King Lear (Quarto 2, 1619)

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

The History of King Lear.
 893763canst not tell why ones nose stands in the middle of his face?
 895764Lear. No.
 896765Foole. Why to keep his eyes on either side his nose, that what
 897766a man cannot smell out, he may spy into.
 898767Lear. I did her wrong!
 899768Foole. Canst tell how an Oyster makes his shell.
 900769Lear. No.
 901770Foole. Nor I neyther; but I can tell why a snayle has a house.
 903771Lear. Why?
 904772Foole. Why to put his head in, not to giue it away vnto his
 905773daughter, and leaue his hornes without a case.
 906774Lear. I will forget my nature, so kinde a father; bee my horses
 907775ready?
 908776Foole. Thy Asses are gone about them; the reason why the se-
 909777uen starres are no more then seuen, is a pretty reason.
 910778Lear. Because they are not eight.
 911779Foole. Yes, thou wouldst make a good foole.
 912780Lear. To tak't againe perforce; monster, ingratitude!
 913781Foole. If thou wert my foole Nunckle, Ide haue thee beaten
 914782for being olde before thy time.
 915783Lear. How's that?
 916784Foole. Thou shouldst not haue beene olde, before thou hadst
 917785beene wise.
 918786Lear. O let me not be mad sweete heauen! I would not bee
 919787mad, keepe me in temper, I would not bee mad; are the Horses
 920788ready?
 921789Seruant. Ready my Lord.
 922790Lear. Come boy. Exit.
 923791Foole. She that is a maid now, and laughs at my departure,
 924792Shall not be maid long, except things be cut shorter.
 925793Exit.
 927794Enter Bastard, and Curan meetes him.
 928795Bast. Saue thee Curan.
 929796Curan. And you sir, I haue beene with your father, and giuen
 930797him notice, that the Duke of Cornwall and his Dutchesse will be
 932798here with him to night.
 933799Bast. How comes that?
Curan.

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King Lear (Quarto 2, 1619)