King Lear
| ACT II SCENE I | Gloucester’s castle. | |
| [Enter EDMUND, and CURAN meets him] | ||
| EDMUND | Save thee, Curan. | |
| CURAN | And you, sir. I have been with your father, and | |
| given him notice that the Duke of Cornwall and Regan | ||
| his duchess will be here with him this night. | ||
| EDMUND | How comes that? | 5 |
| CURAN | Nay, I know not. You have heard of the news abroad; | |
| I mean the whispered ones, for they are yet but | ||
| ear-kissing arguments? | ||
| EDMUND | Not I pray you, what are they? | |
| CURAN | Have you heard of no likely wars toward, ‘twixt the | 10 |
| Dukes of Cornwall and Albany? | ||
| EDMUND | Not a word. | |
| CURAN | You may do, then, in time. Fare you well, sir. | |
| [Exit] | ||
| EDMUND | The duke be here to-night? The better! best! | |
| This weaves itself perforce into my business. | 15 | |
| My father hath set guard to take my brother; | ||
| And I have one thing, of a queasy question, | ||
| Which I must act: briefness and fortune, work! | ||
| Brother, a word; descend: brother, I say! | ||
| [Enter EDGAR] | ||
| My father watches: O sir, fly this place; | 20 | |
| Intelligence is given where you are hid; | ||
| You have now the good advantage of the night: | ||
| Have you not spoken ‘gainst the Duke of Cornwall? | ||
| He’s coming hither: now, i’ the night, i’ the haste, | ||
| And Regan with him: have you nothing said | 25 | |
| Upon his party ‘gainst the Duke of Albany? | ||
| Advise yourself. | ||
| EDGAR | I am sure on’t, not a word. | |
| EDMUND | I hear my father coming: pardon me: | |
| In cunning I must draw my sword upon you | 30 | |
| Draw; seem to defend yourself; now quit you well. | ||
| Yield: come before my father. Light, ho, here! | ||
| Fly, brother. Torches, torches! So, farewell. | ||
| [Exit EDGAR] | ||
| Some blood drawn on me would beget opinion. | ||
| [Wounds his arm] | ||
| Of my more fierce endeavour: I have seen drunkards | 35 | |
| Do more than this in sport. Father, father! | ||
| Stop, stop! No help? | ||
| [Enter GLOUCESTER, and Servants with torches] | ||
| GLOUCESTER | Now, Edmund, where’s the villain? | |
| EDMUND | Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out, | |
| Mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon | 40 | |
| To stand auspicious mistress,– | ||
| GLOUCESTER | But where is he? | |
| EDMUND | Look, sir, I bleed. | |
| GLOUCESTER | Where is the villain, Edmund? | |
| EDMUND | Fled this way, sir. When by no means he could– | 45 |
| GLOUCESTER | Pursue him, ho! Go after. | |
| [Exeunt some Servants] | ||
| By no means what? | ||
| EDMUND | Persuade me to the murder of your lordship; | |
| But that I told him, the revenging gods | ||
| ‘Gainst parricides did all their thunders bend; | 50 | |
| Spoke, with how manifold and strong a bond | ||
| The child was bound to the father; sir, in fine, | ||
| Seeing how loathly opposite I stood | ||
| To his unnatural purpose, in fell motion, | ||
| With his prepared sword, he charges home | 55 | |
| My unprovided body, lanced mine arm: | ||
| But when he saw my best alarum’d spirits, | ||
| Bold in the quarrel’s right, roused to the encounter, | ||
| Or whether gasted by the noise I made, | ||
| Full suddenly he fled. | 60 | |
| GLOUCESTER | Let him fly far: | |
| Not in this land shall he remain uncaught; | ||
| And found–dispatch. The noble duke my master, | ||
| My worthy arch and patron, comes to-night: | ||
| By his authority I will proclaim it, | 65 | |
| That he which finds him shall deserve our thanks, | ||
| Bringing the murderous coward to the stake; | ||
| He that conceals him, death. | ||
| EDMUND | When I dissuaded him from his intent, | |
| And found him pight to do it, with curst speech | 70 | |
| I threaten’d to discover him: he replied, | ||
| ‘Thou unpossessing bastard! dost thou think, | ||
| If I would stand against thee, would the reposal | ||
| Of any trust, virtue, or worth in thee | ||
| Make thy words faith’d? No: what I should deny,– | 75 | |
| As this I would: ay, though thou didst produce | ||
| My very character,–I’ld turn it all | ||
| To thy suggestion, plot, and damned practise: | ||
| And thou must make a dullard of the world, | ||
| If they not thought the profits of my death | 80 | |
| Were very pregnant and potential spurs | ||
| To make thee seek it.’ | ||
| GLOUCESTER | Strong and fasten’d villain | |
| Would he deny his letter? I never got him. | ||
| [Tucket within] | ||
| Hark, the duke’s trumpets! I know not why he comes. | 85 | |
| 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 the due note of him; and of my land, | ||
| Loyal and natural boy, I’ll work the means | 90 | |
| To make thee capable. | ||
| [Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, and Attendants] | ||
| CORNWALL | How now, my noble friend! since I came hither, | |
| Which I can call but now, I have heard strange news. | ||
| REGAN | If it be true, all vengeance comes too short | |
| Which can pursue the offender. How dost, my lord? | 95 | |
| GLOUCESTER | O, madam, my old heart is crack’d, it’s crack’d! | |
| REGAN | What, did my father’s godson seek your life? | |
| He whom my father named? your Edgar? | ||
| GLOUCESTER | O, lady, lady, shame would have it hid! | |
| REGAN | Was he not companion with the riotous knights | 100 |
| That tend upon my father? | ||
| GLOUCESTER | I know not, madam: ’tis too bad, too bad. | |
| EDMUND | Yes, madam, he was of that consort. | |
| REGAN | No marvel, then, though he were ill affected: | |
| ‘Tis they have put him on the old man’s death, | 105 | |
| To have the expense and waste of his revenues. | ||
| I have this present evening from my sister | ||
| Been well inform’d of them; and with such cautions, | ||
| That if they come to sojourn at my house, | ||
| I’ll not be there. | 110 | |
| CORNWALL | Nor I, assure thee, Regan. | |
| Edmund, I hear that you have shown your father | ||
| A child-like office. | ||
| EDMUND | ‘Twas my duty, sir. | |
| GLOUCESTER | He did bewray his practise; and received | 115 |
| This hurt you see, striving to apprehend him. | ||
| CORNWALL | Is he pursued? | |
| GLOUCESTER | Ay, my good lord. | |
| CORNWALL | If he be taken, he shall never more | |
| Be fear’d of doing harm: make your own purpose, | 120 | |
| How in my strength you please. For you, Edmund, | ||
| Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant | ||
| So much commend itself, you shall be ours: | ||
| Natures of such deep trust we shall much need; | ||
| You we first seize on. | 125 | |
| EDMUND | I shall serve you, sir, | |
| Truly, however else. | ||
| GLOUCESTER | For him I thank your grace. | |
| CORNWALL | You know not why we came to visit you,– | |
| REGAN | Thus out of season, threading dark-eyed night: | 130 |
| Occasions, noble Gloucester, of some poise, | ||
| Wherein we must have use of your advice: | ||
| Our father he hath writ, so hath our sister, | ||
| Of differences, which I least thought it fit | ||
| To answer from our home; the several messengers | 135 | |
| From hence attend dispatch. Our good old friend, | ||
| Lay comforts to your bosom; and bestow | ||
| Your needful counsel to our business, | ||
| Which craves the instant use. | ||
| GLOUCESTER | I serve you, madam: | 140 |
| Your graces are right welcome. | ||
| [Exeunt] | ||
King Lear, Act 2, Scene 2