Reg. Lady, I am not well; elfe I should anfwer" traitor, let him appear by the third found of the From a full-flowing ftomach.-General, Take thou my foldiers, prifoners, patrimony; Gon. Mean you to enjoy him? Alb. The let alone lies not in your good will 5. Alb. Half-blooded fellow, yes. Reg. Let the drum strike, and prove my title thine. [thee Alb. Stay yet; hear reafon :-Edmund, I arrest On capital treafon; and, in thy arrest, [Pointing to Goneril. This gilded ferpent:-for your claim, fair fister, I bar it in the intereft of my wife; 'Tis fhe is fub-contracted to this lord, And I, her husband, contradict your banes. If you will marry, make your love to me, My lady is bespoke. Gon. An interlude ! "trumpet: He is bold in his defence." [1 trumpet. [2 trumpet. [3 trumpet. [Trumpet anfwers, within. Enter Edgar, armed. Alb. Afk him his purposes, why he appears Upon this call o' the trumpet. Her. What are you? Edg. What's he, that fpeaks for Edmund earl That, if my fpeech offend a noble heart, Alb. Thou art arm'd, Glofter :-Let the trum- Behold, it is the privilege 6 of mine honours, My oath, and my profeffion :-1 protest,—— Thou lieft. Edm. In wisdom, I should ask thy name; 1 Commiffion, for authority. 2 Immediacy implies fupremacy, in oppofition to fubordination. 3 Grace here means accomplishments, or honours. 4 A metaphorical phrate taken from the camp, and fignitying, to furrender at difcretion. 5 Whether he thall not or fhall, depends not on your choice. The charge he is here going to bring against the Baftard, he calls the privilege, &c. to understand which phraseology, we muft confider that the old rites of knighthood are here alluded to; whole oath and profeflion required him to difcover all treasons, and whole privilege it was to have his challenge accepted, or otherwife to have his charge taken pro confejl. For if one who was no knight accufed another who was, that other was under no obligation to accept the challenge. On this account it was neceffary, as Edgar came disguised, to tell the Baftard he was a kuight. for clay, fome fhew or probability, By rule of knighthood, I difdain and spurn: Alb. Save him, fave him! Alb. Shut your mouth, dame, : Or with this paper fhall I ftop it :--Hold, fir :- Alb. Monster, know'ft thou this paper? Told him my pilgrimage: But his flaw'd heart, - Edm. This fpeech of yours hath mov'd me, Alb. If there be more, more woeful, hold it in ; Edg. This would have feem'd a period Whilft I was big in clamour, came there in a man, And more, much more: the time will bring it out; And there I left him tranc’d. That haft this fortune on me? If thou art noble, Edg. Let us exchange charity. I am no lefs in blood than thou art, Edmund; The dark and vicious place where thee he got, Edm. Thou haft fpoken right, 'tis true; Did hate thee, or thy father! Edg. Worthy prince, I know it. How have you known the miferies of your father? And, when 'tis told, O, that my heart would burst !- That follow'd me so near, (O our lives' sweetness! Alb. But who was this? Edg. Kent, fir, the banith'd Kent; who in difguife Enter a Gentleman baftily, with a bloody knife. Edg. What kind of help ? Alb. Speak, man. Edg. What means this bloody knife? Gent. 'Tis hot, it fmoaks; It came even from the heart of -O! fhe's dead' Gent. Your lady, fir, your lady: and her fater Edm. 1 was contracted to them both; all three Now marry in an instant. Enter Kent. Alb. Produce the bodies, be they alive or dead [Goneril and Regan's bodies brought out. This judgment of the heavens, that makes us tremble, Touches us not with pity.Edg. Here comes Kent, fir. Alb. O is this he? The time will not allow The compliment which very manners urge. Kent. I am come To bid my king and master aye good night; Is he not here ? Alb. Great thing of us forgot !- See'ft thou this object, Kent? Kent. Alack, why thus ? Edm. Yet Edmund was belov'd: 1 The fenfe may probably be this: This would have feemed a period to fuch as love not for ow; but,— another, i. e. but I must add another, i. e. another period, another kind of conclufion to my ftory, fuch as will incrcafe the horror, of what has been already told. AB. Alb. The gods defend her! Bear him hence Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them fo for ever! gone I know when one is dead, and when one lives; Kent. Is this the promis'd end? Lear. This feather ftirs; the lives! if it be fo, Kent. O my good master! Lear. Pr'ythee, away. Edg. 'Tis noble Kent, your friend. Lear. He's a good fellow, I can tell you that; He'll itrike, and quickly too :--He's dead and rotten. Kent. No, my good lord; I am the very man ;- Lear. You are welcome hither. [and deadly. Lear. Ay, fo I think. Alb. He knows not what he fays; and vain it is Enter a Melenger. Mef. Edmund is dead, my lord. Alb. That 's but a trifle here. You lords, and noble friends, know our intent. [life. To him our abfolute power :-You, to your right [Kneeling. Look there, look there! Lear. A plague upon you, murderers, traitors all! What is't thou fay'st ?—Her voice was ever foft, Gent. 'Tis true, my lords, he did. [chion I have seen the day, with my good biting faul- Kent. If fortune brag of two she lov'd and hated, Lear. This is a dull fight: Are you not Kent? Where is your fervant Caius ? Edg. He faints;-My lord, my lord,- [He dies. [hates him, Kent. Vex not his ghoft: O, let him pafs! he That would upon the rack of this tough 9 world Stretch him out longer, Edg. O, he is gone, indeed. Kent. The wonder is, he hath endur'd so long: Alb. Bear them from hence.--Our present business Kent. I have a journey, fir, fhortly to go; Alb. The weight of this fad time we must obey; To fordo fignifies to deftroy. 2 Mr. Steevens affixes the following meaning to this exclamation of Albany: "He is looking with attention on the pains employed by Lear to recover his child, and knows to what miferies he muft furvive, when he finds them to be ineffectual. Having thefe images prefent to his eyes and imagination, he cries out, Rather fall, and ceafe to be, at once, than continue in exiflence only to be wretched." 3 Decay for misfortunes. 4 That is, have anticipated their own doom. 5i. c. to this piece of decay'd royalty, this ruin'd majefly. 6 With advantage, with increase. 7 Mr. Steevens remarks, that this is an expreffion of tendeincis for his dead Cordelia, (not his fool, as fome have thought) on whofe lips he is still intent, and dies away while he is fearching for life there. The Rev. Dr. J. Warton judicioully oblerves, that the fwelling and heaving of the heart is defcribed by this mott expreflive circumftance. 9 i. e. this obdurate, rigid world. Q 9 3 ROME Q MERCUTIO, BENVOLIO, } Friends of Romeo. TYBALT, Kinfman to Capulet. a old Man, bis Coufin. Friar LAWRENCE, a Francifcan. ABRAM, Servant to Montague. PETER. Lady MONTAGUE, Wife to Montague. JULIET, Daughter to Capulet, in love with Romeo. CHORUS, Page, Boy to Paris, an Officer, an Apothecary. Citizens of Verona, feveral Men and Women, Relations to both Houfes; Mafkers, Guards, Watch and ̧ other Attendants. The SCENE, in the beginning of the fifth Act, is in Mantua; during all the rest of the Play, at Verona. Two PRO L "O hryfolds, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our fcene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil bands unclean. From forth the fatal hins of thefe tvo foes A pair of far-croft lovers take their life; Whef midventud piteous overthrows Do, with their death, bury their parents' frife. OGUE. The fearful paffage of their death-mark'd love, SCENE I. A STREET. ACTI. Sam. A dog of the house of Montague moves me. Greg. To move, is-to ftir; and to be valiant, is-to ftand to it: therefore, if thou art mov'd, thou runn'ft away. Sam. A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's. Greg. That fhews thee a weak flave; for the weakeft goes to the wall. Sam. True; and therefore women, being the weaker veffels, are ever thrust to the wall: therefore 1 will pufh Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall. I The ftory on which this play is founded, is related as a true one in Girolamo de la Corte's History of Verona, and was well known to the English poets before the time of Shakspeare. burton obferves, that this was a phrase formerly in ufe to fignify the bearing injuries, Q ૧ ૧ ૧ 2 Dr. War Greg. |