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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    Not Peer Reviewed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.
    Armes, armes, sword, fire, corruption in the place,
    2014.30False Iusticer, why hast thou let her scape?
    2015Edg. Blesse thy fiue wits.
    Kent. O pitty sir, where is the patience now,
    That you so oft haue boasted to retaine.
    Edg. My teares begin to take his part so much,
    They'l marre my counterfeting.
    2020Lear. The little dogs and all,
    Trey, Blanch, and Sweet-hart, see they barke at me.
    Edg. Tom will throw his head at them, auant you curs.
    Be thy mouth, or blacke or white, tooth that poisons if it bite,
    2025Mastiue, Gray-hound, Mungrel, Grim-hound, or Spaniell, Brach
    or Him, Bobtailetike, or Trundle-taile, Tom will make them
    weepe and waile. For with throwing thus my head, dogs leape
    2030the hatch, and all are fled, loudla doodla, come march to wakes,
    and faires, and market townes, poore Tom thy horne is dry.
    Lear. Then let them anotomize Regan, see what breeds about
    her,
    Hart is there any cause in nature that makes this hardnesse;
    2035You sir, I entertaine you for one of my hundred,
    Onely I do not like the fashion of your garment; you'l say
    They are Persian attire, but let them be changed.
    2040Kent. Now my good my Lord lie here a while.
    Lear. Make no noise, make no noise, draw the Curtaines, so,
    so, so, wee'l go to supper in the morning, so, so, so.

    Enter Glocester.
    Glost. Come hither friend, where is the King my master?
    Kent. Here sir, but trouble him not, his wits are gone.
    Glost. Good friend, I prethee take him in thy armes,
    I haue ore-heard a plot of death vpon him,
    There is a Litter ready, lay him in it, and driue towards Douer,
    2050 friend,
    Where thou shalt meete both welcome and protection; take vp
    thy master,
    If thou shouldst dally halfe an houre, his life with thine,
    And all that offer to defend him, stand in assured losse,
    Take
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