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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    Not Peer Reviewed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.
    Glo. I serue you Madam, your Graces are right welcome.

    1075Enter Kent, and Steward.
    Steward. Good euen to thee friend, art of the house?
    Kent. I.
    Steward. Where may we set our horses?
    Kent. In the mire.
    1080Stew. Prethee if thou loue me, tell me.
    Kent. I loue thee not.
    Stew. Why then I care not for thee.
    Kent. If I had thee in Lipsbury pinfold, I would make thee care
    for me.
    1085Stew. Why dost thou vse me thus? I know thee not.
    Kent. Fellow I know thee.
    Stew. What dost thou know me for?
    Kent. A knaue, a rascall, an eater of broken meates, a base,
    proud, shallow, beggerly, three shewted hundred pound, filthy
    1090worsted stocken knaue, a lilly liuer'd action taking knaue, a
    whoreson glasse-gazing superfinicall rogue, one trunke inheri-
    ting slaue, one that would'st be baud in way of good seruice, &
    art nothing but the composition of a knaue, begger, coward,
    1095pander, and the sonne and heire of a mungrell bitch, whom I will
    beate into clamorous whining, if thou deny the least sillable of
    the addition.
    Stew. What a monstrous fellow art thon, thus to raile on one
    that's neither knowne of thee, nor knowes thee.
    Kent. What a brazen fac'st varlet art thou, to deny thou know-
    est me, is it two daies agoe since I beate thee, and tript vp thy
    heeles before the King? draw you rogue, for though it be night
    1105the Moon shines, ile make a sop of the Moone-shine a'you, draw
    you whoreson cullyonly barber-munger, draw.
    Stew. Away, I haue nothing to do with thee.
    Kent. Draw you rascall, you bring Letters against the King, &
    take Vanity the puppets part, against the royalty of her father,
    1110draw you rogue, or ile so carbonado your shankes, draw you ras-
    call, come your wayes.
    Stew. Helpe, ho, murther, helpe.
    Kent.