Puslapio vaizdai
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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!

Edm.

A herald, ho, a herald !

Alb. Trust to thy single virtue 5; for thy soldiers, All levied in my name, have in my name

Took their discharge.

Reg.

This sickness grows upon me.

Enter a Herald.

Alb. She is not well; convey her to my tent.

Come hither, herald, Let the trumpet sound,

[Exit REGAN, led.

And read out this.

Off. Sound, trumpet.

[A Trumpet sounds,

Herald reads.

If any man of quality, or degree, within the lists of the army, will maintain upon Edmund, supposed earl of Gloster, that he is a manifold traitor, let him appear at the third sound of the trumpet: He is bold in his defence.

[blocks in formation]

Enter EDGAR, armed, preceded by a Trumpet.

Alb. Ask him his purposes,

why he appears

Her.

What are you?

Upon this call o'the trumpet.

Your name, your quality? and why you answer
This present summons?

Edg.

Know, my name is lost;

thy single virtue;] i. e. valour; a Roman sense of the word.

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

I come to cope withal.

Alb.

Which is 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. Behold, it is the privilege of mine honours, My oath, and my profession 6; I protest, Maugre thy strength, youth, place, and eminence, Despite thy victor sword, and fire-new fortune, Thy valour, and thy heart, thou art a traitor: False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father; Conspirant 'gainst this high illustrious prince; And, from the extremest upward of thy head, To the descent and dust beneath thy feet, A most toad-spotted traitor. Say thou, No, This sword, this arm, and my best spirits, are bent To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak, Thou liest.

Edm. In wisdom, I should ask thy name;
But, since thy outside looks so fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue some 'say of breeding breathes,7
What safe and nicely I might well delay

By rule of knighthood, I disdain and spurn:
Back do I toss these treasons to thy head:
With the hell-hated lie o'erwhelm thy heart;

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

6

Behold, it is the privilege of mine honours,

My oath, and my profession:] The privilege of this oath means the privilege gained by taking the oath administered in the regular initiation of a knight professed.

7'say of breeding breathes,] Say is sample, a taste.

This sword of mine shall give them instant way, Where they shall rest for ever.—Trumpets, speak. [Alarums. They fight. EDMUND falls.

Alb. O save him, save him!

Gon.

This is mere practice, Gloster:

By the law of arms, thou wast not bound to answer
An unknown opposite; thou art not vanquish'd,
But cozen'd and beguil'd.

Alb.

Shut your mouth, dame,

Or with this paper shall I stop it: - Hold, sir:-
Thou worse than any name, read thine own evil :—
No tearing, lady; I perceive you know it.

[Gives the Letter to EDMUND, Gon. Say, if I do: the laws are mine, not thine: Who shall arraign me for't?

Alb.

Know'st thou this paper?

Gon.

Most monstrous!

Ask me not what I know.

[Exit GONERIL.

Alb. Go after her: she's desperate; govern her.

[To an Officer, who goes out. 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,
I do forgive thee.

Edg.

Let's 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

Make instruments to scourge us :

The dark and vicious place where thee he got,

Cost him his eyes.

8 Where they shall rest for ever.] To that place, where they shall rest for ever; i. e. thy heart.

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

Thou hast spoken right, 'tis true;

Alb. Methought, thy very gait did prophecy A royal nobleness: - I must embrace thee; Let sorrow split my heart, if ever I

Did hate thee, or thy father!

Edg.

I know it well. +

Worthy prince,

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 with the pain of death we'd hourly die,
Rather than die at once!) taught me to shift
Into a mad-man'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 stones new lost; became his guide,
Led him, begg'd for him, sav'd him from despair;
Never (O fault!) 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: But his flaw'd heart,
(Alack, too weak the conflict to support!)
'Twixt two extremes 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, more woful, hold it in ; For I am almost ready to dissolve,

Hearing-of this.
Edg.

This would have seem'd a period

+"I know't." MALONE.

To such as love not sorrow; but another,

To amplify too-much, would make much more,
And top extremity.9

Whilst I was big in clamour, came there a man,
Who having seen me in my worst estate,
Shunn'd my abhorr'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 my father :†
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 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.

Enter a Gentleman hastily, with a bloody Knife.

Gent. Help! help! O help!

Edg.

Alb.

Edg. What means that bloody
Gent.

It came even from the heart of -
Alb.

A

What kind of help?
Speak, man.

knife?

Gent. Your lady, sir, your lady:

'Tis hot, it smokes ;

Who, man? speak.

By her is poison'd; she confesses it.†

and her sister

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

9

This would have seem'd a period, &c.] The sense may probably be this: This would have seemed a period to such as love not sorrow; but-another, i. e. but I must add another, i. e. another period, another kind of conclusion to my story, such as will increase the horrors of what has been already told.

+"threw me on my father :- - MALONE. "she hath confess'd it." MALONE.

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