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 lefs.

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 thofe duties back as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and moft honour you.
Why have my fifters husbands, if they fay.
They love you all? hap'ly when I fhall wed,

That Lord whofe hand muft take my plight, fhall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure I fhall 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 fo untender?

Cor. So young, my Lord, and true.

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

For by the facred radiance of the fun,

The myfteries of Hecate, and the night,

By all the operations of the orbs

From whom we do exift, and ceafe to be,
Here I difclaim 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 meffes

To gorge his appetite, fhall to my bosom

Be as well neighbour'd, pitied, and reliev'd,
As thou my fometime daughter,

Kent. Good my Liege

Lear. Peace, Kent!

Come not between the dragon and his wrath.

I lov'd

I lov'd her moft, and thought to set my reft
On her kind nurs'ry. Hence, avoid my fight-[To Cor.
So be my grave my peace, as here I give

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 the calls plainnefs, marry her.
I do invest you jointly with my power,
Preheminence, and all the large effects

That troop with Majefty. Our felf by monthly course,
With refervation of an hundred Knights,
By you to be fuftain'd, shall our abode
Make with you by due turns: only retain
The name and all th' addition to a King;
The fway, revenue, execution,

[Giving the Crown.

Beloved fons, be yours; which to confirm
This Coronet part between you.
Kent. Royal Lear,

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, though the fork invade
The region of my heart; be Kent unmannerly,
When Lear is mad: what would'ft thou do, old man?
Think'st thou that duty fhall have dread to speak
When pow'r to flatt'ry bows? to plainness Honour
Is bound, when Majefty to folly falls.

Referve thy State; with better judgment check
This hideous rafhnefs; with my life I anfwer,
Thy youngest daughter does not love thee leaft,
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 fafety being the motive,

Lear. Out of my fight!

Kent.

Kent. See better, Lear, and let me still remain
The true blank of thine eye.
Lear. Now by Apollo

Kent, Now by Apollo, King,
Thou fwear'ft thy Gods in vain.
Lear. Ovaffal! mifcreant!

[Laying his hand on his fword.

Alb. Corn, Dear Sir, forbear.

Kent. Kill thy physician, and thy fee bestow
Upon the foul difeafe; revoke thy doom,
Or whilft I can vent clamour from my throat,
I'll tell thee thou doft evil.

Lear. Hear me, recreant!

Since thou haft fought to make us break our vow,
Which we durft never yet; and with ftrain'd pride,
To come betwixt our fentence 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 fhield thee from difafters of the world,
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.

Kent. Fare thee well, King; fith thus thou wilt appear, Freedom lives hence, and banishment is here; The Gods to their dear fhelter take thee, maid, That juftly think'st, and hast most rightly faid! And your large fpeeches may your deeds approve!

[To Cor.

[To Gon, and Regan. That good effects may fpring from words of love: Thus Kent, O Princes, bids you all adieu, He'll fhape his old courfe in a country new.

[Exit.

SCENE

Enter Glo'fter, 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 prefent dowre with her,
Or ceafe your queft of love?

Bur. Moft royal Majefty,

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

Lear. Right noble Burgundy,

When the was dear to us we held her fo,
But now her price is fall'n: Sir, there the stands,
If ought within that little feeming fubftance,
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 fhe owes,
Unfriended, new-adopted to our hate,

Dowr'd with our curfe, and ftranger'd with our oath,
Take her, or leave her?

Bur. Pardon, royal Sir.

Election makes not up on fuch conditions.

[me,

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

I tell you all her wealth.-For you, great King, [To France,
I would not from your love make fuch a ftray,

To match you where I hate; therefore befeech you
T'avert your liking a more worthy way

Than on a wretch whom nature is afham'd
Almoft t' acknowledge hers.

France. This is most strange!

That she, who ev'n but now was your beft object,
Your praife's argument, balm of your age,
Dearest and beft, fhould in this trice of time

Commit a thing fo monftrous, to dismantle
So many folds of favour! fure th' offence
Must be of fuch unnatural degree,

7'As monsters it; or your fore-voucht affection
Could not fall into taint; which to believe
Of her must be a faith reafon without
A miracle fhould never plant in me.

Cor. I yet befeech your Majefty, (if 'fo`
I want that glib and oily art, to speak
And purpofe not, fince what I well intend,
I'll do't before I fpeak) that you make known
It is no vicious blot, murther, or foulness,
No unchafte action, or difhonour'd step,

I

That hath depriv'd me of your grace and favour;
But ev'n 'the want of that, for which I'm richer,
A ftill folliciting eye, and fuch a tongue,

That I am glad I've not, though not to have it
Hath loft me in your liking.

Lear. Better thou

Hadft not been born, than not have pleas'd me better. France. Is it but this? a tardiness in nature,

Which often leaves the history unspoke

That it intends to do? my Lord of Burgundy,
What fay you to the Lady? love's not love
When it is mingled with regards, that stand

Aloof from th' intire point. Say will you have her?
She is her felf a dowry.

Bur. Royal King,

Give but that portion which your felf propos'd,
And here I take Cordelia by the hand,

Dutchefs of Burgundy.

Lear. Nothing-I've fworn.

Bur. I'm forry then you have fo loft a father,

That you must lose a husband.

Cor. Peace be with Burgundy,

Since that refpects of fortune are his love,
I fhall not be his wife.

7 That 8 that reafon without miracle 9 for 1 for

France.