King Lear (Quarto 2, 1619)
Not Peer Reviewed
The History of King Lear.
¶Reg. And in good time you gaue it.
1550But kept a reseruation to be followed
1555When others are more wicked, not being the worst,
¶Thy fifty yet doth double fiue and twenty,
¶And thou art twice her loue.
¶Gon. Heare me my Lord;
1560What need you fiue and twenty, ten, or fiue,
¶Haue a command to tend you?
¶Regan. What needs one?
¶Allow not nature more then nature needs,
¶Mans life's as cheap as beasts; thou art a Lady,
¶If onely to go warme were gorgious,
¶Why nature needs not what thou gorgious wearest,
¶You heauens giue me that patience, patience I need,
¶You see me heere (you Gods) a poore olde fellow,
¶As full of greefe as age, wretched in both,
1575Against their Father, foole me not too much,
¶To beare it lamely, touch me with noble anger,
¶O let not womens weapons, water drops
¶Staine my mans cheekes, no you vnnaturall hags,
¶I will haue such reuenges on you both,
¶What they are, yet I know not, but they shall be
¶The terrors of the earth; you thinke ile weepe,
¶No, ile not weepe, I haue full cause of weeping,
Ere
