And ask of thee forgiveness: so we'll live,
And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh
At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues
Talk of court news; and we'll talk with them too,
Who loses and who wins; who's in, who's out;
And take upon's the mystery of things,
As if we were God's spies: and we'll wear out,
In a wall'd prison, packs and sects of great ones,
That ebb and flow by the moon.
No, no, no, no! Come on, let's go to prison:
we two on our own will sing like caged birds:
when you ask me for my blessings, I'll kneel down
and ask you for forgiveness: that's how we'll live,
we'll pray, and sing, and tell old stories, and laugh
at vain fops, and hear poor scoundrels
indulging in court gossip; we'll talk with them too,
finding out who has lost and who has won; who's in, who's out;
and we'll undertake to explain the mystery of things
as if we were spies from God: and we'll outlive,
in our walled prison, the cliques and parties of the great ones
that rise and fall with the moon.
EDMUND
Take them away.
Take them away.
KING LEAR
Upon such sacrifices, my Cordelia,
The gods themselves throw incense. Have I caught thee?
He that parts us shall bring a brand from heaven,
And fire us hence like foxes. Wipe thine eyes;
The good-years shall devour them, flesh and fell,
Ere they shall make us weep: we'll see 'em starve
first. Come.
Exeunt KING LEAR and CORDELIA, guarded
My Cordelia, the gods themselves will bless
sacrifices like this. Do you understand?
We will never be parted except by someone bringing the fire of heaven
and smoking us out like foxes. Wipe your eyes;
time will consume them, flesh and skin,
before they weep again: until then, no tears.
Come on.
EDMUND
Come hither, captain; hark.
Take thou this note;
Giving a paper
go follow them to prison:
One step I have advanced thee; if thou dost
As this instructs thee, thou dost make thy way
To noble fortunes: 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 thou'lt do 't,
Or thrive by other means.
Come here, captain; listen.
Take this note;
Go and follow them to prison:
I have promoted you once; if you do
as this note orders, you will go on
to great things: you should know this, that men
have to act in a way that suits the times: to be softhearted
does not fit with the sword: this great task
is not open to debate; you say you'll do it,
or find some other way to get on.
Captain
I'll do 't, my lord.
I'll do it, my lord.
EDMUND
About it; and write happy when thou hast done.
Mark, I say, instantly; and carry it so
As I have set it down.
Get going, and be happy when you have finished.
Remember, I want it done at once; and make sure you do it
just as I have instructed.
Captain
I cannot draw a cart, nor eat dried oats;
If it be man's work, I'll do 't.
Exit
Flourish. Enter ALBANY, GONERIL, REGAN, another Captain, and Soldiers
I cannot pull a cart, or eat dried oats;
if it's work a man can do, I'll do it.
ALBANY
Sir, you have shown to-day your valiant strain,
And fortune led you well: you have the captives
That were the opposites of this day's strife:
We do require them of you, so to use them
As we shall find their merits and our safety
May equally determine.
Sir, you have shown your bravery today,
and you had good fortune; you have our opponents
in this day's battle as your prisoners;
I want them from you, so they can be treated
in such a way as their merits and our safety
are suited.
EDMUND
Sir, I thought it fit
To send the old and miserable king
To some retention and appointed guard;
Whose age has charms in it, whose title more,
To pluck the common bosom on his side,
An turn our impress'd 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
We sweat and bleed: the friend hath lost his friend;
And the best quarrels, in the heat, are cursed
By those that feel their sharpness:
The question of Cordelia and her father
Requires a fitter place.
Sir, I thought it appropriate
to send the old and miserable king
into confinement with a guard watching over him;
his age has an appeal to it, and his title even more so,
which could turn the common people to his cause,
and make our conscripts turn against
us, their commanders. I sent the Queen with him;
the same reason applied to her; now they are ready
to appear before you tomorrow, or at a later time,
wherever you hold your court. At the moment
we are sweating and bloody; friends have lost friends,
and the most justified causes, in the heat of battle, are cursed
by those that suffer for them;
the question of Cordelia and her father
needs peaceful reflection.
ALBANY
Sir, by your patience,
I hold you but a subject of this war,
Not as a brother.
Sir, with all due respect,
you are just a soldier in this war,
not my equal.
REGAN
That's as we list to grace him.
Methinks our pleasure might have been demanded,
Ere you had spoke so far. He led our powers;
Bore the commission of my place and person;
The which immediacy may well stand up,
And call itself your brother.
That depends how we want to honour him.
I thought that we should have shown him our favor
before you said this. He led our armies,
represented my title and my person;
as he is my direct representative you might well
call him your brother.
GONERIL
Not so hot:
In his own grace he doth exalt himself,
More than in your addition.
Not so fast:
he has raised himself on his own merits
more than through your titles.
REGAN
In my rights,
By me invested, he compeers the best.
As my representative,
honoured by me, he equals the highest.
GONERIL
That were the most, if he should husband you.
That would be most true if he should marry you.
REGAN
Jesters do oft prove prophets.
Many a true line said in jest.
GONERIL
Holla, holla!
That eye that told you so look'd but a-squint.
Hello, hello!
There's jealousy in your eye.
REGAN
Lady, I am not well; else I should answer
From a full-flowing stomach. General,
Take thou my soldiers, prisoners, patrimony;
Dispose of them, of me; the walls are thine:
Witness the world, that I create thee here
My lord and master.
Lady, I am not well; otherwise I would answer you
with angry words. General,
take my soldiers, my prisoners, my inheritance;
do what you want with them, with me; you have won me:
may everybody bear witness that I am taking you
as my lord and master.
GONERIL
Mean you to enjoy him?
Do you mean to enjoy him?
ALBANY
The let-alone lies not in your good will.
You don't have the power to stop me.
EDMUND
Nor in thine, lord.
And neither do you, lord.
ALBANY
Half-blooded fellow, yes.
You bastard, I do.
REGAN
[To EDMUND] Let the drum strike, and prove my title thine.
Order the drum to be sounded, and claim my title for yourself.
ALBANY
Stay yet; hear reason. Edmund, I arrest thee
On capital treason; and, in thine attaint,
This gilded serpent.
Pointing to Goneril
For your claim, fair sister,
I bar it in the interest of my wife:
'Tis she is sub-contracted to this lord,
And I, her husband, contradict your bans.
If you will marry, make your loves to me,
My lady is bespoke.
Wait a moment; listen to wisdom. Edmund, I arrest you
for the capital crime of treason; and, along with you,
this gilded serpent.
As to your claim, fair sister,
I block it in the interests of my wife;
she has given herself to this lord,
and I, her husband, forbid your marriage.
If you want to marry, you should offer yourself to me,
my lady is spoken for.
GONERIL
An interlude!
This is like a play!
ALBANY
Thou art arm'd, Gloucester: let the trumpet sound:
If none appear to prove upon thy head
Thy heinous, manifest, and many treasons,
There is my pledge;
Throwing down a glove
I'll prove it on thy heart,
Ere I taste bread, thou art in nothing less
Than I have here proclaim'd thee.
You are armed, Gloucester: sound the trumpet:
if nobody appears to give evidence against you
of your wicked, obvious and multiple treason
then I promise you this;
I'll prove in a fight,
before my next meal, that you are absolutely
what I have said you are.
REGAN
Sick, O, sick!
You are sick, sick!
GONERIL
[Aside] If not, I'll ne'er trust medicine.
If she's not, I'll never trust poison again.
EDMUND
There's my exchange:
Throwing down a glove
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.
Here's my reply:
If there's anyone in the world
who calls me a traitor, he is a lying villain:
call him with your trumpet: I will strongly
fight for my truthfulness and honour,
against anybody who dares to come, against him, against you, against anybody.
ALBANY
A herald, ho!
Herald, here!
EDMUND
A herald, ho, a herald!
A herald, here, a herald!
ALBANY
Trust to thy single virtue; for thy soldiers,
All levied in my name, have in my name
Took their discharge.
Put your faith in your own bravery; your soldiers
were recruited in my name, and in my name
they have been discharged.
REGAN
My sickness grows upon me.
I am feeling more sick.
ALBANY
She is not well; convey her to my tent.
Exit Regan, led
Enter a Herald
Come hither, herald,--Let the trumpet sound,
And read out this.
She is not well; take her to my tent.
Come here, herald – let the trumpet sound,
and read this out.
Captain
Sound, trumpet!
A trumpet sounds
Sound the trumpet!
Herald
[Reads] 'If any man of quality or degree within
the lists of the army will maintain upon Edmund,
supposed Earl of Gloucester, that he is a manifold
traitor, let him appear by the third sound of the
trumpet: he is bold in his defence.'
‘If any man of quality or rank within
the army will give evidence that Edmund,
supposed Earl of Gloucester, is a traitor many times over,
let him present himself before the third trumpet call:
he is adamant that he is innocent.’
EDMUND
Sound!
First trumpet
Blow!
Herald
Again!
Second trumpet
Again!
Herald
Again!
Third trumpet
Trumpet answers within
Enter EDGAR, at the third sound, armed, with a trumpet before him
Again!
ALBANY
Ask him his purposes, why he appears
Upon this call o' the trumpet.
Ask him what he means to do, why he appears
in answer to the trumpet call.
Herald
What are you?
Your name, your quality? and why you answer
This present summons?
Who are you?
What's your name, your rank? And why do you answer
this summons?
EDGAR
Know, my name is lost;
By treason's tooth bare-gnawn and canker-bit:
Yet am I noble as the adversary
I come to cope.
You should know that my name is lost,
ground down and poisoned by treason:
yet I am as noble as the enemy
I have come to take on.
ALBANY
Which is that adversary?
Who is your enemy?
EDGAR
What's he that speaks for Edmund Earl of Gloucester?
Who is representing Edmund Earl of Gloucester?
EDMUND
Himself: what say'st thou to him?
Himself: what do you have to say to him?
EDGAR
Draw thy sword,
That, if my speech offend a noble heart,
Thy arm may do thee justice: here is mine.
Behold, it is the privilege of mine honours,
My oath, and my profession: I protest,
Maugre thy strength, youth, place, and eminence,
Despite thy victor sword and fire-new fortune,
Thy valour and thy heart, thou art a traitor;
False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father;
Conspirant 'gainst this high-illustrious prince;
And,
from the extremest upward of thy head
To the descent and dust below thy foot,
A most toad-spotted traitor. Say thou 'No,'
This sword, this arm, and my best spirits, are bent
To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak,
Thou liest.
Draw your sword,
so that if my speech offends your noble heart
your arm can get revenge: here is mine.
Look at it, it is the privilege of my position
my oath and my knighthood to challenge you:
I say, in spite of your strength, youth, possessions and position,
despite your victorious sword and brand-new fortune,
your heroism and your courage, you are a traitor;
you are false to your gods, to your brother, and to your father;
you are a conspirator against this illustrious Prince;
and from the top of your head
to the sole of your shoe
you are stained with treachery. If you say you are not,
this sword, this arm, and my greatest strength will be devoted
to proving to your heart, which is what I'm speaking to,
that you are a liar.
EDMUND
In wisdom I should ask thy name;
But, since thy outside looks so fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue some say of breeding breathes,
What safe and nicely I might well delay
By rule of knighthood, I disdain and spurn:
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 571