King Lear (18 page)

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Authors: William Shakespeare

BOOK: King Lear
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Takes his arm

I’ll lead you to some
biding
236
.

GLOUCESTER
    Hearty thanks:

The bounty and the
benison
238
of heaven

To boot, and boot
239
.

Enter Steward [Oswald]

OSWALD
    A
proclaimed prize
! Most
happy
240
!

That eyeless head of thine was first
framed flesh
241

To raise my fortunes. Thou old unhappy traitor,

Draws

Briefly
thyself remember
243
: the sword is out

That must destroy thee.

GLOUCESTER
    Now let thy friendly hand

Edgar interposes

Put strength enough to’t.

OSWALD
    Wherefore, bold peasant,

Darest thou support a
published
248
traitor? Hence,

Lest that th’infection of his fortune take

Like hold on thee. Let go his arm.

EDGAR
    
‘Chill
not let go, zir, without vurther ’casion
251
.

OSWALD
    Let go, slave, or thou diest!

EDGAR
    Good gentleman, go
your gait
253
, and let poor volk

pass.
An ’chud ha’ bin zwaggered out of my life, ’twould not
254

ha’ bin zo long as ’tis by a vortnight. Nay, come not near

th’old man: keep out,
che vor ye
, or
I’se
256
try whether your

costard
or my
ballow
257
be the harder. ’Chill be plain with you.

OSWALD
    Out, dunghill!

They fight

EDGAR
    ’Chill
pick
your teeth, zir: come, no matter vor your
foins
259
.

OSWALD
    Slave, thou hast slain me. Villain, take my purse:

If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body

And give the letters which thou find’st about me

To Edmund, Earl of Gloucester: seek him out

Upon the English
party
264
. O, untimely death! Death!

He dies

EDGAR
    I know thee well: a
serviceable
265
villain,

As duteous to the vices of thy mistress

As badness would desire.

GLOUCESTER
    What, is he dead?

EDGAR
    Sit you down, father: rest you.

Let’s see these pockets: the letters that he speaks of

May be my friends. He’s dead: I am only sorry

He had no other
deathsman
272
. Let us see.

Opens the letter

Leave
273
, gentle wax, and manners, blame us not:

To know our enemies’ minds we rip their hearts:

Their papers is more lawful.

Reads the letter

‘Let our reciprocal vows be remembered. You have many

opportunities to cut him off: if your
will
want not
277
, time and

place will be fruitfully offered. There is nothing
done
278
if he

return the conqueror: then am I the prisoner, and his bed my

jail, from the loathed warmth whereof deliver me, and

supply the place
for your labour
281
. Your — wife, so I would say

— affectionate
servant
282
, Goneril.’

O,
undistinguished space
of woman’s
will
283
!

A plot upon her virtuous husband’s life,

And the exchange my brother! Here in the sands

Thee I’ll rake up
, the
post unsanctified
286

Of murderous lechers: and
in the mature time
287

With this
ungracious
paper
strike
288
the sight

Of the
death-practised
289
duke: for him ’tis well

That of thy death and business I can tell.

GLOUCESTER
    The king is mad: how
stiff
291
is my vile sense,

That I stand up and have
ingenious
292
feeling

Of my huge sorrows. Better I were
distract
293
,

So should my thoughts be severed from my griefs,

Drum afar off

And woes by
wrong imaginations
295
lose

The knowledge of themselves.

EDGAR
    Give me your hand:

Far off, methinks, I hear the beaten drum.

Come, father, I’ll bestow you with a friend.

Exeunt

Act 4 Scene 6

running scene 17

Enter Cordelia, Kent and Gentleman

Kent still disguised

CORDELIA
    O thou good Kent, how shall I live and work

To match thy goodness? My life will be too short,

And
every measure fail me
3
.

KENT
    To be acknowledged, madam, is
o’erpaid
4
.

All my reports go with the modest truth
5
,

Nor more nor clipped
6
, but so.

CORDELIA
    Be better
suited
7
:

These
weeds
8
are memories of those worser hours,

I prithee put them off.

KENT
    Pardon, dear madam,

Yet to be known shortens my made intent
11
:

My boon I make it
, that you
know me not
12

Till time and I think
meet
13
.

CORDELIA
    Then be’t so, my good lord.— How does the king?

GENTLEMAN
    Madam, sleeps still.

CORDELIA
    O you kind gods,

Cure this great breach in his abusèd nature!

Th’untuned and jarring senses, O,
wind up
18

Of this
child-changèd
19
father!

GENTLEMAN
    So please your majesty

That we may wake the king: he hath slept long.

CORDELIA
    Be governed by your knowledge, and proceed

I’th’sway of your own will
. Is he
arrayed
23
?

Enter Lear in a chair carried by Servants

GENTLEMAN
    Ay, madam: in the heaviness of sleep

We put fresh garments on him.

Be by, good madam, when we do awake him:

I
doubt of
his
temperance
27
.

CORDELIA
    O my dear father! Restoration hang

Kisses him

Thy medicine on my lips and let this kiss

Repair those violent harms that my two sisters

Have in thy
reverence
31
made!

KENT
    Kind and dear princess!

CORDELIA
    
Had you
not been their father, these white
flakes
33

Did challenge
pity
of
34
them. Was this a face

To be opposed against the jarring winds?

Mine enemy’s dog though he had bit me

Should have stood that night against my fire,

And wast thou
fain
38
, poor father,

To hovel thee with swine and
rogues forlorn
39

In
short
40
and musty straw? Alack, alack!

’Tis wonder that thy life and wits
at once
41

Had not
concluded all
42
.— He wakes: speak to him.

GENTLEMAN
Madam, do you: ’tis fittest.

CORDELIA
How does my royal lord? How fares your majesty?

LEAR
    You do me wrong to take me out o’th’grave:

Thou art a soul in
bliss
46
, but I am bound

Upon a
wheel of fire
,
that
47
mine own tears

Do scald like molten lead.

CORDELIA
Sir, do you know me?

LEAR
    You are a spirit, I know: where did you die?

CORDELIA
Still, still, far
wide
51
!

GENTLEMAN
    He’s scarce awake: let him alone awhile.

LEAR
    Where have I been? Where am I? Fair daylight?

I am mightily
abused
54
. I should ev’n die with pity

To see another thus. I know not what to say.

I will not swear these are my hands. Let’s see:

I feel this pinprick.
Would I were assured
57

Of my condition!

Kneels?

CORDELIA
O, look upon me, sir,

And hold your hand in benediction o’er me:

You must not kneel.

Stops him from kneeling?

LEAR
    Pray, do not mock me:

I am a very foolish
fond
63
old man,

Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less,

And to deal plainly,

I fear I am not in my perfect mind.

Methinks I should know you and know this man,

Yet I am doubtful, for I am mainly ignorant

What place this is, and all the skill I have

Remembers not these garments, nor I know not

Where I did lodge last night. Do not laugh at me,

For, as I am a man, I think this lady

To be my child Cordelia.

CORDELIA
    And so I am, I am.

Weeps

LEAR
    Be your tears wet? Yes, faith. I pray, weep not:

If you have poison for me, I will drink it.

I know you do not love me, for your sisters

Have, as I do remember, done me wrong:

You have some cause, they have not.

CORDELIA
    No cause, no cause.

LEAR
    Am I in France?

KENT
    In your own kingdom, sir.

LEAR
    Do not abuse me.

GENTLEMAN
    Be comforted, good madam: the great
rage
84
,

You see, is killed in him. Desire him to go in:

Trouble him no more till
further settling
86
.

CORDELIA
    Will’t please your highness walk?

LEAR
    You must bear with me. Pray you now, forget and forgive:

I am old and foolish.

Exeunt

Act 5
Scene 1

running scene 18

Enter with
Drum and Colours
Edmund, Regan, Gentlemen and Soldiers

To a Gentleman

EDMUND
    
Know of
the duke if his
last purpose
1
hold,

Or whether
since
he is
advised
by
aught
2

To change the course: he’s full of alteration

And
self-reproving
: bring his
constant pleasure
4
.

[Exit Gentleman]

REGAN
    Our sister’s man is certainly
miscarried
5
.

EDMUND
    ’Tis to be
doubted
6
, madam.

REGAN
    Now, sweet lord,

You know the goodness I intend upon you:

Tell me but truly — but then speak the truth —

Do you not love my sister?

EDMUND
    In
honoured
11
love.

REGAN
    But have you never found my brother’s way

To the
forfended place
13
?

EDMUND
    No, by mine honour, madam.

REGAN
    
I never shall endure her
15
: dear my lord,

Be not
familiar
16
with her.

EDMUND
    Fear not. She and the duke her husband!

Enter with Drum and Colours Albany, Goneril, Soldiers

ALBANY
    Our very loving sister, well be-met.

Sir, this I heard: the king is come to his daughter,

With others whom the
rigour of our state
20

Forced to
cry out
21
.

REGAN
    
Why is this reasoned
22
?

GONERIL
    
Combine together
23
gainst the enemy,

For these
domestic and particular broils
24

Are not the question here.

ALBANY
    Let’s then determine

With
th’ancient of war
27
on our proceeding.

REGAN
    Sister, you’ll go with us?

GONERIL
    No.

REGAN
    ’Tis most
convenient
30
: pray, go with us.

Aside

GONERIL
    O, ho, I
know the riddle
31
.— I will go.

Exeunt both the armies. [Albany remains]

Enter Edgar

Disguised

EDGAR
    If e’er your grace had speech with man so poor,

Hear me one word.

ALBANY
    
I’ll overtake you
34
.— Speak.

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