Which do command them. With him I fent the

queen;

My reafon all the fame; and they are ready

To-morrow, or at further space, to appear
Where you shall hold your feffion.

At this time

We fweat and bleed: the friend hath loft his friend;

And the beft quarrels, in the heat, are curs'd

By those that feel their fharpness :

The question of Cordelia, and her father, 2 Requires a fitter place.]

Alb. Sir, by your patience,

I hold you but a fubject of this war,
Not as a brother.

Reg. That's as we lift to grace him,

Methinks, our pleasure might have been demanded, Ere you had spoke fo far. He led our powers; 3 Bore the commiffion of my place and perfon; 4 The which immediacy may well ftand up, And call itself your brother,

Gon. Not fo hot:

In his own grace he doth exalt himself,
More than in your advancement.
Reg. In my rights,

By me invefted, he compeers the best.

Alb. That were the most, if he should husband you,
Reg. Jefters do oft prove prophets.

Gon. Holla, holla!

That eye, that told you fo, look'd but a-fquint. Reg. Lady, I am not well; elfe I should anfwer

At this time, &c.] This paffage, well worthy of restoration, is omitted in the folio. JOHNSON.

Requires a fitter place.] i. e. The determination of the queftion, what fhall be done with Cordelia and her father, fhould be referved for greater privacy. STEEVENS.

3 Bore the commiffion of-] Commiffion, for authority. WARB. 4 The which immediacy- -] Immediacy, for reprefenta

tion. WARBURTON.

Immediacy is rather fupremacy in oppofition to fubordination, which has quiddam medium between itself and power. JOHNSON. s In his own grace-] Grace here means accomplishments, or honours. STEEVENS, From

From a full-flowing ftomach.-General,
Take thou my foldiers, prifoners, patrimony;
Difpofe of them, of me; 6 the walls are thine:
Witness the world, that I create thee here
My lord and master.

Gon. Mean you to enjoy him?

Alb. The lett alone lies not in your good will.
Edm. Nor in thine, lord.

Alb. Half-blooded fellow, yes.

Reg. Let the drum ftrike, and prove my title thine.
Alb. Stay yet; hear reafon:-Edmund, I arreft thee
On capital treafon; and, in thy arreft, [Pointing to Gon.
This gilded serpent.-For your claim, fair sister,
I bar it in the intereft of my wife;

'Tis fhe is fub-contracted to this lord,

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

8

Gon. An interlude !.

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

If none appear to prove upon thy person

Thy heinous, manifeft, and many treafons,

There is my pledge; I'll prove it on thy heart,

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

Reg. Sick, O fick !

Gon. If not, I'll ne'er truft 9 poison.

[Afide.

Edm. There's my exchange. What in the world he is, That names me traitor, villain-like he lies.

6

the walls are thine:] A metaphorical phrafe taken from the camp, and fignifying, to furrender at difcretion. But the Oxford Editor, for a plain reason, alters it to,

they all are thine. WARBURTON.

7 The lett alone lies not in your good will.] Whether he shall not or fhall depends not on your choice. JOHNSON.

8 An interlude !] This fhort exclamation of Gonerill is added in the folio edition, I fuppofe, only to break the speech of Albany, that the exhibition on the itage might be more diftinct and intelligible. JOHNSON.

poijon.] The folio reads medicine. STEEVENS.

Call

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!

Enter a Herald.

Alb. Truft to thy fingle virtue; for thy foldiers, All levied in my name, have in my name Took their discharge.

Reg. This fickness grows upon me.

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

[Exit Regan led. Come hither, herald. Let the trumpet found, And read out this.

Herald reads.

I

[A trumpet founds.

IF any man of quality, or degree, within the lifts of the army, will maintain upon Edmund fuppofed earl of Glofter, that he is a manifold traitor, let him appear by the third found of the trumpet. He is bold in bis defence.

Edm. Sound.
Her. Again.

Her. Again.

I trumpet.

2 trumpet.

3 trumpet.

[Trumpet anfwers, within.

Enter Edgar, armed.

Alb. Afk him his purpofes; why he appears

Upon this call o' the trumpet.

Her. What are you?

Your name, your quality? and why you answer

This prefent fummons ?

Edg. Know, my name is loft;

By treafon's tooth bare-gnawn, and canker-bit:

--

within the lifts of the army,
within the hot of the army.-

-] The quartos read, STEEVENS.

Yet

Yet am I noble as the adversary

I come to cope withal.

Alb. Which is that adversary?

Edg. What's he, that speaks for Edmund earl of
Glofter?

Edm. Himfelf:what fay'ft thou to him?
Edg. Draw thy fword;

That, if my speech offend a noble heart,
Thy arm may do thee juftice: here is mine.
Behold, it is the privilege of mine honours,
My oath, and my profeffion. I protest,
Maugre thy ftrength, youth, place, and eminence,
Defpight thy victor fword, and fire-new fortune,
Thy valour, and thy heart, thou art a traitor;
Falfe to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father;
* Confpirant 'gainft this high illuftrious prince,
And from the extremeft upward of thy head,
To the defcent and duft below thy foot,
A moft toad-fpotted traitor. Say thou, no,
This fword, this arm, and my beft fpirits are bent
To prove upon thy heart whereto I speak,

Thou lieft.

Edm. In wifdom I should ask thy name;
But, fince thy out-fide looks fo fair and warlike,

Behold, it is the privilege of mine honours,

My cath, and my profeffion.] The charge he is here going to bring against the Baftard, he calls the privilege, &c. To understand which phrafeology, we must confider that the old rites of knighthood are here alluded to; whofe oath and profeffion required him to difcover all treafons, and whofe privilege it was to have his challenge accepted, or otherwife to have his charge taken pro confejo. For if one who was no knight accufed another who was, that other was under no obligation to accept the challenge. On this account it was neceffary, as Edgar came difguifed, to tell the Baftard he was a knight.. WARBURTON.

The privilege of this oath means the privilege gained by taking the oath administered in the regular initiation of a knight profefied. JOHNSON.

2

The quartos read, it is the privilege of my tongue. STEEV.
Confpirant 'gainf] The quartos read,
Confpicuate 'gainst
STEEVENS.

And

? And that thy tongue fome 'fay of breeding breathes;
What fafe and nicely I might well delay
By rule of knight-hood, I difdain and spurn.
Back do I tofs thefe treaíons to thy head;
With the hell-hated lie o'erwhelm thy heart;
Which, for they yet glance by, and scarcely bruife,
This fword of mine fhall give them inftant way,
Where they shall reft for ever.-Trumpets, fpeak.
[Alarm. Fight. Edmund falls.

3 Alb. Save him, save him!

Gon. This is mere practice, Glo'fter:

By the law of 4 arms thou waft not bound to answer
An unknown oppofite; thou art not vanquifh'd,
But cozen'd and beguil'd.

Alb. 5 Shut your mouth, dame,

Or with this paper fhall I ftop it :-hold, Sir;-
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?

2

Alb. 6 Monster, know'st thou this paper?

And that thy tongue fome 'fay of breeding breathes ;] 'Say for effay, fome fhew or probability. POPE.

3 Alb. Save him, save him!

Gon. This is mere praftice, Glo'fter :] Thus all the copies; but I have ventured to place the two hemiftichs to Gonerill. "Tis abfurd that Albany, who knew Edmund's treafons, and his own wife's paffion for him, fhould be folicitous to have his life faved. THEOBALD.

He defired that Edmund's life might be fpared at prefent, only to obtain his confeffion, and to convict him openly by his own letter. JOHNSON.

4

-thou waft not bound to arfwer] One of the quartos reads, thou art not bound to offer, &c. STEEVENS. 5 Shut your mouth, dame,]" Knowelt thou thefe letters?" fays Leir to Ragan, in the old anonymous play, when he thews her both her own and her fifter's letters, which were written to procure his death. Upon which the fnatches the letters and tears them. STEEVENS.

6 Monster, know'st thou this paper?] So the quarto; but the folio,

Mot monftrous, O, know't thou, &c. JOHNSON.

Gen.