Osw. Slave, thou hast slain me :-villain, take my purse; If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body, And give the letters which thou find'st about me, [Dies. GLO. What, is he dead? EDG. Sit you down, father; rest you.— Let's see his pockets: these § letters, that he speaks of, May be my friends.-He's dead; I am only sorry He had no other death's-man.-Let us see :Leave, gentle wax: and, manners, blame us not: To know our enemies' minds, we rip their hearts ; Their papers, is more lawful. [Reads.] Let our reciprocal vows be remembered. You have many opportunities to cut him off if your will want not, time and place will be fruitfully offered. There is nothing done, if he return the conqueror: then am I the prisoner, and his bed my gaol; from the loathed warmth whereof deliver me, and supply the place for your labour. Your (wife, so I would say,) GONERIL. O, undistinguish'd space of woman's will!—a Of murderous lechers: and, in the mature time, [Exit, dragging out the body. GLO. The king is mad: how stiff is my vile O, undistinguish'd space of woman's will!—] In the quartos we read, "O undistinguisht space of womans wit"; in the folio, "Ol: indinguish'd space of Womans will;" and Mr. Collier's anotator suggests, “O, unertinguish'd blaze of woman's will!" Whatever may have been the original lection, it was plainly an exclamation against the indiscriminate caprice of woman as exhibited by Goneril in plotting against a virtuous husband's life merely to gain a villain like Edmund, and not, as Mr. Collier asserts, against the unextinguishable appetite " of the sex: his annotator's emendation is therefore indefensible. We should, perhaps, read, "O, undistinguishable sense of woman's will." paid. All my reports go with the modest truth; CORD. KENT. CORD. Then be't so, my good lord.-How does Cure this great breach in his abused nature! PHYS. I' the sway of your own will. Is he array'd? GENT. Ay, madam; in the heaviness of sleep, We put fresh garments on him. PHYS. Be by, good madam, when we do awake I doubt not* of his temperance. (*) First folio omits, not. Very well. b- soft music playing.] This part of the stage direction was judiciously interpolated by Mr. Dyce. e-made intent:] This may import purposed intent; but Mr. Collier's annotator proposes a very plausible change-" My main intent." d Madam, sleeps still.] In the folio, the Physician and Gentleman form one character; the parts were combined probably, as Mr. Collier surmises, to suit the economy of performers. e CORD. Very well. PHYS. Please you, draw near.-Louder the music there.] These two speeches are not in the folio, CORD. O my dear father! Restoration, hang Thy medicine on my lips; and let this kiss Repair those violent harms that my two sisters Have in thy reverence made! KENT. Had challeng'd pity of them. Was this a face alack! In short and musty straw? Alack, CORD. How does my royal lord? How fares your majesty? LEAR. You do me wrong to take me out o' the LEAR. Pray, do not mock me: I fear I am not in my perfect mind. If you have poison for me, I will drink it. (*) First folio, hand. pray, No cause, no cause. (+) First folio omits, No, sir. and yet it is danger To make him even o'er the time he has lost.] GENT. Who is conductor of his people? KENT. As 'tis said, the bastard son of Gloster. GENT. They say, Edgar, his banish'd son, is with the earl of Kent in Germany. KENT. Report is changeable. 'Tis time to look about; the powers of the kingdom approach apace. GENT. The arbitrement is like to be bloody. Fare you well, sir. [Exit. KENT. My point and period will be throughly wrought, Or well or ill, as this day's battle's fought. [Exit. Omitted in the folio. b Exeunt LEAR, &c.] In the folio, the scene terminates here. than that sister Should loosen him and me. ALB. Our very loving sister, well be-met.Sir, this I hear,†-The king is come to his daughter, With others whom the rigour of our state C Why is this reason'd? GON. Combine together 'gainst the enemy; For these domestic and particular broils Are not the question here. Let us then determine ALB. With the ancient of war on our proceedings. EDM. I shall attend you presently at your tent.d REG. Sister, you'll go with us? That thought abuses you.] The folio omits both this and the following speech. b I had rather lose the battle, &c.] This speech is omitted in the folio. Where I could not be honest, &c.] The remainder of the speech and Edmund's answer are omitted in the folio. d I shall attend you presently at your tent.] Omitted in the folio. e-carry out my side,-] A metaphor from the card-table, where to carry out a side meant to carry out the game with your partner successfully. So to set up a side, was to become partners Each jealous of the other, as the stung Are of the adder. Which of them shall I take? Her husband being alive. Now then, we'll use (*) First folio, loves. [Exit. in the game; to pull or pluck down a side, was to lose it. Thus in Ben Jonson's "Silent Woman," Act III. Sc. 2, "Mavis and she will set up a side.” Thus also in Massinger's "Great Duke of Florence," Act IV. Sc. 1, where Cozimo, declining to do Petronella right in a bowl of wine, says, "Pray you pause a little; If I hold your cards, I shall pull down the side: I am not good at the game." |