I bar it in the interest of my wife;
'T is she is sub-contracted to this lord,
And I, her husband, contradict your bans.
If you will marry, make your love to me,
My lady is bespoke.

If none appear to prove upon thy person,
Thy heinous, manifest, and many treasons,

There is my pledge. [Throwing down a glove.] I'll make3

Ere I taste bread, thou art in nothing less
Than I have here proclaim'd thee.

Regan.

it on thy heart,

Sick! O, sick!4

Gon. [Aside.] If not, I'll ne'er trust medicine. Edmund. There 's my exchange: [Throwing down a glove.] what in the world he is

That names me traitor, villain-like he lies.

Call by thy trumpet: he that dares approach,
On him, on you, who not?5 I will maintain
My truth and honour firmly.

Alb. A herald, ho!

Edm.

A herald, ho! a herald!

Alb. Trust to thy single virtue; for thy soldiers, All levied in my name, have in my name

Took their discharge.

Reg.
My sickness grows upon me.
Alb. She is not well; convey her to my tent.
[Exit REGAN, led.

1. Sub-contracted, contracted after a former contract; i. e. she is betrothed to this lord, being previously married.

2. An interlude, a farce. Goneril says this ironically.

3. To make is still used in this sense, as we say at billiards to make a ball, meaning, to pocket it or generally to execute fully what we intend

ed; it is analogous to one meaning of to tell, as: That blow told! i. e. it went home. See note 2, page 31.

4. Regan feels the poison beginning to work which her sister has administered.

5. i. e. on whom shall I not.

6. i. e. thy own valour alone. A Roman sense of the word.

"If any man of quality, or degree, within the lists of the army, will maintain upon Edmund, supposed earl of Gloster, that he is a manifold traitor, let him appear at the third sound of the trumpet. He is bold in his defence."

Edmund. Sound!
Herald. Again.

[1 Trumpet. 12 Trumpet.

Her. Again.

[3 Trumpet.

[Trumpet answers within.

Enter EDGAR, armed, preceded by a Trumpet. Albany. Ask him his purposes, why he appears Upon this call o' the trumpet.

Her.

What are you?

Your name? your quality? and why you answer
This present summons?

Edgar.

Know, my name is lost;

By treason's tooth bare-gnawn, and canker-bit :
Yet am I noble, as the adversary

I come to cope.1

Alb.

Which is that adversary?

Edg. What 's he, that speaks for Edmund earl of

Edm. Himself: what say'st thou to him?
Edg.

Gloster?

Draw thy sword,

That if my speech offend a noble heart,
Thy arm may do thee justice; here is mine:
Behold, it is the privilege of mine honours,"
My oath, and my profession:3 I protest,

4

Maugre thy strength, youth, place, and eminence,
Despite thy victor sword, and fire-new5 fortune,

1. To cope, to encounter; it is usually followed by with, as synonimous with contend, struggle.

2. i. e. to draw my sword is the privilege, &c.

3. The privilege of this oath means the privilege gained by taking the

oath administered in the regular initiation of a knight.

4. Maugre, in spite of, notwithstanding. Not in use.

5. Fire-new, fresh from the fire, just forged.

Thy valour, and thy heart, thou art a traitor :
False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father;
Conspirant 'gainst this high illustrious prince;
And, from th' extremest upward of thy head,
To the descent and dust below thy foot,
A most toad-spotted traitor. Say thou, "No,"
This sword, this arm, and my best spirits, are bent
To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak,1

Thou liest.

Edmund. In wisdom, I should ask thy name;
But, since thy outside looks so fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue some 'say2 of breeding breathes,
What safe and nicely I might well delay

By rule of knighthood, I disdain and spurn.3
Back do I toss these treasons to thy heau;
With the hell-hated lie o'erwhelm thy heart;
Which, for they yet glance by, and scarcely bruise,
This sword of mine shall give them instant way,
Where they shall rest for ever.5 Trumpets, speak.

[Alarums. They fight. EDMUND falls.

Albany. O, save him! save him!6

Goneril.
This is mere practice, Gloster.
By the law of arms, thou wast not bound to answer
An unknown opposites; thou art not vanquish'd,
But cozen'd and beguil'd.

Alb.
Shut your mouth, dame;
Or with this paper shall I stop it? Hold, Sir;

9

1. To prove that upon thy heart, to which purpose I speak, namely, that Thou liest.

2. Some 'say, some assay sample,

or taste.

=

in order to stay Edward's arm, it not being his desire that Edmund should meet instant death, and thus escape the punishment due to all his heinous

crimes.

3. I disdain and scorn to do what, 7. Practice, stratagem, machination, according to the strict rules of knight- i. e. of Gloster's enemies. See note 1,

hood, I might do without reproach,

avoid this encounter.

4. For, because.

page 33.

8. i. e. opponent. See note 6, page 102.

5. Meaning, his sword shall make 9. Hold, was formerly commonly said when any one presented anything to another, as we should now say here.

a way into Edgar's heart, by which the treasons can enter, and where they shall rest for ever.

6. Albany utters this exclamation

Thou worse than any name, read thine own evil :
No tearing, lady; I perceive, you know it.

[Gives the letter1 to EDMUND. Goneril. Say, if I do, the laws are mine, not thine: Who can arraign me for 't?

Albany.

Know'st thou this paper?
Gon.

Most monstrous!

Ask me not what I know.

[Exit GONERIL.

Alb. Go after her: she 's desperate; govern her.

[Exit an Officer.

Edmund. What you have charg'd me with, that have

And more, much more; the time will bring it out:
"T is past, and so am I. But what art thou,
That hast this fortune on me? If thou 'rt noble,
I do forgive thee.

Edgar.

Let's exchange charity.
I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund;
If more, the more thou hast wrong'd me.
My name is Edgar, and thy father's son.
The gods are just, and of our pleasant vices
Make instruments to plague us:

The dark and vicious place where thee he got,
Cost him his eyes.

I done,

Edmund. Thou hast spoken right, 't is true; The wheel is come full circle: I am here.

Alb. Methought, thy very gait did prophesy

A royal nobleness. I must embrace thee:

Let sorrow split my heart, if ever I

Did hate thee, or thy father.

Edg.

Worthy prince, I know 't.

Alb. Where have you hid yourself?

How have you known the miseries of your father?

Edg. By nursing them, my lord. List2 a brief tale; And, when 't is told, O, that my heart would burst!

The bloody proclamation to escape,

That follow'd me so near, (O, our lives' sweetness!
That we with the pain of death would hourly die,
Rather than die at once!) taught me to shift

1. i. e. Goneril's letter found upon 2. To list, to listen to, to hearken to. Oswald.

Into a madman's rags, t' assume a semblance
That very dogs disdain'd; and in this habit
Met I my father with his bleeding rings,
Their precious stones new lost: became his guide,
Led him, begg'd for him, sav'd him from despair;
Never (O fault!) reveal'd myself unto him,
Until some half hour past, 2 when I was arm'd,
Not sure, though hoping, of this good success,
I ask'd his blessing, 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 passion, joy and grief,
Burst smilingly.

Edmund. This speech of yours hath mov'd me,
And shall, perchance, do good; but speak you on:
You look as you had3 something more to say.

Albany. If there be more, more woful, hold it in, ' For I am almost ready to dissolve,

Hearing of this.

Edgar.

This would have seem'd a period
To such as love not sorrow; but another,
To amplify too-much, would make much, more,
And top extremity.

Whilst I was big in clamour, came there a man,
Who, having seen me in my worst estate,
Shunn'd my abhorr'd society; but then, finding
Who 't was that so endur'd, with his strong arms
He fasten'd on my neck, and bellow'd out

As he 'd burst 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 puissant, and the strings of life