Is on the life of Lear, and on Cordelia.

Nay, send in time.
Alb.

-

Run, run! O,

run!

Edg. To whom, my lord? - Who has the office? send

Thy token of reprieve.

Edm. Well thought on: take my sword,

Give it the captain.

Alb.

Haste thee, for thy life.

[Exit EDGAR.

Edm. He hath commission from thy wife and me

To hang Cordelia in the prison, and

To lay the blame upon her own despair,

That she fordid herself.

Alb. The gods defend her! Bear him hence awhile.

[EDMUND is borne off.

Enter LEAR, with CORDELIA dead in his Arms; Edgar,
Officer, and Others.

Lear. Howl, howl, howl, howl!

stones;

O! you are men of

Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so
That heaven's vault should crack. She's gone for ever.
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 liyes! if it be so, It is a chance which does redeem all sorrows

That ever I have felt.

Kent.

O, my good master!

[Kneeling.

Lear. Pr'ythee, away.

'T is noble Kent, your friend.

Edg.

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.
Kent.

Are you not 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 man
Lear. I'll see that straight.

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

Lear.

Kent. Nor no man else.

You are welcome hither.

All's cheerless, dark, and deadly:

Your eldest daughters have fordone themselves,

And desperately are dead.

Lear.

Ay, so I think.

Alb. He knows not what he says; and vain is it,

That we present us to him.

You lords, and noble friends, know our intent.
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.

Look up, my lord.

Kent. Break, heart; I pr'ythee, break!

Edg.

Kent. Vex not his ghost: O! let him pass: he hates him, That would upon the rack of this tough world

Stretch him out longer.

Edg.

He is gone, indeed.

Kent. The wonder is, he hath endur'd so long:

He but usurp'd his life.

Alb. Bear them from hence. Our present business
Friends of my soul, you twain

Is general woe.

[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.

OTHELL 0,

THE MOOR OF VENICE

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

Duke of Venice.
BRABANTIO, a Senator.
Two other Senators.
GRATIANO, Brother to Brabantio.
LODOVICO, Kinsman to Brabantio.
OTHELLO, the Moor.
CASSIO, his Lieutenant.
IAGO, his Ancient.

RODERIGO, a Venetian Gentleman.

MONTANO, Governor of Cyprus.
Clown, Servant to Othello.
Herald.

DESDEMONA, Daughter to Bra-
bantio, and Wife to Othello.
EMILIA, Wife to Iago.
BIANCA, Mistress to Cassio.

Officers, Gentlemen, Messengers, Musicians, Sailors, Attendants, &c.

SCENE, for the first Act, in Venice; during the rest of the Play, at a Sea-Port in Cyprus.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Venice. A Street.

Enter RODERIGO and IAGO.

Rod. Tush! never tell me, I take it much unkindly,

That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse,

As if the strings were thine, should'st know of this.
Iago. 'Sblood, but you will not hear me :

If ever I did dream of such a matter, abhor me.

Rod. Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.
Iago. Despise me, if I do not.

Three great ones of the city,

In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,