Edm.There's my exchange; what in the world he is, That names me Traitor, villain-like he lies; 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!

Enter a Herald.·

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.

SCENE

[Exit Regan, led.

VII.

[A trumpet founds.

Come hither, herald, let the trumpet found,

And read out this.

Herald reads..

IF 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 defence.

I trumpet.

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 present fummons ?

Edg. Know, my name is loft;

By treason's tooth bare-gnawn, and canker-bit;

Yet

Yet am I noble, as the Adversary

I come to cope.

Alb. Which is that Adversary?

[Glofter?

Edg. What's he, that fpeaks for Edmund Earl of

Edm. Himself; what say'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' extremeft upward of thy head,
To the descent and duft below thy foot,
A moft toad-spotted 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 wisdom I should ask thy name;
But fince thy out-fide looks fo fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue *fome'Say 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 treafons to thy head,
With the hell-hated lie o'erwhelm thy heart;
Which (for they yet glance by, and fcarcely bruise)
This fword of mine fhall give them inftant way,
Where thou shalt rest for ever. Trumpets, fpeak.
Alarm. Fight.

Gon. O, fave him, fave him; This is Practice,

Glofter:

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

Some 'Say, &c.] 'Say, for Effay, fome Shew or Probability.

F 5

Alb.

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. Monster, know'st thou this paper?
Gon. Afk me not, what I know

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

SCENE

Edm. WH

WHAT you have

VIII.

THAT you have charg'd me with, That I have done,

And more, much more; the time will bring it out. 'Tis past, 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 just, and of our pleasant vices
Make inftruments to fcourge us:

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

Edm. Thou'it fpoken right, 'tis true,

The wheel is come full circle; I am here.
Alb. Methought, thy very gait did prophefy
A royal Noblenefs: I must embrace thee:
Let Sorrow 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 burft!The bloody Proclamation to efcape

That

That follow'd me fo near, (O our lives' sweetnefs!
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 Semblance,
The very Dogs disdain'd: and in this habit
Met I my father with his bleeding rings,
Their precious gems new loft; became his guide,
Led him, begg'd for him, fav'd him from despair;
Never (O fault!) reveal'd myself unto him,
Until some 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 last
Told him my pilgrimage. But his flaw'd heart,
Alack, too weak the Conflict to fupport,
'Twixt two extremes of paffion, joy and grief,
Burft smilingly.

Edm. 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 woful, hold it in, For I am almoft ready to diffolve,

Hearing of this.

Edg. This would have feem'd a Period. But fuch, As love to amplify another's Sorrow,

To much, would make much more, and top extremity.
Whilft I was big in Clamour, came there a Man,
Who having feen me in my worfer State,
Shun'd my abhorr'd Society; but now finding
Who 'twas, had fo endur'd, with his ftrong Arms
He fasten'd on my Neck; and bellow'd out,
As he'd burft Heaven; threw him on my Father;
Told the most piteous Tale of Lear and him,
That ever Ear receiv'd; which in recounting
His Grief grew puiffant, and the Strings of Life
Began to crack.-Twice then the Trumpets founded,
And there I left him tranc'd.—

Alb. But who was this?

F 6

Edg.

Edg. Kent, Sir; the banish'd Kent, who in difguife Follow'd his enemy King, and did him Service Improper for a Slave.

SCENE

Enter a Gentleman.

Gent. TELP, help!

HE

IX.

Edg. What kind of help?

Alb. Speak, man.

Edg. What means this bloody knife?

Gent. 'Tis hot, it smokes; it came even from the heart

Alb. Who's dead? fpeak, man.

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

Edm I was contracted to them both; all three

Now marry in an inftant.

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 Master aye good night;
Is he not here?

Alb. Great thing of us forgot!

Speak, Edmund, where's the King? and where's

Cordelia?

See'ft thou this Object, Kent?

Kent. Alack, why thus?

Edm. Yet Edmund was belov'd:

The one the other poison'd for my sake,
And after flew herself.

Alb.