Nahum Tate

“ The lowest and most abject Thing of Fortune Stands still in Hope, and is secure from Fear, The lamentable Change is from the Best, The Worst returns to Better— who comes here [Enter Gloster, led by an old Man.]
My Father poorly led? depriv'd of Sight, The precious Stones torn from their bleeding Rings! Some-thing I heard of this inhumane Deed But disbeliev'd it, as an Act too horrid For the hot Hell of a curst Woman's fury, When will the measure of my woes be full? Glost.
Revenge, thou art afoot, Success attend Thee. Well have I sold my Eyes, if the Event Prove happy for the injur'd King. ”

“ Happ'ly when I shall Wed, the Lord whose Hand Shall take my Plight, will carry half my Love, For I shall never marry, like my Sisters, To Love my Father All. Lear.
And goes thy Heart with this? 'Tis said that I am Chol'rick, judge me Gods, Is there not cause? now Minion I perceive The Truth of what has been suggested to Us, Thy Fondness for the Rebel Son of Gloster, False to his Father, as Thou art to my Hopes: And oh take heed, rash Girl, lest We comply With thy fond wishes, which thou wilt too late Repent, for know Our nature cannot brook A Child so young and so Ungentle. ”

“ But Love detains me from Death's peacefull Cell, Still whispering me Cordelia's in distress; Unkinde as she is I cannot see her wretched, But must be neer to wait upon her Fortune. Who knows but the white minute yet may come When Edgar may do service to Cordelia, That charming Hope still ties me to the Oar Of painfull Life, and makes me too, submit To th' humblest shifts to keep that Life a foot ”

“ The Gods restore you— heark, I hear afar The beaten Drum, Old Kent's a Man of's Word. O for an Arm Like the fierce Thunderer's, when th' earth-born Sons Storm'd Heav'n, to fight this injur'd Father's Battle. That I cou'd shift my Sex, and die me deep In his Opposer's Blood, but as I may With Womens Weapons, Piety and Pray'rs, I'll aid his Cause— You never-erring Gods Fight on his side, and Thunder on his Foes Such Tempest as his poor ag'd Head sustain'd; Your Image suffers when a Monarch bleeds. 'Tis your own Cause, for that your Succours bring, Revenge your Selves, and right an injur'd King. ”

“ DIDO Fate forbids what you pursue. AENEAS Aeneas has no fate but you! Let Dido smile and I'll defy The feeble stroke of Destiny. CHORUS Cupid only throws the dart That's dreadful to a warrior's heart, And she that wounds can only cure the smart. AENEAS If not for mine, for Empire's sake, Some pity on your lover take; Ah! make not, in a hopeless fire A hero fall, and Troy once more expire. BELINDA Pursue thy conquest, Love; her eyes Confess the flame her tongue denies. ”

“ Let the Spheres stop their Course, the Sun make Hault, The Winds be husht, the Seas and Fountains Rest; All Nature pause, and listen to the Change. Where is my Kent, my Cajus? Kent.
Here, my Liege. Lear.
Why I have News that will recall thy Youth; Ha! Didst Thou hear 't, or did th' inspiring Gods Whisper to me Alone? Old Lear shall be A King again. Kent.
The Prince, that like a God has Pow'r, has said it. Lear.
Cordelia then shall be a Queen, mark that: Cordelia shall be Queen; Winds catch the Sound And bear it on your rosie Wings to Heav'n. Cordelia is a Queen. [Re-enter Edgar with Gloster.] ”

“ Edmund, Thou shalt find A Father in our Love, and from this Minute We call thee Earl of Gloster; but there yet Remains another Justice to be done, And that's to punish this discarded Traytor; But least thy tender Nature shou'd relent At his just Sufferings, nor brooke the Sight, We wish thee to withdraw. ”

“ This Policy of Fathers is intollerable that keeps our Fortunes from us till Age will not suffer us to enjoy 'em; I am weary of the Tyranny: Come to me that of this I may speak more: if our Father would sleep till I wak't him, you shou'd enjoy half his Possessions, and live beloved of your Brother Edgar. Slept till I wake him, you shou'd enjoy Half his possessions — Edgar to write this 'Gainst his indulgent Father! Death and Hell! Fly, Edmund, seek him out, wind me into him That I may bite the Traytor's heart, and fold His bleeding Entrals on my vengefull Arm. ”

“ DIDO [Cupids appear in the clouds o're her tomb] Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me, On thy bosom let me rest, More I would, but Death invades me; Death is now a welcome guest. When I am laid in earth, May my wrongs create No trouble in thy breast; Remember me, but ah! forget my fate. CHORUS With drooping wings you Cupids come, To scatter roses on her tomb. Soft and Gentle as her Heart Keep here your watch, and never part. CUPIDS DANCE FINIS ”

“ If you do love Old men, if your sweet sway Allow Obedience; if your selves are Old, Make it your Cause, send down and take my part; Why, Gorgon, dost thou come to haunt me here? Art not asham'd to look upon this Beard? Darkness upon my Eyes they play me false, O Regan, wilt thou take her by the Hand? ”

“ What have not Women dar'd for vicious Love, And we'll be shining Proofs that they can dare For Piety as much; blow Winds, and Lightnings fall, Bold in my Virgin Innocence, I'll flie My Royal Father to Relieve, or Die. ”

“ You, Burgundy, Cornwall and Albany Long in Our Court have made your amorous sojourn And now are to be answer'd — tell me my Daughters Which of you Loves Us most, that We may place Our largest Bounty with the largest Merit. Gonerill, Our Eldest-born, speak first. Gon.
Sir, I do love You more than words can utter, Beyond what can be valu'd, Rich or Rare, Nor Liberty, nor Sight, Health, Fame, or Beauty Are half so dear, my Life for you were vile, As much as Child can love the best of Fathers. Lear. ”

“ A Sight most moving in the meanest Wretch, Past speaking in a King. Now, good Sir, what are you? Edg.
A most poor Man made tame to Fortune's strokes, And prone to Pity by experienc'd Sorrows; give me your Hand. Glost.
You ever gentle Gods take my Breath from me, And let not my ill Genius tempt me more To Die before you please. [Enter Gonerill's Gentleman Usher.]
Gent.
A proclaim'd Prize, O most happily met, That Eye-less Head of thine was first fram'd Flesh To raise my Fortunes ”

“ Appear'd a shining throng
Of angels, praising God, and thus
Address'd their joyful song:
"All glory be to God on high.
And to the earth be peace;
Good-will henceforth from heaven to men
Begin, and never cease!" ”

“ But still so many Master-Touches shine
Of that vast Hand that first laid this Design,
That in great Shakespear's Right, He's bold to say
If you like nothing you have seen to Day
The Play your Judgment damns, not you the Play. ”

“ No longer cloud thee, Kent, in that Disguise, There's business for thee and of noblest weight; Our injur'd Country is at length in Arms, Urg'd by the King's inhumane Wrongs and Mine, And only want a Chief to lead 'em on. That Task be Thine. Edg.
[Aside] Brave Britains then there's Life in 't yet. Kent. Then have we one cast for our Fortune yet. Come, Princess, I'll bestow you with the King, Then on the Spur to Head these Forces. Farewell, good Gloster, to our Conduct trust. ”

“ Heark! a Retreat, the King has Lost or Won. [Re-enter Edgar, bloody.]
Edg.
Away, old Man, give me your Hand, away! King Lear has lost, He and his Daughter tane, And this, ye Gods, is all that I can save Of this most precious Wreck: give me your Hand. Glost.
No farther, Sir, a Man may Rot even here. Edg.
What? in ill Thoughts again? Men must endure Their going hence ev'n as their coming hither. Glost.
And that's true too. [Exeunt.]
[Flourish. Enter in Conquest, Albany, Gonerill, Regan, Bastard.—
Lear, Kent, Cordelia Prisoners.] ”

“ The greatest blessing Fate can give Our Carthage to secure and Troy revive. CHORUS When monarchs unite, how happy their state, They triumph at once o'er their foes and their fate. DIDO Whence could so much virtue spring? ”

“ Shut from the Living whilst among the Living; Dark as the Grave amidst the bustling World. At once from Business and from Pleasure bar'd; No more to view the Beauty of the Spring, Nor see the Face of Kindred, or of Friend. Yet still one way th' extreamest Fate affords, And ev'n the Blind can find the Way to Death. ”

“ Vengeance! Death, Plague, Confusion, Fiery? what Quality — why Gloster, Gloster, I'd speak with the Duke of Cornwal and his Wife. Glost.
I have inform'd 'em so. Lear.
Inform'd 'em! dost thou understand me, Man, I tell thee Gloster— Glost.
I, my good Lord. Lear.
The King wou'd speak with Cornwal, the dear Father Would with his Daughter speak, commands her Service. Are they inform'd of this? my Breath and Blood! Fiery! the fiery Duke! tell the hot Duke — No, but not yet, may be he is not well: Infirmity do's still neglect all Office ”

“ Nothing but the Power of your Perswasion, and my Zeal for all the Remains of Shakespear, cou'd have wrought me to so bold an Undertaking. I found that the New-modelling of this Story, wou'd force me sometimes on the difficult Task of making the chiefest Persons speak something like their Character, on Matter whereof I had no Ground in my Author. Lear's real, and Edgar's pretended Madness have so much of extravagant Nature (I know not how else to express it) as cou'd never have started but from our Shakespear's Creating Fancy. ”

“ But I'll reward thy Vertue. Follow me. My Lord, you wait the King who comes resolv'd To quit the Toils of Empire, and divide His Realms amongst his Daughters, Heaven succeed it, But much I fear the Change. Kent.
I grieve to see him With such wild starts of passion hourly seiz'd, As renders Majesty beneath it self. Glost.
Alas! 'tis the Infirmity of his Age, Yet has his Temper ever been unfixt, Chol'rick and suddain; hark, They approach. [Exeunt Gloster and Bast.]
[Flourish. Enter Lear, Cornwall, Albany, Burgundy, Edgar, Goneril, Regan, Cordelia, Edgar speaking to Cordelia at Entrance.] ”

“ Thou think'st 'tis much that this contentious Storm Invades us to the Skin so, 'tis to thee But where the greater Malady is fixt The lesser is scarce felt: the Tempest in my Mind Do's from my Senses take all feeling else Save what beats there. ”

“ Heark, Sir, not as you hold our Husbands pleasure [To the Captain aside.]
But as you hold your Life, dispatch your Pris'ners. Our Empire can have no sure Settlement But in their Death, the Earth that covers them Binds fast our Throne. Let me hear they are Dead. ”

“ Haste, haste to town, this open field No shelter from the storm can yield. [exeunt Dido and Belinda and train] [The Spirit of the Sorceress descends to Aeneas in the likeness of Mercury] SPIRIT Stay, Prince and hear great Jove's command; He summons thee this Night away. AENEAS Tonight? SPIRIT Tonight thou must forsake this land, The Angry God will brook no longer stay. Jove commands thee, waste no more In Love's delights, those precious hours, Allow'd by th'Almighty Powers To gain th' Hesperian shore And ruined Troy restore. ”