Must be a faith, that reafon without miracle
Should never plant in me.

Cor. I yet befeech your Majefty,

(If, for I want that glib and oily art,

To fpeak and purpofe not; fince what I well intend,
I'll do't before I fpeak,) that you make known
It is no vicious blot, murther, or foulness,
No unchafte action, or difhonour'd step,

That hath depriv'd me of your grace and favour ::
But ev'n for want of that, for which I'm richer,
A ftill folliciting eye, and fuch a tongue,

That I am glad I've not; though, not to have it,
Hath loft me in your liking.

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,
What fay you to the lady? love's not love,
When it is mingled with regards, that stand

Aloof from th' intire point. Say, will you have her?
She is her felf a dowry.

Bur. Royal King,

Give but that portion which your felf propos'd,

And here I take Cordelia by the hand,

Dutchefs of Burgundy.

Lear. Nothing: I've fworn.

Bur. I'm forry then, you have fo loft a father,

That you muft lofe a husband.

Cor. Peace be with Burgundy,

Since that refpects of fortune are his love,

I fhall not be his wife.

France. Fairest Cordelia, that art moft rich, being

poor,

Moft choice, forfaken; and moft lov'd, defpis'd!
Thee and thy virtues here I feize upon :

Be't lawful, I take up what's caft away.

Gods, Gods! 'tis ftrange, that from their cold'ft neglect My love fhould kindle to enflam'd refpect.

Thy dow'rless daughter, King, thrown to my chance,

Is Queen of us, of ours, and our fair France::
Not all the Dukes of wat'rish Burgundy
Can buy this unpriz'd, precious, maid of me.
Bid them farewel, Cordelia, tho' unkind;

Thou lofelt here, a better where to find.

Lear. Thou haft her, France; let her be thine, for we: Have no fuch daughter;. nor shall ever fee That face of hers again; therefore be gone Without our g grace, our love, our benizon: Come, noble Burgundy.

[Flourish. Exeunt Lear and Burgundy..

France. Bid farewel to your fifters.

Cor. Ye jewels of our father, with wafh'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 flood 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 fortune's alms; you have obedience scanted,

And well are worth the Want that you have wanted. (2) Cor. Time fhall unfold what plaited cunning hides, Who covers faults, at laft with fhame derides..

Well

may you profper!

France. Come, my fair Cordelia.

[Exeunt France and Cor Gon. Sifter, it is not little. I've to say,, Of what moft nearly appertains to us both; I think, our father will go hence to night.

(2) And well are worth the Want that you have wanted.] This is a very obfcure Expreffion, and must be piec'd out with an implied Senfe, to be understood. This I take to be the Poet's Meaning, ftript of the Jingle which makes it dark

the

deferve to meet with that Want of Love from your Husband, which you have profefs'd to want for our "Father."

Reg

Reg. That's certain, and with you; next month with us.

Gon. 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 grossly.

Reg. 'Tis the infirmity of his age; yet he hath ever but flenderly known himself.

Gon. The beft and foundest of his time hath been but rash; then must we look, from his age, to receive not alone the imperfections of long-engrafted condition, but therewithal the unruly waywardnefs, that infirm and cholerick years bring with them.

Reg. Such unconftant ftarts are we like to have frem him, as this of Kent's banishment.

Gon. There is further complement of leave-taking between France and him; pray you, let us hit together: if our father carry authority with fuch difpofition as he bears, this laft furrender of his will but offend us.

Reg. We fhall further think of it.

Gon. We must do fomething, and i' th' heat. [Exeunt;

SCENE changes to a Caftle belonging to the - Earl of Glo'fter.

Edm.

Enter EDMUND, with a Letter.

My fervices are bound; wherefore fhould I

Stand in the plague of cuftom, and permit

The curtefie of nations to deprive me, (3)

For that I am fome twelve or fourteen moon-fhines

(3) The Nicety of Nations] This is Mr. Pope's Reading, ex Cathedra; for it has the Sanction of none of the Copies, that I have met with. They all, indeed, give it Us, by a foolish Corruption, -the Curiofity of Nations; but I fome time ago prov'd, that our Author's Word was, Curtefie. Nor must we forget that Tenure in our Laws, whereby fome Lands are held by the Curtefie of England.

Lag

קיר

Lag of a brother? Why baftard? wherefore base?
When my dimenfions are as well compact,
My mind as gen'rous, and my fhape as true,
As honeft Madam's iffue? why brand they us
With bafe? with bafenefs? baftardy? base, base.
Who, in the lufty ftealth of nature, take
More compofition and fierce quality;
Than doth, within a dull, ftale, tired bed,
Go to creating a whole tribe of fops,
Got 'tween a-fleep and wake? Well then,
Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land;
Our father's love is to the bastard Edmund,
As to th' legitimate; fine word legitimate
Well, my legitimate, if this letter fpeed,
And my invention thrive, Edmund the base
Shall be th' legitimate.I grow, I prosper;
Now, Gods, ftand up for baftards!

To him, Enter Glo'fter.

Glo. Kent banish'd thus! and France in choler parted! And the King gone to night! fubfcrib'd his pow'r! Confin'd to exhibition! all is gone

Upon the gad!

Edmund, how now? what news?

Edm. So please your lordship, none.

[Putting up the letter.

Glo. Why fo earneftly feek you to put up that letter? Edm. I know no news, my lord.

Gh. What paper were you reading?

Edm. Nothing, my lord.

Glo. No! what needed then that terrible dispatch of it into your pocket? the quality of nothing hath not fuch need to hide it felf. Let's fee; come, if it be nothing, I fhall not need fpectacles.

Edm. I befeech you, Sir, pardon me, it is a letter from my brother, that I have not all o'er-read; and for fo much as I have perus'd, I find it not fit for your overlooking.

Glo. Give me the letter, Sir. Edm. I shall offend, either to detain, or give it; the contents, as in part I understand them, are to blame.

Glo

Glb. Let's fee, let's fee.

Edm. I hope, for my brother's juftification, he wrote this but as an effay, or tafte of my virtue.

Glo. [reads.] This policy and reverence of ages makes the world bitter to the best of our times; keeps our fortunes from us, 'till our oldness cannot relish them. Fbegin to find an idle and fond bondage in the oppreffion of aged tyranny; which ways, not as it hath power, but as it is fuffered. Come to me, that of this I may speak more. If our father would fleep, till I wak'd him, you should enjoy half his revenue for ever, and live the beloved of your brother Edgar. Hum Confpiracy! fleep, you should enjoy half his revenue My fon Edgar! had he a hand to write this! a heart and brain to breed it in! When came this to you? who brought it?

'till I wake him

Edm. It was not brought me, my lord; there's the cunning of it. I found it thrown in. at the cafement of my clofet.

Glo. You know the character to be your brother's ? Edm. If the matter were good, my lord, I durft fwear, it were his; but in refpect of that, I would fain think, it were not.

Glo. It is his.

Edm. It is his hand, my lord, I hope, his heart is

not in the contents.

Glo. Has he never before founded you in this bufinefs? Edm. Never, my lord. But I have heard him oft maintain it to be fit, that fons at perfect age, and fathers declining, the father should be as a ward to the fon, and the fon manage his revenue.

Glo. O villain, villain! his very opinion in the letter. Abhorred villain! unnatural, detefted, brutish villain! worse than brutish! Go, firrah, feek him; I'll apprehend him. Abominable villain! where is he?

Edm. I do not well know, my lord; if it shall pleafe you to fufpend your indignation against my brother, 'till you can derive from him better teftimony of his intent, you should run a certain courfe; where, if you violently proceed against him, miftaking his purpofe, it would

make