Authors: William Shakespeare
[Exit Oswald]
No, no, my lord,
This milky gentleness and course of yours
Though I condemn not, yet,
under pardon
318
,
You are much more
at task
319
for want of wisdom
Than praised for harmful mildness.
ALBANY
How far your eyes may pierce I cannot tell:
Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.
GONERIL
Nay, then—
ALBANY
Well, well,
th’event
324
.
Exeunt
running scene 3 continues
Kent disguised as Caius
Enter Lear, Kent, Gentleman and Fool
To Kent
LEAR
Go you
before
1
to Gloucester with these letters.
Acquaint my daughter no further with anything you know
than comes from her
demand out of
3
the letter. If your
diligence be not speedy, I shall be there afore you.
KENT
I will not sleep, my lord, till I have delivered your
letter.
Exit
FOOL
If a man’s brains were in’s heels, were’t not in
danger of
kibes
8
?
LEAR
Ay, boy.
FOOL
Then, I prithee be merry: thy
wit
shall not go
slip-
10
shod
.
LEAR
Ha, ha, ha!
FOOL
Shalt
13
see thy other daughter will use thee kindly, for
though she’s as like this as a
crab’s
14
like an apple, yet I can tell
what I can tell.
LEAR
What canst tell, boy?
FOOL
She will taste as like this as a crab does to a crab.
Thou canst tell why one’s nose stands i’th’middle
on’s
18
face?
LEAR
No.
FOOL
Why, to keep one’s eyes of either
side’s
20
nose, that
what a man cannot smell out he may spy into.
LEAR
I did
her
22
wrong—
FOOL
Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell?
LEAR
No.
FOOL
Nor I neither; but I can tell why a snail has a house.
LEAR
Why?
FOOL
Why, to put’s head in, not to give it away to his
daughters and leave his horns without a case.
LEAR
I will forget my nature. So kind a father!— Be my
horses ready?
FOOL
Thy
asses
are gone about ’em. The reason why
the
31
seven stars are no more than seven is a
pretty
32
reason.
LEAR
Because they are not eight.
FOOL
Yes, indeed: thou wouldst make a good fool.
LEAR
To take’t
again
35
perforce. Monster ingratitude!
FOOL
If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I’d have thee beaten
for being old before thy time.
LEAR
How’s that?
FOOL
Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst
been wise.
LEAR
O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven!
Keep me in
temper
42
: I would not be mad!—
To Gentleman
How now, are the horses ready?
GENTLEMAN
Ready, my lord.
LEAR
Come, boy.
FOOL
She that’s a
maid
46
now, and laughs at my departure,
Shall not be a maid long, unless
things
47
be cut shorter.
Exeunt
running scene 4
Enter Bastard [Edmund] and Curan,
severally
EDMUND
Save thee
1
, Curan.
CURAN
And you, sir. I have been with your father, and given
him notice that the Duke of Cornwall and Regan his duchess
will be here with him this night.
EDMUND
How comes that?
CURAN
Nay, I know not. You have heard of the news
abroad
: I mean the whispered
ones
, for they are yet but
ear-
7
kissing arguments?
EDMUND
Not I: pray you, what are they?
CURAN
Have you heard of no likely wars
toward
10
’twixt the
dukes of Cornwall and Albany?
EDMUND
Not a word.
CURAN
You may do then in time. Fare you well, sir.
Exit
EDMUND
The duke be here tonight? The better — best!
This weaves itself
perforce
15
into my business.
My father hath set guard to
take
16
my brother,
And I have one thing, of a
queasy question
17
,
Which I must act. Briefness and fortune, work!—
Enter Edgar
Appears above and then enters below
Brother, a word: descend, brother, I say!
My father
watches
20
: O sir, fly this place.
Intelligence
21
is given where you are hid;
You have now the good advantage of the night.
Have you not spoken gainst the Duke of Cornwall?
He’s coming hither, now, i’th’night,
i’th’haste
24
,
And Regan with him:
have you nothing said
25
Upon his party gainst the Duke of Albany?
EDGAR
I am sure on’t, not a word.
EDMUND
I hear my father coming, pardon me:
Draws
In cunning
30
I must draw my sword upon you:
Edgar draws
Draw, seem to defend yourself. Now
quit you
31
well.
Yield: come before my father.— Light, ho, here!—
Fly, brother.— Torches, torches!— So, farewell.
Exit Edgar
Wounds his arm
Some blood drawn on me would
beget opinion
34
Of my more
fierce
35
endeavour: I have seen drunkards
Do more than this in sport.— Father, father!
Stop, stop! No help?
Enter Gloucester and Servants with torches
GLOUCESTER
Now, Edmund, where’s the villain?
EDMUND
Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out,
Mumbling of wicked charms,
conjuring
the moon
40
To
stand auspicious mistress
41
—
GLOUCESTER
But where is he?
EDMUND
Look, sir, I bleed.
GLOUCESTER
Where is the villain, Edmund?
EDMUND
Fled this way, sir. When by no means he could—
GLOUCESTER
Pursue him, ho! Go after.
[Exeunt Servants]
By no means what?
EDMUND
Persuade me to the murder of your lordship,
But that I told him the revenging gods
Gainst parricides did all the thunder
bend
50
,
Spoke with how manifold and strong a bond
The child was bound to th’father; sir, in
fine
52
,
Seeing how
loathly opposite
53
I stood
To his unnatural purpose, in
fell
54
motion
With his
preparèd
sword, he
charges home
55
My
unprovided
body,
latched
56
mine arm;
And when he saw my best
alarumed
57
spirits,
Bold in the
quarrel’s right
, roused to
th’encounter
58
,
Or whether
ghasted
59
by the noise I made,
Full
60
suddenly he fled.
GLOUCESTER
Let him fly far:
Not in this land shall he remain uncaught,
And
found — dispatch
63
. The noble duke my master,
My worthy
arch and patron
64
, comes tonight:
By his authority I will proclaim it,
That he which finds him shall deserve our thanks,
Bringing the murderous coward to the
stake
67
:
He that conceals him, death.
EDMUND
When I dissuaded him from his intent
And found him
pight
to do it, with
curst
70
speech
I threatened to
discover
71
him: he replied,
’Thou
unpossessing
72
bastard, dost thou think,
If I
would stand against
thee, would the
reposal
73
Of any trust, virtue, or worth in thee
Make thy words
faithed
75
? No: what should I deny —
As this I would, though thou didst produce
My very
character
77
— I’d turn it all
To thy
suggestion
, plot, and damnèd
practice
78
,
And thou must
make a dullard of the world
79
,
If they
not thought
the
profits
80
of my death
Were very
pregnant and potential spirits
81
Tucket
within
To make thee seek it.’
GLOUCESTER
O,
strange
and
fastened
83
villain!
Would he deny his letter, said he?
Hark, the duke’s trumpets! I know not
where
85
he comes.
All
ports
86
I’ll bar: the villain shall not scape:
The duke must grant me that. Besides, his
picture
87
I will send far and near, that all the kingdom
May have due note of him, and of my land,
Loyal and
natural
boy, I’ll
work the means
90
To make thee
capable
91
.
Enter Cornwall, Regan and Attendants
CORNWALL
How now, my noble friend? Since I came hither —
Which I can call but now — I have heard strangeness.
REGAN
If it be true, all vengeance comes too short
Which can pursue th’offender. How dost, my lord?
GLOUCESTER
O, madam, my old heart is cracked, it’s cracked!
REGAN
What, did my father’s godson seek your life?
He whom my father named? Your Edgar?
GLOUCESTER
O, lady, lady, shame would have it hid!
REGAN
Was he not companion with the riotous knights
That
tended upon
101
my father?
GLOUCESTER
I know not, madam: ’tis too bad, too bad.
EDMUND
Yes, madam, he was of that
consort
103
.
REGAN
No marvel, then,
though he were ill affected
104
:
’Tis they have
put him on
105
the old man’s death,
To have
th’expense
106
and waste of his revenues.
I have this present evening from my sister
Been well informed of them, and with such cautions
That if they come to sojourn at my house,
I’ll not be there.
CORNWALL
Nor I, assure thee, Regan.—
Edmund, I hear that you have shown your father
EDMUND
It was my duty, sir.
To Cornwall
GLOUCESTER
He did
bewray
his practice
115
and received
This hurt you see striving to apprehend him.
CORNWALL
Is he pursued?
GLOUCESTER
Ay, my good lord.
CORNWALL
If he be taken, he shall never more
Be feared of doing harm:
make your own purpose,
120
How in my strength you please.
For
121
you, Edmund,
Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant
So much commend itself, you shall
be ours
123
:
Natures of such deep trust we shall much need:
You we first
seize on
125
.
EDMUND
I shall serve you, sir, truly, however else.
GLOUCESTER
For him I thank your grace.
CORNWALL
You know not why we came to visit you?
REGAN
Thus
out of season
,
threading
dark-eyed
129
night:
Occasions
, noble Gloucester, of some
prize
130
,
Wherein we must have use of your advice:
Our father he hath writ, so hath our sister,
Of
differences
133
, which I best thought it fit
To answer
from
134
our home: the several messengers
From hence
attend dispatch
135
. Our good old friend,
Lay comforts to your bosom, and bestow
Your needful counsel to our businesses,
Which
craves the instant use
138
GLOUCESTER
I serve you, madam:
Your graces are right welcome.