My father hath fet guard to take my brother,
And I have one thing of a queazy question
Which I must adt: briefness, and fortune work!
Brother, a word; descend ; Brother, I say;

To him, Enter Edgar.
My father watches; O Sir, fy this place,
Intelligence is giv’n where you are hid;
You've now the good advantage of the night-
Have you not spoken 'gainst the Duke of Cornwall ?
He's coming hither, now i' th' night, i'th' hafte,
And Regan with him ; have you nothing said
Upon his Party 'gainf the Duke of Albany?
Advise yourself.

Edg. I'm sure on't, not a word.

Edm. I hear my father coming. Pardon meIn cunning, I must draw my sword upon you Draw, seem to defend yourself. Now quit you wellYield come before my father-light hoa, here! Fly, brother-Torches !--so farewel [Ex. Edg. Some blood, drawn on me, would beget opinion.

[Wounds his arm.
Of my more fierce endeavour. I've seen drunkards
Do more than this in fport. Father! father!
Stop, stop, no help?

To him, Enter Glo'fter, and servants with torches.
Gl. Now, Edmund, where's the villain?

Edm. Here ftood he in the dark, his sharp sword out,
Mumbling of wicked charms, conj'ring the moon
To stand 's auspicious mistress.

Glo. But where is he?
Edm. Look, Sir, I bleed.
Glo. Where is the villain, Edmund ?
Edm. Fled this way, Sir, when by no means he couldia.
Glo. Pursue him, ho! go after. By no means, what

Edm. Persuade me to the murder of your lordship; But that, I told him, the revenging Gods 'Gainst Parricides did all the thunder bend,

Spoke

Spoke with how manifold and strong a bond
The child was bound to th' father. -Sir, in fine,
Seeing how lothly opposite I stood
To his unnat'ral purpose, in fell motion
With his prepared (word he charges home
My unprovided body, lanc'd my arm;
And when he saw my beft alarmed spirits,
Bold in the quarrel's right, rous'd to th' encounter,
Or whether gafted by the poife I made,
Full suddenly he fled.

Glo. Let him fly far;
Not in this land shall he remain uncaught
And found; dispatch-the noble Duke my mafler,
My worthy and arch.patron, comes to-night; (13)
By his authority I will proclaim it,
That he, which finds him, shall deserve our thanks,
Bringing the murd'rous coward to the stake:
He that conceals him, death,

Edm. When I dissuaded him from his intent,
And found him pight to do it, with curft speech
I threaten'd to discover him; he replied,
Thou unpoffesling Bastard ! do'st thou think,
If I would stand against thee, would the reporal
Of any trust, virtue, or worth in thee
Make thy words faith'd ? no; what I should deny,
(As this I would, although thou did'it produce
My very character) I'd turn it all
To thy suggestion, plot, and damned practices
And thou must make a dullard of the world,
If they not thought the profits of my death
Were very pregnant and potential spurs
To make thee feek it.

[Trumpets withini Glo. O ftrange, faften'd, villain ! Would he deny his letter? -I never got him.

(13) My wortby arch and patron. ) I can meet with no authority of this word used in this manner, to signify, my prince, my chief; but always as an epitatic particle prefix'd and annex'd to another noun : and therefore I have ventur’d to suppose a transposition of the copula, tive, and that we ought to read, arcb-patron, as arch-duke, arch-angel, arcb-bishop, &c.

Harkg

Hark, the Duke's trumpets! I know not why he comes--
All Ports I'll bar; the villain shall not 'scape ;
The Duke must grant me that; besides, his picture
I will send far and near, that all the Kingdom
May have due note of him; and of my land,
(Loyal and natural Boy !) I'll work the means
To make thee capable.

Enter Cornwall, Regan, and Attendants.
Corn. How now, my noble friend? since I came hither,
Which I can call but now, I have heard strange news,
Reg. If it be true, all

vengeance comes too short, Which can pursue th' offender; how does my

lord ? Glo. O Madam, my old heart is crack'd, it's crack’d.

Reg. What, did my father's godson seek your life? He whom my father nam'd, your Edgar?

Glo. O lady, lady, Shame would have it hid. Reg. Was he not companion with the riotous Knights, That tend upon my father ?

Glo. I know not, Madam : 'tis too bad, too bad.
Edm. Yes, Madam, he was of that confort.
Reg. No marvel then, though he were ill affected;
'Tis they have put him on the old man's death,
To have th' expence and waste of his revenues.
I have this present evening from my fifter
Been well inform'd of them; and with such cautions,
That if they come to sojourn at my house,
I'll not be there.

Corn. Nor 1, afsure thee, Regan;
Edmund, I hear, that you have fhewn your father
A child-like office.

Edm. 'Twas my duty, Sir.

Glo. He did bewray his practice, and receiv'd
This hurt you see, striving to apprehend him.

Corn. Is he pursued ?
G... Ay, my good lord.

Corn. If he be taken, he shall never more
Be fear'd of doing harm : make your own purpose,
How in my strength you please. As for you, Edmund,
Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant

So

So much commend itself, you shall be ours ;
Natures of such deep Trust we shall much need;
You we first seize on.

Edm. I shall serve you, Sir,
Truly, however else.
Glo. I thank

your

Grace.
Corn. You know not why we came to visit you-

Reg. Thus out of season threading dark-ey’dnight; (14)
Occasions, noble Glofter, of some prize,
Wherein we must have use of

your

advice.
Our father he hath writ, so hath our filter,
Of diff'rences, which I best thought it fit
To answer from our home: the sev'ral messengers
From hence attend dispatch. Our good old friend,
Lay comforis to your bofom ; and bestow
Your needful counsel to our businesses,
Which crave the instant use.

Glo. I serve you, Madam :
Your Graces are right welcome.

[Exeunt. Enter Kent, and Steward, severally. Siew. Good evening to thee, friend; art of this house? Kent. Ay. Stew. Where may we set our horses ? Kent. I'th' mire. Stew. Pr’ythee, if thou lov'it me, tell me. Kent. I love thee not. Stew. Why then I care not for thee.

Kent. If I had thee in Lipfoury pinfold, I would make thee care for me.

Stew. Why doft thou use me thus? I know thee not. Kent. Fellow, I know thee, Stew. What doft thou know me for ? (14) -threading dark-ey'd nigbe.) I have not ventur'd to displace this reading, tho' I have great suspicion that the poet wrote,

treading dark-ey'd night. lie. travelling in it. The other carries too obscure, and mean an allufion. It must either be borrow'd from the cant-phrase of threading of alleys, i. e. going thro' bye-passages to avoid the high streets; or to tbreading a needle in the dark.

Kent.

Kent. A knave, a rascal, an eater of broken meats, a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hun. dred-pound, filthy worsted-stocking knave; a lilly-liver'd, action-taking, knave; a whorson, glafs-gazing, superserviceable finical rogue; one-trunk-inheriting flave; one that would'st be a bawd in way of good fervice; and art nothing but the composition of a knave, beggar, coward, pander, and the son and heir of a mungril bitch ; one whom I will beat into clam'rous whining, if thou deny'st the leaft syllable of thy addition.

Stew. Why, what a monstrous fellow art thou, thus to rail on one, that is neither known of thee, nor knowsthee?

Kent. What a brazen-fac'd varlet art thou, to deny thou know'st me? is it two days ago, since I tript up thy heels, and beat thee before the King! draw, you rogue; for tho' it be night, yet the moon shines ; I'll make a sop o'th' moonshine of you; you whorson, culo lionly, barber-monger, draw. [Drawing his sword.

Stew. Away, I have nothing to do with thee.

Kent. Draw, you rascal; you come with letters against the King; and take Vanity, the Puppet's part, against the royalty of her father; draw, you rogue, or I'll fo carbonado your fhanks-draw, you rascal, come your ways.

Stew. Help, ho! murder ! help!

Kent. Strike, you slave; ftand, rogue, ftand, you neat flave, strike.

[Beating him. Stew. Help ho! murder! murder ! Enter Edmund, Cornwall, Regan, Glo'ster, and Servantsi

Edm. How now, what's the matter? PartKent. With you, goodman boy, if you please; come; I'll flesh ye; come on, young master.

Glo. Weapons ? arms? what's the matter here?

Corn. Keep peace, upon your lives; he dies, that itrikes again; what's the matter?

Reg. The messengers from our fiffer and the King ? Corn. What is your difference? speak.

Stewige