him service !mproper for a slave.

awhile.

Alb. The gods defend her! Bear him bence [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 stones;

Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so
That heaven's vault should crack :-O she 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 mist or stain the stone,
Why, then she lives.

Kent. Is this the promis'd end? +
Edg. Or image of that horror?
Alb. Fall, and cease! ‡

Lear. This feather stirs : she lives! if it be so,
It is a chance that does redeem all sorrows
That ever I have felt.

Kent. O my good master!
Lear. Pr'ythee, away.

Edg. 'Tis noble Kent, your friend.

[Kneeling.

Lear. A plague upon you, murderers, traitors

all!

[ever!

I might have sav'd her; now she's gone for
Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little. Ha!

Enter a GENTLEMAN hastily, with a bloody What is't thou say'st?-Her voice was ever

Knife.

Kent. Nor no man else, all's cheerless, dark, | And thou no breath at all 10 thou wilt com and deadly.

Your eldest daughters have fore-doom'd them-Never, never, never, never, never!—