Enter Edgar armed.

Alb. Ask 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?

Edg. Know, my name is loft

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

I come to cope.

Alb. Which is that adverfary?

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

Baft. Himself, 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 'gainft this high illuftrious Prince,
And from th' extreameft upward of thy head,
To the descent 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 lyeft.

Baft. In wifdom I fhould ask thy name,
But fince thy out-fide looks fo fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue fome t'fay of breeding breaths,
What fafe and nicely I might well delay

By rule of Knight-hood, I difdain and fpurn:
Back do I tofs thefe treafons to thy head,
With the hell-hated lie o'erwhelm thy heart,

Which (for they yet glance by, and scarcely bruife)

'fay for effay, fome fhew or probability.

This

This fword of mine fhall give them inftant way,
Where they fhall reft for ever. Trumpets, speak.

Alb. Save him, fave him.

Gon. This is practice, Glo'fter:

[Alarum. Fight!

By th' law of war, thou waft 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. Ask me not what I know-
[Exit Gon
Alb, Go after her, fhe'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 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 our 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 plague us:

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

Baft. Thou'ft fpoken right, 'tis true,

The wheel is come full circle, I am here.
Alb. Methought thy very gate did prophefie
A royal nobleness; I muft embrace thee:
Let forrow fplit my heart, if ever I
Did hate thee, or thy father.

Edg

Edg. Worthy Prince, I know't.

Alb. Where have you hid your felf?

How have you known the miferies 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 fweetnefs!
That we the pain of death would hourly bear
Rather than die at once) taught me to fhift
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 my felf unto him,
Until fome half hour paft, when I was arm'd,
Not fure, though hoping of this good fuccefs,
I ask'd his bleffing, and from firft 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 fpeak you on,
You look as you had fomething more to fay.
Alb. If there be more, more woful, hold it in,
For I am almoft ready to diffolve,

Hearing of this.

of

SCENE XI.

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

O fhe's dead.

Alb

Alb. Who's dead? speak man.

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

Baft. 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 live 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 fhe?
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 Cor

delia?

See'st thou this object, Kent?

Kent, Alack, why thus?"

Baft. Yet Edmund was belov'd:

The one the other poifon'd for my fake,
And after flew her felf.

Alb. Even fo; cover their faces.

Baft. 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.

Baft. Well thought on, take my fword,

Give it the captain

Edg. Hafte thee for thy life.

Baft. He hath commiffion from thy wife and me,

To hang Cordelia in the prifon, and

To

To lay the blame

upon

her own defpair.

Alb. The gods defend her, bear him hence a while!

SCENE X.

Enter Lear with Cordelia dead in his arms.

Lear. Howl, howl, howl, howl,

O you are

men of stone, Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them fo, That heaven's vault fhould crack; she's

gone

for ever!

I know when one is dead, and when one lives;
She's dead as earth! lend me a looking-glass,
If that her breath will mift or ftain the ftone,
Why then the lives.

Kent. Is this the promis'd end?"

Lear. This feather stirs, she lives; if it be fo It is a chance which do's redeem all forrows That ever I have felt.

Kent. O my good mafter!

Lear. Pr'ythee away

Edg. 'Tis noble Kent your friend.

Lear. A plague upon you murth'rers, traitors all, I might have fav'd her, now fhe's gone for ever! Cordelia, Cordelia, ftay a little. Ha!

What is't thou fay'ft her voice was ever soft,
Gentle and low, an excellent thing in woman..
I kill'd the flave that was a hanging thee.
Gent. 'Tis true, my lords, he did.
Lear. Did I not, fellow?

I've feen the day, with my good biting faulchion
I would have made them skip: I

And these fame croffes fpoil me.

am old now, Who are you?

I'll tell

you

ftrait..

Kent. If fortune brag of two fhe lov'd and hated,

Mine eyes are none o'th' beft.

One of them we behold.

Lear. Are you not Kent?

Kent. The fame; your fervant. Kent ;

Where is your fervant Caius ?

Lear