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.
 13911200Is practice, onely giue me my seruant foorth;
 13921201Tell the Duke and's wife, Ile speake with them
 13931202Now presently, bid them come forth and heare me,
 13941203Or at their chamber doore Ile beate the drum,
 13951204Till it cry sleepe to death.
 13961205Glost. I would haue all well betwixt you.
 13971206Lear. O my heart! my heart.
 13981207Foole. Cry to it Nunckle, as the Cockney did to the Eeles,
 13991208when she put them vp i'th paste aliue, she rapt vm ath coxcombs
 14001209with a sticke, and cryed downe wantons, downe; twas her bro-
 14011210ther, that in pure kindnesse to his horse, butterd his hay.
 
 14031211Enter Duke and Regan.
 14041212Lear. Good morrow to you both.
 14051213Duke. Haile to your Grace.
 14061214Reg. I am glad to see your Highnesse.
 14071215Lear. Regan, I thinke you are, I know what reason
 14081216I haue to thinke so; if thou shouldst not be glad,
 14091217I would diuorce me from thy mothers toombe,
 14101218Sepulchring an adulteresse, yea, are you free?
 14111219Some other time for that. Beloued Regan,
 14121220Thy sister is naught, ô Regan she hath tied
 14131221Sharpe tooth'd vnkindnesse, like a vulture heere.
 14141222I can scarse speake to thee, thou't not beleeue,
 14151223Of how depriued a quality, O Regan.
 14161224Reg. I pray sir take patience, I haue hope
 14171225You lesse know how to value her desert,
 14181226Then she to slacke her duty.
 14251227Lear. My curses on her.
 14261228Reg. O sir, you are olde,
 14271229Nature on you stands on the very verge of her Confine,
 14281230You should be ruled and led by some discretion,
 14291231That discernes your state better then you your selfe,
 14301232Therefore I pray, that to our sister you do make returne,
 14321233Say you haue wrongd her sir.
 14331234Lear. Aske her forgiuenesse,
 14341235Do you marke how this becomes the house?
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King Lear (Quarto 2, 1619)