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SCENE III.-The British Camp, near Dover. Enter, in conquest, with drum and colours, EDMUND; LEAR and CORDELIA, as Prisoners; Captain, Officers, Soldiers, &c.

Edm. Some officers take them away: good guard, Until their greater pleasures first be known, That are to censure them.

Cor.
We are not the first,
Who, with best meaning, have incurr'd the worst.
For thee, oppressed king, am I cast down;
Myself could else out-frown false fortune's frown.
Shall we not see these daughters, and these sisters?
Lear. No, no, no, no! Come, let's away to
prison :

We two alone will sing like birds i' the cage:
When thou dost ask me blessing, I'll kneel down,
And ask of thee forgiveness. So we'll live,
And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh
At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues
Talk of court news; and we'll talk with them too,
Who loses, and who wins; who's in, who's out;
And take upon's the mystery of things,
As if we were God's spies: and we'll wear out,
In a wall'd prison, packs and sects of great ones,
That ebb and flow by the moon.
Edm.

Take them away.
Lear. Upon such sacrifices, my Cordelia,
The gods themselves throw incense. Have I caught
thee?

He that parts us shall bring a brand from heaven,
And fire us hence like foxes. Wipe thine eyes;
The goujeers shall devour them, flesh and fell,
Ere they shall make us weep: we'll see them starve
first.

Come. [Exeunt LEAR and CORDELIA, guarded.
Edm. Come hither, captain; hark.

Take thou this note; [Giving a paper.] go, follow

them to prison.

One step I have advanc'd thee; if thou dost
As this instructs thee, thou dost make thy way

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Mark,-I say, instantly; and carry it so,
As I have set it down.

Capt. I cannot draw a cart, nor eat dried oats; If it be man's work, I will do it. [Exit Captain. Flourish. Enter ALBANY, GONERIL, REGAN, Officers, and Attendants.

Alb. Sir, you have shown to-day your valiant strain,

And fortune led you well. You have the captives
Who were the opposites of this day's strife:
We do require them of you, so to use them,
As we shall find their merits, and our safety,
May equally determine.

Edm.

Sir, I thought it fit
To send the old and miserable king
To some retention, and appointed guard;
Whose age has charms in it, whose title more,
To pluck the common bosom on his side,
And turn our impress'd lances in our eyes,
Which do command them. With him I sent the
queen:

My reason all the same; and they are ready
To-morrow, or at further space, t' appear
Where you shall hold your session. At this time,
We sweat, and bleed: the friend hath lost his friend;
And the best quarrels, in the heat, are curs'd
By those that feel their sharpness.-
The question of Cordelia, and her father,
Requires a fitter place.

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Reg.

In my rights,

By me invested, he compeers the best.

Gon. That were the most, if he should husband you.

Reg. Jesters do oft prove prophets.
Gon.

Holla, holla! That eye that told you so look'd but a-squint.

Reg. Lady, I am not well; else I should answer
From a full-flowing stomach.-General,
Take thou my soldiers, prisoners, patrimony:
Dispose of them, of me; the walls are thine.
Witness the world, that I create thee here
My lord and master.

Gon.
Mean you to enjoy him?
Alb. The let-alone lies not in your good will.
Edm. Nor in thine, lord.
Alb.

Half-blooded fellow, yes. Reg. Let the drum strike, and prove my title thine. [To EDMUND.

Alb. Stay yet; hear reason.--Edmund, I arrest thee

On capital treason; and, in thy arrest,

This gilded serpent. [Pointing to GONERIL.]-For your claim, fair sister,

I bar it in the interest of my wife;
'Tis 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.

Gon.

An interlude!

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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."

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Upon this call o' the trumpet.

Her.

Your name? your quality? and why you answer
This present summons ?
Edg.
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 withal. Alb.

Which is that adversary?

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My oath, and my profession. I protest,
Maugre thy strength, youth, place, and eminence,
Despite thy victor sword, and fire-new fortune,
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,

Thou liest.

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Edm. In wisdom, I should ask thy name; But, since thy outside looks so fair and warlike, And that thy tongue some 'say of breeding breathes, What safe and nicely I might well delay By rule of knighthood, I disdain and spurn. Back do I toss these treasons to thy head; 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.-Trumpets, speak. [Alarums. They fight. EDMUND falls. Alb. O, save him! save him!

Gon.

This is mere practice, Gloster. By the law of arms, thou wast not bound to answer An unknown opposite; 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!— Thou worse than any name, read thine own evil : No tearing, lady; I perceive, you know it. [Gives the letter to EDMUND. Gon. Say, if I do, the laws are mine, not thine: Who can arraign me for't?

Alb.

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.

Edm. What you have charged me with, that have I done,

And more, much more; the time will bring it out:
'Tis past, and so am I. But what art thou,
That hast this fortune on me? If thou'rt noble,
I do forgive thee.

Edg.

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.

Edm.
Thou hast spoken right, 'tis 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.-List a brief
tale;

And, when 'tis told, O, that my heart would burst!-
The bloody proclamation to escape,
That follow'd me so near, (O, our lives' sweetness!
That we the pain of death would hourly die,
Rather than die at once!) taught me to shift
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, saved him from despair;
Never (O fault!) reveal'd myself unto him,
Until some half hour past, 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.

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

Alb. If there be more more woful, hold it in,
For I am almost ready to dissolve,
Hearing of this.

Edg.

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 'twas that so endur'd, with his strong arms
He fasten'd on my neck, and bellow'd out

As he'd burst heaven; threw me 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
Began to crack: twice, then, the trumpets sounded,
And there I left him tranc'd.

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I know when one is dead, and when one lives;
She's dead as earth.-Lend me a looking-glass;
If that her breath will mist or stain the stone.
Why, then she lives.
Kent.

Is this the promis'd end?
Edg. Or image of that horror?
Alb.
Fall, and cease!
Lear. This feather stirs; she lives! if it be so,
It is a chance which does redeem all sorrows
That ever I have felt.

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Lear. Pr'ythee, away. Edg. "Tis noble Kent, your friend. Lear. A plague upon you, murderers, traitors all! I might have sav'd her; now, she's gone for ever!Cordelia, Cordelia! stay a little. Ha! What is't thou say'st?-Her voice was ever soft, Gentle, and low-an excellent thing in woman.I kill'd the slave that was a hanging thee.. Off. 'Tis true, my lords, he did. Lear. Did I not, fellow? I have seen the day, with my good biting faulchion I would have made them skip: I am old now, And these same crosses spoil me.-Who are you? Mine eyes are not o' the best :-I'll tell you straight.

Kent. If fortune brag of two she lov'd and hated, One of them we behold.

Lear. This is a dull sight.-Are you not Kent? Kent. The same, Your servant Kent. Where is your servant Caius? Lear. He's a good fellow, I can tell you that; He'll strike, and quickly too.-He's dead and rotten. Kent. No, my good lord; I am the very manLear. I'll see that straight.

Kent. That from your first of difference and decay, Have follow'd your sad steps. Lear.

You are welcome hither.

Kent. Nor no man else. All's cheerless, dark,

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What comfort to this great decay may come,
Shall be applied: for us, we will resign,
During the life of this old majesty,
To him our absolute power.-You, to your rights,
[To EDGAR and KENT.
With boot, and such addition, as your honours
Have more than merited.-All friends shall taste
The wages of their virtue, and all foes
The cup of their deservings.-O! see, see!

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 see this? Look on her,-look,-her lips,-
Look there, look there!-
[He dies.
Edg.
He faints!-My lord, my lord!-
Kent. Break, heart; I pr'ythee, break!
Look up, my lord.
Kent. Vex not his ghost: O! let him pass: he

Edg.

hates him,

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Is general woe.-Friends of my soul, you twain
[To KENT and EDGAR.
Rule in this realm, and the gor'd state sustain.
Kent. I have a journey, sir, shortly to go:

My master calls me; I must not say, no.

Alb. The weight of this sad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne most: we, that are young, Shall never see so much, nor live so long.

[Exeunt, with a dead march

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"-the division of the kingdoms."-There is something of obscurity or inaccuracy in this preparatory scene. The king has already divided his kingdom, and yet when he enters, he examines his daughters to discover in what proportion he should divide it. Perhaps Kent and Gloster only were privy to his design, which he still kept in his own hands, to be changed or performed, as subsequent reasons should determine him.JOHNSON.

Coleridge goes deeper into the character of Lear, and shows that the division having been determined upon, the trial was but a trick in conformity with his peculiar disposition, but resulting contrary to his expectations. See "General Remarks" on Lear's character.

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"Meantime we shall express," etc.-That is, says Johnson, "We have already made known our desire of parting the kingdom: we will now discover, what has not been told before,-the reasons by which we shall regulate the partition."

"Beyond all manner of so MUCH I love you"-Beyond all assignable quantity. I love you beyond limits, and cannot say it is so much, for how much soever I should name, it would be yet more.-JOHNSON.

"I am made of that self metal as my sister," etc.That is, "Estimate me at her value; my love has equal claim to your favour: only she comes short of me in this, that I profess myself an enemy to all other joys which the most precious aggregation of sense can bestow." "Square" is here used for the whole complement, as circle is now sometimes used.

"No less in space, VALIDITY, and pleasure."-Validity is used here and elsewhere by Shakespeare, in its original sense, according to its Latin derivation, for

worth, value, not as now, for legal force or genuineness. Thus, in ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, he speaks of a ring of "rich validity."

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"Nothing, my lord."-There is something of disgust at the ruthless hypocrisy of her sisters, and some little faulty admixture of pride and sullenness in Cordelia's "Nothing;" and her tone is well contrived, indeed, to lessen the glaring absurdity of Lear's conduct, but answers the yet more important purpose of forcing away the attention from the nursery-tale, the moment it has served its end, that of supplying the canvass for the picture. This is also materially furthered by Kent's opposition, which displays Lear's moral incapability of resigning the sovereign power in the very act of disposing of it. Kent is, perhaps, the nearest to perfect goodness in all Shakespeare's characters, and yet the most individualized. There is an extraordinary charm in his bluntness, which is that only of a nobleman arising from a contempt of overstrained courtesy; and combined with easy placability where goodness of heart is apparent. His passionate affection for, and fidelity to Lear, act on our feelings in Lear's own favour: virtue itself seems to be in company with him.-COLERIDGE.

"Come not between the dragon and his wrath."Mr. Dana, in his beautiful and feeling criticism on "Kean's Acting," in one of the papers of his " Idle Man," thus remarks upon the Poet's design in displaying the violence and uncontrolled passions of Lear in the very opening of the play. After noticing the objections made by some critics to the abrupt violence with which Kean began in LEAR, he thus proceeds: "If this is a fault, it is Shakespeare and not the actor, who is to blame, for we have no doubt that he conceived it according to his author. In most instances, Shakespeare has given us the gradual growth of a passion, with such little accompaniments as agree with it, and go to make up the entire man. In LEAR, his object being to represent the beginning and course of insanity, he has properly gone but little back of it, and introduced to us an old man of good feelings, but one who had lived without any true principle of conduct, and whose ungoverned passions had grown strong with age, and were ready, upon any disappointment, to make shipwreck of an intellect always weak. To bring this about, he begins with an

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