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Fal'n into taint; which to believe of her,
Must be a faith, that reason without miracle
Should never plant in me.

Cor. I yet beseech your Majesty.

(If, for I want that glib and oily art,
To speak and purpose not; fince what I well intend,
I'll do't before I speak,) that you make known
It is no vicious blot, murder, or foulness,
No unchaste action, or dishonour'd step,
That hath depriv'd me of your grace and favour:
But ev'n for want of that, for which I'm richer,
A ftill folliciting eye, and such a tongue,
That I am glad I've not; though, not to have it,
Hath loft me in your liking.

Lear. Better thou

Hadst not been born, than not have pleas'd me better.
France. Is it but this? a tardiness in nature,

Which often leaves the history unspoke,
That it intends to do? my lord of Burgundy,
What say you to the lady? love's not love,
When it is mingled with regards, that stand
Aloof from th' intire point. Say, will you have her?
She is herself a dowry.

Bur. Royal King,

Give but that portion which your self propos'd,

And here I take Cordelia by the hand,

Dutchess of Burgundy.

Lear. Nothing: -I've sworn.

Bur. I'm sorry then, you have so loft a father,

That you must lose a husband.

Cor. Peace be with Burgundy,

That monsters it

i. e. that makes a monster, a prodigy, of it: And our pret uses this verb elsewhere in fuch a sense. So Albany, afterwards in this play,, fays to Gonerill, his wife;

Thou chang'd, and self-converted thing! for shame,

Be-morfter not thy features.

And so, in Coriolanus;

I'd rather have one fcratch my head i' th' Sun,

When the alarum were struck, than idly fit

To hear my nothings monfter'd.

Since that respects of fortune are his love,

I shall not be his wife.

France. Fairest Cordelia, that art most rich, being poor,

Most choice, forsaken; and most lov'd, despis'd!
Thee and thy virtues here I seize upon:
Be't lawful, I take up what's caft away.

Gods, Gods! 'tis strange, that from their cold'ft neglect
My love should kindle to enflam'd respect.

Thy dow'rless daughter, King, thrown to my chance,
Is Queen of us, of ours, and our fair France :
Not all the Dukes of wat'rish Burgundy
Can buy this unpriz'd, precious, maid of me.
Bid them farewel, Cordelia, tho' unkind;
Thou loseft here, a better where to find.

Lear. Thou hast her, France; let her be thine, for we
Have no fuch daughter; nor shall ever fee
That face of hers again; therefore be gone
Without our grace, our love, our benizon:
Come, noble Burgundy.

[Flourish. Exeunt Lear

France. Bid farewel to your sisters.

[and Burgundy.

Cor. Ye jewels of our father, with wash'd eyes

Cordelia leaves you: I know what you are,
And, like a sister, am most loth to call

Your faults, as they are nam'd. Love well our father:

To your profeffing bosoms I commit him;
But yet, alas! flood I within his grace,

I would prefer him to a better place.

So farewel to you both.

Reg. Prefcribe not us our duty.

Gon. Let your study

Be to content your lord, who hath receiv'd you
At fortune's alms; you have obedience scanted,
And well are worth the Want that you have wanted. (4)

(4) And well are worth the Want that you have wanted.] This is a very obfcure expreffion, and must be pieced out with an implied sense, to be understood. This I take to be the poet's meaning, ftript of the jingle which makes it dark; "You well deserve to meet with that "Want of love from your husband, which you have profess'd to want "for our father."

Cor.

Cor. Time shall unfold what plaited cunning hides, Who covers faults, at last with shame derides. Well may you profper!

France. Come, my fair Cordelia.

[Exeunt France and Cor.

Gon. Sifter, it is not little I've to say, Of what most nearly appertains to us both; I think, our father will go hence to night.

Reg. That's certain, and with you; next month with us. Gon. You see how full of changes his age is, the observation we have made of it hath not been little; he always lov'd our fister most, and with what poor judgment he hath now cast her off, appears too grossly.

Reg. "Tis the infirmity of his age; yet he hath ever but slenderly known himself.

Gon. The best and foundest of his time hath been but rash; then must we look, from his age, to receive not alone the imperfections of long-engrafted condition, but therewithal the unruly waywardness, that infirm and cholerick years bring with them.

Reg. Such unconstant starts are we like to have from him, as this of Kent's banishment.

Gon. There is further compliment of leave-taking between France and him; pray you, let us hit together: if our father carry authority with such difpofition as he bears, this last furrender of his will but offend us.

Reg. We shall further think of it.

Gon. We must do something, and i' th' heat. [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to a Castle belonging to the Earl of Gloster.

Edm.

T

Enter EDMUND, with a Letter.

HOU, Nature, art my Goddess; to thy law
My services are bound; wherefore should I

Stand in the plague of custom, and permit
The curtesy of nations to deprive me, (5)

For

(5) The nicety of nations.] This is Mr. Pope's reading, ex Cathedra ; for it has the fanction of none of the copies, that I have met with.

They

For that I am some twelve or fourteen moon-shines
Lag of a brother? Why bastard? wherefore base?
When my dimensions are as well compact,
My mind as gen'rous, and my shape as true:
As honest Madam's issue? why brand they us
With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?
Who, in the lufty stealth of nature, take (6)
More compofition and fierce quality;
Than doth, within a dull, ftale, tired bed,
Go to creating a whole tribe of fops,

They all, indeed, give it us, by a foolish corruption, the Curiofity of nations; but I some time ago prov'd, that our Author's word was, Curtejy. So, again, in As You like it;

The curtesy of nations allows you my better, in that you are the first born

And again, in Cymbeline, this word stands for Birth-right;

aye hopeless

To have the curtesy your cradle promis'd.

Nor must we forget that tenure in our laws, whereby fome lands are held by the Curtesy of England. And I ought to take notice, that I had the concurrence of the ingenious Dr. Thirlby, who hinted to me this very emendation, before he knew I made it.

(6) Who, in the lufty ftealth of nature,] These fine lines are a very fignal proof of our author's admirable art, in giving proper sentiments to his characters. And such a proof, as hath in it fomething very extraordinary. The Bastard's character is that of a confirm'd atheift; and the poet's making him ridicule judicial Aftrology was design'd as one instance of that character: For that impious juggle had a religious reverence paid it at that time: and Shakespeare makes his best characters in this very play, own and acknowledge the force of the stars influence. The poet, in short, gives an atheistical turn to all his sentiments; and how much the lines, following this, are in this character, may be feen by that strange monstrous wish, which Vanini, the infamous Neapolitan atheist, made in his tract De Admirandis Nature; printed at Paris in 1616, the very year that our author dy'd. "Utinam extra legitimum & connubialem thorum effem pro reatus! Ita " enim progenitores mei in venerem incaluissent ardentius, ac cumula "tim affatimque generofa Semina contulissent; e quibus ego forme " blanditiam et elegantiam, robustas corporis vires, mentemque innubilam "confequutus fuiffem. At quia Conjugatorum sum soboles, his orbatus "fum bonis." - Now had this book been publish'd ten years before, who would not have sworn that Shakespeare hinted at this pafsage? But the divinity of his genius here, as it were, foretold what such an atheist, as Vanini was, would fay, when he wrote upon this

subject.

"Ο!

Mr. Warburton.

Got

Got 'tween a fleep and wake? Well then,
Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land;
Our father's love is to the bastard Edmund,
• As to th' legitimate; fine word-legitimate-
Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed,
And my invention thrive, Edmund the bafe
Shall be th' legitimate. - I grow, I profper;
Now, Gods, fstand up for bastards!

To him, Enter Glo'ster.

Glo. Kent banish'd thus! and France in choler parted! And the King gone to-night! subscrib'd his pow'r! Confin'd to exhibition! all is gone Upon the gad! - Edmund, how now? what news? Edm. So please your lordship, none.

[Putting up the letter.

Glo. Why so earnestly seek you to put up that letter?
Edm. I know no news, my lord.
Glo. What paper were you reading?

Edm. Nothing, my lord.

Glo. No! what needed then that terrible dispatch of it into your pocket? the quality of nothing hath not fuch need to hide it felf. Let's fee; come, if it be nothing, I shall not need fpectacles.

Edm. I beseech you, Sir, pardon me, it is a letter from my brother, that I have not all o'er-read; and for so much as I have perus'd, I find it not fit for your o'erlooking.

Glo. Give me the letter, Sir.

Edin. I shall offend, either to detain, or give it; the contents, as in part I understand them, are to blame. Glo. Let's fee, let's fee.

Edm. I hope, for my brother's justification, he wrote this but as an essay, or taste of my virtue.

Glo. reads.] This policy and reverence of ages makes the world bitter to the best of our times; keeps our fortunes from us, 'till our oldness cannot relish them. I begin to find an idle and fond bondage in the oppreffion of aged tyranny; which fways, not as, it hath power, but as it is suffered. Come to me, that of this I may speak more. If our father would Леер,

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