King Lear (18 page)

I’ll lead you to some
biding
²³⁶
.

GLOUCESTER
    Hearty thanks:

The bounty and the
benison
²³⁸
of heaven

To boot, and boot
²³⁹
.

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

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!

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.

‘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,

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.

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
?

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!

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.

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
.

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!

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.

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

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

Hear me one word.

ALBANY
    
I’ll overtake you
³⁴
.— Speak.