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.
 20001749be long from you.
 20011750Kent. All the power of his wits haue giuen way to impatience,
 20021751the Gods deserue your kindnesse.
 20041752Edg. Fretereto cals me, and tels me Nero is an angler in the lake
 20051753of darknesse, pray innocent beware the foule fiend.
 20071754Foole. Prethee Nunckle tell me, whether a mad man may bee a
 20081755Gentleman or a Yeoman.
 20091756Lear. A King, a King, to haue a thousand with red burning
 20131757spits come hissing in vpon them.
11758Edg. The foule fiend bites my backe.
21759Foole. Hee's mad that trusts in the tamenesse of a Wolfe, a
31760horses health, a boyes loue, or a whores oath.
41761Lear. It shall be done, I will arraigne them straight,
51762Come sit thou heere most learned Iustice,
61763Thou sapient sir, sit heere now you shee Foxes --------- 
71764Edg. Looke where he stands and glars, wantst thou eies at tri-
81765all madam, come ore the broome Bessy to me.
91766Foole. Her boat hath a leake, and she must not speak,
101767Why she dares not come ouer to thee.
111768Edg. The foule fiend haunts poore Tom in the voyce of a night-
121769ingale, Hoppedance cried in Toms belly for two white herring,
131770Croke not blacke Angell, I haue no food for thee.
141771Kent. How do you sir? stand you not so amaz'd, will you lie
151772downe and rest vpon the Cushions?
161773Lear. Ile see their triall first, bring in their euidence, thou rob-
171774bed man of iustice take thy place, & thou his yoke-fellow of e-
181775quity, bench by his side, you are o'th commission, sit you too.
191776Ed. Let vs deale iustly, sleepest or wakest thou iolly shepheard,
201777Thy sheepe bee in the corne, and for one blast of thy minikin
211778mouth, thy sheepe shall take no harme, Pur the cat is gray.
221779Lear. Arraignne her first, tis Gonorill, I here take my oath before
231780this honourable assembly she kickt the poore King her father.
241781Foole. Come hither Mistresse, is your name Gonorill.
251782Lear. She cannot deny it.
261783Foole. Cry you mercy, I tooke you for a ioynt stoole.
271784Lear. And heres another whose warpt lookes proclaime
281785What store her heart is made an, stop her there,
Armes,
G2

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King Lear (Quarto 2, 1619)