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King Lear

Act IV, Scene 2

Before ALBANY's palace.
 
[Enter GONERIL and EDMUND]
 
GONERIL
       ,             ,       ,     2      ,     ,
      Welcome | my lord.| I marv|el our mild | husband
       ,     x               ,            ,            ,
      Not met us / on the | way. Now,^|where's your | master?
 
OSWALD
       ,          ,         ,      ,           ,
      Madam | within,| but nev|er man | so* changed:
          ,     ,    2       ,       ,         ,
      I told | him of the | army | that was | landed:
            ,       x          ,         ,          ,
      He smiled | at it. I | told him | you were | coming,
           ,       ,          ,           ,             ,     2  ->
      His ans|wer was,| the worse.| Of Glouce|ster's treach||ery,
       ,      2     ,       ,       ,        ,
      And | of the loy|al serv|ice of | his son
           ,        ,            ,          ,         ,
      When I | informed | him, then | he called | me sot,
            ,       ,          ,      .    T     T   T
      And told | me I | had turned | the wrong side out:
             ,          ,          ,      ,     ,         2
      What most | he should | dislike,| seems plea/sant to him;
             ,       ,
      What like,| offen|sive.
 
GONERIL
                               ,         2     ,       ,       ->
                             Then | shall you go | no furth|er.
        x          ,       ,       ,          x
      It is | the cow|ish ter|ror of | his spirit
             ,          ,      ,           ,             ,
      That dares | not und|ertake:| he'll not | feel* wrongs  ??
             ,             ,            ,            ,
      Which tie him to an answer: our wishes on the way  ????
            ,         ,       ,   ,        2      ,
      May prove | effects.| Back Ed/mund to my | brother,
       ,             ,        ,         ,           x
      Hasten | his must|ers, and | conduct | his powers.
       2        ,       ,         ,           T   .   T   T
      I must change | arms at | home, and | give the distaff
       ,  2      ,            ,             ,       ,
      Into my | husband's | hands. This | trusty | servant
              ,           x           ,       2      ,         ,
      Shall pass | between us:| ere long | you are like | to hear
                  ,   ,        ,         ,        ,
      (If you / dare vent|ure in | your own | behalf)
         ,      ,       ,     ,    ,     ,      ,
      A mistress's command. Wear this; spare speech,   ????
          ,            ,           ,     .  T   T     T
      Decline | your head.| This^kiss,| if it durst speak,
               ,            ,       ,      ,        ,
      Would stretch | thy spir|its up | into | the air:
           ,           ,           ,
      Conceive,| and fare | thee well.
 
EDMUND
        ,              ,          ,
      Yours in | the ranks | of death.  (tri with prev)
 
[Exit EDMUND]
 
GONERIL
       T   T    T       ,
      My most dear | Gloucester.  \\
       ,         ,      ,         ,         ___
      Oh, the | diffe|rence of | man, and | man,
           ,       ,         ,    ,         ,
      To thee | a wom|an's serv|ices | are due,
           ,       ,         ,
      My fool | usurps | my bo|dy.   \\
 
OSWALD
       ,             ,          ,
      Madam,| here comes | my lord.   \\
 
[Exit. Enter ALBANY]
 
GONERIL
      ,               ,             x
      I have | been worth | the whistle.
 
ALBANY
                                         ,  ,
                                        Oh Gon/eril,
       ,              ,           ,                  ,    ,
      You are | not worth | the dust | which^the / rude wind
        ,     2         ,         ,          ,     ,
      Blows in your | face. I | fear your | dispo|sition:
            ,         ,          ,          ,   ,
      That na|ture, which | contemns | its or|igin,
       ,            ,        ,        ,       ,
      Cannot | be bord|ered cert|ain in | itself;
       ,              ,           ,      ,          ,
      She that | herself | will sliv|er and | disbranch
        ,           ,   2   ,         ,           ,      2->
      From her | mater|ial sap,| perforce | must with|er
            ,         ,      ,
      And come | to dead|ly use.
 
GONERIL
           ,            x       ,
      No more,| the text is | foolish.  (tri with prev)
 
ALBANY
       ,    2        ,         ,         T    T    T
      Wisdom and | goodness | to the | vile seem vile:
         T     Tx   T           ,       ,               ,
      Filths savor but | themselves.| What have | you done?
       ,             ,           ,          ,          ,
      Tigers,| not daught|ers, what | have you | performed?
          ,       ,       ,         ,     ,
      A fath|er, and | a gra|cious ag|ed man,
              ,         ,            ,     ,       T    T     T
      Whose^reve|rence ev|en the / head-lugged | bear would lick,
        ,   ,             ,      ,  2         ,         ,
      Most bar/barous,| most de|generate*!| Have you | madded.  (hex with prev)
        ,               ,        ,       ,         x
      Could my | good* broth|er suf|fer you | to do it?
         ,         ,         ,        ,    ,      ->
      A man,| a prince,| by him | so ben|efit||ed!
       ,       2       x          ,           ,   2      x
      If | that the heavens | do not | their vis|ible spirits
             ,        ,         ,            ,       ,       ->
      Send^quick|ly down | to tame | these^vile | offen||ses,
       ,    __     __
      It | will | come,  \\
         ,   2     ,         ,       ,           ,
      Huma|nity* must | perforce | prey on | itself,
        ,   ,                   ,
      Like mon/sters of | the deep.
 
GONERIL
                                      T    Tx     T
                                    Milk-livered man,
              ,         ,           ,         ,           ,
      That bearst | a cheek | for blows,| a head | for wrongs,
            ,     ,    2        ,         ,       ,
      Who hast | not in thy | brows an | eye dis|cerning
             ,        ,         ,    2             ,     ,
      Thine^hon|or, from | thy suf|fering, that / not knowst
        ,     2        ,          ,      ,         ,
      Fools do those^|villains | pity | who are | punished
       ,                ,           ,            ,            ,
      Ere they | have done | their mis|chief. Where's | thy drum?
         T      T     .   T        ,         ,          ,
      France spreads his ban|ners in | our noise|less land;
             ,       ,          ,          ,     ,
      With plum|ed helm | thy slay|er be/gins threats;
               ,       ,       ,            ,          ,      2->
      Whiles^thou,| a mor|al fool,| sitst^still,| and cri||est
         ,          ,        ,
      Alack | why does | he so?
 
ALBANY
       T   T   T     ,
      See thyself | devil:  (tri with prev)
       ,          ,           ,    ,      2      ,
      Proper | defor|mity / seems not | in the fiend
          ,       ,       ,
      So hor|rid as | in wom|an.
 
GONERIL
                                      ,    ,
                                O / vain fool.
 
ALBANY
              ,             ,   ,         ,           ,
      Thou chang|ed and / self-cov|ered thing,| for shame,
          ,        ,         ,            x         ,       ->
      Be-monst|er not | thy fea|ture. Were it | my fit||ness
            ,    ,       ,      T   T   T
      To / let these | hands o|bey my blood,
          2     ,       ,         ,      ,          ,
      They are apt | enough | to dis|locate | and tear
            ,           ,         ,          ,        ,
      Thy flesh | and bones:| howere | thou art | a fiend,
         ,         ,             ,
      A wom|an's shape | doth shield | thee.  \\
 
GONERIL
Marry, your manhood now.
 
[Enter a Messenger]
 
ALBANY
What news?
 
MESSENGER
       ,              ,          ,         ,           ,
      Oh my | good* lord,| the Duke | of Corn|wall's^dead,
        ,             ,         ,           ,   ,
      Slain by | his serv|ant, go/ing to / put out
           ,      ,          ,
      The oth|er eye | of Glouce|ster.
 
ALBANY
                                         ,            ,
                                      Glouce|ster's eyes.
 
MESSENGER
          ,        ,         ,        ,               ,
      A serv|ant that | he bred,| thrilled with | remorse,
          ,         ,          ,     ,              ,
      Opposed | against | the act:| bending | his sword
                 ,     ,       ,       ,       ,
      To his / great mast|er, who,| threat en|raged
        ,   ,                  ,             ,           ,
      Flew on / him, and | amongst | them felled | him dead;
           ,         ,           ,         ,             ,
      But not | without | that harm|ful stroke,| which since
              ,           ,    2
      Hath plucked | him aft|er.
 
ALBANY
                                       ,      ,           ,
                                This^shows | you are | above
            ,    ,           ,           ,        ,
      You just|ices,| that these | our neth|er crimes
           ,     ,         ,          ,            ,         ->
      So spee|dily | can venge.| But (O | poor* Glouce||ster)
        ,      2    ,       ,
      Lost | he his oth|er eye?
 
MESSENGER
                                 T     T    .   T
                               Both, both, my lord.
             x       ,         ,         ,       ,
      This letter | madam,| craves a | speedy | answer:
             ,          ,
      'Tis from | your sis|ter.
 
GONERIL
                                 ,       2    ,           ,
                                One | way^I like | this well,
            x      ,       ,          ,           ,
      But being | widow,| and my | Gloucester | with her,
           ,          ,        ,       ,       ,
      May all | the build|ing in | my fan|cy pluck
        ,         ,        ,      ,       ,
      Upon | my hate|ful life.| Anoth|er way
            ,        ,         ,           ,         ,      ->
      The news | is not | so tart.| I'll read,| and ans||wer.
 
[Exit]
 
ALBANY
        ,        2     ,           ,          ,          ,
      Where | was his son,| when they | did take | his eyes?
 
MESSENGER
        ,             ,      ,
      Come with | my la|dy hith|er.
 
ALBANY
                                     2      ,    ,
                                   He is / not here.
 
MESSENGER
       ,              ,       ,          ,       ,
      No my | good* lord,| I met | him back | again.
 
ALBANY
        ,              ,      ,
      Knows he | the wick|edness?
 
MESSENGER
      <- T   T   T       ,            ,       ,        ,
        Aye my good || lord: 'twas | he in|formed a|gainst him
      <-      ,           ,         ,          ,           ,       ,
        And quit || the house | on pur|pose, that | their pun|ishment
              ,         ,        ,
      Might^have | the fre|er course.
 
ALBANY
                                        ,             ,
                                     Gloucester,| I live
           ,       ,              ,             ,            ,
      To thank | thee for | the love | thou showedst | the king,
       ,           ,             ,           ,        ,
      And to | revenge | thine^eyes.| Come^hith|er friend:
        ,              ,            ,
      Tell me | what more | thou knowst.   \\
 
[Exeunt]

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