King Lear (Modern, Extended Quarto)

Introduction
2. Textual Introduction
Texts of this edition
1. King Lear (Folio, 1623)
3. Modern
5. Extended modern
7. Old-spelling transcription
8. King Lear (Quarto 1, 1608)
10. Modern
12. Extended modern
14. Old-spelling transcription
15. King Lear (Quarto 2, 1619)
17. Old-spelling transcription
Contextual materials
1. Sources for the Lear story
3. Holinshed on King Lear
5. The History of King Leir
7. Albion's England (Selection)
9. Hardyng's Chronicle (Selection)
11. Kings of Britain
13. Chronicles of England
15. Faerie Queene
17. The Mirror for Magistrates
18. Sources for the Gloucester plot
20. The Arcadia
22. A Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures
23. Literary, political, and social contexts
25. Aristotle on tragedy
27. The Book of Job (Selections)
29. The Monk's Tale (Selections)
31. The Defense of Poetry
33. The First Blast of the Trumpet
35. Basilicon Doron
37. On Bastards
39. On Aging
40. King Lear's afterlife
42. King Lear (Adapted by Nahum Tate)
Facsimiles

[Act 1, scene 5 in Folio]
 873[Scene 5]
 874742Enter Lear [with Kent, disguised as Caius, and the Fool].
 875743Lear
 [To Kent] Go you before to Gloucester with these letters. 876Acquaint 744my daughter no further with anything you 877know than comes 745from her demand out of the letter. 878If your diligence be not 746speedy I shall be there before 879you.
 880747Kent
 I will not sleep, my lord, till I have delivered 881your 748letter.
 Exit.
 882749Fool
 If a man's brains were in his heels, were't not in 883750danger of kibes?
 884Lear
 Ay, boy.
 885751Fool
 Then I prithee be merry. Thy wit shall ne'er go 886slipshod.
 887752Lear
 Ha ha ha.
 888753Fool
 Shalt see thy other daughter will use thee kindly, 889for 754though she's as like this as a crab is like an 890apple, yet I con what 755I can tell.
 891756Lear
 Why, what canst thou tell, my boy?
 892757Fool
 She'll taste as like this as a crab doth to a 893crab. Thou 758canst not tell why one's nose stands in the middle 894of his face?
 895759Lear
 No.
 896760Fool
 Why, to keep his eyes on either side 's nose, 897that what 761a man cannot smell out 'a may spy into.
 898762Lear
 I did her wrong.
 899763Fool
 Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell?
 900Lear
 No.
 901764Fool
 Nor I neither; but I can tell why a snail has 902a house.
 903765Lear
 Why?
 904766Fool
 Why, to put his head in, not to give it away to his 905767daughter, and leave his horns without a case.
 906768Lear
 I will forget my nature. So kind a father. Be 907my horses 769ready?
 908770Fool
 Thy asses are gone about them. The reason why 909the 771seven stars are no more than seven is a pretty reason.
 910772Lear
 Because they are not eight?
 911773Fool
 Yes. Thou wouldst make a good fool.
 912774Lear
 To tak't again perforce. Monster ingratitude!
 913775Fool
 If thou wert my fool, nuncle, I'd have thee 914beaten for 776being old before thy time.
 915777Lear
 How's that?
 916778Fool
 Thou shouldst not have been old before thou hadst 917779been wise.
 918780Lear
 O let me not be mad, sweet heaven! I would not be mad. 919781Keep me in temper. I would not be mad.
 [Enter a servant.]
 Are 920the horses ready?
 921782Servant
 Ready, my lord.
 922Lear
 Come, boy.
 Exeunt [all but the Fool].
 923783Fool
 She that is maid now, and laughs at my departure,
 924784Shall not be a maid long, except things be cut shorter.
 24925Exit.

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King Lear (Modern, Extended Quarto)