King Lear
| ACT III SCENE III | Gloucester’s castle. | |
| [Enter GLOUCESTER and EDMUND] | ||
| GLOUCESTER | Alack, alack, Edmund, I like not this unnatural | |
| dealing. When I desire their leave that I might | ||
| pity him, they took from me the use of mine own | ||
| house; charged me, on pain of their perpetual | ||
| displeasure, neither to speak of him, entreat for | 5 | |
| him, nor any way sustain him. | ||
| EDMUND | Most savage and unnatural! | |
| GLOUCESTER | Go to; say you nothing. There’s a division betwixt | |
| the dukes; and a worse matter than that: I have | ||
| received a letter this night; ’tis dangerous to be | 10 | |
| spoken; I have locked the letter in my closet: | ||
| these injuries the king now bears will be revenged | ||
| home; there’s part of a power already footed: we | ||
| must incline to the king. I will seek him, and | ||
| privily relieve him: go you and maintain talk with | 15 | |
| the duke, that my charity be not of him perceived: | ||
| if he ask for me. I am ill, and gone to bed. | ||
| Though I die for it, as no less is threatened me, | ||
| the king my old master must be relieved. There is | ||
| some strange thing toward, Edmund; pray you, be careful. | 20 | |
| [Exit] | ||
| EDMUND | This courtesy, forbid thee, shall the duke | |
| Instantly know; and of that letter too: | ||
| This seems a fair deserving, and must draw me | ||
| That which my father loses; no less than all: | ||
| The younger rises when the old doth fall. | 25 | |
| [Exit] | ||
King Lear, Act 3, Scene 4