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King Lear

Act II, Scene 1

GLOUCESTER's castle.
 
[Enter EDMUND, and CURAN meets him]
 
EDMUND
        ,          ,
      Save thee | Curan.
 
CURAN
                              ,     ,              ,
                         And you | sir, I | have been
        ,          ,             x          ,
      With your | father,| and given | him not|ice
      <-  ,           ,         ,    ,          ,   2        ,
        That || the Duke | of Corn|wall, and | Regan his | duchess
        ,         ,          ,           ,
      Will be | here with | him this | night.
 
EDMUND
                                                      ,
                                              How | comes that?
 
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 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 | tonight?| The bet|ter best,
              ,         ,         ,      ,  2      ,
      This weaves | itself | perforce | into my | business,
           ,    2      ,      ,          ,        ,
      My fath|er hath set | guard to | take my | brother,
          ,         ,      ,     2      ,        ,
      And I | have one | thing of a | queasy | question
            ,         ,      ,              ,         ,
      Which^I | must^act,| briefness | and for|tune work.
       ,            ,        ,      ,           ,
      Brother,| a word,| descend:| brother | I say,
           ,       ,       ,         ,           ,
      My fath|er watch|es: O | sir, fly | this place,
         ,      ,          x       ,              ,
      Intel|ligence | is given | where you | are hid;
            ,     ,          ,      ,          2      ,
      You have | now the | good ad|vantage | of the night.
            ,           x        ,           T   .   T   T
      Have you | not spoken |'gainst the | Duke of Cornwall?
            ,        ,       ,      2      ,       2      ,
      He's com|ing hith|er, now | in the night,| in the haste,
           ,       ,           ,          ,        ,
      And Reg|an with | him, have | you noth|ing said
       x          ,         ,           ,        ,  2
      Upon his | party | gainst the | Duke of | Albany?
          ,          ,
      Advise | yourself.
 
EDGAR
                         2     ,      2     ,        ,
                        I am sure | on it, not | a word.
 
EDMUND
          ,         ,      ,        ,       ,
      I hear | my fath|er com|ing, pard|on me:
          ,        ,          ,         ,       ,         ->
      In cun|ning, I | must draw | my sword | upon || you:
        ,      ,           ,          ,    oo
      Draw,| seem to | defend | yourself,|
            ,          ,
      Now quit | you well.  \\
        T      T   .  T         ,         ,           ,
      Yield, come before | my fath|er, light^|ho*, here,
      ___     ,         ,         ,          2      ,
      Fly | brother,| torches,| torches,| so* farewell.
             ,       ,        ,       2    ,     ,
      Some^blood | drawn on^|me, would be|get o|pinion
                ,     ,        ,        x              ,        2->
      Of my / more fierce | endea|vor. I have | seen^drunk||ards
           ,           ,         ,      ,        ,
      Do more | than this | in sport;| father,| father,
       __     __    __    __    oo
      Stop,| stop,| no | help?|
 
[Enter GLOUCESTER, and Servants with torches]
 
GLOUCESTER
           ,          ,           ,        o   oo
      Now Ed|mund, where's | the vil|lain?   |
 
EDMUND
        ,    ,          2        ,           T     T    T
      Here stood / he in the | dark, his | sharp sword out,
       ,              ,        ,      ,   2            ,
      Mumbling | of wick|ed charms,| conjuring | the moon
           ,        ,         ,       2
      To stand | auspi|cious mist|ress.
 
GLOUCESTER
                                             ,      ,
                                       But where | is he?
 
EDMUND
        ,            ,
      Look sir,| I bleed.
 
GLOUCESTER
                            ,     2       ,         ,
                          Where is the | villain,| Edmund?
 
EDMUND
        ,         ,              ,         ,          ,
      Fled this^|way sir,| when by | no* means | he could.
 
GLOUCESTER
          ,          ,       ,          ,            ,
      Pursue | him, ho:| go aft|er. By no | means,^what?
 
EDMUND
           ,      ,   2       ,        ,          ,
      Persuade | me to the | murder | of your | lordship,
            ,        ,     ,           ,         ,
      But that | I told | him the | reven|ging gods,
          T    T  .   T         ,            ,         ,
      'Gainst parricides | did all | their thund|ers bend,
        ,                ,     ,           ,         ,
      Spoke with | how* man|ifold,| and strong | a bond
            ,           ,       2      ,       ,         ,
      The child | was bound | to the fath|er; sir | in fine,
       ,              ,       ,     ,        ,
      Seeing | how* loath|ly op|posite | I stood
        2     ,  ,  2      ,             ,     ,
      To his un|natural | purpose,| in fell | motion
        ,            ,       ,          ,        ,
      With his | prepar|ed sword,| he charg|es home
          ,     ,      ,        ,           ,
      My un|provi|ded bo|dy, lanced | mine^arm,
            ,        ,         ,      ,          x
      But when | he saw | my best | alar|umed spirits
        ,    2        ,           ,       ,       2         ,
      Bold in the | quarrel's | right, roused / to the en|counter,
          ,         ,      ,         ,         ,
      Or wheth|er gast|ed by | the noise | I made,
        ,   ,               ,
      Full sud/denly | he fled.
 
GLOUCESTER
                                 T   .   T   T
                                Let him fly far:
       ,              ,           ,       ,         ,
      Not in | this land | shall he | remain | uncaught
            ,          ,           x       ,        ,
      And found;| dispatch,| the noble | duke my | master,
           ,       ,         ,        ,         ,
      My worth|y arch | and pat|ron comes | tonight:
          ,       ,     ,       ,            x
      By his | author|ity | I will | proclaim it,
            ,           ,           ,         ,            ,
      That he | which finds | him shall | deserve | our thanks,
        ,             ,    2     ,       ,         ,
      Bringing | the murd|erous cow|ard to | the stake:
       ,             ,           ,
      He that | conceals | him death.  \\
 
EDMUND
           ,       ,       ,          ,        ,
      When^I | dissua|ded him | from his | intent,
            ,           ,          x            ,        ,
      And found | him pight | to do it,| with curs|ed speech
           ,         ,       ,    2      ,       ,
      I threat|ened to | discov|er him; he | replied,
            ,     ,        ,          ,           ,
      Thou un|posses|sing bast|ard, dost | thou think,
         ,           ,         ,             ,        2   ,     2->
      If I | would stand | against | thee, would | the repo||sal
          ,     ,      ,            ,          ,
      Of an|y trust,| virtue,| or worth | in thee
        T   .    T      T       ,         ,             ,
      Make thy words faithed?| No, what | I should | deny,  ??
            ,    T   T       T            ,          ,
      (As this | I would, though | thou didst | produce
          ,      ,     ,          ,        ,
      My ve|ry char|acter)| I'd turn | it all
          ,        ,          ,           ,       ,
      To thy | sugges|tion, plot,| and damned | practise:
            ,           ,       ,        ,         ,
      And thou | must make | a dul|lard of | the world,
           ,           ,            ,       ,        ,
      If they | not thought | the prof|its of | my death
            ,      ,        ,       ,         ,
      Were ve|ry preg|nant and | poten|tial spurs
           ,             x
      To make | thee seek it.
 
GLOUCESTER
                                ,          ,          ,
                             Strong and | fastened | villain,
        T    T  . T        ,         ,    __
      Would he deny | his let|ter, said | he?
        ,           ,      ,                   ,         2     ,
      Hark, the | duke's trum/pets, I | know* not | where he comes;
            ,           ,         ,                ,     ,
      All ports | I'll bar,| the vil|lain shall / not 'scape,
            ,           ,          ,        ,          ,       3->
      The duke | must^grant | me that:| besides,| his pic||ture
       3       ,     ,          ,           ,          ,
      I will send | far and | near, that | all the | kingdom
            ,         ,      ,    2           ,        ,
      May have | the due | note of him,| and of | my land,
        ,           ,   2    ,           ,          ,
      (Loyal | and nat|ural boy)| I'll work | the means
           ,          ,    ,
      To make | thee ca|pable.  \\
 
[Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, and Attendants]
 
CORNWALL
            ,         x        ,           ,        ,
      How* now | my noble | friend, since^|I came^|hither
             ,         ,         ,     2       ,        ,
      (Which^I | can call | but now)| I have heard | strangeness.
 
REGAN
       ,       T   T    T     ,            T    T    T
      If it | be true, all | vengeance | comes too short
             ,        ,       2   ,        ,      T   T   T
      Which^can | pursue | the offend|er; how | dost my lord? (hex with prev)
 
GLOUCESTER
         ,            ,    ,           ,              ,
      O mad|am, my / old heart | is cracked,| it's cracked.
 
REGAN
        ,              ,        ,         ,           ,
      What, did | my fath|er's god|son* seek | your life?
       ,             ,       ,           ,      o
      He whom | my fath|er named,| your Ed|gar?
 
GLOUCESTER
          ,      ,       ,             ,        ,
      O* la|dy, la|dy, shame | would have | it hid.
 
REGAN
       ,        ,       ,         ,         ,  2         ,   ->
      Was he | not com|panion | with the | riotous || knights
              ,         ,         ,      o
      That | tended | upon | my fath|er?
 
GLOUCESTER
          ,     ,   ,                   ,          ,
      I know | not mad/am, 'tis | too* bad,| too* bad.
 
EDMUND
       ,   ,                ,     T   T   T
      Yes mad/am, he | was of | that consort.
 
REGAN
           ,       ,       ,     2        ,      ,
      No marv|el then,| though he were | ill af|fected,
             ,          ,                   ,    ,     ,
      'Tis they | have put | him on the // old man's death,
           ,       2    ,           ,       2     ,     ,
      To have | the expense | and waste | of his rev|enues:
          ,          ,        ,         ,        ,      2->
      I have | this pres|ent eve|ning from | my sis||ter
             ,         ,          ,       2       ,     ,
      Been well | informed | of them,| and with such | cautions,
            ,          ,        ,   ,             ,
      That if | they come | to so|journ at | my house,
            ,         ,
      I'll not | be there.
 
CORNWALL
                               ,       ,           x
                           Nor I,| assure | thee Regan;  ??
       ,           ,      ,     2         ,           ,
      Edmund,| I hear | that you have | shown your | father
      .   T     T   T
      A child-like of|fice.
 
EDMUND
                             ,      2    ,     ,
                            It | was my du|ty sir.
 
GLOUCESTER
          ,        ,          ,         ,         ,
      He did | bewray | his prac|tice, and | received
             ,         ,      ,            ,      ,        ->
      This hurt | you see,| striving | to ap|prehend || him.
 
CORNWALL
       ,            ,
      Is | he pur/sued?
 
GLOUCESTER
                        ,         ,     __
                       Aye | my good | lord.
 
CORNWALL
          ,       ,       ,          ,       ,
      If he | be tak|en, he | shall nev|er more
            ,         ,       ,      ,      2      ,
      Be feared | of do|ing harm,| make your own^|purpose,  ??
           ,          ,             ,          ,     ,
      How^in | my strength | you please:| for you | Edmund,
             ,   ,     2   ,  2        ,          ,
      Whose vir|tue and o|bedience | doth this | instant
           ,         ,        ,          ,          ,
      So much | commend | itself,| you shall | be ours,
       ,     2       T    T    T                  ,    ,
      Natures of | such deep trust,| we shall*/ much need;
       ,    2         ,
      You we first^|seize on.  \\
 
EDMUND
       2        ,          ,     ,         ,       ,
      I shall serve | you sir | truly,| howev|er else.
 
GLOUCESTER
           ,        ,            ,
      For him | I thank | your grace.  \\
 
CORNWALL
            ,         ,         ,        ,      ,
      You know | not why | we came | to vis|it you?
 
REGAN
        ,     2      ,         ,           T    T    T
      Thus out of | season,| threading | dark-eyed night,
         ,        ,        ,               ,    ,
      Occa|sions nob|le Glouce|ster of / some prize,
            ,        ,          ,         ,        ,
      Wherein | we must | have use | of your | advice.
            ,      ,          ,     ,     2       ,
      Our fath|er he | hath writ,| so hath our | sister,
          ,        ,                ,      ,          ,
      Of dif|ferences,| which I / least thought | it fit
          ,     3    3      ,          ,       ,       ,
      To ans|wer from our home:| the seve|ral mes|sengers  ??
             ,         ,         ,           ,           ,
      From hence | attend | dispatch,| our good | old friend,
       ,   ,                   ,       ,        ,
      Lay com/forts to | your bos|om, and | bestow
             ,        ,       ,        ,       ,
      Your need|ful couns|el to | our bus|inesses,
               ,           ,       ,
      Which^craves | the inst|ant use.
 
GLOUCESTER
                                           ,          ,      ->
                                       I serve | you ma||dam,
        ,     ,             ,      ,        oo
      Your | graces | are right | welcome.|
 
[Exeunt]

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