The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (917 page)

KING LEAR

How's that?

What do you mean?

Fool

Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst

been wise.

You should have got wise before

you got old.

KING LEAR

O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven

Keep me in temper: I would not be mad!

Enter Gentleman

How now! are the horses ready?

Now don't let me go mad, not mad, dear heaven

keep me calm: I don't want to go mad!

Hello there! Are the horses ready?

Gentleman

Ready, my lord.

They are ready my lord.

KING LEAR

Come, boy.

Come on, boy.

Fool

She that's a maid now, and laughs at my departure,

Shall not be a maid long, unless things be cut shorter.

Exeunt

The one who's a virgin now, and laughs at my going,

won't be a virgin for long, unless we run out of time.

Enter EDMUND, and CURAN meets him

EDMUND

Save thee, Curan.

God protect you, Curan.

CURAN

And you, sir. I have been with your father, and

given him notice that the Duke of Cornwall and Regan

his duchess will be here with him this night.

And you, sir. I have been with your father, and

told him that the Duke of Cornwall and Regan

his Duchess will join him here tonight.

EDMUND

How comes that?

Why is this happening?

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?

I can't say. You will have heard the news;

I mean the whispered news, for what  is it

at the moment but gossip?

EDMUND

Not I pray you, what are they?

I've heard nothing, what is this news?

CURAN

Have you heard of no likely wars toward, 'twixt the

Dukes of Cornwall and Albany?

Haven't you heard that there is probably going to be a war

between the Dukes of Cornwall and Albany?

EDMUND

Not a word.

I've not heard a word.

CURAN

You may do, then, in time. Fare you well, sir.

Exit

You may do, in time. Farewell, sir.

EDMUND

The duke be here to-night? The better! best!

This weaves itself perforce into my business.

My father hath set guard to take my brother;

And I have one thing, of a queasy question,

Which I must act: briefness and fortune, work!

Brother, a word; descend: brother, I say!

Enter EDGAR

My father watches: O sir, fly this place;

Intelligence is given where you are hid;

You have now the good advantage of the night:

Have you not spoken 'gainst the Duke of Cornwall?

He's coming hither: now, i' the night, i' the haste,

And Regan with him: have you nothing said

Upon his party 'gainst the Duke of Albany?

Advise yourself.

The Duke will be here tonight? That's better! That's the best!

This plays nicely into my hands.

My father has set guards to capture my brother;

and I have some delicate business

to attend to: speed and luck, work for me!

Brother, let me have a word with you; come down: brother, I'm calling!

My father is looking for you: sir, run away;

his spies know where you are hiding;

you now have darkness in your favour:

didn't you speak out against the Duke of Cornwall?

He's coming here: now, tonight, and hurrying,

bringing Regan with him: have you ever said anything

in his favour, against the Duke of Albany?

Think carefully.

EDGAR

I am sure on't, not a word.

I am positive that I've said nothing.

EDMUND

I hear my father coming: pardon me:

In cunning I must draw my sword upon you

Draw; seem to defend yourself; now quit you well.

Yield: come before my father. Light, ho, here!

Fly, brother. Torches, torches! So, farewell.

Exit EDGAR

Some blood drawn on me would beget opinion.

Wounds his arm

Of my more fierce endeavour: I have seen drunkards

Do more than this in sport. Father, father!

Stop, stop! No help?

Enter GLOUCESTER, and Servants with torches

I can hear my father coming: forgive me,

to look genuine I must draw my sword against you;

you draw yours, pretend to defend yourself, now fight strongly.

Surrender: come to my father. Give me a light, here!

Run, brother. Bring the torches! So, farewell.

If I spill some blood people will think

I really fought well: I've seen drunkards

do themselves more damage for fun. Father, father!

Stop, stop! Will nobody help me?

GLOUCESTER

Now, Edmund, where's the villain?

Now, Edmund, where is the villain?

EDMUND

Here stood he in the dark, his sharp sword out,

Mumbling of wicked charms, conjuring the moon

To stand auspicious mistress,--

He stood here in the dark, waving his sharp sword,

muttering about wicked spells, ordering the moon

to come to his aid–

GLOUCESTER

But where is he?

But where has he gone?

EDMUND

Look, sir, I bleed.

Looks sir, I am bleeding.

GLOUCESTER

Where is the villain, Edmund?

 Edmund, where has the villain gone?

EDMUND

Fled this way, sir. When by no means he could--

He ran this way, sir. When there was no way for him–

GLOUCESTER

Pursue him, ho! Go after.

Exeunt some Servants

By no means what?

Chase him! Follow him.

No way for him to what?

EDMUND

Persuade me to the murder of your lordship;

But that I told him, the revenging gods

'Gainst parricides did all their thunders bend;

Spoke, with how manifold and strong a bond

The child was bound to the father; sir, in fine,

Seeing how loathly opposite I stood

To his unnatural purpose, in fell motion,

With his prepared sword, he charges home

My unprovided body, lanced mine arm:

But when he saw my best alarum'd spirits,

Bold in the quarrel's right, roused to the encounter,

Or whether gasted by the noise I made,

Full suddenly he fled.

Persuade me to help murder your lordship;

instead I told him that the avenging gods

throw down all their anger against those who kill the fathers;

I told him how many strong bonds

there are between a child and his father; to sum up,

seeing how much I detested

his unnatural plans he charged me

with his already drawn sword

against my un-armoured body, and pierced my arm:

but when he saw that my blood was up,

ready to fight, knowing I was in the right,

or maybe he was frightened by the noise I made,

he suddenly ran off.

GLOUCESTER

Let him fly far:

Not in this land shall he remain uncaught;

And found--dispatch. The noble duke my master,

My worthy arch and patron, comes to-night:

By his authority I will proclaim it,

That he which finds him shall deserve our thanks,

Bringing the murderous coward to the stake;

He that conceals him, death.

He can run as far as he likes;

if he stays in this land he will be caught,

and when he's caught he'll be killed. The noble Duke my master,

my good patron and protector, is coming tonight:

I shall use his authority to announce

that whoever catches him will be rewarded

for bringing the murderous coward to execution;

and it will be death for anyone who hides him.

EDMUND

When I dissuaded him from his intent,

And found him pight to do it, with curst speech

I threaten'd to discover him: he replied,

'Thou unpossessing bastard! dost thou think,

If I would stand against thee, would the reposal

Of any trust, virtue, or worth in thee

Make thy words faith'd? No: what I should deny,--

As this I would: ay, though thou didst produce

My very character,--I'ld turn it all

To thy suggestion, plot, and damned practise:

And thou must make a dullard of the world,

If they not thought the profits of my death

Were very pregnant and potential spurs

To make thee seek it.'

When I tried to dissuade him,