IF

Herald reads.

F any man of quality, or degree, within the lifts of the army, will maintain upon Edmund fuppofed Earl of Glo'fter, that he is a manifold traitor, let him appear by the third found of the trumpet: he is bold in his de

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 prefent fummons ?

८

Edg. Know, my name is loft;

By treafon's tooth bare-gnawn, and canker-bit;
Yet am I noble, as the adverfary

I come to cope.

Alb. Which is that adversary?

Edg. What's he, that fpeaks for Edmund Earl of Glo'fter? Edm. Himfelf; what fay'ft thou to him?

Edg. Draw thy fword,

That if my fpeech 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 proteft,
Maugre thy ftrength, place, youth, and eminence,
Spite of 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 'gainst this high illuftrious Prince,
And from th' extreameft upward of thy head,
To the defcent and duft below thy foot,
A moft toad-spotted traitor. Say thou, no;
This fword, this arm, and my best spirits are bent
To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak,

Thou lieft.

Edm. In wisdom I should ask thy name;

But

But fince thy out-fide looks fo fair and warlike,
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 fpurn:
Back do I tofs these treasons to thy head,
With the hell-hated lie o'erwhelm thy heart;
Which (for they yet glance by, and scarcely bruise)
This fword of mine fhall give them inftant way,
Where thou shalt reft for ever. Trumpets, fpeak.
[Alarum. Fight.
Gon. O, fave him, fave him; this is practice, Glo'fter: (60)
By th' law of war, thou wast not bound to answer
An unknown oppofite; thou art not vanquish'd,
But cozen'd and beguil'd.

Alb. Shut your mouth, dame,

Or with this paper fhall I ftop 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?

Alb. Monfter, know'st thou this paper?

Gon. Afk me not, what I know.

[Exit Gon. Alb. Go after her, fhe's defperate, govern her.

Edm. What you have charg'd me with, that I have 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'rt noble,
I do forgive thee.

Edg. Let's exchange charity:

I am no lefs in blood than thou art, Edmund;
If more, the more thou'ft wrong'd me.
My name is Edgar, and thy father's fon.
The gods are juft, and of our pleasant vices.
Make inftruments to fcourge us:

(60) Alb. Save him, fave him.

Gon. This is practice, Glo'fter:] Thus all the copies have diftinguifh'd thefe fpeeches: but I have ventur'd to place the two hemiftichs to Gonerill. 'Tis abfurd, that Albany, who knew Edmund's treafons, and his own wife's paffion for him, should be follicitous to have his life fav'd.

The

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

Edm. Thou'ft fpoken right, 'tis true,
The wheel is come full circle; I am here.
Alb. Methought, thy very gait did prophefy
A royal nobleness; I muft embrace thee:
Let forrow split my heart, if ever I
Did hate thee, or thy father!

Edg. Worthy Prince, I know't.

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 we the pain of death would hourly bear,
Rather than die at once) taught me to shift
Into a mad-man's rags; t' affume a femblance,
The very dogs difdain'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 defpair;
Never (O fault!) reveal'd myself unto him,
Until fome half hour paft, when I was arm'd,
Not fure, though hoping of this good fuccefs,
I afk'd his bleffing, and from first to laft
Told him my pilgrimage. But his flaw'd heart,
Alack, too weak the conflict to fupport,
'Twixt two extreams of paffion, joy and grief,
Burft fmilingly.

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

Alb. If there be more, more woeful, hold it in,
For I am almoft ready to diffolve,
Hearing of this.

Edg.This would have feem'd a period, (61)

Το

(61) Edg. This would have seem'd a period, &c.] This fine and neceffary description I have thought fit to restore from the old 4to; as

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 seen me in my worfer ftate,

Shun'd my abhorr'd fociety; but now finding
Who 'twas, had 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 moft piteous tale of Lear and him,
That ever ear receiv'd; which in recounting
His grief grew puiffant, and the ftrings of life
Began to crack.-Twice then the trumpets founded,
And there I left him traunc'd.-

Alb. But who was this?

Edg. Kent, Sir; the banish'd Kent, who in disguise Follow'd his enemy King, and did him fervice Improper for a flave.

Enter a Gentleman.

Gent. Help, help!

Edg. What kind of help?

Alb. Speak, man.

Edg. What means this bloody knife?

Gent. 'Tis hot, it fmoaks; it came even from the heart Of- O! fhe's dead.

Alb. Who's dead? speak, man.

Gent. Your Lady, Sir, your Lady; and her fifter By her is poison'd; fhe confeffes it.

it artfully opens to Albany the concealment of Kent at home, during his banishment; and gives a beautiful picture of the emotions that good old man felt for the death of his friend Glofter, and the piety of Edgar towards his diftreft father. Edmund had taken notice, that Edgar feem'd to have something more to say; but Abany was already fo touch'd with compaffion, that he was for hearing of no more forrow. From the different behaviour of these two different characters, with how exquifite a reflection, drawn from the very fountain of nature, has our poet furnish'd his introduction to Edgar's fecond narrative! As the paffage firft was left out by the players, in their edition; we are not to doubt, but it was one of their judicious retrenchments. However that be, fome readers, I am perfuaded, will owe me their thanks for retrieving it to the author.

Edm.

Edm. I was contracted to them both; all three Now marry in an instant.

Edg. Here comes Kent.

Enter Kent.

Alb. Produce the bodies, be they alive or dead. [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. 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't thou this object, Kent?

Kent. Alack, why thus?

Edm. Yet Edmund was belov'd:

The one the other poifon'd for my fake,

And after flew herself.

Alb. Even fo; cover their faces.

Edm. I pant for life; fome good I mean to do, Defpight of mine own nature. Quickly fend, (Be brief) into 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 whom, my Lord? who has the office?

Send thy token of reprieve.

Edm. Well thought on, take my fword,

Give it the Captain

Edg. Hafte thee for thy life.

[Exit Meffenger.

Edm. He hath commiffion from thy wife and me

To hang Cordelia in the prifon, and

To lay the blame upon her own despair.

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

[Edmund is borne off.

Enter