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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    Not Peer Reviewed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.
    1830Lear. Hast thou giuen all to thy two daughters, and art thou
    come to this?
    Edg. Who giues any thing to poore Tom, whom the foule
    fiend hath led through fire, and throgh foord, and whirli-poole,
    ore bog and quagmire, that has laide kniues vnder his pillow, &
    1835halters in his pue, set ratsbane by his pottage, made him proud
    of heart, to ride on a bay trotting horse ouer foure incht bridg-
    es, to course his owne shadow for a traitor, blesse thy fiue wits,
    Toms a cold, blesse thee from whirl-windes, starre-blusting, &
    1840taking, do poore Tom some charity, whom the foule fiend vexes,
    there could I haue him now, and there, and there againe.
    Lear. What, his daughters brought him to this passe,
    1845Couldst thou saue nothing? didst thou giue them all?
    Foole. Nay he reserued a blanket, else wee had beene all sha-
    med.
    Lear. Now all the plagues that in the pendulous ayre
    Hang fated ore mens faults, fall on thy daughters.
    1850Kent. He hath no daughters sir.
    Lear. Death traitor, nothing could haue subdued nature
    To such a lownesse, but his vnkinde daughters,
    Is it the fashion that discarded fathers,
    Should haue thus little mercy on their flesh,
    1855Iudicious punishment, twas this flesh
    Begot those Pelicane daughters.
    Edg. Pilicock sate on pelicocks hill, a lo lo lo.
    Foole. This cold night will turne vs all to fooles & madmen.
    1860Edg. Take heed of the foule fiend, obey thy parents, keepe thy
    words iustly, sweare not, commit not with mans sworne spouse,
    set not thy sweet heart on proud array; Toms a cold.
    Lear. What hast thou beene?
    1865Edg. A seruing man, proud in heart and minde, that curlde my
    haire, wore gloues in my cap, serued the lust of my mistris heart,
    and did the acte of darknesse with her, swore as many oaths as I
    spake words, and broke them in the sweete face of heauen, one
    that slept in the contriuing of lust, and wak't to do it, wine lo-
    1870ued I deepely, dice dearely, and in woman, out paramord the
    Turke, false of heart, light of eare, bloudy of hand, hog in sloth,
    Fox
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