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Edm. Thou'ft fpoken right, 'tis true,

The wheel is come full circle; I am here.

Alb. Methought thy very gait did prophefy [To Edg. A royal nobleness: I mult embrace thee.

Let forrow fplit my heart, if ever I

Did hate thee, or thy father!

Edg. Worthy Prince, I know't.
All. Where have you hid yourself?

How have you known the miseries of your father?
Edg. By nurfing them, my Lord.

Lift a brief tale,

And, when 'tis told, O, that my heart would burst !—
The bloody proclamation to escape

That follow'd me fo near, (O our lives' fweetnefs!
That we the pain of death would hourly bear,
Rather than die at once), "taught me to shift
"Into a madman's rags; t' affume a semblance
"The very dogs difdain'd: and in this habit
"Met I my father with his bleeding rings,
"Their precious gems new loft; became his guide,
"Led him, begg'd for him, fav'd him from despair ;
"Never (O fault !) reveal'd myself unto him,
"Until fome half hour past, when I was arm'd,
"Not fure, though hoping of this good fuccefs,
“I ask'd his bleffing, and from first to last
"Told him my pilgrimage. But his flaw'd heart,
"Alack, too weak the conflict to support,
""Twixt two extremes of paffion, joy, and grief,
"Bürft fmilingly.

Edm. This fpeech of your's hath mov'd me,
And fhall, perchance, do good; but speak you on.
You look as you had fomething more to fay.

Alb. If there be more, more woful, hold it in ; For I am almoft ready to diffolve,

Hearing of this.

Edg. This would have feem'd a period. But fuch
As love to amplify another's forrow,

To much, would make much more, and top extremity.
"Whilft I was big in clamour, came there a man,
"Who having feen me in my worfer ftate,
"Shunn'd my abhorr'd fociety; but now finding
"Who 'twas had fo endur'd, with his ftrong arms
"He faften'd on my neck; and bellow'd out,

"As

"As he'd burft heaven; threw him on my father; "Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him "That ever ear receiv'd; which in recounting "His grief grew puiffant, and the ftrings of life Began to crack.". Twice then the trumpets

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And there I left him traunc'd.

Alb. But who was this?

1

[founded,

Edg. Kent, Sir; the banish'd Kent, who in difguife Follow'd his enemy King, and did him fervice

..

SCENE IX. Enter a Gentleman.

Improper for a flave.

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Alb. Speak, man.

Edg. What means this bloody knife?

Gent. 'Tis hot, it fmokes; it came even from the OfO! fhe's dead.

Alb. Who's dead? fpeak, man,

[heart

Gent. Your Lady, Sir, your Lady, and her fifter

By her is poifon'd; fhe confeffes it.

Edm. I was contracted to them both; all three Now marry in an instant.

Edg. Here comes Kent.

Enter Kent.

Alb. Produce the bodies, be they alive or dead. [Gonerill and Regan's bodies brought out.

This judgment of the heav'ns, that makes us tremble,

Touches us not with pity.O! is this he?
The time will not allow the compliment

Which very manners urge.

Kent. I am come

To bid my King and mafter aye good night.

Is he not here?

Alb. Great thing of us forgot!

[To Kent.

[delia?

Speak, Edmund, where's the King? and where's Cor

See'ft thou this object, Kent? [Pointing to the dead bodies.

Kent. Alack, why thus?

Edm. Yet Edmund was belov'd:

The one the other poison'd for my fake,

And after flew herself.

Alb.

Alb. Even fo; eover their faces.

Edm. I pant for life: fome good I mean to do, Defpight of mine own nature. Quickly fend

(Be brief) into the caftle; for my writ

Is on the life of Lear and Cordelia.

Nay, fend in time.

Alb. Run, run, O run

Edg. To whom, my Lord? who has the office? Send

Thy token of reprieve.

Edm. Well thought on, take my fword,

Give it the Captain

Edg. Hafte thee for thy life.

[Exit Melenger.

Edm. He hath commiffion from thy wife and me

To hang Cordelia in the prifon, and

To lay the blame upon her own despair.

Alb. The gods defend her! bear him hence a while.

SCENE X.

Edmund is borne off.

Enter Lear, with Cordelia dead in his arms.

Lear. Howl, howl, howl, howl,-O, you are men of

ftone;

for ever!

Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd ufe them fo,
That heaven's vault fhould crack: fhe's gone
I know when one is dead, and when one lives;
She's dead as earth! lend me a looking-glafs,
If that her breath will mist or ftain the ftone,
Why then fhe lives.

Kent. Is this the promis'd end?

Lear. This feather ftirs, fhe lives; if it be fo, It is a chance which does redeem all forrows, That ever I have felt.

Kent. O my good master !

Lear. Pr'ythee, away

Edg. 'Tis noble, Kent, your friend.

[Kneeling.

Lear. A plague upon you, murth❜rous traitors all!
I might have fav'd her; now fhe's gone for ever!
Cordelia, Cordelia, ftay a little. Ha!

What is't thou fay'ft? her voice was ever foft,
Gentle, and low; an excellent thing in woman.
I kill'd the flave that was a hanging thee.

Kent

Kent. 'Tis true, my Lords, he did.

Lear. Did I not, fellow ?

I've seen the day, with my good biting faulchion

I would have made them skip: I
And these fame croffes fpoil me.
Mine eyes are none o' th' best.-

am old now,
Who are you?
-I'll tell you ftraight.

Kent. If fortune brag of two fhe lov'd and hated,

One of them we behold.

Lear. Are you not Kent?

Kent. The fame; your fervant Kent.

Where is your fervant Caius ?

Lear. 'Twas a good fellow, I can tell you

that,

He'd strike, and quickly too :-he's dead and rotten. Kent. No, my good Lord, I am the very man.—Lear. I'll fee that ftraight..

Kent. That, from your firft of difference and decayt, Have follow'd your fad fteps

Lear. You're welcome hither.

Kent. 'Twas no man elfe.-All's cheerlefs, dark, and

dead:

Your eldest daughters have foredone themfelves,,
And defp'rately are dead.

Lear. Ay, fo I think.

Alb. He knows not what he fays; and vain is it That we present us to him..

Edg. Very bootless.

Enter a Messenger.

Me. Edmund is dead, my Lord.

Alb. That's but a trifle.

You Lords and noble friends, know our intent;
What comfort to this great decay ‡ may come,
Shall be applied. For us, we will refign,
During the life of this old Majesty,

To him our abfolute power: to you, your rights,

[To Edgar.

With boot, and fuch addition as your honours
Have more than merited. All friends fhall tafte
The wages of their virtues, and all foes
The cup of their defervings. O fee, fee-

Lear.

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Lear. And my poor fool is hang'd; no, no, no life. Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life,

And thou no breath at all? thou'lt come no more,

Never, never, never, never, never

Pray you, undo this button. Thank you, Sir;
Do you
fee this look on her, look on her lips,
Look there, look there-

Edg. He faints, my Lord'

Kent. Break, heart, I pr'ythee break!
Edg. Look up, my Lord!

Kent. Vex not his ghoft.

[He dies.

O, let him pafs! He hates

[him

That would upon the rack of this rough world

Stretch him out longer.

Edg. He is gone indeed.

Kent. The wonder is he hath endur'd fo long:
He but ufurp'd his life.

Alb. Bear them from hence; our prefent bufinefs
Friends of my foul,

Is general woe.

you twain Rule in this realm, and the gor'd state fuftain. Kent. I have a journey, Sir, fhortly to go; My mafter calls me, I muft not fay No.

Alb. The weight of this fad time we must obey, Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldeft hath borne moft; we that are young, Shall never fee fo much, live e'er fo long.

[Dies

[Exeunt, with a dead march.

TIMON.

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