GLO. I shall, my liege. [Exeunt GLOUCESTER and EDMUND. LEAR. Meantime we shall express our darker purpose.[divided Give me the map there.- Know that we have In three our kingdom: and 'tis our fast" intent To shake all cares and business from our age; Conferring them on younger strengths, while we Unburden'd crawl toward death. Our son of Cornwall, And you, our no less loving son of Albany, Great rivals in our youngest daughter's love, (Since now we will divest us, both of rule, GON. Sir, I love you more than words * can Dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty ; With shadowy forests and with champains rich'd, 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 tot Cornwall? speak.+ REG. I am made of that self metal as my sister, And prize me at her worth. In my true heart Which the most precious square' of sense possesses,§ And find I am alone felicitate In your dear highness' love. CORD. [Aside.] Then poor Cordelia ! And yet not so; since, I am sure, my love's More richer than my tongue. LEAR. To thee and thine, hereditary ever, Remain this ample third of our fair kingdom; No less in space, validity, and pleasure, Than that conferr'd on Goneril.-Now, our joy, Although our last, not least; to whose young love The vines of France and milk of Burgundy, Strive to be interess'd; what can you say, to draw A third more opulent than your sisters? Speak. CORD. Nothing, my lord. LEAR. Nothing! CORD. Nothing.' LEAR. Nothing will come of nothing: speak again. CORD. Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth: I love your majesty According to my bond; nor more nor less. LEAR. How, how, Cordelia! mend your speech a little, Lest it may mar your fortunes. (*) First folio, issues. (+) First folio, of. (1) First folio omits, speak. (§) First folio, professes. () First folio, you. "Although the last, not least in our deere love, What can you say to win a third, more opulent Then your sisters?" In the folio, "Although our last and least; to whose yong love, The Vines of France, and Milke of Burgundie, Strive to be interest. What can you say, to draw A third, more opilent than your Sisters? speake." That and in the folio is a misprint for "but," it seems scarcely possible to doubt, yet Mr. Collier and Mr. Knight read, "our last and least." "Though last not least," was one of the com monest forms of expression in Shakespeare's age; in addition to the overwhelming array of examples cited in the Variorum edition of 1821, Vol. II. pp. 276-279, take the following: Think'st thou, that duty shall have dread to speak, When power to flattery bows? To plainness honour's bound, LEAR. Let it be so,-thy truth, then, be thy dower: For, by the sacred radiance of the sun, From whom we do exist, and cease to be, Hold thee, from this, for ever! The barbarous Or he that makes his generation messes As thou my sometime daughter :- LEAR. Peace, Kent! Good my liege, third : her. [course, Call Burgundy.-Cornwall and Albany, [retain [Giving the crown. KENT. Royal Lear, Whom I have ever honour'd as my king, Lov'd as my father, as my master follow'd, As my great patron thought on in my prayers,— LEAR. The bow is bent and drawn, make from * When majesty stoops to folly. Reverse thy doom; † And, in thy best consideration, check [ment, This hideous rashness: answer my life my judgThy youngest daughter does not love thee least; Nor are those empty-hearted whose low sound Reverbs no hollowness. LEAR. Kent, on thy life no more! KENT. My life I never held but as a § pawn To wage against thine enemies; ne'er fear to lose it, Thy safety being the || motive. KENT. See better, Lear; and let me still remain The true blank of thine eye. LEAR. Now, by Apollo !- Thou swear'st thy gods in vain. LEAR. Now, by Apollo, king, O, vassal! miscreant ! [Laying his hand on his sword. ALB. CORN. Dear sir, forbear.c KENT. Kill thy physician, and the ¶ fee bestow Upon the foul disease. Revoke thy gift; Or, whilst I can vent clamour from my throat, I'll tell thee thou dost evil. LEAR. Hear me, recreant! On thine allegiance hear me !— Since** thou hast sought to make us break our [pride, (Which we durst never yet) and, with strain'd KENT. Fare thee well, king: sith thus thou wilt appear, e Freedom lives hence, and banishment is here.— The gods to their dear shelter take thee, maid, [TO CORDELIA. (*) First folio, falls. (1) First folio, sounds Reverbe. () First folio omits, the. (**) First folio, That. (+) First folio, reserve thy state. (§) First folio omits, a. (T) First folio, thy. (tt) First folio, vowes. (11) First folio, sentences. the folio has-"disasters of the world." Diseases, in its old and literal sense of discomforts, hardships, and the like, is, however, much the more appropriate word. e Freedom lives hence,-] The quartos have Friendship for "Freedom;" and in the next line, instead of "dear shelter," they read protection. Nor will you tender less. LEAR. Right noble Burgundy, When she was dear to us, we did hold her so; But now her price is fall'n. Sir, there she stands; If aught 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 she is yours. BUR. I know no answer. LEAR. Will you, with those infirmities she owes, Unfriended, new-adopted to our hate, Dower'd with our curse, and stranger'd with our oath, Take her, or leave her? Pardon me, royal sir; such conditions. BUR. Election makes not up on LEAR. Then leave her, sir; for, by the power that made me, I tell you all her wealth.-For you, great king, To avert your liking a more worthier way, FRANCE. Commit a thing so monstrous, to dismantle That monsters it, or your fore-vouch'd affection COR. I yet beseech your majesty,- I'll do't before I speak,-that you make known LEAR. Better thou Hadst not been born, than not to have pleas'd me better. (*) First folio, will. (+) First folio, King. (1) First folio, respect and Fortunes. b When it is mingled with respects,-] The folio reads,― "When it is mingled with regards," &c. By "respects" is meant considerations, scruples, &c. Bid them farewell, Cordelia, though unkind," Have no such daughter, nor shall ever sce [Flourish. Exeunt LEAR, BURGUNDY, CORNWALL, ALBANY, GLOUCESTER, and Attendants. FRANCE. Bid farewell to your sisters. COR. The jewels of our father, with wash'd But yet, alas! stood I within his grace, I would prefer him to a better place. So farewell to you both. GON. Prescribe not us our duties.+ Let your study Come, my fair Cordelia. [Exeunt FRANCE and CORDELIA. GON. Sister, it is not little I have to say of what most nearly appertains to us both. I think our father will hence to-night. REG. That's most certain, and with you; next month with us. GON. You see how full of changes his age is; the observation we have made of it hath not || been little he always loved our sister most; and with what poor judgment he hath now cast her off appears too grossly. REG. 'Tis the infirmity of his age: yet he bath ever but slenderly known himself. GON. The best and soundest of his time hath (*) First folio, Love. (1) Old text, covers. (+) First folio, dutie. (§) First folio, at last with shame. () First folio omits, not. though unkind,-] Unkind here signifies unnatural, unless France is intended to mean, "though unkinn'd," i.e. though forsaken by your kindred. b A better where to find.] In note (a), p. 120, Vol. I. otherwhere is explained other place; but where in these compounds had perhaps a significance now lost. See the old ballad, "I HAVE HOUSE AND LAND IN KENT". -- "Wherefore cease off, make no delay, For I cannot come every day to woo." c The jewels-] Rowe and Capell read, perhaps rightly, "Ye jewels." ." Mr. Collier's annotator, too, proposes the same alteration. * been but rash; then must we look to receive from his age, not alone the imperfections of longengraffed condition, but, therewithal, the unruly waywardness that infirm and choleric years bring with them. REG. Such unconstant starts are we like to have from him, as this of Kent's banishment. GON. There is further compliment of leavetaking between France and him. Pray you, let us hit together: if our father carry authority with such disposition as he bears, this last surrender of his will but offend us. REG. We shall further think of it. GON. We must do something, and i' the heat. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-A Hall in the Earl of Gloucester's Castle. Enter EDMUND, with a letter. EDM. Thou, Nature, art my goddess; to thy law My services are bound. Wherefore should I For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines Lag of a brother? Why bastard? wherefore base? When my dimensions are as well compact, (*) First folio, from his age to receive. d (†) First folio, sit. what plighted cunning hides ;] Plighted, cr, as the quartos give it, pleated cunning, means involved, complicated cunning. e-plague of custom,-] Plague may here possibly signify place, or boundary, from plaga; but it is a very suspicious word. f To deprive me,-] To deprive, in Shakespeare's day, was sometimes synonymous to disinherit, as Steevens has shown, and also to take away, as in "Hamlet," Act I. Scene 4,"And there assume some other horrible form, Which might deprive your sov'reignty of reason," &c. g Shall top the legitimate.] In the old editions we find tooth' and to'th'. The present reading was first promulgated in Edwards' "Canons of Criticism," having been communicated to the author of that pungent satire by Capell. (See "Notes and various Readings to Shakespeare," by the latter, I. 146.) |