EDMUND

No my Lord. My services to your Lordship. Sir I shall study deserving. Thou Nature art my Goddess, to thy law my services are bound, wherefore should I stand in the plague of custom, and permit the curiosity of nations to deprive me, for that I am some twelve or 14. moonshines lag of a brother, why bastard? wherefore base, when my dementions are as well compact, my mind as generous, and my shape as true as honest madams issue, why brand they us with base, base bastardy? who in the lusty stealth of nature, take more composition and fierce quality, then does within a stale dull lied bed, go to the creating of a whole tribe of fops God tween a sleep and wake; well the legitimate Edgar, I must have your land, our Father's love is to the bastard Edmund, as to the legitimate, well my legitimate, if this letter speed, and my invention thrive, Edmund the base shall tooth'le gitimate: I grow, I prosper, now Gods stand up for Bastards. So please your Lordship, none. I know no news my Lord. Nothing my Lord, I shall offend either to detain or give it, the contents as in partly I understand them, are too blame. I hope for my brother's justification, he wrote this but as and essay, or taste of my virtue. It was not brought me my Lord, ther's the cunning of it, I found it thrown in at the casement of my closet. If the matter were good, my Lord I durst swear it were his but in respect, of that I would feign think it were not, It is his hand my Lord, but I hope his heart is not in the contents. Never my Lord, but I have often herd him maintain it to be fit, that sons at perfect age, & father's declining, his father should be as ward to the son, and the son manage the re venew. I do not well know my Lord, if it shall please you to suspend your indignation against my brother, till you can derive from him better testimony of this intent: you should run a cer taine course, where if you violently proceed against him, mi staking his purpose, it would make a great gap in your own honour, & shake in pieces the heart of his obedie ̄ ce, I dare pawn down my life for him, he hath wrote this to feel my affection to your honour, and to no further pretence of danger. If your honour judge it meet, I will place you where you shall hear us confer of this, and by and aurigular assurance have your satisfaction, and that without any further delay then this very evening. Nor is not sure. I shall seek him sir presently, convey the business as I shall see means, and acquaint you withal. This is the excellent foppery of the world, that when we are sick in Fortune, often the surfeit of our own behaviour, we make guilty of our disasters, the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, as if we were Villains by necessity, Fools by heaven lie compulsion, Knaves, Thieves, and Trecherers by spiritual predominance, Drunkards, Liars and Adulterers by and inforced obedience of planitary influence, and all that we are evil in, by a divine thrusting on, and admirable evasion of whoremaster man, to lay his goatish disposition to the charge of Stars: my Father compounded with my Mother under the Dragons tail, and my nativity was under Ursa Mayor, so that it follows, I am rough and lecherous, Fut, I should have been that I am, had the maidenlest star of the Firmament twinkled on my bastardy Edgar; and out he comes Like the Catastrophe of the old Counterfeit medy, mine is villainous melancholy, with a sith Like them of Bedlam; Oh these eclipses do portend these divisions. I am thinking brother of a prediction I read this other day, what should follow these Eclipses. I promise you the effects he writ of, succeed unhappily, as of unnaturalness between the child and the parent, death, dearth, dissolutions of ancient amities, divisions in state, menam ces and maledictions against King and nobles, needles diffiden ces, banishment of fry ̄ ds, dissipation of Cohorts, nuptial breach es, and I know not what. Come, come, when saw you my father last? Spoke you with him? Parted you in good terms? found you no displeasure in him by word or countenance? Bethink your self wherein you may have offended him, and at my intreaty, forbear his presence, till some little time hath qualified the heat of his displeasure, which at this in stant so rages in him, that with the mischief, of your parson it would scarce allay. Thats my fear brother, I advise you to the best, go armed, I am no honest man if there be any good meaning to wards you, I have told you what I have seen & herd, but faint lie, nothing Like the image and horror of it, pray you away? I do serve you in this business: A credulous Father, and a brother noble, Whose nature is so far from doing harms, That he suspects none, on whose foolish honesty My practises ride easy, I see the business, Let me if not by birth, have lands by wit, All with me's meet, that I can fashion fit. Save thee Curan. How comes that; Not, I pray you what are they; Not a word. The Duke be here to night! the better best, this weaves Enter Edgar it self perforce into my business, my father hath set guard to take my brother, and I have one thing of a Queasy question, which must ask breefnes and fortune help; brother, a word, descend brother I say, my father watches, Oh fly this place, 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 ought, he's coming hither now in the night, it'h hast, and Re gan with him, have you nothing said upon his party against the Duke of Albany, advise your— I hear my father coming, pardon me in craving, I must draw my sword upon you, seem to defend your self, now quit you well, yield, come before my father, light here, here, fly brother fly, torches, torches, so farewell; some blood drawn on me would beget opinion of my more fierce endeavour, I have seen drunkards do more then this in sport, father, father, stop, stop, no, help; Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out, warb ling of wicked charms, conjuring the Moon to stand's auspici ous Mistress. Look sir, I bleed. Fled this way sir, when by no means he could— Persuade me to the murder of your Lordship, but that I told him the reuengiue Gods, gainst Parricides did all their thunders bend, spoke with how many fouled and strong a bound the child was bound to the father, sir in a fine, seeing how loath lie opposite I stood, to his unnatural purpose, with fell motion with his prepared sword he charges home my unprovided bo die, launched mine arm, but when he saw my best alarumd spirits, bold in the quarrels, rights, roused to the encounter, or whither gasted by the noise I made, but suddenly he fled. When I dissuaded him from his intent, and found him pight to do it, with cursed speech I threatened to discover him, he replied, thou unpossessing Bastard, dost thou think, if I would stand against thee, could the reposure of any trust, virtue, or worth in thee make thy words faithed? no. what I should deny, as this I would, I, though thou didst produce my very character, id'e turn it all to thy suggestion, plot, and damned pretence, and thou must make a dullard of the world, if they not thought the profits of my death, were very pregnant and potential spurs to make thee seek it. Yes Madam, he was. It my duty Sir. I shall serve you truly, how ever else. How now, whats the matter? Most savage and unnatural. This courtesy forbid thee, shall the Duke insta ̄ lie know And of that letter to, this seems a fair deserving And must draw me that which my father looses, no less Then all, then younger rises when the old do fallen. How my Lord I may be censured, that nature thus gives way to loyalty, some thing fears me to think of. How malicious is my fortune, that I must repent to be joust? this is the letter he spoke of, which approves him and intelli gent party to the advantages of France, Oh heavens that his trea son were, or not I the detecter. If the matter of this paper be certain, you have mighty business in hand. If I find him comforting the King, it will stuff his sus pition more fully, I will persevere in my course of loyalty, though the conflict be soar between that and my blood. Yours in the ranks of death. Know of the Duke if his last purpose hold, Or whither since he is advised by ought To change the course, he's full of abdication And self reproving, bring his constant pleasure. 'Tis to be doubted Madam, I, honoured love. That thought abuses you. No by mine honour Madam. Fear me not, she and the Duke her husband. Sir you speak nobly. I shall attend you presently at your tent. The enemies in view, draw up your powers Hard is the quesse of their great strength and forces By diligent discovery, but your hast is now urged on you. To both these sister have I sworn my love, Each jealous of the other as the sting are of the Adder, Which of them shall I take, both one or neither, neither can be enjoyed If both remain alive, to take the widow Exasperates, makes mad her sister Gonorill, And hardly shall I carry out my side Her husband being alive, now then we'll use His countenadce for the battle, which being done Let her that would be rid of him devise His speedy taking off, as for his mercy Which he intends to Lear and to Cordelia: The battle done, and they within our power Shall never see his pardon, for my state Stands on me to defend, not to debate. Take them away. Come hither Captain, hark. Take thou this note, go follow them to prison, And step, I have advanced thee, if thou dost As this instructs thee, thou dost make thy way To noble Fortune's, know thou this that men Are as the time is, to be tender minded Does not become a sword, thy great employment Will not bear question, either say thought do't, Or thrive by other means. About it, and write happy when thou hast done, Mark I say instantly, and carry it so As I have set it down. Sir I thought it fit, To save the old and miserable King to some retention, Whose age has charms in it, whose title more To pluck the coren bossom of his fidem, And turn our impressed lances in our eyes Which do command them, with him I sent the queen My reason, all the same and they are ready to morrow, Or at further space, to appear where you shall hold Your session at this time, me sweat and bleed, The friend hath lost his friend and the best quarrels In the heat are cursed, by those that feel their sharps, The question of Cordelia and her father Requires a fitter place. Nor in thine Lord. Let the drum strike, and prove my title good. Ther's my exchange, what in the world he is, That names me traitor, villain-like he lies, Call by thy trumpet, he that dares approach, On him, on you, who not, I will maintain My truth and honour firmly. A Herald ho, a Herald. Found? Again? Him self, what sayest thou to him? In wisdom I sholud ask thy name, But since thy outside looks so fair and warlike, And that thy being some say of breeding breathes, By right of knighthood, I disdain and spurn Here do I toss those treasons to thy head. With the hell hatedly, oreturnd thy heart, Which for they yet glance by and scarcely bruise, This sword of mine shall give them instant way Where they shall rest for ever, trumpets speak. What you have charged me with, that have I done And more, much more, the time will bring it out. 'Tis passed, and so am I, but what art thou That hast this fortune on me? if thou be'st noble I do forgive thee. Thou hast spoken truth, the wheel is come full circled I am here. This speech of yours hath moved me, And shall perchance do good, but speak you on, You look as you had something more to say, I was contracted to them both, all three Now marry in and instant. Yet Edmund was beloved, The one the other poisoned for my sake, And after slew her self. I pant for life, some good I mean to do, Despite of my own nature, quickly send, Be brief, int toth' castle for my writ, Is on the life of Lear and on Cordelia, Nay send in time. Well thought on, take my sword the Captain, Give it the Captain? He hath Commission from thy wife and me, To hang Cordelia in the prison, and to lay The blame upon her own despair, That she fordid her self. I beseech you Sir pardon me, it is a letter from my brother, that I have not all over read, for so much as I have perused, I find it not fit for your liking. Some officers take them away, good guard Until their greater pleasures best be known That are to censure them. I herd that you have shown your father a childlike office.