forming her of a division between Albany and Cornwall, and of Lear's diftreffed fituation.

feverally.

Exeunt

Sc. II. Storm continues. Enter Lear and Fool. Lear's wild

exclamations, and the Fool's jefts.

Sc. III. To them enter Kent. Kent perfuades Lear to shelter himself from the ftorm in a hovel hard by,

while he (Kent) returns to the castle to force admiffion for Lear. The Fool's droll prophecy.

Sc. IV. An apartment in Glo'fter's castle. Enter Glo. and Edm. Glo. expreffes his diflike of Lear's treatment, and determines to fide with him and relieve him. Exit. Edm. (alone) determines to inform the duke of his father's design, by which he shall effect his own rife at the price of his father's ruin. Exit. Sc. V. Part of the heath, with a hovel. Enter Lear, Kent and Fool. Kent begs Lear to enter the hovel for fhelter. Lear difregards the ftorm, and vents re

proaches against his unnatural daughters.

2

Sc. VI. From the hovel enter Edg. difguifed as a madman. Wild talk of Lear and Edg.

Sc. VII. Enter Glo. with a torch. Glo. begs Lear to remove to a house he has provided for him. Lear refuses

to leave Edg. Edg. goes with them.

Sc. VIII. Glofter's caftle. Enter Cornwall and Edm. It appears that Edm. hath revealed his father's intention

of relieving Lear.

Sc. IX. A chamber in a farm-house.

Enter Kent and Glo.

Glo. promifes his farther affistance, and exit. Enter Lear, Edg. and Fool. Lear's real and Edgar's counterfeit madnefs. Re-enter Glo. with news of a plot on Lear's life, and that a litter is provided for

him

him to convey him with all speed to Dover, that he may escape the affaffination. Exeunt.

Sc. X. Glo'fter's caftle. Enter Corn. Reg. Gon. Edm. and fervants. Corn. fends to arreft Glo. Enter Steward

with news that Lear, by the affiftance of Glo. is carried to Dover, Exeunt Gon. and Edm.

Sc. XI. Enter Glo. prifoner, and fervants. They bind Glo. and after infults, his eyes are trodden out by Cornwall. In a fcuffle between a fervant (who ftands up for Glo.) and Cornwall, the latter is mortally wounded, and the former killed by Regan on the fpot. Glo. perceives that his fon Edg. is abufed, and that Edm. is the villain. Glo. is turned out of doors.

ACT IV.

Sc. I. An open country. Enter Edg. Soliloquy. Enter Glo. led by an old man, who offers to be his conductor,

but is refufed. Edg. is accepted of as Glofter's guide to Dover. Exeunt.

Šc. II. The Duke of Albany's palace. Enter Gon. Edm. and Steward. A love-intrigue opens between Gon. and

Edm. Gon. gives Edm. a ring; and names the Steward as a trufty meffenger between them. Exit Edm. and. Steward. Enter Albany. He repre hends Gon. for her cruel behaviour to Lear, but is derided for his humanity. Enter meffenger with news of the Duke of Cornwall's death, and Glofter's lofs of his eyes. Albany determines to revenge Glofter.

Sc. III.

Sc. III. Dover.

Enter Kent, and a Gentleman, who informs Kent that he had delivered his letters to Cordelia, and relates how fhe was moved therewith. It appears from this fcene that Lear is in Dover, but refufes to fee his daughter Cordelia, out of shame for his unkind behaviour to her. Exeunt.

Sc. IV. A camp. Enter Cor. Physician, and foldiers.

Cor.

enjoins the Phyfician to use his utmost skill for the recovery of Lear from his madness. Enter a meffenger with news that the British powers are marching against Cordelia's.

Sc. V. Regan's palace. Enter Reg. and Steward. It ap pears that Reg. is in love with Edm. and defires to read the contents of a letter which Gon. (of whom fhe is jealous) has fent by the Steward to Edm. but is refufed. She gives the Steward one from herfelf to deliver to Edm. She promises him a reward if finding Glo. he should kill him.

Sc. VI. The country near Dover. a peafant, who pretends the top of Dover cliff.

Enter Glo. and Edg. as to be leading him up to When Glo. is made to be

lieve he is arrived, he throws himself down as with a defign to put an end to his life, but without hurt. Edg. here feigns himself to be another perfon at the bottom of the cliff, and having affured Glo. that he had fallen from the top to the bottom, fecms to wonder, with Glo. that he was not dead. Sc. VII. To them enter Lear madly dreft with flowers. Talk agreeable to the character and misfortunes of thefe three perfons.

Sc. VIII. To them enter a gentleman with attendants, who feize on Lear, in order to carry him to Cor. News.

that

that the enemy is near. Exeunt Lear, gentleman, and attendants. Manet Glo. and Edg.

Sc. IX. To them enter Steward, who affaulting Glo. with a defign to kill him, is himself killed by Edg.Edg. finds a letter in the Steward's pocket from Gen. to Edm. encouraging him to affaffinate her husband. Edg. leads off Glo. to a place of fafety.

Sc. X. A chamber. Enter Cor. Kent, and Phyfician. Cor. expreffes her gratitude to Kent for his fervices to Lear. Kent defires he may ftill remain unknown,

in his difguife, to all but her.

in a chair carried by fervants.

Enter Lear afleep

He wakes, and an

affecting interview between Lear and Cordelia follows, in which Lear's madnefs appears to be approaching towards a cure.

Exeunt.

ACT V.

Sc. I. A camp. Enter Edm. Reg. and their powers. Reg. discovers to Edm. her jealousy of him with Gon. To them enter Albany, Gon. and foldiers. Alb. fays he hears Lear is come to his daughter Cordelia. Talk of the war, &c.

Sc. II. As they are going out, enter Edg. difguifed, who, defiring private fpeech with Alb. delivers him the letter he had found on the Steward, and defires him to open it before the battle; and, if Alb. won the battle, that a trumpet might be founded for him (Edg.) who woull then produce a champion. to prove what was avouched in the letter. Enter Edm. who gives Alb. a lift of the fuppofed number of the oppofite forces. Exeunt.

Sc. III.

Sc. III. Manet Edm. Soliloquy. He determines, after the battle is over, if Lear and Cordelia fhould be taken

prifoners, to fruftrate any intended pardon granted to them from Alb. and to take them off.

Sc. IV. A field. Alarm within. Enter with drum and colours, Lear, Cor. and foldiers over the ftage, and Exeunt. Enter Edg. and Glo. Edg. feats Glo. under a bufh, and leaves him till the battle is over. Alarm and retreat within. Re-enter Edg. who informs Glo. that Lear hath loft the battle, and that he and his daughter Cor. are taken prisoners. Exeunt.

.Sc. V. Enter in conqueft with drum and colours, Edmund:

Lear and Cor. prifoners. Soldiers, Captain. Edm. orders Lear and Cor. to prifon. Exeunt Lear and Cor. guarded. Edm. gives written inftructions to the Captain, and promifes him preferment if he obeys them. Exit Captain.

$c. VI. To Edm. enter Alb. Gon. Reg. and foldiers. Upon Edmund's affuming behaviour, Alb. tells him he holds him not as a brother, but a fubject, in the war. Reg. afferts that fhe has invefted him with fovereign honour by designing him for her hufband; and now gives herself and all fhe has to him. Alb. arrefts Edm. on capital treafon, orders the trumpet to found for the champion who is to prove it. Exit Reg. fick, being poifoned by Gon. Enter Herald at the call of Edm.

Sc. VII. A trumpet founds. Edg. appears. He and Edm. engage. Edm. falls Alb. fhews Gon. the letter of

hers which Edg. had given him. Exit Gon. desperate.

Sc. VIII.