forming her of a divifion between Albany and Cornwall, and of Lear's diftreffed fituation, Exeunt feverally.

Sc. II. Storm continues. Enter Lear and Fool. Lear's wild exclamations, and the Fool's jefts.

Sc. III. To them enter Kent. Kent perfuades Lear to fhelter himself from the ftorm in a hovel hard by,

while he (Kent) returns to the castle to force admiffion for Lear. The Fool's droll prophecy.

Sc. IV. An apartment in Glo'fter's caftle. Enter Glo. and Edm. Glo. expreffes his diflike of Lear's treatment, and determines to fide with him and relieve him, Exit. Edm. (alone) determines to inform the duke of his father's defign, by which he shall effect his own rife at the price of his father's ruin. Exit. Sc. V. Part of the heath, with a hovel. Enter Lear, Kent and Fool. Kent begs Lear to enter the hovel for

fhelter. Lear difregards the ftorm, and vents re

proaches against his unnatural daughters.

Sc. VI. From the hovel enter Edg. difguifed as a madman. Wild talk of Lear and Edg.

Sc. VII. Enter Glo. with a torch. Glo. begs Lear to remove

to a house he has provided for him. Lear refuses

to leave Edg. Edg. goes with them.

Sc. VIII. Glofter's castle.

Enter Cornwall and Edm. It ap

pears that Edm. hath revealed his father's intention

of relieving Lear.

Sc. IX. A chamber in a farm-house.

Enter Kent and Glo.

Glo. promifes his farther affiftance, and exit. Enter Lear, Edg. and Fool. Lear's real and Edgar's counterfeit madnefs. Re-enter Glo. with news of a plot on Lear's Wife, and that a litter is provided for

him to convey him with all fpeed to Dover, that he may escape the affaffination. Excunt.

Sc. X. Glofter's castle. Enter Corn. Reg. Gon. Edm. and fervants. Corn. fends to arreft Glo. Enter Steward

with news that Lear, by the affiftance of Glo. is carried to Dover. Exeunt Gon. and Edm.

Sc. XI. Enter Glo, prifoner, and fervants. They bind Gl. and after infults, his eyes are trodden out by Cornwall. In a fcuffle between a fervant (who ftands up for Glo.) and Cornwall, the latter is mortally wounded, and the former killed by Regan on the fpot. Glo. perceives that his fon Edg. is abused, and that Edm. is the villain. Glo. is turned out of doors.

АСТ IV.

Sc. I. An open country. Enter Edg. Soliloquy. Enter Glo. led by an old man, who offers to be his conductor, but is refused. Edg. is accepted of as Glo'fter's guide to Dover. Exeunt.

Sc. II. The Duke of Albany's palace. Enter Gon. Edm. and

Steward. A love-intrigue opens between Gon. and
Edm. Gon. gives Edm. a ring; and names the
Steward as a trufty meffenger between them. Exit
Edm. and Steward. Enter Albany.
Enter Albany. He repre-
hends Gon. for her cruel behaviour to Lear, but is
derided for his humanity. Enter meffenger with
news of the Duke of Cornwall's death, and Glofter's
lofs of his eyes. Albany determines to revenge
Glo'fter.

Sc. III. Dover. Enter Kent, and a Gentleman, who informs

Kent that he had delivered his letters to Cordelia,

and relates how he was moved therewith.

It ap

pears from this fcene that Lear is in Dover, but refufes to fee his daughter Cordelia, out of fhame for his unkind behaviour to her. Exeunt.

Sc. IV. A camp.

Enter Cor. Phyfician, and foldiers. Cor. enjoins the Phyfician to ufe his utmoft fkill for the recovery of Lear from his madnefs. Enter a meffenger with news that the British powers are marching againft Cordelia's.

Sc. V. Regan's palace. Enter Reg. and Steward. It ap. pears that Reg. is in love with Edm. and defires to read the contents of a letter which Gon. (of whom he is jealous) has fent by the Steward to Edm. but is refufed. She gives the Steward one from herfelf to deliver to Edm. She promises him a reward if finding Glo. he should kill him.

Sc. VI. The country near Dover. Enter Glo. and Edg. as a peafant, who pretends to be leading him up to the top of Dover cliff. When Glo. is made to believe he is arrived, he throws himfelf down as with a defign to put an end to his life, but without hurt. Edg. here feigns himfelf to be another perfon at the bottom of the cliff, and having affured Glo. that he had fallen from the top to the bottom, feems to wonder, with Glo. that he was not dead. Sc. VII. To them enter Lear madly dreft with flowers. Talk agreeable to the character and misfortunes of thefe three perfons.

Sc. VIII. To them enter a gentleman with attendants, who feize on Lear, in order to carry him to Cor. News

that

that the enemy is near. Exeunt Lear, gentleman, and attendants. Manet Glo. and Edg.

Sc. IX. To them enter Steward, who affaulting Glo. with a defign to kill him, is himfelf killed by Edg. Edg. finds a letter in the Steward's pocket from Gon. to Edm. encouraging him to affaffinate her husband. Edg. leads off Glo. to a place of fafety.

Sc. X. A chamber. Enter Cor. Kent, and Phyfician. Cor. expreffes her gratitude to Kent for his fervices to Lear. Kent defires he may ftill remain unknown,

in his difguife, to all but her.

in a chair carried by fervants.

Enter Lear asleep

He wakes, and an

affecting interview between Lear and Cordelia follows, in which Lear's madnefs appears to be approaching towards a cure.

Exeunt.

ACT V.

Sc. I. A camp. Enter Edm. Reg. and their powers. Reg. difcovers to Edm. her jealoufy of him with Gon. To them enter Albany, Gon. and foldiers, Alb. fays he hears Lear is come to his daughter Cordelia. Talk of the war, &c.

Sc. II. As they are going out, enter Edg. difguifed, who, defiring private fpeech with Alb. delivers him the letter he had found on the Steward, and defires him to open it before the battle; and, if Alb. won the battle, that a trumpet might be founded for him (Edg.) who would then produce a champion to prove what was avouched in the letter. Enter Edm. who gives Alb. a lift of the fuppofed number of the oppofite forces. Exeunt.

Sc. III.

1

Sc. III. Manet Edm. Soliloquy. He determines, after the battle is over, if Lear and Cordelia fhould be taken

prifoners, to fruftrate any intended pardon granted to them from Alb. and to take them off.

Sc. IV. A field. Alarm within. Enter with drum and colours, Lear, Cor. and foldiers over the stage, and Exeunt. Enter Edg. and Glo. Edg. feats Glo. ́under a bush, and leaves him till the battle is over. Alarm and retreat within. Re-enter Edg. who informs Glo. that Lear hath loft the battle, and that he and his daughter Cor. are taken prifoners. Exeunt.

Sc. V. Enter in conqueft with drum and colours, Edmund:

Lear and Cor. prifoners. Soldiers, Captain. Edm. orders Lear and Cor. to prifon. Exeunt Lear and Cor. guarded. Edm. gives written instructions to the Captain, and promifes him preferment if he obeys them. Exit Captain.

Sc. VI. To Edm. enter Alb. Gon. Reg. and foldiers. Upon Edmund's affuming behaviour, Alb. tells him he holds him not as a brother, but a fubject, in the war. Reg. afferts that he has invefted him with fovereign honour by defigning him for her hufband; and now gives herself and all fhe has to him. Alb. arrefts Edm. on capital treafon, orders the trumpet to found for the champion who is to prove it. Exit Reg. fick, being poifoned by Gon. Enter Herald at the call of Edm.

Sc. VII. A trumpet founds. Edg. appears. He and Edm. engage. Edm. falis Alb. fhews Gon. the letter of ́

hers which Edg. had given him. Exit Gon. desperate.

Sc. VIII.