Make inftruments to k fcourge us :

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

Edm. 1 Thou haft spoken right, 'tis true;

The wheel is come full m circle; I am here.

Alb. Methought thy very gait did prophefy [To Edgar. A royal noblenefs. I muft embrace thee:

Let forrow fplit 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. List a brief tale, And when 'tis told, O that my heart would burst! The bloody proclamation to escape

г

That follow'd me fo near (O our lives' fweetness !
That with the pain of death, 4 we'd hourly die,
Rather than die at once!) taught me to shift
Into a madman's rags, t'affume a femblance
That very dogs difdain'd; and in this habit
Met I my father with his bleeding rings,

t

Their precious ftones new loft; became his guide,

So the qu's, W. and J.; the rest plague for scourge; H. reads plagu and punish us, to complete the verse.

The qu's read thou haft spoken truth, the wheel, &c.

m The qu's read circled.

n The qu's read if I did ever hate, &c.

H. reads I know it well.

P So the qu's; all the rest we for with.

All editions read would for we'd: but this feems to be a neceffary emen

dation, if we read with for we, with the qu's.

All before P. who alters die to bear; followed by the rest.

So all before P. who alters that to the; followed by the rest.

So all before P. who alters fonds to gems; followed by the reft.

Led

Led him, begg'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 last

W

Told him my pilgrimage: but * his flaw'd heart,
Alack, too weak the conflict to fupport,

'Twixt two extremes of paffion, joy, and grief,
Burst smilingly.

Edm. 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.

y Edg.

This would have feem'd a period,

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 in a man,
Who having feen me in my worst eftate,

The qu's read (0 father.)

w The fo's and R. read our for my.

* The 4th f. reads this for his.

The remaining part of this fcene is omitted in all but the qu's, T. W. and J.

z W. reads

This would have feem'd a period. But fuch,

As love to amplify another's forrow,

To much, would make much more, and top extremity, See Heath in loc.

a So the qu's; the rest omit in.

So the qu's; the rest worfer ftate.

Shunn'd

Shunn'd my abhorr'd fociety; but then finding
Who 'twas d that fo endur'd, with his strong arms
He fasten'd on my neck; and bellow'd out,

e

As he'd burft heaven; threw him on my father;
f Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him
That ever ear receiv'd; which in recounting,
His grief grew puissant, and the strings of life
Began to crack.

Twice then the trumpet founded,

And there I left him tranc'd,

Alb. But who was this?

Edg. Kent, fir, the banish'd Kent, who in disguise Follow'd his enemy king, and did him fervice

Improper for a flave.

SCENE IX.

Enter a Gentleman, with a bloody knife.

Gent. Help, help, i O help!

Alb. What kind of help? 1 fpeak, man.
that bloody knife?

What means

So the qu's; the reft now for then.

d. So the qu's; the reft had for that.

e The qu's read me for him.

f The ad q. reads and told the piteous tale, &c.

All but 7. read trumpets.

h The qu's read enter one with a bloody knife; the fo's and all after only enter a Gentleman.

iSo the fo's and R.; the reft omit 0 help.

So the qu's; all the reft divide this speech thus,

Edg. What kind of help?

Alb. Speak, man.

Edg. What means this bloody knife?

The qu's omit Speak, man.

So the qu's; the reft this for that,

Gents

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

Alb. Who dead? speak man.

Gent. Your lady, fir, your lady; and her fifter By her is P poisoned; 9 fhe hath confest it.

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

Alb. Produce their bodies, be they alive or dead, The juftice of the heavens that makes us tremble, Touches us not with pity.

Edg. Here comes Kent, fir.

Speak.

The qu's omit O! fhe's dead.

The 4th f. and all after read who's for who; the qu's read who man,

O! is this he? [the 2d, 3d, and 4th fo's, R. and P. fhe for be] 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 be not here?

Alb. Great thing of us forgot!

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

Seeft thou this object, Kent?

Kent, Alack, why thus? &c. &c.

Enter

Enter Kent.

Alb. O, is this he? The time will not allow The compliment " which very manners W urge.

Kent. I am come to bid my king and mafter ay good night. Is he not here?

X

Alb. Great thing of us forgot!

Speak, Edmund, where's the King? and where's Cordelia? See ft thou this object, Kent?

Y [The bodies of Gonerill and Regan are brought in.

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.

1

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 a Cordelia:

Nay, fend in time.

Alb. Run, run, O run

Edg. To whom, my lord? Who has the office? Send

Thy token of reprieve,

The qu's read O'tis he.

The qu's read that for which.

The qu's and three first fo's read urges.

The ad q. reads things.

Here H. (who, with all but the qu's, brings in the bodies before) has

this direction, Pointing to the dead bodies.

z The fo's and R. read (be brief in it) to th' cafle, &c.

a After and, all but H. infert on.

After run, H. inferts make bafte

j

Edm.