With plenteous rivers and wide-skirted meads, Reg. I am made of that self metal as my sister, Only she comes too short, that I profess Which the most precious square of sense possesses1, In your dear highness' love. Cor. Lear. To thee, and thine, hereditary ever, Strive to be interess'd; what can you say, to draw A third more opulent than your 66 2 Cor. Nothing, my lord. Lear. Nothing? your sisters? and with champains rich'd, Speak. With plenteous rivers-] These words are not in the quartos, which, for shadowy forests," read "shady forests." 3 Speak.] This word, clearly necessary to the measure, probably dropped out in the folio at the end of the line. It is in all the quartos. The next line is from the folio, as the quartos read, prosaically, "Sir, I am made of the selfsame metal that my sister is." Lower down, for " she comes too short," the quartos have," she came short." square of sense POSSESSES ;] 5 More RICHER than my tongue.] ponderous. So the quartos, rightly: the folio, professes. In this line, and to the end of the speech, 6 Although our last, and least ;] "Although the last, not least in our dear love, Cor. Nothing'. Lear. Nothing will come of nothing: speak again. My heart into my mouth: I love your majesty Lear. How? how, Cordelia? mend your speech a little, Lest you may mar your fortunes. Good my lord, Cor. That lord, whose hand must take my plight, shall carry Sure, I shall never marry like my sisters, To love my father all9. Lear. But goes this with thy heart? Cor. Lear. So young, and so untender? Cor. So young, my lord, and true. Ay, my good lord. Lear. Let it be so: thy truth, then, be thy dower; The mysteries of Hecate, and the night', From whom we do exist, and cease to be, 66 7 Nothing.] Not in the quartos ; which give the next line, "How! nothing can come of nothing. Speak again." Lower down the folio has, no more nor less," a letter having perhaps dropped out. • How? how, Cordelia ?] The quartos, "Go to, go to ;" and in the next line, "Lest it may," &c. To love my father all.] This necessary hemistich is not to be found in the folio. In the next line it reads, " But goes thy heart with this?” 1 The MYSTERIES of Hecate and the NIGHT;] The folio, 1623, has miseries for "mysteries," (corrected in the folio, 1632) which the quartos read, mistresse, and might for "night." And as a stranger to my heart and me, Hold thee from this for ever. The barbarous Scythian, To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom2 Kent. Lear. Peace, Kent! Good my liege, Come not between the dragon and his wrath. So be my grave my peace, as here I give [TO CORDELIA. Her father's heart from her!-Call France.-Who stirs? Call Burgundy.-Cornwall, and Albany, With my two daughters' dowers digest the third: That troop with majesty.-Ourself, by monthly course, By you to be sustain'd, shall our abode Make with you by due turns. Only, we still retain3 [Giving the Crown. 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 the shaft. 2 to my bosom] These words are only in the folio. * Only we STILL retain] The folio has turn for "turns," in this line, and shall for "still" in the next line it has addition for “additions." Kent. Let it fall rather, 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 power to flattery bows? To plainness honour's bound, When majesty stoops to folly. Reverse thy doom5; This hideous rashness: answer my life my judgment, Lear. Kent, on thy life, no more. Kent. My life I never held but as a pawn To wage against thine enemies; nor fear to lose it, Lear. Out of my sight! 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! recreants! [Laying his hand upon his Sword. Alb. Corn. Dear sir, forbear. Kent. Do; Kill thy physician, and the fee bestow Upon the foul disease. Revoke thy gift; 4 When Lear is MAD.] The quarto with the bookseller's address has man. 5 When majesty STOOPS to folly. REVERSE thy DOOM ;] The folio, “falls to folly," and reserve thy state" for "reverse thy doom." NOR fear to lose it,] The folio has, " ne'er fear to lose it." 7 The true BLANK of thine eye.] The blank means probably the white at which the arrow is shot. 8 O, vassal! RECREANT!] The interjection is from the folio; and "recreant" is from the quartos instead of miscreant, which the compositor of the folio probably mistook for the right word, which occurs again afterwards. The quartos have not the words "Dear sir, forbear." Below the folio has "Revoke thy gift” for “Revoke thy doom" of the quartos: Kent, perhaps, refers to the "gift" made to Goneril and Regan. Or, whilst I can vent clamour from my throat, Lear. On thine allegiance hear me. Hear me, recreant ! Since thou hast sought to make us break our vow, Kent. Fare thee well, king: since thus thou wilt appear, Freedom lives hence', and banishment is here. The gods to their dear shelter take thee, maid, [TO CORDELIA. That justly think'st, and hast most rightly said'!— And your large speeches may your deeds approve, [To REGAN and GONERIL. 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. 9 — our SENTENCE and our power,] The folio, to the injury of sense and metre, reads sentences; but it is probably right in the preceding line, where it substitutes "strain'd" for straied of the quartos. 66 10 FIVE days we do allot thee,] In the quartos it is Four days, and afterwards, consistently, on the fifth." In the next line, "diseases" (which in the folio is misprinted disasters) is to be taken in the etymological sense of inconteniences, which at the time was not unusual. 1 FREEDOM lives hence,] In the quartos Friendship, and in the next line protection, for "dear shelter." 66 2 — and hast MOST rightly said!] Malone printed more rightly," contrary to all the early authorities. |