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