A Room in GLOUCESTER’S Castle. | |
| |
Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, GONERIL, EDMUND, and Servants. | |
| Corn. Post speedily to my lord your husband; show him this letter: the army of France is landed. Seek out the traitor Gloucester. [Exeunt some of the Servants. | |
| Reg. Hang him instantly. | 4 |
| Gon. Pluck out his eyes. | |
| Corn. Leave him to my displeasure. Edmund, keep you our sister company: the revenges we are 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 Gloucester. | |
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Enter OSWALD. | |
| How now? Where’s the king? | 8 |
| Osw. My Lord of Gloucester hath convey’d him hence: | |
| 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, | 12 |
| Are gone with him toward Dover, where they boast | |
| To have well-armed friends. | |
| Corn. Get horses for your mistress. | |
| Gon. Farewell, sweet lord, and sister. | 16 |
| 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 | 20 |
| Shall do a courtesy to our wrath, which men | |
| May blame but not control. Who’s there? The traitor? | |
| |
Re-enter Servants, with GLOUCESTER. | |
| Reg. Ingrateful fox! ’tis he. | 24 |
| Corn. Bind fast his corky arms. | |
| Glo. 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. | 28 |
| 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— [REGAN plucks his beard. | |
| Glo. By the kind gods, ’tis most ignobly done | 32 |
| 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, | 36 |
| 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? | 40 |
| 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 lunatic king? | 44 |
| 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. | 48 |
| Corn. Cunning. | |
| Reg. And false. | |
| Corn. Where hast thou sent the king? | |
| Glou. To Dover. | 52 |
| Reg. Wherefore to Dover? Wast thou not charg’d at peril— | |
| Corn. Wherefore to Dover? Let him answer that. | |
| Glo. I am tied to the stake, and I must stand the course. | |
| Reg. Wherefore to Dover? | 56 |
| 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 | 60 |
| 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 dern time, | 64 |
| Thou shouldst 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. | 68 |
| Upon these eyes of thine I’ll set my foot. | |
| Glo. He that will think to live till he be old, | |
| Give me some help! O cruel! O ye gods! [GLOUCESTER’S eye put out. | |
| Reg. One side will mock another; the other too. | 72 |
| Corn. If you see vengeance.— | |
| First Serv. Hold your hand, my lord: | |
| I have serv’d you ever since I was a child, | |
| But better service have I never done you | 76 |
| 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. What do you mean? | 80 |
| Corn. My villain! [Draws. | |
| First Serv. Nay then, come on, and take the chance of anger. [Draws. They fight. CORNWALL is wounded. | |
| Reg. Give me thy sword. A peasant stand up thus! [Takes a sword and runs at him behind. | |
| First Serv. O! I am slain. My lord, you have one eye left | 84 |
| To see some mischief on him. O! [Dies. | |
| Corn. Lest it see more, prevent it. Out, vile jelly! | |
| Where is thy lustre now? | |
| Glo. All dark and comfortless. Where’s my son Edmund? | 88 |
| Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature | |
| To quit this horried act. | |
| Reg. Out, treacherous villain! | |
| Thou call’st on him that hates thee; it was he | 92 |
| That made the overture of thy treasons to us, | |
| Who is too good to pity thee. | |
| Glo. O my follies! Then Edgar was abus’d. | |
| Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him! | 96 |
| 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 receiv’d a hurt. Follow me, lady. | 100 |
| 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 | 104 |
| 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. | 108 |
| 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, | 112 |
| To apply to his bleeding face. Now, heaven help him! [Exeunt severally. | |
