up, take

Glo. Good friend, I pr’ythee, take him in thy arms a I have o'er-heard a plot of death upon him: There is a litter ready, lay him in't, And drive tow'rd Dover, friend, where thou shalt meet Both welcome and protection. Take up thy master. If thou should'it dally half an hour, his life, With thine, and all that offer to defend him, Stand in assured loss. Take

up, And follow me, that will to some provision Give thee quick conduct.

Kent. Oppreft Nature sleeps: (33) This reft might yet have balm'd thy broken fenfes, Which, if conveniency will not allow, Stand in hard cure. Come, help to bear thy master ; Thou must not stay behind. Glo. Come, come, away,

[Exeunt, bearing of the King.

Manet Edgar. Edg. When we our betters fee bearing our woes, We scarcely think our miseries our foes. Who alone suffers, suffers most i'th' mind; Leaving free things, and happy shows behind : But then the mind much suffrance does o'erskip, When grief hath mates, and bearing fellowship. How light, and portable, my pain seems now, When that, which makes me bend, makes the King bow; He childed, as I father'd !-Tom, away; Mark the high noises, and thyself bewray, "When false opinion, whose wrong thought defiles thee, In thy just proof repeals, and reconciles thee.

[To Fool

(33)

oppreff Nature Reeps:] These two concluding speeches by Kent and Edgar, and which by no means ought to have been cut of, I have restored from the old quarto. The soliloquy of Edgar is extremely fine; and the sentiments of it are drawn equally from nature and the fubject. Befides, with regard to the stage it is absolutely necessary: For as Edgar is not design'd, in the constitution of the play, to attend the king to Dever ; how absurd would it look for a character of his importance to quit the scene without one word faid, or the least intimation what we are to expect from him ?

What

What will, hap more to night; fafe Tcape the King!
Lurk, lurk,

[Exit Edgir.

SCENE changes to Glofter's Castle.

Enter Cornwall, Regan, Gonerill, Edmund and

Servants, Gorn. oft

him this letter; the army of France is landed; seek out the traitor Glofter.

Reg. Hang him instantly.
Gön. Pluck out his eyes.

Corn. Leave him to my displeasure, Edmand, keep you our fifter company; the revenges, we are bound to take upon your traiterous father, are not fit for your beholding Advise the Duke, where you are going, to a most feftinate preparation; we are bound to the like. Our Posts shall be swift, and intelligent betwixt ys. Farewel, dear fifter; farewel, my lord of Glofter

Enter Steward.

How now? Where's the King!

Stew. My Lord of Glofter hath convey'd him hence:
Some five or fix and thirty of his Knights,
Hot Queftrifts after him, met hiin at gate;
Who-with some other of the Lords dependants,
Are gone with him tow'rd Dover; where they boak
To have well-armed friends.

Corn. Get horses for your mistress.
Gon. Farewel, sweet Lord, and sister.

[Exeunt Gon, and Edm.
Corn. Edmund, farewel-go seek the traitor Glofter
Pinion him like a thief, bring him before us:
Though well we may not pass upon his life
Without the form of justice; yet our pow'r
Shall do a court'sy to our wrath, which men
May blame, but not controul.

Enter Glo'ster, brought in by Servants,
Who's there the traitor

Reg. Ungrateful fox! 'tis he.
Corn. Bind faft his corky arms.

[confider, Glo. What mean your Graces? Good my Friends, You are my Guests: Do me no foul play, friends. Corn. Bind him, I say.

[They bind bim, Reg. Hard, hard : O filthy traitor! Glo. Unmerciful Lady as you are! I'm none. Corn. To this chair bind him. Villain, thou shalt find.,

Gle. By the kind gods, 'cis moft ignobly done To pluck me by the beard.

Reg. So white, and such a traitor :

Glo. Naughty Lady,
These hairs, which thou doft ravish from my chin,
Will quicken and accuse thee; I'm your Hoft;
With robber's hands, my hospitable favours
You should not ruffle thus. What will you do?
Gorn. Come, Sir, what letters had you late from

France ?
Reg. Be simple answerer, for we know the truth,

Corn. And what confed'racy have you with the traitors, Late footed in the kingdom?

Reg. To whose hands
Have you fent the lunatick King? speak.

Glo: I have a letter guesfingly set down,
Which came from one that's of a neutral heart,
And not from one oppos’d.

Corn, Cunning-
Reg. And false.
Corn. Where haft thou sent the King
Glo, To Dover,

Reg. Wherefore to Dover ?
Walt thou not charg'd, at peril

Carn, Wherefore to Dover? let him first answer that. Glo. Iam ty'd to th'stake, and I must ftand the course, Reg. Wherefore to Daver?

Gla. Because I would not see thy cruel nails Plack out his poor old eyes; nor thy fierce filter

In his anointed flesh stick boarith phangs.
The fea, with such a storm as his bare head
In hell-black night indur'd, would have buoy'd up,
And quench'd the ftelled fires : (34)
Yet poor old heart, he help'd the heav'ns to rain.
If wolves had at thy gate howl'd that ftern time,
Thou should'At have said, “ good porter, turn the key;
All cruels else subscrib'd; but I shall see
The winged vengeance overtake such children.

Corn. See't shalt thou never. Fellows, hold the chair. Upon these eyes of thine, I'll fet my foot.

(Glo'ster is held down, while Cornwall treads out one

of his eyes.

never done

Glo. He that will think to live 'till he be old, Give me some help. - cruel! O you gods!

Reg. One side will mock another; th’other too.

Corn. If you see vengeance
Serv. Hold your hand, my Lord :
I've serv'd you, ever since I was a child;
But better service have I.

you, Than now to bid

you

hold. Reg.' How now, you dog?

Sero. If you did wear a beard upon your chin, I'd shake it on this

quarrel.

What do you mean? (34) And quench'd the iteeled fires.] The fagacious editors have all blunder'd in this word without i he least variation: It is indisputable, that the author must have wrote,

And quench'd the felled fires. ie the Karry fires; an adjective coin'd from Stella. The Romans form'd both a participle active, and adjective pafiive from this word.

-extemplo, cælo ftellante, serera
Sidera respondent in aqua radiantia mundi.
Hiinc illum Corythi Tyrrhenâ ab fede profeflum
Aurea nunc folio Itellantis regia cæli
Aicipit;

Virg. Æn..
atque illi fellatus Jespide fulva
Enfis erat.

Idem. Æn. 4.1 I am aware, that neither ftellaris, nor Dellatus are entirely adequate in renfe, or usage, to felled in our author. As the word, however is aptly deriv’d, I hope, Sbakespeare will stand protected by Horace's precept;

Dixeris egregie, notum fi callida verbunu
Reddiderit junctura novum.

Corn.

Lucrct. 1. 4

D 2

Corn. My villain!
Serv. Nay then come on, and take the chance of anger.

[Fight; in the Scufle Cornwall is wounded. Reg. Give me thy sword. A peasant stand up thus?

[Kills bim. Serv. Oh, I am flain--my Lord, you have one eye left To see some mischief on him. Oh

[Diese Corn. Left it see more, prevent it ; out, vile gelly : Where is thy lustre now! (Treads out the other eye.

Gló. All dark and comfortless--where's my son Edmund?
Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature
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 use
Who is too good to pity thee.

Glo. O my follies !
*Then Edgar was abus’d. Kind gods, forgive
Me that, and profper him!

Reg. Go thrust him out
At gates, and let him smell his way to Dover.

[Ex. with Glo'fter, How is't, my lord ? how look you

Corn. I have receiv'd a hurt; follow me, Lady.. Turn out that eyeless villain; throw this slave Upon the dunghil. Regan, I bleed apace. Untimely comes this hurt. Give me your arm,

[Exit Corn. led by Regan, ift. Serv. I'll never care what wickedness I do, (35) If this man come to good.

2d. Serv. If the live long, And, in the end, meet the old course of death, Women will all turn monsters,

1. Serv. Let's follow the old Earl, and get the bedlam

$55) I'll never care what wickednefs I do,] This short dialogue I bave jnserted from the old quarto, because I think it full of nature. Sera vants, in any house, could hardly see such a barbarity committed on their master, without reflections of pity; and the vengeance that they prefume must overtake the actors of it, is a fentiment and doctrine well worthy of the tagere

To