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Enter Steward.

How now? where's the King?

Stew. My Lord of Glo'fter hath convey'd him hence
Some five or fix and thirty of his Knights,

Hot queftrifts after him, met him at gate;
Who with fome other of the Lords dependants,
Are gone with him tow'rd Dover; where they boaft
To have well-armed friends.

Corn. Get horfes for your mistress.

Gon. Farewel, fweet Lord, and fifter.

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[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.
Corn. Bind him, I fay.

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→
Glo. By the kind gods, 'tis moft ignobly done

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;
With robbers' hands, my hofpitable favours

You should not ruffle thus.

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What will you do?

Corn. Come, Sir, what letters had you late from France?
Reg. Be fimple anfwerer, for we know the truth.

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.

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Corn. Where haft thou fent the King?
Glo. To Dover.

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,.
And quench'd the ftelled fires; (18)

Yet poor old heart, he help'd the heav'ns to rain.
If wolves had at thy gate howl'd that ftern time,
Thou shouldft have faid, " go, porter, turn the key;"
All cruels elfe fubfcrib'd; but I fhall fee

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.
Corn. If you fee vengeance-

Serv. Hold your hand, my Lord :

I've ferv'd you, ever fince I was a child:
But better fervice have I never done you,
Than now to bid you hold.

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,
Women will all turn monfters.

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.

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SCENE, an open Country.

Enter EDG a r.

ET better thus, and known to be contemn'd,
Than ftill contemn'd and flatter'd.

To be worst,
The lowest, moft dejected thing of fortune,
Stands ftill in efperance; lives not in fear.
The lamentable change is from the best;
The worst returns to laughter. Welcome then,
Thou unfubftantial air, that I embrace!

The wretch, that thou haft blown unto the worst,
Owes nothing to thy blafts.

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)
But that thy ftrange mutations make us wait thee,
Life would not yield to age.

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 :
I stumbled when I faw. Full oft 'tis seen,

Our mean fecures us; and our mere defects
Prove our commodities.-

-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

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