Not Peer Reviewed
- Edition: King Lear
King Lear (Modern, Extended Folio)
- Introduction
- Texts of this edition
- Contextual materials
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- Holinshed on King Lear
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- The History of King Leir
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- Albion's England (Selection)
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- Hardyng's Chronicle (Selection)
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- Kings of Britain
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- Chronicles of England
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- Faerie Queene
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- The Mirror for Magistrates
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- The Arcadia
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- A Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures
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- Aristotle on tragedy
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- The Book of Job (Selections)
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- The Monk's Tale (Selections)
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- The Defense of Poetry
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- The First Blast of the Trumpet
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- Basilicon Doron
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- On Bastards
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- On Aging
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- King Lear (Adapted by Nahum Tate)
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- Facsimiles
8731.5
874Enter Lear, Kent [disguised as Caius], Gentleman, and Fool.
875Lear
[To Kent] Go you before to Gloucester with these letters. 876Acquaint my daughter no further with anything you 877know than comes from her demand out of the letter. 878If your diligence be not speedy, I shall be there afore 879you.
880Kent
I will not sleep, my lord, till I have delivered 881your letter.
Exit.
882Fool
If a man's brains were in's heels, were't not in 883danger of kibes?
884Lear
Ay, boy.
885Fool
Then I prithee be merry. Thy wit shall not go 886slipshod.
887Lear
Ha ha ha.
888Fool
Shalt see thy other daughter will use thee kindly, 889for though she's as like this as a crab's like an 890apple, yet I can tell what I can tell.
891Lear
What can'st tell, boy?
892Fool
She will taste as like this as a crab does to a 893crab. Thou canst tell why one's nose stands i'th'middle 894on's face?
895Lear
No.
896Fool
Why to keep one's eyes of either side 's nose, 897that what a man cannot smell out he may spy into.
898Lear
I did her wrong.
899Fool
Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell?
900Lear
No.
901Fool
Nor I neither; but I can tell why a snail has 902a house.
903Lear
Why?
904Fool
Why to put 's head in, not to give it away to his 905daughters and leave his horns without a case.
906Lear
I will forget my nature. So kind a father. Be 907my horses ready?
908Fool
Thy asses are gone about 'em. The reason why 909the seven stars are no more than seven is a pretty reason.
910Lear
Because they are not eight?
911Fool
Yes indeed. Thou wouldst make a good fool.
912Lear
To tak't again perforce. Monster ingratitude!
913Fool
If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I'd have thee 914beaten for being old before thy time.
915Lear
How's that?
916Fool
Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst 917been wise.
918Lear
O let me not be mad; not mad, sweet heaven. 919Keep me in temper. I would not be mad.
[Enter a Gentleman.]
How now, are 920the horses ready?
921Gentleman
Ready, my lord.
922Lear
Come, boy.
923Fool
She that's a maid now, and laughs at my departure,
924Shall not be a maid long, unless things be cut shorter.
925Exeunt.