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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    Not Peer Reviewed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.
    And with presented nakednes out-face
    The winde, and persecution of the skie,
    The Country giues me proofe and president
    1265Of Bedlam beggers, who with roring voices,
    Strike in their numb'd and mortified bare Armes,
    Pins, wooden prickes, nailes, sprigs of rosemary,
    And with this horrible obiect from low seruice,
    Poore pelting villages, sheep-coates, and milles,
    1270Sometime with lunaticke bans, sometime with praiers
    Enforce their charity, poore Turlygod, poore Tom,
    That's something yet, Edgar I nothing am. Exit.

    Enter King, and a Knight.
    Lear. Tis strange that they should so depart from hence,
    1275And not send backe my messenger.
    Knight. As I learn'd, the night before there was
    No purpose of his remoue.
    Kent. Haile to thee noble Master.
    1280Lear. How, mak'st thou this shame thy pastime?
    Foole. Ha, ha, looke, he weares crewell garters,
    Horses are tide by the heeles, dogs and beares
    By the necke, munkies by the loines, and men
    By the legs, when a man's ouer-lusty at legs,
    1285[T]hen he weares wooden neather-stockes.
    Lear. What's he, that hath so much thy place mistooke to set
    thee here?
    Kent. It is both he and she, your sonne and daughter.
    Lear. No.
    Kent. Yes.
    Lear. No I say.
    Kent. I say yea.
    1294.1Lear. No, no, they would not.
    Kent. Yes they haue.
    1295Lear. By Iupiter I sweare no, they durst not do it,
    They would not, could not do it, tis worse then murder,
    To do vpon respect such violent out-rage,
    1300Resolue me with all modest haste, which way
    Thou
    E