Gon. This is mere practice, Gloster: By the law of arms, thou waft not bound to anfwer An unknown oppofite; thou art not vanquifi'd, But cozen'd and beguil'd. Alb. Shut your mouth, dame, Or with this paper shall I stop it:-Hold, fir Thou worse than any name, read thine own evil:No tearing, lady; I perceive, you know it. [Gives the letter to Edmund. • Gon. Say, if I do; the laws are mine, not thine: Who fhall arraign me for 't? Alb. Monster, know'ft thou this paper? Gon. Afk me not what I know. [Exit Gon. Alb. Go after her; she's defperate; govern her. Edm. What you have charg'd me with, that I have done; And more, much more: the time will bring it out; Edg. Let us exchange charity. I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund; The dark and vicious place where thee he got, Edm. Thou hast spoken right, "tis true; Did hate thee, or thy father! Edg. Worthy prince, I know it. Alb. Where have you hid yourself? Told him my pilgrimage: But his flaw'd heart, Edm. This speech of yours hath mov'd me, And shall, perchance, do good: but ípeak you on: You look as you had fomething more to tay. Alb. If there be more, more woeful, hold ith: For I am almost ready to difiolve, Hearing of this. Edg. This would have seem'd a period Whilft I was big in clamour, came there in a man, Alb. Produce the bodies, be they alive or dead[Goneril and Regan's bodie brong How have you known the miferies of your father? This judgment of the heavens, that makes Edg. By nurfing them, my lord. Litt a brief tale; And, when 'tis told, O, that my heart would burft!- That follow'd me fo near, (O our lives' sweetness! Their precious stones new loft; became his guide, tremble, Touches us not with pity. Edg. Here comes Kent, fir. Alb. O! is this he? The time will not allow The compliment which very manners urge. To bid my king and mafter aye good night; Alb. Great thing of us forget! Cordelia? See'ft thou this object, Kent? Kent. Alack, why thus? Edm. Yet Edmund was belov'd: The one the other poison'd for my fake, And after flew herfelf. The fenfe may probably be this: This would have feemed a period to fuch as leve not farrow: Fanother, i. e. but I must add another, i. e. another period, another kind of concluion to my Bam. fuch as will increase the horrors of what has been already told. ! Alb. Even fo. Cover their faces. Jear. He's a good fellow, I can tell you that; Fdm. I pant for life: -Some good I mean to do, He'll strike, and quickly too: He's dead and Defpight of mine own nature. Quickly fend, Edg. Hafte thee for thy life. [Exit Mefferger. Alb. The gods defend her! Bear him hence Enter Lear, with Cordelia dead in bis arms. Lear. Howl, howl, howl, howl! -O, you are men of stones; Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them fo That heaven's vault should crack:-O, the is gone for ever! I know when one is dead, and when one lives; She's dead as earth :-Lend me a looking-glats; If that her breath will mitt or Rain the ftone, Why, then the lives. Kent. Is this the promis'd end? Edg. Or image of that horror? Alb. Fall, and ceafe2! Lear. This feather ftirs; the lives! if it be fo, It is a chance that does redeem all forrows Kent. O my good master! Lear. Pr'ythee, away. Alb. He knows not what he says; and vain it is That we present us to him. Enter a Messenger. Mof. Edmund is dead, my lord. Alb. That 's but a trifle here. You lords, and noble friends, know our intent. The cup of their defervings.-O, fee, see! [life. [Kneeling. Look there, look there! Edg. He faints; -My lord, my lord, Kent. Break, heart; I pr'ythee, break! Edg. Look up, my lord. [hates him, Kent. Vex not his ghoft: O, let him pass! he Edz. 'Tis noble Kent, your friend. Lear. A plague upon you, murderers, traitors all! I might have fav'd her; now the's gone for ever! Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little. Ha! That would upon the rack of this tough 9 world What is't thou fay'st-Her voice was ever foft, Stretch him out longer. Gentle, and low; an excellent thing in woman: I kill'd the flave that was a hanging thee. Gent. 'Tis true, my lords, he did. [chion I have feen the day, with my good biting faulI would have made them skip: I am old now, And these fame croffes fpoil me.-Who are you? Mine eyes are none o' the best :-I'll tell you ftraight. Kent. If fortune brag of two the lov'd and hated, One of them we behold. Lear. This is a dull fight: Are you not Kent? Where is your fervant Caius? Alb. Bear them from hence.--Our present business Is general woe. Friends of my foul, you twain [To Kent, and Edgar. Rule in this realm, and the gor'd ftate fustain. Alb. The weight of this fad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to fay. The oldest hath borne moit: we that are young, Shall never fee fo much, nor live fo long. [Exeunt, with a dead march. • To fordo fignifies to destroy, 2 Mr. Steevens affixes the following meaning to this exclamation of Albany: "He is looking with attention on the pains employed by Lear to recover his child, and knows to what miferies he mutt furvive, when he finds them to be ineffectual. Having these images present to his eyes and imagination, he cries out, Rather fall, and coafe to be, at once, than continue in existence only to be wretched." 3 Decay for misfortunes. 4 That is, have anticipated their own doom. 5 i. e, to this piece of decay'd royalty, this ruin'd majesty. 6 With advantage, with increase. 7 Mr. Steevens remarks, that this is an expreffion of tenderness for his dead Cordelia, (not his fool, as forme have thought) on whose lips he is still intent, and dies away while he is searching for life there. 8 The Rev. Dr. J. Warton judicioufly obferves, that the fwelling and heaving of the heart is defcribed by this most expressive circumftance, 9 i. e. this obdurate, rigid world, : CHORUS, Page, Boy to Paris, an Officer, an Apothecary. Citizens of Verona, feveral Men and Women, Relations to both Houses; Maskers, Guards, Watch and other Attendants. The SCENE, in the beginning of the fifth Act, is in Mantua; during all the rest of the Play, at Verona. PROL TWO boybo'ds, both alike in dignity, Da, with their death, bury their parents' ftrife. GUE. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, Is now the two hours' traffick of our stage; SCENE I. A STREET. ACT Enter Sampson and Gregory, two fervants of Capulet. REGORY, o' my word, we'll not carry coals 2. Sam. G Greg. No, for then we should be colliers. Sam. I strike quickly, being mov'd. Greg. But thou art not quickly mov'd to strike. I. Sam. A dog of the house of Montague moves me. Greg. To move, is-to stir; and to be valiant, is to stand to it; therefore, if thou art mov'd, thou runn'st away. Sam. A dog of that house shall move, me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's. Greg. That shews thee a weak flave; for the weakest goes to the wall. Sam. True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall:therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thruft his maids to the wall. The fstory on which this play is founded, is related as a true one in Girolamo de la Corte's History of Verona, and was well known to the English poets before the time of Shakspeare. burton observes, that this was a phrafe formerly in use to fignify the bearing injuries. 2 Dr. War Brig : Greg. The quarrel is between our masters, and Down with the Capulets! down with the Montagues! us their mев. Sam. 'Tis all one, I will shew myself a tyrant. when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids; I will cut off their heads. Greg. The heads of the maids ? Sam. Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt. Greg. They must take it in sense, that feel it. Sam. Me they shall feel, while I am able to ftand: and, 'tis known, I am a pretty piece of flesh. Greg. 'Tis well, thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been Poor John. Draw thy tool; here comes of the house of the Montagues. Enter Abram and Balthafar. Sam. My naked weapon is out; quarrel, I will back thee. Greg. How? turn thy back, and run? Sam. Fear me not. Greg. No, marry; I fear thee ! Sam. Let us take the law of our fides; let them begin. Greg. I will frown, as I pass by; and let them take it as they lift. Sam. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them; which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it. Alr. Do you bite your thumb at us, fir? Sam. I do bite my thumb, fir. Abr. Do you bite your thumb at us, fir? Sam. No, fir, I do not bite my thumb at you, fir; but I bite my thumb, fir. Greg. Do you quarrel, fir? Abr. Quarrel, fir? no, fir. Enter old Capulet, in bis gown; and Lady Capult Cap. What noise is this?--Give me my Ling fwora 2, ho! La. Cap. A crutch, a crutch!-Why call you for a fword? Cap. My fword, I fay!-old Montague is come, And flourishes his blade in spight of me. Enter old Montague, and Lady Montague. Mon. Thou villain, Capulet, Hold me out, let me go. La. Mon. Thou shalt not ftir one foot to feck a foe. Enter Prince, with Attendants. Prin. Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, beafts, That quench the fire of your pernicious rage Have thrice disturb'd the quiet of our ftreets; Caft by their grave beseeming ornaments, Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace, Sam. If you do, fir, I am for you; I serve as And, Montague, come you this afternoon, good a man as you. Abr. No better. Sam. Well, fir. Enter Benvolio. Greg. Say-better; here comes one of my maf ter's kinsmen. Sam. Yes, better, fir. Abr. You lye. To know our further pleasure in this cafe, Mon. Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach: ber thy swashing blow. Sam. Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remem- Turn thee, Benyolio, look upon thy death. Ben. I do but keep the peace; put up thy sword, Or manage it to part these men with me. Tyb. What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: Came more and more, and fought on part and par 'Till the prince came, who parted either part La. Mon. O, where is Romeo !-law you him Right glad I am, he was not at this fray. Enter three or four Citizens, with clubs. To fwafa Teems to have meant to be a bully, to be noisily valiant. fword ufed in war, which was fometimes wielded with both hands. angry weapons. 2 The long fuord was the 3 Mis-temper'd weapons are Towark |