335304Bast. Thou Nature art my Goddesse, to thy law 336my seruices

305are bound, wherefore should I 337stand in the plague of custome,

306and permit 338the curiositie of nations to depriue me, 339for that I am

307some twelue or 14. mooneshines 340lag of a brother, why bastard?

308wherfore base, 341when my dementions are as well compact,

342my

309mind as generous, and my shape as true 343as honest madams issue,

310why brand they vs 344with base, base bastardie? 345who in the lusty

311stealth of nature, take more composition and feirce quality, 347then

312doth within a stale dull lyed bed, 348goe to the creating of a whole

313tribe of fops 349got tweene a sleepe and wake; well the 350legitimate

314Edgar, I must haue your land, 351our Fathers loue is to the bastard

315Edmund, 352as to the legitimate, 353well my legitimate, if this letter

316speede, 354and my inuention thriue, Edmund the base

355shall tooth'le-

317gitimate: I grow, I prosper, 356now Gods stand vp for Bastards.

358319Glost. Kent banisht thus, and France in choller parted, 359and

320the King gone to night, subscribd his power, 360confined to exhi-

321bition, all this donne 361vpon the gadde; Edmund how now

322what newes?

362323Bast. So please your Lordship, none:

363324Glost. Why so earnestly seeke you to put vp that letter?

364325Bast. I know no newes my Lord.

365326Glost. What paper were you reading?

366327Bast. Nothing my Lord,

367328Glost. No, what needes then that terribe dispatch of 368it into

329your pocket, the qualitie of nothing hath not 369such need to hide

330it selfe, lets see, come if it bee no370thing I shall not neede specta-

331cles.

371332Ba. I beseech you Sir pardon me, it is a letter 372from my brother,

333that I haue not all ore read, for so 373much as I haue perused, I find it

334not fit for your liking.

375335Glost. Giue me the letter sir.

376336Bast, I shall offend either to detaine or giue it, 377the contents

337as in part I vnderstand them, 378are too blame.

379338Glost. Lets see, lets see?

380339Bast. I hope for my brothers iustification, he wrot 381this but

340as an essay, or tast of my vertue. A Letter.

382341Glost. This policie of age makes the 383world bitter to the best

342of our times, keepes our fortunes from 384vs till our oldnes cannot

343relish them, I begin to find an idle 385and fond bondage in the op-

344pression of aged tyranny, who swaies 386not as it hath power, but as

345it is suffered, come to me, that of 387this I may speake more, if our

346father would sleepe till I wakt 388him, you should inioy halfe his

347reuenew for euer, and liue the 389beloued of your brother Ed-

348gar.

390349 Hum, conspiracie, slept till I wakt him, you should 391enioy halfe

350his reuenew, my sonne Edgar, had hee a 392hand to write this, a

351hart, and braine to breed it in, 393when came this to you, who

352brought it?

394353Bast. It was not brought me my Lord, ther's the 395cunning of

354it, I found it throwne in at the casement of 396my closet.

397355Glost. You know the Caractar to be your brothers?

398356Bast. If the matter were good, my Lord I durst sweare 399it were

357his but in respect, of that I would faine thinke it 400were

not,

401358Glost. It is his?

402359Bast. It is his hand my Lord, but I hope his heart is 403not in

360the contents.

404361Glost. Hath he neuer heretofore soũded you in this busines?

405362Bast. Neuer my Lord, but I haue often heard him main406taine

363it to be fit, that sons at perfit age, & fathers 407declining, his father

364should be as ward to the sonne, and 408the sonne mannage the re-

365uenew.

409366Glost. O villaine, villaine, his very opinion in the let410ter, ab-

367horred villaine, vnnaturall detested brutish 411villaine, worse then

368brutish, go sir seeke him, I 412apprehend him, abhominable villaine

369where is he?

413370Bast. I doe not well know my Lord, if it shall please you to

414371suspend your indignation against my brother, til you can 415deriue

372from him better testimony of this intent: you should 416run a cer-

373taine course, where if you violently proceed 417against him, mi-

374staking his purpose, it would make a great 418gap in your owne

375honour, & shake in peeces the heart of 419his obediẽce, I dare pawn

376downe my life for him, 420he hath wrote this to feele my affection

377to your honour, and 421to no further pretence of danger.

422378Glost. Thinke you so?

423379Bast. If your honour iudge it meete, I will place you 424where

380you shall heare vs conferre of this, and by an auri425gular assurance

381haue your satisfaction, and that without 426any further delay then

382this very euening.

427383Glost. He cannot be such a monster.

427.1384Bast. Nor is not sure.

427.2385Glost. To his father, that so tenderly and intirely loues him,

427.3386heauen and earth! Edmund seeke 428him out, wind mee into him, I

387pray you frame your bu429sines after your own wisedome, I would

388vnstate my 430selfe to be in a due resolution.

431389Bast. I shall seeke him sir presently, conuey the bu432sinesse as I

390shall see meanes, and acquaint you withall.

433391Glost. These late eclipses in the Sunne and Moone por434tend

392no good to vs, though the wisedome of nature can 435reason thus

393and thus, yet nature finds it selfe scourg'd 436by the sequent effects,

394loue cooles, friendship fals off, 437brothers diuide, in Citties mu-

395tinies, in Countries dis438cords, Pallaces treason, the bond crackt

396betweene 439sonne and father; 444find out this villaine Edmund, it shal

397loose 445thee nothing, doe it carefully, and the noble and true har-

446398ted Kent banisht, his offence honest, strange strange!

447399Bast. This is the excellent foppery of the world, that 448when

400we are sicke in Fortune, often the surfeit of our owne 449behauiour,

401we make guiltie of our disasters, the Sunne, the 450Moone, and the

402Starres, as if we were Villaines by necessitie, 451Fooles by heauen-

403ly compulsion, Knaues, Theeues, and 452Trecherers by spirituall

404predominance, Drunkards, Ly453ars, and Adulterers by an enforst

405obedience of planitary 454influence, and all that wee are euill in,

406by a diuine thru455sting on, an admirable euasion of whoremaster

407man, 456to lay his gotish disposition to the charge of Starres: 457my

408Father compounded with my Mother vnder the Dra458gons taile,

409and my natiuitie was vnder Vrsa maior, so 459that it followes, I am

410rough and lecherous, Fut, I should 460haue beene that I am, had the

411maidenlest starre of the Fir461mament twinckled on my bastardy

462412

er Edgar

463Edgar; and out hee comes like the Catastrophe of the old Co-

414medy, 464mine is villanous melancholy, with a sith like them of

465415Bedlam; O these eclipses doe portend these diui466sions.

416Edgar. How now 467brother Edmund, what serious con468templa-

417tion are you in?

469418Bast. I am thinking brother of a prediction I read this 470other

419day, what should follow these Eclipses.

471420Edg. Doe you busie your selfe about that?

472421Bast. I promise you the effects he writ of, succeed 473vnhappily,

422as of vnnaturalnesse betweene the child and the parent, death,

473.1423dearth, dissolutions of ancient amities, diuisions in state, mena-

473.2424ces and maledictions against King and nobles, needles diffiden-

473.3425ces, banishment of friẽds, dissipation of Cohorts, nuptial breach-

473.4426es, and I know not what.

473.5427Edg. How long haue you beene a sectary Astronomicall?

428Bast. Come, come, 474when saw you my father last?

429Edg. Why, 475the night gon by.

476430Bast. Spake you with him?

477431Edg. Two houres together.

478432Bast. Parted you in good tearmes? found you no dis479pleasure

433in him by word or countenance?

480434Edg. None at all.

481435Bast. Bethinke your selfe wherein you may haue offen482ded

436him, and at my intreatie, forbeare his presence, till 483some little

437time hath qualified the heat of his displeasure, 484which at this in-

438stant so rageth in him, that with the mis485chiefe, of your parson it

439would scarce allay.

486440Edg. Some villaine hath done me wrong.

487441Bast. Thats my feare 493brother, I aduise you to the best, goe

442arm'd, I am no honest 494man if there bee any good meaning to-

443wards you, I haue told 495you what I haue seene & heard, but faint-

444ly, nothing 496like the image and horror of it, pray you away

497445Edg. Shall I heare from you anon?

498446Bast. I doe serue you in this busines: Exit Fdgar

499447A credulous Father, and a brother noble,

500448Whose nature is so farre from doing harmes,

501449That he suspects none, on whose foolish honesty

502450My practises ride easie, I see the busines,

503451Let me if not by birth, haue lands by wit,

504452All with me's meete, that I can fashion fit. Exit.