Enter a Herald.

1

Alb. Truft to thy fingle virtue; for thy foldiers,

All levied in my name, have in my name

Took their discharge.

Reg. This fickness grows upon me.

Alb. She is not well; convey her to my tent. [Exit Reg

Come hither, herald. Let the trumpet found,

n

If any man of quality or degree, " within the lifts of the army, will maintain upon Edmund fuppofed earl of Glofter, that he is a manifold traitor, let him appear at the third found of the trumpet. He is bold in his defence.

The two last fo's, R. P. and H. read virtues.

m This speech of the Captain is omitted by all but the qu's.

■ The qu's read in the hoaft of the army, &c. .

• So the qu's; the rest by for at.

P All but the qu's omit found; and they give it to the Bastard; but this seems to be a mistake, for I suppose it was the Herald's business to bid the trumpet found.

The qu's have again but once, and this is alfo given to the Bastard.
This direction is omitted in the qu's.

Enter Edgar, armed, with a trumpet before him.

Alb. Afk him his purposes, why he appears

Upon this call o'th' trumpet.

Her. What are you ?

Your name and quality, and why you anfwer
This prefent fummons ?

t

Edg. O know my name is loft,

By treason's tooth bare-gnawn, and canker-bit;

"Yet am I noble was the adverfary

I come to cope * withal.

Alb. Which is that adversary?

Edg. What's he that speaks for Edmund earl of Glo'fter? Edm. Himfelf: what fay'ft thou to him?

Edg. Draw thy fword,

That if my speech offend a noble heart,

Thy arm may do thee juftice; here is mine;

Behold, it is the privilege of mine honours",

My oath and my profeffion. I protest,

Maugre

The qu's read Enter Edgar, at the third found, a trumpet before him. The fo's and the rest Enter Edgar, armed.

So the qu's; the rest omit 0.

The 2d q. omits yet am I noble; for which the 1ft q. reads yet are I mou't, i. e. (I fuppofe) yet ere I move it.

w The qu's read where is the adversary, &c.

* So the qu's; the rest omit withal.

y The fo's, R. P. and J. read behold, it is my privilege, the privilege of mine bonours, &c.

z The qu's read tongue for honours.

a The charge he is here going to bring against the Bastard, he calls the privilege, &c. to understand which phraseology, we must consider the old rites of knighthood are here alluded to; whose oath and profession required him to discover all `treasons, and whose privilege was to have his challenge

accepted,

e

Maugre thy ftrength, youth, place, and eminence,
'Defpight thy victor-fword, and fire-new d fortune,
Thy valour, and thy heart, thou art a traitor;
Falfe to thy Gods, thy brother, and thy father,
* Confpirant 'gainst this high illuftrious prince,
And from th' extremeft upward of thy head,
To the descent and duft f beneath thy feet,
A moft toad-fpotted traitor. Say thou, no;
This fword, this arm, and my best spirits 8 are bent
To prove upon thy heart whereto I speak,

Thou lieft.

Edm. In wisdom I fhould ask thy name,

But fince thy out-fide looks fo fair and warlike,

And that thy tongue fome i 'fay of breeding breathes;

accepted, or otherwise to have his charge taken pro confesso. For if one who was no knight accused another who was, that other was under no obligation to accept the challenge. On this account it was neceflary, as Edgar came difguifed, to tell the Baftard he was a knight. W.

But I should rather think privilege refers to his fword; he says, Draw thy fword, &c. bere is mine, it is the privilege, &c. i. c. I don't wear my sword in the common way, merely as my defence, but as a privilege, granted at my being knighted, for the vindicating betrayed innocence, and punishing the traitor. For by the words here is mine, he cannot well refer to my speech in the foregoing line: had he intended to refer to his following speech, then the grammar would have requir'd to be here it is, and not here is mine.

So the qu's; the rest strength, plate, youth, &c.

So the qu's and R.; the fo's read despise for despight; P. and the rest Spite of.

d The qu's read fortun'd.

The qu's read confpicuate.

f So the qu's; the rest below thy foot.

For are the ift q. reads as; the ad is.

h The qu's read being for tongue.

Say for effay, fome shew or probability. P. But perhaps fay may here

be the verb changed into a noun, and may fignify discourse.

The fo's read and fince thy tongue (fome fay) of breeding breathes.

k What fafe and nicely I might well delay
By 1 rule of knighthood, I disdain and spurn.
m Back do I tofs n thefe treasons to thy head,
With the hell-hated lye P o'erwhelm thy heart;
9 Which (for they yet glance by, and fcarcely bruise)
This fword of mine fhall give them instant way,

Trumpets, speak.

[Alarm.

Fight. Edmund falls,

t

mere practice, Gloʼfter.

Gon. Save him, fave him; this is

By th' law of u arms, thou w waft not bound to * answer

An unknown oppofite; thou art not vanquish'd,

But cozen'd and beguil'd.

Alb. Shut your mouth, dame,

* The qu's omit this line.

1 The qu's have right for rule.

m This line is omitted in the 2d q.; the 1ft reads heer for back. The 1ft q. reads thofe for thefe.

• The qu's read hell-batedly.

P The qu's read oreturn'd for o'erwhelm.

q H. reads to which (for they yet glance by, fcarcely bruifing).

IT. W. and J. read thou shalt reft.

So all before T. who reads 0 fave him, &c. followed by W. and J -H. reads fave him, O fave him, &c.—Save him, fave him, is made Albany's fpeech by all before T. who puts it to Gonerill's; followed by all after but J.

t All but the qu's omit mere.

So the qu's; the rest war for arms.

w The qu's read art for waft.

The 2d q. reads offer for anfwer.

The qu's read ftop for fout.

The 1ft q. reads ftople.

a The fo's, R. and F. read hold, fir, after ftop it, making it a part of Albany's fpeech; but this feems to be a mistake; for if it be read at all, it hould be Gonerill's fpeech. All the reft omit it.

Alb.

Alb. Thou worfe than any name, read thine own evil. Nay, no tearing, lady; I perceive you know itd.

Gon. Say, if I do; the laws are mine, not thine;

Who fhall arraign me for't?

Alb. f Monster, know'ft thou this paper?

Gon. Afk me not what I know

[Exit Gonerill.

Alb. Go after her.

She's defperate; govern her.

VIII.

SCENE

Edm. What you have charg'd me with, that have I done,

And more, much more; the time will bring it out.

'Tis paft, and fo am I. But what art thou,

That haft this fortune on me? If thou'rt noble,

I do forgive thee.

Edg. Let us exchange charity.

I am not lefs in blood than thou art, Edmund;
If more, the more thou haft wrong'd me.

My name is Edgar, and thy father's fon.
The Gods are juft, and of our pleasanti vices

So the fo's, R. and J.; the rest thing for name.

So the qu's; all the reft omit nay.

Here 7. puts this direction, [gives the letter to Edmund.] But why fo? Does it not appear that he had given it to Gonerill, for he bids her read, and not tear it and afterwards having taken it from her, fays, Monster, know'ft thea this paper? which fhews the paper to be then in Albany's hand.

So the qu's; the reft can for fall.

So the ad q.; the 1st most monstrous know'st thou this paper? The fo's and R. most monstrous! O, know'st thou this paper? the reft follow the ad q. So all before T. who alters have I to I have; followed by the reft. h The qu's read if thou bee'ft noble.

The qu's read vertues for vices.

M4

Make