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bound to take upon your traitorous father, are not fit for your beholding. Advise the duke, where you are going, to a most festinate preparation; we are bound to the like. Our posts shall be swift, and intelligent betwixt us. Farewell, dear sister;-farewell, my lord of Gloster.

Enter Steward.

How now? Where's the king?

Stew. My lord of Gloster hath convey'd him hence:

6

Some five or six and thirty of his knights,
Hot questrists after him, met him at gate;
Who, with some other of the lord's dependants,
Are gone with him towards Dover; where they boast
To have well-armed friends.

Corn.

Get horses for your Gon. Farewell, sweet lord, and sister.

mistress.

Exeunt GONERIL and EDMund.

Corn. Edmund, farewell.-Go, seek the traitor

Gloster,

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?

3my lord of Gloster.] Meaning Edmund, newly invested with his father's titles. The Steward, speaking immediately after, mentions the old earl by the same title.

• Hot questrists after him.] A questrist is one who goes in search or quest of another.

7 Though well we may not pass upon his life

yet our power

Shall do a courtesy to our wrath,] To do a courtesy is to gra tify, to comply with. To pass, is to pass a judicial sentence.

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Re-enter Servants, with GLOSTer.

Reg. Ingrateful fox! 'tis he.

Corn. Bind fast his corky arms.

8

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

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

Reg.

Servants bind him.
Hard, hard:-O filthy traitor!
Glo. Unmerciful lady as you are, I am none,
Corn. To this chair bind him :-Villain, thou
shalt find [REGAN plucks his Beard.

Glo. By the kind gods, 'tis most ignobly done To pluck me by the beard.

Reg. So white, and such a traitor!

Glo. 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?

1

Reg. Be simple-answer'd, 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 lunatick king?

Speak.

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

corky arms.] Dry, withered, husky arms.

9 Will quicken,] i. e. quicken into life.

I

my hospitable favours-] Favours means the same as features, i. e. the different parts of which a face is composed.

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Glo. Reg.

Wherefore

To Dover? Wast thou not charg'd at thy perilCorn. Wherefore to Dover? Let him first answer

that.

Glo. I am tied to the stake, and I must stand the course.1

Reg. Wherefore to Dover?

Glo. 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 endur'd, would have buoy'd up,
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 should'st have said, Good porter, turn the key;
All cruels else subscrib'd:2-But I shall see
The winged vengeance overtake such children.
Corn. See it shalt thou never:-Fellows, hold the

chair:

Upon these eyes of thine I'll set my

foot.

[GLOSTER is held down in his Chair, while CORNWALL plucks out one of his Eyes, and sets his Foot on it.

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

Reg. One side will mock another; the other too. Corn. If you see vengeance,

Serv.

Hold your hand, my lord: I have serv'd you ever since I was a child;

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the course.] The running of the dogs upon me. subscrib'd: Yielded, submitted to the necessity of the

But better service have I never done you,
Than now to bid you hold.

Reg.

How now, you dog? Serv. If you did wear a beard upon your chin, I'd shake it on this quarrel: What do you mean? Corn. My villain! [Draws, and runs at him, Serv. Nay, then come on, and take the chance

of anger.

[Draws. They fight.

CORNWALL is wounded. Reg. Give me thy sword.-[To another Servant.] A peasant stand up thus!

[Snatches a Sword, comes behind, and stabs him, Serv. O, I am slain!-My lord, you have one eye left

To see some mischief on him:-O!

[Dies. Corn. Lest it see more, prevent it-Out, vile

jelly!

Where is thy lustre now?

[Tears out GLOSTER's other Eye, and throws it on the Ground.

Glo. 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 treasons3 to us;
Who is too good to pity thee.

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O my follies!

Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him!

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

smell

the overture of thy treasons-] Overture is here used for an opening or discovery. It was he who first laid thy treasons open to us.

His way to Dover.-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 dunghill.-Regan, I bleed apace: Untimely comes this hurt: Give me your arm.

[Exit CORNWALL, led by REGAN ;—Servants unbind GLOSTER, and lead him out. 1 Serv. I'll never care what wickedness I do, If this man comes to good. 2 Serv. If she 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

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

2 Serv. Go thou; I'll fetch some flax, and whites

of eggs,

To apply to his bleeding face. Now, heaven help [Exeunt severally.

him!

ACT IV.

SCENE I. The Heath.

Enter EDGAR.

Edg. Yet better thus, and known to be con temn'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 old course of death,] That is, die a natural death.

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