Enter Steward. How now? where's the King? Stew. My Lord of Glo'fter hath convey'd him hence Hot queftrifts after him, met him at gate; Corn. Get horfes for your mistress. Gon. Farewel, fweet Lord, and fifter. [Exeunt Gon. and Edm. Corn. Edmund, farewel:-go feek the traitor Glo'fter; Pinion him like a thief, bring him before us: Though well we may not pass upon his life Without the form of juftice; yet our pow'r Shall do a curt'fy to our wrath, which men May blame, but not controll. Enter Glo'fter, brought in by Servants. Who's there? the traitor? Reg. Ungrateful fox! 'tis he. Corn. Bind faft his corky arms. Glo. What mean your Graces? Good my friends, confider, You are my guefts: Do me no foul play, friends. Reg. Hard, hard! O filthy traitor! [They bind him. Glo. Unmerciful lady as you are! I'm none. Corn. To this chair bind him. Villain, thou shalt find→ To pluck me by the beard. Reg. So white, and fuch a traitor ? Glo. Naughty lady, Thefe hairs, which thou doft ravish from my chin, Will quicken and accufe thee; I'm your hoft; You should not ruffle thus. What will you do? Corn. Come, Sir, what letters had you late from France? Corn. Corn. And what confed'racy have you with the traitors, Late footed in the kingdom? Reg. To whofe hands Have you fent the lunatick King? fpeak. Glo. I have a letter gueffingly fet down, Which came from one that's of a neutral heart, And not from one oppos'd. Corn. Cunning Reg. And falfe. Corn. Where haft thou fent the King? Reg. Wherefore to Dover? Waft thou not charg'd at peril Corn. Wherefore to Dover ? let him firft answer that. Glo. I am ty'd to th' ftake, and I muft ftand the course. Reg. Wherefore to Dover? Glo. Because I would not fee thy cruel nails Pluck out his poor old eyes; nor thy fierce fifter In his anointed flesh ftick boarish phangs. The fea, with fuch a ftorm as his bare head In hell-black night indur'd, would have buoy'd up,. Yet poor old heart, he help'd the heav'ns to rain. The winged vengeance overtake fuch children, Corn. See't fhalt thou never. Fellows, hold the chair. Upon thefe eyes of thine I'll fet my foot. [Glo'fter is held down, while Cornwal treads cut one of his eyes. Glo. He, that will think to live 'till he be old, Give me fome help.-O cruel! O you gods! (8) And quench'd the fleeled fires.] The fagacious Editors have all blundered in this Word without the leaft Variation: It is indif putable that the Author must have wrote, And quench'd the ftelled fires. ie. the ftarry Fires an adjective coined from Stella. Reg. Reg. One fide will mock another; th' other too. Serv. Hold your hand, my Lord : I've ferv'd you, ever fince I was a child: Reg. How now, you dog? Serv. If you did wear a beard upon your chin, I'd shake it on this quarrel. What do you mean ? Corn. My villain! Serv. Nay then come on, and take the chance of anger, [Fight; in the Scuffle Cornwal is wounded. Reg. Give me thy fword. A peafant ftand up this? bin Kills him. *Serv. Oh, I am flain-my Lord, you have one eye left To see some mischief on him., OhCorn. Left it fee more, prevent it out, vile gelly: Where is thy luftre now? [Treads the other out. Glo. All dark and comfortless Edmund ? J [Dies. where's my fon Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature To quit this horrid act. Reg. Out, treacherous villain. Thou call'ft on him, that hates thee: It was ke, That made the overture of thy treasons to us: Who is too good to pity thee. Glo, O my follies! Then Edgar was abus'd, Kind gods, forgive Me that, and profper him! Reg. Go thruft him out At gates, and let him fmell his way to Dover. [Exit with Glo'fter. How is't, my Lord, how look you? Corn. I have receiv'd a hurt; follow me, lady.—. Turn out that eyelefs villain; throw this flave Upon the dunghil.-Regan, I bleed apace. Untimely comes this hart. Give me your arm. [Exit Cornwal led by Regan. ift. Serv ift. Serv. I'll never care what wickedness I do, (19) If this man come to good. zd. Serv. If the live long, And, in the end, meet the old course of death, 1ft. Serv. Let's follow the old Earl, and get the bedlam To lead him where he would; his roguish madness Allows itself to any thing.. 2d.Serv. Go thou; I'll fetch fome flax and whites of eggs T' apply to's bleeding face. Now, heaven help him! [Exeunt feverally. Y SCENE, an open Country. Enter EDG a r. ET better thus, and known to be contemn'd, To be worst, The wretch, that thou haft blown unto the worst, Enter Glo'fter, led by an old man. But who comes here ? (19) I'll never care what Wickedness I do,] This fhort Dialogue I have inferted from the old Quarto, because I think it full of Nature. Servants, in any Houfe, could hardly fee fuch a Barbarity com. mitted on their Mafter, without Reflection of Pity; and the Vengeance that they prefume muft overtake the Actors of it, is a Sentiment and Doctrine well worthy of the Stage. My My father poorly led? World, world, O world! (20) Old Man. O my good Lord, I have been your tenant, and your father's tenant, these fourscore years. Glo. Away, get thee away: good friend, be gone ; Thy comforts can do me no good at all, Thee they may, hurt. Old Man. You cannot fee your way. Glo. I have no way, and therefore want no eyes : Our mean fecures us; and our mere defects -O dear fon Edgar, my touch, The food of thy abused father's wrath; Might I but live to see thee in I'd fay, I had eyes again! Old Man. How now? who's there? Edg. O Gods! who is't can fay, I'm at the worft ? I'm worse, than e'er I was. Old Man. 'Tis poor mad Tom. Edg. And worfe I may be yet: the worst is not, So long as we can fay, this is the worst. Old Man. Fellow, where goeft? Glo. Is it a beggar-man? Old Man. Madman, and beggar too. Glo. He has fome reafon, elfe he could not beg. I'th' laft night's ftorm I fuch a fellow faw; Which made me think a man, a worm. My fon (20) -World, World, O World! But that thy frange Mutations make us hate thee,] The Reading of this Paffage, as it has thus flood in all the Editions, has been endeavoured to be explained feverally into a Meaning; but not fatisfactorily: Mr. Pope's mock-reafoning upon it has already been rallied in Print, fo I fortear to revive it: and the Gentleman, who then advanced a Comment of his own upon the, Paffage, has fince come over to my Emendation. My Explanation of the Poet's Sentiment was, "If "the Number of Changes and Viciffitudes, which happen in Life, "did not make us wait, and hope for fome Turn of Fortune for "the better, we could never fupport the Thought of living to be "old, on any other Terms." And our Duty, as human Creatures, is piously inculcated in this Reflexion of the Author, Came |