Or ere I'll weep—(rain-thunder-lightning) [ereunt king Lear, Kent, and the knights-Cornwall, Regan, Goneril, Gloster, Oswald, captain of the guards, and attendants, into the castle END OF THE SECOND ACT. ACT III. SCENE I-a desert heath-rain-thunder-lightning. enter king LEAR and KENT. Lear. Blow, winds, and burst your cheeks! rage louder yet! Fantastic lightning, singe, singe my white head! Till you have drown'd the towns and palaces Kent. Not all my best intreaties can persuade him Into some needful shelter, or to 'bide This poor slight cov'ring on his aged head, (thunder) Lear. Rumble thy fill fight whirlwind, rain and fire! Not fire, wind, rain, or thunder, are my daughters: Your horrible pleasure?-here I stand your slave, (rain-thunder-lightning) Yet I will call you servile ministers, That have with two pernicious daughters join'd Kent Hard by, sir, is a hovel, that will lend Lear. I will forget my nature. What! so kind a (rain-thunder—lightning) father! Ay, there's the point. Kent. Consider, good my liege, things, that love Love not such nights as this; these wrathful skies And make them keep their caves: such drenching rain, Such groans of roaring winds, have ne'er been known. Lear. Let the great gods, (thunder) That keep this dreadful pother o'er our heads, Hide, hide, thou murd'rer, hide thy bloody hand!- I am a man That drink'st the widow's tears, sigh now, and ask Kent. Good sir, to th? hovel. Lear. My wits begin to turn. Come on, my boy; how dost, my boy? art cold? And can make vile things precious.- My poor knave, [rain-thunder-lightning-exeunt SCENE II-a room in Gloster's castle. enter EDMUND. Edm. The storm is in our louder rev'lings drown'd. Already have imposed the galling yoke The drudging peasant's neck, who bellows out. His loud complaints in vain. Triumphant queens! (two pages, from several entrances, deliver him each a letter, and exeunt) (reads) Where merit is so transparent, not to behold it were blindness, and not to reward it, ingratitude. Enough! blind and ungrateful should I be, GONERIL. (reads) If modesty be not your enemy, doubt,not to find me your friend. Excellent sybil! o my glowing blood! I am already sick of expectation, And pant for the possession. REGAN. Here Gloster comes, With business on his brow; be hush'd, my joys. enter GLOSTER. Glost. I come to seek thee, Edmund, to impart a business of importance. I know thy loyal heart is touched to see the cruelty of these ungrateful daughters against our royal master. Edm. Most savage and unnatural ! Glost. This change in the state sits uneasy. The commons repine aloud at their female tyrants; already they cry out for the re instalment of their good old king, whose injuries, I fear, will inflame them into mutiny. Edm. Tis to be hoped, not fear'd. Glost. Thou hast it, boy; tis to be hoped indeed. On me they cast their eyes, and hourly court me To lead them on; and, whilst this head is mine, I'm theirs. A little covert craft, my boy, (gives him letters) You know what mortal feuds have always flamed Between this duke of Cornwall's family, and his; Full twenty thousand mountaineers Th' inveterate prince will send to our assistance. Despatch; commend us to his grace, and prosper. Lexit Gloster Edm. Yes, credulous old man, I will commend you to his grace, -instantly, I'll show him these contents in thy own character, (retires) GLOSTER returns, followed by cORDELIA and ARANTHE, poorly dressed-Edmund observing at a dis tance. Cord. Turn, Gloster, tura; by all the sacred pow'rs, Glost. What would'st thou, princess? rise, and Cord. Nay, you shall promise to redress them too, Thy succor for a father, and a king, Edm O charming sorrows! how her tears adorn her! For whom thou begg'st, tis for the king that wrong'd 1 Cord. O name not that; he did not, could not wrong me. Nay, muse not, Gloster; for it is too likely Edm. I'll gaze no more ;-and yet my eyes are Cord. Or, what if it be worse?-can there be worse? Ah, tis too probable, this furious night Has pierced his tender body; the bleak winds To wash his clay-smear'd cheeks, and die beside him. I have already plotted to restore My injured master, and thy virtue tells me Cord. Despatch, Aranthe; For in this disguise, we'll instantly Lexit Gloster Go seek the king, and bring him some relief. Cord. I cannot dread the furies in this case. Cord. Therefore no shelter for the king. What have not women dared for vicious love! Blow winds, and lightnings fall; |