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? 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; 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. 3 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 mad1.-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; And in thy best consideration check This hideous rashness: answer my life my judgment, Thy 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; 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; 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." 6 -NOR fear to lose it,] The folio has, "ne'er fear to lose it." ▾ 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 66 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 said1!— 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. 9 [Exit. 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 inconveniences, which at the time was not unusual. 1 FREEDOM lives hence,] In the quartos Friendship, and in the next line protection, for "dear shelter." 2 and hast MOST rightly said!] Malone printed "more rightly," contrary to all the early authorities. Flourish. Re-enter GLOSTER; with FRANCE, Burgundy, and Attendants. Glo. Here's France and Burgundy, my noble lord3. Lear. My lord of Burgundy, We first address toward you, who with this king Hath rivall'd for our daughter: what, in the least, Or cease your quest of love? Bur. Most royal majesty, I crave no more than hath your highness offer'd1, Nor will you tender less. Lear. Right noble Burgundy, When she was dear to us, we did hold her so; And nothing more, may fitly like your grace, Bur. I know no answer. Lear. Will you, with those infirmities she owes, Unfriended, new-adopted to our hate, Dower'd with our curse3, and stranger'd with our oath, Take her, or leave her? Bur. Pardon me, royal sir; Election makes not up on such conditions. Lear. Then leave her, sir; for, by the power that made me, I tell you all her wealth.-For you, great king, [TO FRANCE. I would not from your love make such a stray, To match you where I hate therefore, beseech you 3 Here's France and Burgundy, my noble lord.] In all the folios this speech is mistakenly assigned to Cordelia. The quartos have it rightly. than HATH your highness offer'd,] The quartos, "than what your highness offer'd:" they omit "Most" in the preceding line. 5 DOWER'D with our curse,] This is the better reading of the folio: the quartos have" Cover'd with our curse." |