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  • Title: King Lear (Quarto 2, 1619)
  • Editor: Pervez Rizvi
  • Coordinating editor: Michael Best
  • ISBN: 978-1-55058-463-9

    Copyright Michael Best. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Pervez Rizvi
    Not Peer Reviewed

    King Lear (Quarto 2, 1619)

    The History of King Lear.
    605daughter, I would speake with her, go you call hither my foole;
    O you sir, you sir, come you hither, who am I sir?
    Stew. My Ladies Father.
    610Lear. My Ladies Father, my Lords knaue, you whoreson dog,
    you slaue, you curre.
    Stew. I am none of this my Lord, I beseech you pardon me.
    Lear. Do you bandy lookes with me you rascall?
    615Stew. Ile not be strucke my Lord.
    Kent. Nor tript neither, you base football plaier.
    Lear. I thanke thee fellow, thou seru'st me, and ile loue thee.
    Kent. Come sir, ile teach you differences, away, away, if you
    620will measure your lubbers length againe, tarry, but away, you
    haue wisedome.
    Lear. Now friendly knaue I thanke thee, there's earnest of
    thy seruice.

    Enter Foole.
    625Foole. Let me hire him too, here's my coxcombe.
    Lear. How now my pretty knaue, how dost thou?
    Foole. Sirra, you were best take my coxcombe.
    Kent. Why Foole?
    Foole. Why for taking ones part that's out of fauour, nay and
    630thou canst not smile as the winde sits, thou't catch colde shortly,
    there take my coxcombe; why this fellow hath banisht two of
    his daughters, and done the third a blessing against his will, if
    thou follow him, thou must needs weare my coxcombe, how
    now nunckle, would I had two coxcombes, and two daughters.
    Lear. Why my boy?
    Foole. If I gaue them any liuing, ide keepe my coxcombe my
    selfe, theres mine, beg another of thy daughters.
    640Lear. Take heed sirra, the whip.
    Foole. Truth is, a dog that must to kennell, he must bee whipt
    out, when Lady oth'e brach may stand by the fire and stinke.
    Lear. A pestilent g[u]ll to me.
    645Foole. Sirra, ile teach thee a speech.Lear. Do.
    Foole. Marke it Vnckle; haue more then thou shewest, speake
    lesse then thou knowest, lend lesse then thou owest, ride more
    then