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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    Not Peer Reviewed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.
    thee after, when a wise man giues thee better counsell, giue mee
    mine againe, I would haue none but knaues follow it, since a
    foole giues it.
    1350 That Sir that serues for gaine,
    And followes but for forme;
    Will packe when it begins to raine,
    And leaue thee in the storme.
    But I will tarry, the foole will stay,
    1355And let the wise man flie:
    The knaue turnes foole that runnes away,
    The foole no knaue perdy.

    Kent. Where learnt you this foole?
    Foole. Not in the stockes.

    1360Enter Lear and Glocester.
    Lear. Deny to speake with me? th'are sicke, th'are weary,
    They traueld hard to night, meare Iustice,
    I the images of reuolt and flying off,
    1365Fetch me a better answer.
    Glost. My deare Lord, you know the fiery quality of the Duke,
    how vnremoueable and fixt he is in his owne course.
    1370Lear. Veangeance, death, plague, confusion, what fiery quali-
    ty; why Glocester,Glocester, ide speake with the Duke of Corne-
    wall, and his wife.
    1375Glost. I my good Lord.
    Lear. The King would speake with Cornwall, the deare father
    Would with his daughter speake, commands her seruice,
    1380Fiery Duke, tell the hot Duke that Lear,
    No but not yet, may be he is not well,
    Infirmity doth still neglect all office, where to our health
    Is bound, we are not our selues, when nature being opprest,
    Commands the minde to suffer with the body; ile forbeare,
    And am fallen out with my more headier will,
    To take the indisposed and sickly fit, for the sound man.
    Death on my state, wherefore should he sit here?
    This acte perswades me, that this remotion of the Duke & her
    Is
    E2