Alb. Stay: hear my reason: Edmund, I arrest thee

On capital treason, and in thy arreft,
This gilded ferpent: 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 banes.
If you will marry, make your loves to me,
My Lady is bespoke.

Gon. An enterlude!

Alb. Thou art arm'd, Glo'fter, let the trumpet found:

If none appear to prove upon thy person

Thy heinous, manifest, and many treasons,
There is my pledge: 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 fick

Gon. If not, I'll ne'er trust poison.

[Afide.

Baft. There's my exchange; what in the world he is

That names me traitor, villain-like he lies;

Call by the trumpet: he that dares approach,

On him, on you, (whom not?) I will maintain

My truth and honour firmly.

Alb. A herald, ho!

Trust to thy fingle virtues; for thy foldiers,
All levied in my name, have in my name

Took their difcharge.

Reg. My fickness grows upon me.

Alb. She is not well, convey her to my tent.

SCENE VII. Enter a Herald,

[Exit Regan.

Come hither, herald, let the trumpet found,
And read out this.

[A trumpet founds.

Herald reads.

If any man of quality or degree within the lifts of the army, will maintain upon Edmund supposed Earl of Glo'fter,

that he is a manifold traitor, let him appear by the third found

of the trumpet: be is bold in bis defence.

Her. Again.

Her. Again.

I trumpet.

Enter Edgar armed.

Alb. Afk him his purposes, why he appears

Upon this call o'th' trumpet.

Her. What are you?

Your name, your quality, and why you answer

This present summons?

Edg. Know, my name is loft,

By treason's tooth bare-gnawn and canker-bit;

Yet am I noble as the adversary

I come to cope.

Alb. Which is that adversary?

Edg. What's he that speaks for Edmund Earl of Glo'fter?

Baft. Himself; what say'st thou to him?

Edg. Draw thy sword,

That if my fpeech 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 profeffion. I protest,
Maugre thy ftrength, place, youth, and eminence,
Spight of thy victor-sword, and fire-new fortune,
Thy valour, and thy heart, thou art a traitor;
Falfe to thy Gods, thy brother, and thy father,
Conspirant 'gainst this high illuftrious Prince,
And from th' extreamest upward of thy head,
To the defcent and dust below thy foot,
A moft 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 lieft.

e

:

1

Baft. In wisdom I should ask, thy name;
But fince thy out-fide looks so fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue some 'say * of breeding breathes,
What safe and nicely I might well delay
By rule of Knight-hood, I disdain and spurn:
Back do I toss these treasons to thy head,
With the hell-hated lie o'er-whelm thy heart,
To which, (for they yet glance by, scarcely bruising)
This fword of mine shall give them instant way,

Say for Effay, fome shew or probability.

2

Where

Where they shall rest for ever. Trumpets, speak. [Alarum. Fight. Bastard falls.

Gon. Save him, O save him; this is practice, Glofter:
By th' law of war, thou wast not bound to answer
An unknown opposite; thou art not vanquish'd,
But cozen'd and beguil'd.

Alb. Shut your mouth, dame,
Or with this paper shall I stop it;
Thou worse than any thing, read thine own evil :
No tearing, Lady, I perceive you know it.

Gon. Say if I do, the laws are mine, not thine;

Who can arraign me for't?

Atb. Monster, know'st thou

This paper ?

Gon. Afk me not what I do know.

[Exit Gon.

Alb. Go after her, she's defperate, govern her.

SCENE VIII.

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

And more, much more; the time will bring it out.
'Tis past, and so am I: but what art thou

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

Edg. Let's exchange our charity:
I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund;
If more, the more thou'st wrong'd me.
My name is Edgar, and thy father's fon.
The Gods are just, and of our pleasant vices
Make instruments to plague and punish us:
The dark and vicious place, where thee he got,
Cost him his eyes.

Baft. Thou'st spoken right, 'tis true,

The wheel is come full circle, I am here.

Alb. Methought thy very gate did prophefic [To Edgar.

A royal nobleness; I must embrace thee:

Let forrow split my heart, if ever I

Did hate thee or thy father,

Edg. Worthy Prince,

I know it well.

Alb. Where have you hid your self?

How have you known the miferies of your father?

Edg

Edg. By nurfing them, my Lord. List a brief tale,

And when 'tis told, O that my heart would burst!
The bloody proclamation to escape
That follow'd me so near, (O our lives sweetness!
That we the pain of death would hourly bear
Rather than die at once) taught me to shift
Into a mad-man's rags, t'assume a femblance
The very dogs disdain'd: and in this habit
Met I my father with his bleeding rings,
Their precious gems new loft; became his guide,
Led him, beg'd for him, fav'd him from despair,
Never (O fault) reveal'd my self unto him,
Until fome half hour paft, when I was arm'd,
Not fure though hoping of this good success,
I afk'd his bleffing, and from first to last
Told him my pilgrimage. But his flaw'd heart,
Alack, too weak the conflict to support,
'Twixt too extreams of paffion, joy and grief,
Burst smilingly.

Baft. This fpeech of yours hath mov'd me,
And shall perchance do good; but speak you on,
You look as you had fomething more to say.

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

For I am almost ready to dissolve,
Hearing of this.

SCENE

Gent. Help, help!

IX. Enter a Gentleman

Edg. What kind of help?

Alb. Speak, man.

Edg. What means this bloody knife?

Gent. 'Tis hot, it smoaks, it came even from the heart

Of- --O! she's dead.

Alb. Who's dead? speak, man.

Gent. Your Lady, Sir, your Lady; and her sister

By her is poison'd; the confesses it.

Baft. I was contracted to them both; all three

Now marry in an inftant.

Edg. Here comes Kent,

3

Entes Enter Kent.

Alb. Produce the bodies, be they live or dead.

T

[Gonerill and Regan's bodies brought out.

This judgment of the heav'ns, that makes us tremble,
Touches us not with pity. - O! is this He?
The time will not allow the compliment

Which very manners urge.

Kent. Sir, I am come

To bid my King and Master aye good night;
Is he not here?

Alh. Great thing of us forgot!

[To Kent.

Speak, Edmund, where's the King? and where's Cordelia? See'st thou this object, Kent? [Pointing to the dead bodies. Kent. Alack, why thus?

Baft. Yet Edmund was belov'd:

The one the other poison'd for my fake,
And after flew her self.

Alb. Even so; cover their faces.

Baft. I pant for life; fome good I mean to do,

Despight of mine own nature. Quickly send
(Be brief) into the castle; for my writ
Is on the life of Lear and Cordelia:

Nay, fend in time.

Alb. Run, run, Orun, make haste.

Edg. To whom, my Lord? who has the office? send

Thy token of reprieve.

Baft. Well thought on, take my sword,

Give it the captain

Edg. Haste thee for thy life.

[Ex. Messenger.

Baft. He hath commission from thy wife and me

To hang Cordelia in the prison, and

To lay the blame upon her own despair.

Alb. The Gods defend her! bear him hence a while.

.

SCENE Χ.

[Bastard is born of.

Enter Lear with Cordelia dead in bis arms.

Lear. Howl, howl, howl, howl, -0, you are men of stone,

Had I vour tongues and eyes, I'd use them so,
That heaven's vault should crack; she's gone for ever!
Iknow when one is dead, and when one lives;

She's