Glo. My Lord of Kent;

Remember him hereafter as my honourable friend.
Baft. My services to your Lordship.

Kent. I must love you, and sue to know you better.
Baft. Sir, I shall study your deserving.

:

Glo. He hath been out nine years, and away he shall again.

The King is coming.

SCENE II. To them, Enter King Lear, Cornwall, Albany, Gonerill, Regan, Cordelia, and Attendants.

Lear. Attend the Lords of France and Burgundy.

Glo. I shall, my Liege.

[Exit.

Lear. Mean time we shall express our darker purpose.

Give me the map here. Know, we have divided
In three, our kingdom; and 'tis our intent,
To shake all cares and business from our age,
Conferring them on younger strengths, while we
Unburthen'd crawl tow'rd death. Our fon of Cornwall,

And you, our no less loving son of Albany,
We have this hour a constant will to publish
Our daughters sev'ral Dow'rs, that future strife
May be prevented. The Princes France and Burgundy,
Great rivals in our younger daughter's love,
Long in our Court have made their am'rous sojourn,
And here are to be answer'd. Tell me, daughters,
Since now we will divest us, both of rule,
Int'reft of territory, and cares of state;
Which of you shall we say doth love us most?
That we our largest bounty may extend

Where nature doth with merit challenge. Gonerill
Our eldest born, speak first.

Gon. I love you, Sir,

Dearer than eye-fight, space and liberty,
Beyond what can be valued rich or rare;

No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour
As much as child e'er lov'd, or father found.
A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable,

Beyond all manner of so much I love you.

Cor. What shall Cordelia do? love and be filent. [Afide. Lear. Of all these bounds, ev'n from this line to this,

With shadowy forefts and with champions rich'd,

Σ

With

With plenteous rivers and wide-skirted meads,
We make thee Lady. To thine and Albany's issue
Be this perpetual-What says our second daughter,
Our dearest Regan, wife of Cornwall? fpeak.

Reg. I'm made of that self-metal as my fifter,

11. And prize me at her worth. In my true Heart
I find the names my very deed of love;
Only she comes too short, that I profess
My self an enemy to all other joys,
Which the most precious spirit of sense poffesses,

1

And find I am alone felicitate

In your dear Highness' love.

Cor. Then poor Cordelia!

And yet not fo, fince I am fure my love's
More pond'rous than my tongue.

:

[Afide.

Lear. To thee, and thine, hereditary ever,
Remain this ample third of our fair kingdom,
No less in space, validity, and pleasure,
Than that confer'd on Gonerill. - Now our joy,
Although our laft, not leaft; in whose young love,
The vines of France, and milk of Burgundy,
Strive to be int'ress'd: what say you to draw
A third, more opulent than your fisters? speak.
Cor. Nothing, my Lord.

Lear. Nothing?

Cor. Nothing.

Lear. Nothing will come of nothing, speak again.
Cor. Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave

My heart into my mouth: I love your Majefty

According to my bond, no more nor less.

Lear. How, how, Cordelia? mend your speech a little,

Left you may mar your fortunes.

Cor. Good my Lord,

You have begot me, bred me, lov'd me. I

Return those duties back as are right fit,

Obey you, love you, and most honour you.
Why have my fifters husbands, if they say
They love you all? hap'ly when I shall wed,

That Lord whose hand must take my plight, shall carry

Half my love with him, half my care and duty.

Sure

Sure I shall never marry like my fifters,

To love my father all

Lear. But goes thy heart with this?

Cor. Ay, my good Lord.

Lear. So young, and so untender ?

Cor. So young, my Lord, and true.

Lear. Let it be so, thy truth then be thy dowre :

For by the facred radiance of the fun,
The mysteries of Hecate, and the night,

By all the operations of the orbs

From whom we do exift, and cease to be;
Here I disclaim all my paternal care,
Propinquity, and property of blood,

And as a stranger to my heart and me

Hold thee from this for ever. The barb'rous Scythian,

Or he that makes his generation messes

To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom

Be as well neighbour'd, pitied, and reliev'd,

As thou my sometime daughter.

Kent. Good my Liege

Lear. Peace, Kent!

Come not between the dragon and his wrath.
I lov'd her most, and thought to set my rest
On her kind nurs'ry. Hence, avoid my fight! -
So be my grave my peace, as here I give

[To Cor.

Her father's heart from her; Call France; who ftirs?

Call Burgundy

Cornwall and Albany,
With my two daughters dowres, digeft the third.
Let pride, which she calls plainness, marry her.
I do invest you jointly with my power,

Preheminence, and all the large effects

That troop with Majesty. Our self by monthly course,
With reservation of an hundred Knights,
By you to be sustain'd, shall our abode
Make with you by due turns: only retain
The name and all th' addition to a King;
The sway, revenue, execution,
Beloved fons, be yours; which to confirm
This Coronet part between you,
Kent. Royal Lear,

[Giving the Crown.

Whom

1

Whom I have ever honour'd as my King,
Lov'd as my father, as my master follow'd,
And as my patron thought on in my pray'rs

Lear. The bow is bent and drawn, make from the shaft.

Kent. Let it fall rather, rather, though though the fork invade
The region of my heart; be Kent unmannerly,
When Lear is mad: what would'st thou do, old man?
Think'st thou that duty shall have dread to speak
When pow'r to flatt'ry bows? to plainness Honour
Is bound, nd, when Majesty to folly falls.
Reserve thy State; with better judgment check
This hideous rafhness; with my life I answer,
Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least,
Nor are those empty-hearted, whose low found
Reverbs no hollowness.

Lear. Kent, on thy life no more.
Kent. My life I never held but as a pawn
To wage against thy foes; nor fear to lose it,

Thy safety being the motive.

Lear. Out of my fight!

(

Kent. See better, Lear, and let me still remain

The true blank of thine eye.

Y

:

!

[Laying bis band on bis fword.

Alb. Corn. Dear Sir, forbear,

Kent. Kill thy physician, and thy fee bestow

Upon the foul disease; revoke thy doom,
Or whilft I can vent clamour from my throat,
I'll tell thee thou dost evil.

Lear. Hear me, recreant!.

I

Since thou hast sought to make us break our vow,
Which we durst never yet; and with strain'd pride,
To come betwixt our sentence and our power,
Which nor our nature nor our place can bear;
Our potency made good, take thy reward.
Five days we do allot thee for provifion,

To shield thee from disasters of the world,

And 1

And on the fixth to turn thy hated back
Upon our kingdom; if the tenth day following
Thy banish'd trunk be found in our dominions,
The moment is thy death: away! By Jupiter,
This fhall not be revok'd.

3

Kent. Fare thee well, King; fith thus thou wilt appear,
Freedom lives hence, and banishment is here;
The Gods to their dear shelter take thee, maid, [To Cor.
That justly think'st, and haft most rightly said I
And your large fpeeches may your deeds approve!

[To Gon. and Regan.

That good effects may spring from words of love:
Thus Kent, O Princes, bids you all adieu,
He'll shape his old course in a country new.

[Exit.

SCENE III. Enter Glo'ster, with France and

Burgundy, and Attendants.

Glo. Here's France and Burgundy, my noble Lord,
Lear. My Lord of Burgundy,

We first address tow'rd you, who with this King
Have rivall'd for our daughter; what at least
Will you require in present dowre with her,
Or cease your quest of love?

Bur. Most royal Majesty,

I crave no more than what your Highness offer'd,
Nor will you tender less,

Lear. Right noble Burgundy,

When she was dear to us we held her so,
But now her price is fall'n: Sir, there she stands,
If ought within that little seeming substance,
Or all of it with our displeasure piec'd,
And nothing more, may fitly like your Grace,

She's there, and the is yours.

Bur. I know no answer.

Lear. Will you with those infirmities she owes,

Unfriended, new-adopted to our hate,
Dowr'd with our curse, and stranger'd with our oath,
Take her, or leave her?

Bur. Pardon, royal Sir..

Election makes not up on such conditions.

1

Lear. Then leave her, Sir; for by the pow'r that made me,