False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father; Edm. In wisdom, I should ask thy name; By rule of knighthood, I disdain and spurn: 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? [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, Edg. Let's exchange charity. I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund; The dark and vicious place where thee he got, Edm. Thou hast spoken right, 'tis true; 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!— That follow'd me so near, (O our lives' sweetness! Until some half hour past, when I was arm'd, Edm. This speech of yours hath mov'd me, 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 Whilst I was big in clamour, came there a man, Shunn'd my abhorr'd society; but then, finding Alb. But who was this? Edg. Kent, sir, the banish'd Kent; who in disguise Follow'd his enemy king, and did him service Enter a Gentleman hastily, with a bloody knife. Edg. What kind of help? Alb. Speak, man. Edg. What means that bloody knife? It came even from the heart of— Alb. Who, man? speak. Gent. Your lady, sir, your lady: and her sister By her is poison'd; she confesses it. Edm. I was contracted to them both; all three Now marry in an instant. Alb. Produce their bodies, be they alive or dead!— This judgment of the heavens, that makes us tremble, Touches us not with pity. [Exit Gentleman. Enter Kent. Edg. Here comes Kent, sir. Alb. O! it is he. The time will not allow the compliment, Which very manners urges. Kent. I am come To bid my king and master aye good night; Alb. Great thing of us forgot! Speak, Edmund, where's the king? and where's Cor delia? See'st thou this object, Kent? [The bodies of Goneril and Regan are brought in. Kent. 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, Despite of mine own nature. Quickly send, Be brief in it, to the castle; for my writ Is on the life of Lear, and on Cordelia : Nay, send in time. Alb. Run, run! O, run! Edg. To who, my lord?-Who has the office? send Thy token of reprieve. Edm. Well thought on; take my sword, Give it the captain. Alb. Haste thee, for thy life. [Exit Edgar. Edm. He hath commission from thy wife and me To hang Cordelia in the prison, and To lay the blame upon her own despair, That she fordid herself. Alb. The gods defend her! Bear him hence awhile. [Edmund is borne off. Enter LEAR, with CORDELIA dead in his arms; EDGAR, Officer, and Others. Lear. Howl, howl, howl, howl!-O, you are men of stones; Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so I know, when one is dead, and when one lives; Kent. Is this the promis'd end? Edg. Or image of that horror? Lear. This feather stirs; she lives! If it be so, It is a chance that does redeem all sorrows That ever I have felt. Kent. O my good master! Lear. Pr'ythee, away. Edg. "Tis noble Kent, your friend. [Kneeling. |