Gon. Farewell, sweet lord, and sister.
Corn. Edmund, farewell.

[Exeunt Goneril, Edmund, and Oswald.
Go seek the traitor Gloucester,

Pinion him like a thief, bring him before us.
[Exeunt other Servants.

Though well we may not pass upon his life
Without the form of justice, yet our power
Shall do a courtesy to our wrath, which men
May blame, but not control. Who's there? the
traitor ?

Enter GLOUCESTER, brought in by two or three.

Reg. Ingrateful fox! 'tis he.

Corn. Bind fast his corky arms.

Glou. What mean your graces? Good my friends, consider

You are my guests: do me no foul play, friends.
Corn. Bind him, I say.

[Servants bind him.

Reg.
Hard, hard. O filthy traitor!
Glou. Unmerciful lady as you are, I'm none.

Corn. To this chair bind him. Villain, thou shalt find[Regan plucks his beard. Glou. By the kind gods, 'tis most ignobly done To pluck me by the beard.

Reg. So white, and such a traitor!

Glou. Naughty lady, These hairs, which thou dost ravish from my chin, Will quicken, and accuse thee: I am your host: With robbers' hands my hospitable favours You should not ruffle thus. What will you do? Corn. Come, sir, what letters had you late from France?

29. corky, dry, sapless, as with age.

30

40

Reg. Be simple answerer, for we know the truth. Corn. And what confederacy have you with the traitors

Late footed in the kingdom?

Reg. To whose hands have you sent the lunatic king?

Speak.

Glou. I have a letter guessingly set down, Which came from one that's of a neutral heart, And not from one opposed.

Corn. Wherefore to Dover ? Let him first answer that.

Glou. I am tied to the stake, and I must stand

the course.

Reg. Wherefore to Dover, sir?

Glou. Because I would not see thy cruel nails Pluck out his poor old eyes, nor thy fierce sister In his anointed flesh stick boarish fangs.

The sea, with such a storm as his bare head

In hell-black night endured, would have buoy'd up, 60 And quench'd the stelled fires:

Yet, poor old heart, he holp the heavens to rain.

If wolves had at thy gate howl'd that stern time, Thou shouldst have said 'Good porter, turn the key,'

All cruels else subscribed:

43. simple, straightforward.
61. stelled, starry.
64. shouldst, wouldst.

65. All cruels else subscribed, condoning all their cruelties.

but I shall see

For Qqsubscribed' Ff have 'subscribe.' This gives a plausible text, all cruels else subscribe' being then best understood with Schmidt as a

The winged vengeance overtake such children.
Corn. See't shalt thou never. Fellows, hold

the chair.

Upon these eyes of thine I'll set my foot.

Glou. He that will think to live till he be old, Give me some help! O cruel! O you gods! Reg. One side will mock another; the other too. Corn. If you see vengeance,—

First Serv.

Hold your hand, my lord:

I have served you ever since I was a child;
But better service have I never done you
Than now to bid you hold.

Reg.

How now, you dog!

First Serv. If you did wear a beard upon your

chin,

I'd shake it on this quarrel.

Corn. My villain !

First Serv. Nay, then, chance of anger.

What do you mean?

[They draw and fight. come on, and take the

Reg. Give me thy sword. A peasant stand up

thus !

[Takes a sword, and First Serv. O, I am slain!

one eye left

To see some mischief on him.

70

80

Corn. Lest it see more, prevent it. Out, vile

jelly!

Where is thy lustre now?

Glou. All dark and comfortless.

son Edmund ?

Where's my

Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature,

general statement: 'Everything
which is at other times cruel
shows feeling or regard, you
alone have not done so.
this makes Gloster shift his
ground rather awkwardly.

To quit this horrid act.
Reg.
Out, treacherous villain!
Thou call'st on him that hates thee: it was he
That made the overture of thy treasons to us;
Who is too good to pity thee.

Glou. O my follies! then Edgar was abused.
Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him!

Reg. Go thrust him out at gates, and let him smell

His way to Dover. [Exit one with Gloucester.]
How is 't, my lord? how look you?

Corn. I have received a hurt: follow me, lady.
Turn out that eyeless villain; throw this slave
Upon the dunghill. Regan, I bleed apace :
Untimely comes this hurt: give me your arm.
[Exit Cornwall, led by Regan.
Sec. Serv. I'll never care what wickedness I do,
If this man come to good.

Third Serv.

If she live long, And in the end meet the old course of death, Women will all turn monsters.

Sec. Serv. Let's follow the old earl, and get the Bedlam

To lead him where he would: his roguish madness
Allows itself to any thing.

Third Serv. Go thou: I'll fetch some flax and
whites of eggs

To apply to his bleeding face. Now, heaven help

him!

89. overture, disclosure.

[Exeunt severally.

101. old, familiar, natural.

90

100

ΙΟΙ

ACT IV.

SCENE I. The heath.

Enter EDGAR.

Edg. Yet better thus, and known to be contemn'd, Than still contemn'd and flatter'd. To be worst, The lowest and most dejected thing of fortune, Stands still in esperance, lives not in fear: The lamentable change is from the best; The worst returns to laughter. Welcome, then, Thou unsubstantial air that I embrace!

The wretch that thou hast blown unto the worst Owes nothing to thy blasts. But who comes here?

Enter GLOUCESTER, led by an Old Man.

My father, poorly led? World, world, O world!
But that thy strange mutations make us hate thee,
Life would not yield to age.

Old Man. O, my good lord, I have been your tenant, and your father's tenant, these fourscore years.

Glou. Away, get thee away; good friend, be gone:

Thy comforts can do me no good at all;

Thee they may hurt.

ΤΟ

Old Man. Alack, sir, you cannot see your way. Glou. I have no way, and therefore want no eyes; 20

I stumbled when I saw: full oft 'tis seen,

Our means secure us, and our mere defects

22. Our means secure us, our advantages make us careless.