And on the fixth to turn thy hated back Upon our kingdom; if the tenth day following The moment is thy death: away! By Jupiter ! Kent. Fare thee well, King; fith thus thou wilt appear, Freedom lives hence, and banishment is here; The Gods to their dear fhelter take thee, maid, [To Cor. That justly think'ft, and haft most rightly faid! And your large fpeeches may your deeds approve! [To Gon. and Regan. That good effects may spring from words of love: Thus Kent, O Princes, bids you all adieu, He'll fhape his old courfe in a country new. [Exit. SCENE III. Enter Glo'fter, with France and Glo. Here's France and Burgundy, my noble Lord. We first address tow'rd you, who with this King Bur. Moft royal Majesty, I crave no more than what your Highness offer'd, Lear. Right noble Burgundy, When she was dear to us we held her fo, But now her price is fall'n: Sir, there she stands, Bur. I know no answer. Lear. Will you with those infirmities fhe owes, Unfriended, new-adopted to our hate, Dowr'd with our curfe, and ftranger'd with our oath, Take her, or leave her? Bur. Pardon, royal Sir. Election makes not up on fuch conditions. Lear.Then leave her, Sir; for by the pow'r that made me, I tell you all her wealth.-For you, great King, [To France. To match you where I hate; therefore beseech you Than on a wretch whom nature is afham'd France. This is most strange! That the, who ev'n but now was your best object, As monsters it; or your fore-voucht affection Lear. Better thou Hadft not been born, than not have pleas'd me better. France. Is it but this? a tardiness in nature, Which often leaves the hiftory unfpoke That it intends to do? my Lord of Burgundy, Aloof from th' intire point. Say will you have her? Bur. Royal King, Give but that portion which your felf propos'd, And And here I take Cordelia by the hand, Dutchess of Burgundy. Lear. Nothing -I've fworn. Bur. I'm forry then you have so loft a father, That you must lose a husband. Cor. Peace be with Burgundy, Since that refpects of fortune are his love, France. Fairest Cordelia, that art moft rich, being poor Be't lawful I take up what's caft away. Gods, Gods! 'tis ftrange, that from their cold'st neglect Thy dowreless daughter, King, thrown to my chance, Not all the Dukes of wat'rish Burgundy, Can buy this unpriz'd precious maid of me. Lear. Thou haft her, France, let her be thine, for we [Flourish. Exeunt Lear and Burgundy. SCENE IV. France. Bid farewel to your fifters. Cor. Ye jewels of our father, with wash'd eyes Cordelia leaves you: I know what you are, And like a fifter am moft loth to call Your faults as they are nam'd. Love well our father; To your profeffing bofoms I commit him ; But yet, alas, food I within his grace, I would prefer him to a better place. So farewel to you both. Reg. Prefcribe not us our duty. Gon. Let your ftudy Be to content your Lord, who hath receiv'd you At At fortune's alms; you have obedience scanted, Well may you profper! France. Come, my fair Cordelia. [Exeunt France and Cor. SCENE V. Gon. Sifter, it is not little I've to say, Of what most nearly appertains to us both; I think our father will go hence to-night. us. Reg. That's certain, and with you; next month with Gen. You fee how full of changes his age is, the obfervation we have made of it hath not been little; he always lov'd our fifter moft, and with what poor judgment he hath now caft her off, appears too grofly. Reg. 'Tis the infirmity of his age; yet he hath ever but flenderly known himself. Gon. The beft and foundeft of his time hath been but rash; then must we look from his age to receive not alone the imperfections of long-engrafted conditions, but therewithal the unruly waywardnefs, that infirm and cholerick years bring with them. Reg. Such unconftant starts are we like to have from him, as this of Kent's banifhment. Gon. There is further compliment of leave-taking between Burgundy and him; pray you, let us fit together: if our father carrry authority, with fuch difpofition as he bears, this last surrender of his will but offend us. Reg. We fhall further think of it. Gon. We must do fomething, and i'th' heat. [Exeunti A Caftle belonging to the Earl of Glo'fter. Baft. Thou, Nature, art my Goddess, to thy law Stand to the plague of custom, and permit The courtesy of nations to deprive me, For that I am fome twelve or fourteen moonshines VOL. IV. K Lag Lag of a brother? * and why baftard? bafe ?. More compofition and fierce quality, Got 'tween a-fleep and wake? Well then, good brother, SCENE VII. To him, Enter Glo'fter. Upon the gad! -Edmund, how now? what news? Baft. So please your Lordship, none. [Putting up the letter. Glo. Why fo earnestly seek you to put up that letter? Baft. I know no news, my Lord. Glo. What paper were you reading? Baft. Nothing, my Lord. Glo. No! what needed then that terrible dispatch of it into your pocket? the quality of nothing hath not fuch * Edmund is here inveighing against the tyranny of custom, of which he produces two diftinét inftances, one with refpect to younger brothers, the other with refpect to baftards. In the former he muft not be understood to mean himself though he fpeaks in the first perfon, but according to a common mode of fpeech to fuppofe the cafe his own, and as in his own Perfon to exclaim against the unreasonableness and injuftice of the thing: the argument thus becomes general implying more than is faid, namely, wherefore should I, or any man, &c. As the treading upon another's Heels is an expreffion ufed to fignify the being not far behind him; fo to see another means to come up to and be upon even ground with him. need |