Edm.
Some officers take them away: good guard;
Until their greater pleasures first be ^note known,
That are to censure them.

Cor.
We are not the first,
Who, with best meaning, have incurr'd the worst.

For thee, oppressed king, am I ^note cast down;
Myself could else out-frown false fortune's frown.—
Shall we not see these daughters, and these sisters?

Lea.
No, no, no, no;14Q1378 come ^note, let's away to prison:
We two alone will sing like birds i' the cage:
When thou dost ask me blessing, I'll kneel down,
And ask of thee forgiveness: So we'll live,
And pray, and sing, ^note and tell old tales, and laugh
At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues
Talk of court news; and we'll talk with ^note them too,—
Who loses, and who wins; who's in, who's out; ^note—
And take upon us the mystery of things,
As if we were God's spies: And we'll wear out,
In a wall'd prison, packs and sects of great ones,
That ebb and flow by the moon.

Edm.
Take them away.

Lea.
Upon such sacrifices, my Cordelia,
The gods themselves throw incense. Have I caught thee?
He, that parts us, shall bring a brand from heaven,
And fire us hence, like foxes. Wipe thine eyes ^note;
The goujeres shall ^note devour them, flesh and ^note fell,
Ere they shall make us weep: we'll see them starve ^note first.
Come. ^note [Exeunt Lear and Cordelia, guarded.

Edm.
Come hither, captain; hark.
Take thou this &dagger2; note; go, follow them to prison:
One step ^note I have advanc'd thee; if thou dost
As this instructs thee, thou dost make thy way
To noble fortunes: Know thou this,—that men
Are as the time is: to be tender-minded
Does not become a sword:—Thy great employment14Q1379
Will not bear question; either say, thou'lt do't,
Or thrive by other means.

Off.
I'll do't, my lord.

Edm.
About it; and write happy, when thou hast done.
Mark,—I say, instantly; and carry it so
As I have set it down. ^note [Exit Officer. Flourish. Enter Albany, Regan, Goneril, Officers, and Attendants.

Alb.
Sir, you have shewn ^note to-day your valiant strain,
And fortune led you well: You have the captives
Who were ^note the opposites of this day's strife:
We do ^note require them of you; so to use them,
As we shall find their merits and our safety
May equally determine.

Edm.
Sir, I thought fit ^note
To send the ^note old and miserable king
To some retention, and appointed guard; ^note
Whose age has charms ^note in it, whose title more,
To pluck the common bosom ^note on his ^note side,
And turn our ímprest lances in our eyes
Which do command them. With him I sent the queen;
My reason all the same; and they are ready,
To-morrow, or at further ^note space, to appear
Where you shall hold your session. ^note14Q1380 At this time,
We sweat ^note, and bleed: the friend hath lost his friend;
And the best quarrels, in the heat, are curs'd
By those that feel their sharpness: ^note—
The question of Cordelia, and her father,
Requires a fitter place.

Alb.
Sir, by your patience,
I hold you but a subject of this war,
Not as a brother.

Reg.
That's as we list to grace him.
Methinks, our pleasure might have ^note been demanded,

Ere you had spoke so far. He led our powers;
Bore the commission of my place and person;
The which immediacy ^note may well stand up,
And call itself your brother.

Gon.
Not so hot:
In his own grace he doth exalt himself,
More than in your advancement. ^note

Reg.
In my rights ^note,
By me invested, he compeers the best.

Gon.
That were ^note14Q1381 the most, if he should husband you.

Reg.
Jesters do oft prove prophets.

Gon.
Hola, hola!
That eye, that told you so, look'd but a-squint.

Reg.
Lady, I am not well; else I should answer
From a full-flowing stomach.—General,
Take thou my soldiers, prisoners, patrimony;
Dispose of them, of me; the walls are thine: ^note
Witness the world, that I create thee here
My lord and master.

Gon.
Mean you to enjoy him? ^note

Alb.
The let-alone lies not in your good will.

Edm.
Nor in thine, lord.

Alb.
Half-blooded fellow, yes.

Reg.
Let the drum strike, and prove my title thine. ^note

Alb.
Stay yet; hear reason:—Edmund, I arrest thee
On capital treason; and, in thy arrest, ^note
This gilded serpent:—for your claim, fair sister, ^note
I bar it ^note in the interest of my wife;
'Tis she is sub-contracted to this lord, ^note
And I, her husband, contradict your banes. ^note
If you will marry, make your loves to ^note me,
My lady is bespoke.

Gon.
An interlude! ^note

Alb.
Thou art arm'd, Gloster:—Let the trumpet sound: ^note—
If none appear to prove upon thy person ^note
Thy heinous, manifest, and many treasons,
There &dagger2; is my pledge; I'll prove it ^note on thy heart,
Ere I taste bread, thou art in nothing less
Than I have here proclaim'd thee.

Reg.
Sick, o, sick!

&clquo;Gon.
&clquo;If not, I'll ne'er trust poison. ^note&crquo;

Edm.
There's &dagger2; my exchange: what in the world he is ^note
That names me traitor, villain-like he lies:
Call by thy trumpet; ^note 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. ^note

Alb.
Trust to thy single virtue; for thy soldiers,
All levy'd in my name, have in my name
Took their discharge.

Reg.
My sickness ^note grows upon me. Enter a Herald.

Alb.
She is not well, convey her to my tent.— [Exit Regan, led.
Come hither, herald,—Let the trumpet sound,—
And read out &dagger2; this.

Off.

Sound, trumpet. ^note

If any man of quality or degree, within the lists of ^note the army, will maintain upon Edmund, suppos'd earl of Glo'ster, that he is a manifold traitor, let him appear by the ^note third sound of the trumpet: he is bold in his defence.

Edm.
Sound. ^note 1. Trumpet.

Her.
Again. 2. Trumpet.

Her.
Again. 3. Trumpet. [Trumpet answers within. Enter Edgar, arm'd.

Alb.
Ask him his purposes, why he appears
Upon this call o'the trumpet.

Her.
What are you?
Your name, your quality ^note? and why you answer
This present summons?

Edg.
Know ^note, my name is lost;
By treason's tooth bare-gnawn, and canker-bit: ^note
Yet am I noble, as the adversary
I come to cope withal. ^note

Alb.
Which is ^note that adversary?

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

Edm.
Himself; What say'st thou to him?

Edg.
Draw thy sword;
That, if my speech offend a noble heart,
Thy arm may do thee justice: here † is mine.14Q1382
Behold, it is the priviledge ^note of my tongue,
My oath, and my profession ^note: I protest,—
Maugre thy strength, youth, place ^note and eminence,
Despight thy ^note victor sword, and fire-new fortune ^note,
Thy valour, and thy heart,—thou art a traitor:
False to the gods, ^note thy brother, and thy father;
Conspirate ^{note note} 'gainst this high illustrious prince;
And, from the extreamest upward of thy head
To the descent and dust below thy foot, ^note
A most toad-spotted traitor. Say thou, No,
This sword, this arm, and my best spirits, are bent ^note
To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak,

Thou ly'st.

Edm.
In wisdom, I should ask thy name;
But, since thy out-side looks so fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue some ^note 'say of breeding breaths,
What safe and nicely I might well delay ^note
By rule of ^note knighthood, I disdain and spurn:
Back do I toss these ^note treasons to thy head;
With the hell-hated lye o'er-whelm thy ^note heart;
Which for they yet glance by, and scarcely bruise,
This sword of mine shall give them instant way
Where they shall rest for ever.—Trumpets, speak. [Alarums. They fight. Edmund falls.

Alb.
Save him, sir, save him.14Q1383

Gon.
This is practice ^note, Gloster:
By the law of arms, ^note thou wast not bound to answer
An unknown opposite; thou art not vanquish'd,
But cozen'd and beguil'd.

Alb.
Shut your ^note mouth, dame,
Or with this &dagger2; paper shall I stop it ^note:—Hold, sir: ^note—
Thou worse than any name, read ^note thine own evil:
No ^note tearing, lady; I perceive, you know it.

Gon.
Say, if I do; the laws are mine, not thine:
Who shall arraign ^note me for't?

Alb.
Most monsterous! ^note
Know'st ^note thou this paper?

Gon.
Ask me ^note not what I know. [Exit Goneril.

Alb.
Go after her; she's desperate; govern her. [to an Officer, who goes out after her.

Edm.
What you have charg'd me with, that have I done;
And more, much more: the time will bring it out;
'Tis past, and so am I: But what art thou,
That hast this fortune on me? If thou art noble ^note,

I do forgive thee.

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

Edm.
Thou hast spoken right, 'tis true; ^note
The wheel is come full circle, ^note I am † here.

Alb.
Methought, thy very gait did prophesy
A royal nobleness: I must embrace thee:
Let sorrow split my heart, if ever I ^note
Did hate thee or thy father!

Edg.
Worthy prince,
I know it well.

Alb.
Where have you hid yourself?
How have you known the miseries of your father?

Edg.
By nursing 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 ^note pain of death would hourly dye,
Rather than dye at once!) taught me to shift
Into a madman's rags; to assume a semblance
That very dogs disdain'd: and in this habit
Met I my father with his bleeding rings,
Their precious ^note stones new lost; became his guide,
Led him, beg'd for him, sav'd him from despair;
Never (o fault!) ^note reveal'd myself unto him,
Until some half hour past, when I was arm'd,

Not sure, though hoping, of this good success,
I ask'd his blessing, and from first to last
Told him my pilgrimage ^note: But his flaw'd heart,
(Alack, too weak the conflict to support!)
'Twixt two extreams of passion, joy and grief,
Burst smilingly.

Edm.
This speech of yours hath mov'd me,
And shall, perchance, do good: but speak you on,
You look as you had something more to say.

Alb.
If there be more ^note, more woeful, hold it in;
For I am almost ready to dissolve,
Hearing of this. ^note

Edg.
This would14Q1384 have seem'd a period ^note
To such as love not sorrow; but, another;
(To amplify too-much ^note, to make much more,
And top extremity,)
Whilst I was big in clamour, came there a man,
Who having seen me in my worst estate,
Shun'd my abhor'd society; but then, finding
Who 'twas that so endur'd, with his strong arms
He fasten'd on my neck, and bellow'd out
As he'd burst heaven; threw him on ^note my father;
Told the most ^note piteous tale of Lear and him,
That ever ear receiv'd: which in recounting,
His grief grew puisant, and the strings of life
Began to crack: Twice then the trumpet sounded,
And there I left him tranc'd.

Alb.
But who was this?

Edg.
Kent, sir, the banish'd Kent; who in disguise
Follow'd his enemy king, and did him service
Improper for a slave. Re-enter Officer hastily,14Q1385 with a bloody Knife. ^note

Off.
Help, help, o, help!

Edg.
What kind of help?

Alb.
Speak, man.

Edg.
What means that bloody ^note knife?

Off.
It's hot, it smokes,
It came even from the heart of— ^note

Alb.
Who, man? speak.

Off.
Your lady, sir, your lady: and her sister
By her is poison'd; she confesses it. ^note

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

Edg.
Here comes Kent, sir. ^note Enter Kent.

Alb.
Produce the bodies, be they alive or dead.—
This judgment of ^note the heavens, that makes us tremble,
Touches us ^note not with pity.—O, 'tis ^note he:
The time will not allow the compliment
That very ^note manners urges.

Ken.
I am come
To bid my king and master aye good-night;
Is he not here?

Alb.
Great thing ^note of us forgot!—
Speak, Edmund, where's the king, and where's Cordelia?—
See'st thou this object, Kent? [the Bodies of Reg. and Gon. are brought in.

Ken.
Alack, why thus?

Edm.
Yet Edmund was belov'd:
The one the other poison'd for my sake,
And after slew herself

Alb.
Even so.—Cover their faces.

Edm.
I pant for life,—Some good I mean to do,
Despight of mine own ^note nature. Quickly send,

Be brief in it, to the ^note castle; for my writ
Is on ^note the life of Lear, and on Cordelia:
Nay, send in time.

Alb.
Run, run, o, run,—

Edg.
To who, my ^note lord?—Who has the ^note office? send
Thy token of reprieve.

Edm.
Well thought on; take my sword,
Give it the captain. ^note

Alb.
Haste thee ^note for thy life. [Exeunt Edgar, and Others.

Edm.
He hath commission from thy wife and me
To hang Cordelia in the prison, and
To lay the blame upon her own despair. ^note

Alb.
The gods defend her!—Bear him hence a while. [Edmund is born off. Enter Lear, with Cordelia in his Arms: Edgar, and the rest, return.

Lea.
Howl, howl, howl, howl! O, you are ^note men of stones;
Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so
That heaven's vault should crack:—O, ^note she is 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 mist or stain ^note the stone,
Why ^note, then she ^note lives.

Ken.
Is this the promis'd end?

Edg.
O image ^note of that horror!

Alb.
Fall, and cease!

Lea.
This feather stirs; She lives! if it be so,
It is a chance that does ^note redeem all sorrows
That ever I have felt.

Ken.
O my good master! [kneeling.

Lea.
Pr'ythee, away.

Edg.
'Tis noble Kent, your friend.

Lea.
A plague upon you ^note, murderers, traitors all!
I might have sav'd her; now she's gone for ever!—
Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little.
Ha! ^note What is't thou say'st?—Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low; an excellent thing in woman: ^note—
I kill'd the slave that was a hanging thee.

Off.
'Tis true ^note, my lords, he did.

Lea.
Did I not, fellow?
I have seen the day, with my good biting ^note faulchion
I would have made them skip: ^note I am old now,
And these same crosses spoil me.—Who are you?
Mine eyes are none o'the ^note best: I'll tell you straight.

Ken.
If fortune brag of two she lov'd and hated, ^note
One of them we behold.

Lea.
This sight ^note of mine
Is a dull sight: Are you not ^note Kent?

Ken.
The same;
Your servant Kent: Where is your servant Caius?

Lea.
He's a good fellow, I can tell you that; ^note
He'll strike, and quickly too:—He's dead and rotten.

Ken.
No, my good lord; I am the very man:

Lea.
I'll see that straight.

Ken.
That, from your first of ^note difference and decay,
Have follow'd your sad steps.

Lea.
You are ^note welcome hither.

Ken.
Nor no man else; all's cheerless, dark, and deadly.—
Your eldest daughters have fore-doom'd ^note themselves,
And desperately ^note are dead.

Lea.
Ay, so I think. ^note

Alb.
He knows not what he says ^note; and vain it is
That we present us to him.

Edg.
Very bootless. Enter an Officer. ^note

Off.
Edmund is ^note dead, my lord.

Alb.
That's but a trifle here.—
You lords, and noble friends, know our intent.
What comfort to this great ^note decay may come,
Shall be apply'd: For us, we will resign,
During the life of this old majesty,
To him our absolute power:—You, to your rights;
With boot and such addition as your honours ^note
Have more than merited.—All friends shall taste
The wages of their virtue, and all foes
The cup of their deservings.—O, see, see!

Lea.
And my poor fool is hang'd! No, no, no life: ^note
Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life ^note,
And thou no breath at all? O, thou wilt come ^note no more!
Never, never, never, never, never!—
Pray you, undo this button: Thank you, sir. ^note—
Do you see this? Look on her, look on her lips, ^note
Look there, look there! [dies.

Edg.
He faints;—My lord, my lord;—

Ken.
Break ^note, heart; I pr'ythee, break.

Edg.
Look up, my ^note lord.

Ken.
Vex not his ghost: o, let him pass! he hates him ^note,
That would upon the rack of this rough ^note world
Stretch him out longer.

Edg.
He ^note is gone, indeed.

Ken.
The wonder is, he hath endur'd so long:
He but usurp'd his life.

Alb.
Bear them from hence.—
Our present business
Is general ^note woe. Friends of my soul, you twain

Rule in this realm, and ^note the gor'd state ^note sustain.

Ken.
I have a journey, fir, shortly to go;
My master calls me, I ^note must not say, no. ^note

Alb.
The weight ^note of this sad time we must obey;
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest have born ^note most: we, that are young,
Shall never see so much, nor live so long. [Exeunt, with a dead March.

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