M. William Shake-speare
HIS
History, of King Lear.
21Enter Kent, Glocester, and Bastard. 43I Thought the King had more a
ffe
cted the Duke of
54Albeney then
Cornewall.
65Glost. It did alwaies
seeme
so to vs, but now in
76the diui
sion of the Kingdomes, it appeares not
87which of the Dukes he values mo
st, for equalities
98are
so weighed, that curio
sity in neither, can make choi
se of ei
- 1110Kent. Is not this your
sonne, my Lord?
1211Glost. His breeding
sir hath beene at my charge. I haue
so of
- 1412ten blu
sht to acknowledge him, that now I am braz'd to it.
1513Kent. I cannot conceiue you.
1614Glost. Sir, this young fellowes mother could, whereupon
she
1815grew round wombed, and had indeed Sir a
sonne for her Cra
- 16dle, ere
she had a husband for her bed, do you
smell a fault?
2017Kent. I cannot wi
sh the fault vndone, the i
ssue of it being
so
2219Glo. But I haue
sir a
sonne by order of Law,
some yeare elder
2320then this, who yet is no deerer in my account, thogh this knaue
2421came
something
sawcely into the world before he was
sent for,
2522yet was his mother faire, there was good
sport at his making, &
2623the whore
son mu
st be acknowledged, do you know this noble
3026Glo. My Lord of
Kent, remember him heereafter as my ho-
3228Bast. My
seruices to your Lord
ship.
3329Kent. I mu
st loue you, and
sue to know you better.
3430Bast. Sir, I
shall
study de
seruing.
3531Glo. He hath beene out nine yeares, and away he
shall again,
3733Sound a Sennet, Enter one bearing a Coronet, then Lear, then the 3834Dukes of Albany and Cornwall, next Gonorill, Regan, Corde- 3936Lear. Attend my Lords of
France and
Burgundy,
Gloster.
4037Glost. I
shall my Leige.
4138Lear. Meane time we will expre
sse our darker purpo
ses,
4239The Map there; know we haue diuided
4340In three our Kingdome; and tis our
fir
st intent,
4441To
shake all cares and bu
sine
sse of our
state,
4542Con
firming them on younger yeares,
5043The two great Princes,
France and
Burgundy,
5144Great Riuals in our younge
st daughters loue,
5245Long in our Court haue made their amorous
soiourne,
5346And here are to be an
swer'd; tell me my daughters,
5647Which of you
shall we
say doth loue vs mo
st,
5748That we our large
st bounty may extend,
5849Where merit doth mo
st challenge it:
5950Gonorill our elde
st borne,
speake
fir
st.
6051Gon. Sir, I do loue you more then words can wield the matter.
6152Dearer then eye-
sight,
space, or liberty,
6253Beyond what can be valued rich or rare,
6354No le
sse then life; with grace, health, beauty, honour,
6455As much a childe ere loued, or father friend,
6556A loue that makes breath poore, and
speech vnabl[e],
6657Beyond all manner of
so much I loue you.
6758Cor. What
shall
Cordelia do, loue and be
silent.
6859Lear. Of all the
se bounds, euen from this line to this,
6960With
shady Forre
sts, and wide skirted Meads,
7161We make thee Lady, to thine and
Albanies i
ssue,
7262Be this perpetuall. What
saies our
second daughter?
7363Our deere
st Regan, wife to
Cornwall,
speake.
7464Reg. Sir I am made of the
selfe-
same mettal that my
sister is
7565And prize me at her worth in my true heart,
7666I
finde
she names my very deed of loue, onely
shee came
short,
7867That I profe
sse my
selfe an enemy to all other ioyes,
7968Which the mo
st precious
square of
sence po
sse
sses,
8069And
finde I am alone felicitate in your deere highne
sse loue.
8270Cor. Then poore
Cordelia, and yet not
so,
since I am
sure
8471My loue's more richer then my tongue.
8572Lear. To thee and thine hereditary euer
8673Remaine this ample third of our faire kingdome,
8774No le
sse in
space, validity, and plea
sure,
8875Then that con
firm'd on
Gonorill; but now our ioy,
8976Although the la
st, not lea
st in our deere loue,
9177What can you
say to win a third, more opulent
9379Cor. Nothing my Lord.
9680Lear. How, nothing can come of nothing,
speake againe.
9781Cor. Vnhappy that I am, I cannot heaue my heart into my
9882mouth, I loue your Maie
sty according to my bond, nor more
10084Lear. Go too, go too, mend your
speech a little,
10185Lea
st it may marre your fortunes.
10387You haue begot me, bred me, loued me,
10488I returne tho
se duties backe as are right
fit,
10589Obey you, loue you, and mo
st honour you,
10690Why haue my
sisters husbands, if they
say they loue you all,
10791Haply when I
shall wed, that Lord who
se hand
10892Mu
st take my plight,
shall carry halfe my loue with him,
10993Halfe my care and duty,
sure I
shall neuer
11094Marry like my
sisters, to loue my father all.
11195Lear. But goes this with thy heart?
11296Cor. I good my Lord.
11397Lear. So young and
so vntender?
11498Cor. So young my Lord, and true.
11599Lear. Well let it be
so, thy truth then be thy dower,
116100For by the
sacred radience of the Sunne,
117101The mi
stre
sse of
Heccat, and the might,
118102By all the operation of the Orbes,
119103From whom we do ex
sist and cea
se to be,
120104Heere I dis
sclaime all my paternall care,
121105Propinquity and property of bloud,
122106And as a
stranger to my heart and me,
123107Hold thee from this foreuer, the barbarous
Scythian,
124108Or he that makes his generation
125109Me
sses to gorge his appetite,
126110Shall be as well neighbour'd, pittied and releeued,
127111As thou my
some-time daughter.
129113Lear. Peace
Kent, come not betweene the Dragon and his (wrath
131114I lou'd her mo
st, and thought to
set my re
st 132115On her kinde nur
sery, hence and auoid my
sight:
133116So be my graue my peace as heere I guie,
134117Her fathers heart from her; call
France, who
stirres?
135118Call
Burgundy,
Cornwall, and
Albany,
136119With my two daughters dower dige
st this third,
137120Let pride, which
she cals plainne
sse, marry her:
138121I do inue
st you ioyntly in my power,
139122Preheminence, and all the large e
ffe
cts
140123That troope with Maie
sty, our
selfe by monthly cour
se
141124With re
seruation of an hundred Knights,
142125By you to be
su
stain'd,
shall our abode
143126Make with you by due turnes, onely we
still retaine
144127The name and all the additions to a King,
145128The
sway, reuenue, execution of the re
st,
146129Beloued
sonnes be yours, which to con
firme,
147130This Coronet part betwixt you.
149132Whom I haue euer honor'd as my King,
150133Loued as my Father, as my Ma
ster followed,
151134As my great Patron thought on in my praiers.
152135Lear. The bow is bent and drawne, make from the
shaft.
153136Kent. Let it fall rather,
154137Though the forke inuade the region of my heart,
155138Be
Kent vnmannerly, when
Lear is mad,
156139What wilt thou do old man, think'
st thou that duty
157140Shall haue dread to
speake, when power to
flattery bowes,
158141To plainne
sse honours bound, when Maie
sty
stoops to folly,
159142Reuer
se thy doome, and in thy be
st con
sideration
161143Checke this hideous ra
shne
sse, an
swer my life,
162144My iudgement, thy yonge
st daughter does not lo[u]e thee lea
st,
163145Nor are tho
se empty hearted, who
se low
sound
165147Lear. Kent, on thy life no more.
166148Kent. My life I neuer held but as a pawne
167149To wage again
st thy enemies, nor feare to lo
se it,
168150Thy
safety being the motiue.
170152Kent. See better
Lear, and let me
still remaine
171153The true blanke of thine eie.
172154Lear. Now by
Appollo ---------
173155Kent. Now by
Appollo, King thou
swear'
st thy Gods in vaine.
175156Lear. Va
ssall, recreant.
176157Kent. Do, kill thy Phy
sition,
177158And the fee be
stow vpon the foule di
sea
se,
178159Reuoke thy doome, or whil
st I can vent clamour
180160From my throat, ile tell thee thou do
st euill.
181161Lear. Heare me, on thy alleigeance heare me;
182162Since thou ha
st sought to make vs breake our vow,
183163Which we dur
st neuer yet; and with
straied pride,
184164To come betweene our
sentence and our power,
185165Which, nor our nature, nor our place can beare,
186166Our potency make good, take thy reward,
187167Foure dayes we do allot thee for proui
sion,
188168To
shield thee from di
sea
ses of the world,
189169And on the
fift to turne thy hated backe
190170Vpon our kingdome; if on the tenth day following,
191171Thy bani
sht trunke be found in our Dominions,
192172The moment is thy death, away,
173By
Iupiter, this
shall not be reuokt.
194174Kent. Why fare thee well King,
since thou wilt appeare,
195175Friend
ship liues hence, and bani
shment is here;
196176The Gods to their protec
ction take the maid,
197177That rightly thinkes, and hath mo
st iu
stly
said,
198178And your large
speeches may your deeds approue,
199179That good e
ffe
cts may
spring from words of loue:
200180Thus
Kent, O Princes, bids you all adew,
201181Hee'l
shape his old cour
se in a Country new.
202182Enter France and Burgundy with Glocester. 204183Glo. Heer's
France and
Burgundy, my noble Lord.
205184Lear. My Lord or
Burgundy, we
fir
st addre
sse towards you,
206185Who with a King hath riuald for our daughter,
207186What in the lea
st will you require in pre
sent
208187Dower with her, or cea
se your que
st of loue?
210188Burg. Roiall Maie
sty, I craue no more then what
211189Your Highne
sse o
ffered, nor will you tender le
sse?
213190Lear. Right noble
Burgundy, when
she was deare to vs,
215191We did hold her
so, but now her price is fallen;
216192Sir, there
she
stands, if ought within that little
217193Seeming
sub
stance, or all of it with our di
splea
sure peec'
st,
218194And nothing el
se may
fitly like your Grace,
219195Shee's there, and
she is yours.
221197Lear. Sir, will you with tho
se in
firmities
she owes,
222198Vnfriended, new adopted to our hate,
223199Couered with our cur
se, and
stranger'd with our oath,
225201Burg. Pardon me royall
sir, ele
ction makes not vp
227203Lear. Then leaue her
sir, for by the power that made me,
228204I tell you all her wealth. For you great King,
229205I would not from your loue make
such a
stray,
230206To match you where I hate, therefore be
seech you,
231207To auert your liking a more worthier way,
232208Then on a wretch whom Nature is a
sham'd
233209Almo
st to acknowledge hers.
234210Fra. This is mo
st strange, that
she that euen but now
235211Was your be
st obie
ct, the argument of your prai
se,
236212Balme of your age, mo
st be
st, mo
st deere
st,
237213Should in this trice of time commit a thing
238214So mon
strous, to di
smantle
so many foulds of fauour,
239215Sure her o
ffence mu
st be of
such vnnaturall degree,
241216That mon
sters it, or you for voucht a
ffe
ctions
242217Falne into taint, which to beleeue of her
243218Mu
st be a faith that rea
son without miracle
244219Could neuer plaint in me.
245220Cord. I yet be
seech your Maie
sty,
246221If for I want that glib and oily Art,
247222To
speake and purpo
se not,
since what I well intend,
248223Ile do't before I
speake, that you may know
249224It is no vicious blot, murder, or foulene
sse,
250225No vncleane a
ction or di
shonoured
step
251226That hath depriu'd me of your grace and fauour,
252227But euen for want of that, for which I am rich,
253228A
still
soliciting eye, and
such a tongue,
254229As I am glad I haue not, though not to haue it,
255230Hath lo
st me in your liking.
256231Lear. Go to, goe to, better thou had
st not bene borne,
257232Then not to haue pleas'd me better.
258233Fran. Is it no more but this, a tardine
sse in nature,
259234That often leaues the hi
story vn
spoke that it intends to do,
260235My Lord of
Burgundy, what
say you to the Lady?
261236Loue is not loue when it is mingled with re
spe
cts that
stands
263237Aloofe from the entire point, will you haue her?
264238She is her
selfe and dower.
265239Burg. Royall
Lear, giue but that portion
266240Which your
selfe propos'd, and here I take
267241Cordelia by the hand, Dutche
sse of
Burgundy.
269242Lear. Nothing; I haue
sworne.
270243Burg. I am
sorry then you haue
so lo
st a father,
271244That you mu
st lo
se a husband.
272245Cord. Peace be with
Burgundy,
since that re
spe
cts
273246Of fortune are his loue, I
shall not be his wife.
275247Fran. Faire
st Cordelia, that art mo
st rich being poore,
276248Mo
st choi
se for
saken, and mo
st loued de
spis'd,
277249Thee and thy vertues heere I
seize vpon,
278250Be it lawfull I take vp what's ca
st away.
279251Gods, Gods! tis
strange, that from their cold'
st negle
ct,
280252My loue
should kindle to en
flam'd re
spe
ct,
281253Thy dowrele
sse daughter King, throwne to thy chance,
282254Is Queene of vs, of ours, and our faire
France:
283255Not all the Dukes in watri
sh Burgundy,
284256Shall buy this vnpriz'd precious maid of me,
285257Bid them farwell
Cordelia, though vnkinde
286258Thou lo
se
st heere, a better where to
finde.
287259Lear. Thou ha
st her
France, let her be thine,
288260For we haue no
such daughter, nor
shall euer
see
289261That face of hers againe, therefore be gone,
290262Without our grace, our loue, our benizon: come noble
Bur- (gundy.
292264Fran. Bid farwell to your
sisters.
293265Cord. The Iewels of our Father,
294266With wa
sht eyes
Cordelia leaues you, I know you what you are,
295267And like a
sister am mo
st loth to call your faults
296268As they are named, vse well our Father,
297269To your profe
ssed bo
somes I commit him,
298270But yet ala
sse,
stood I within his grace,
299271I would preferre him to a better place;
301273Gonorill. Pre
scribe not vs our duties.
302274Regan. Let your
study be to content your Lord,
303275Who hath receiu'd you at Fortunes almes,
304276You haue obedience
scanted,
305277And well are worth the worth that you haue wanted.
306278Cord. Time
shall vnfold what pleated cunning hides,
307279Who couers faults, at la
st shame them derides:
309281Fran. Come faire
Cordelia.
Exit France and Cord. 310282Gon. Si
ster, it is not a little I haue to
say,
311283Of what mo
st neerely appertaines to vs both,
312284I thinke our father will hence to night.
313285Reg. That's mo
st certaine, and with you, next month with vs.
314286Gon. You
see how full of changes his age is, the ob
seruation
315287we haue made of it hath not beene little; he alwaies loued our
316288sister mo
st, and with what poore iudgement hee hath now ca
st 317289her o
ff, appeares too gro
sse.
318290Reg. Tis the in
firmity of his age, yet he hath euer but
slen
- 320292Gono. The be
st and
sounde
st of his time hath bin but ra
sh,
321293then mu
st we looke to receiue frõ his age, not alone the imper
- 322294fe
ction of long ingra
fted condition, but therwithal vnruly wai
- 323295wardnes, that in
firme and cholericke yeares bring with them.
325296Reg. Such vncon
stant
stars are we like to haue from him, as
326297this of
Kents bani
shment.
327298Gono. There is further complement of leaue taking between
328299France and him, pray lets hit together, if our Father cary autho
- 329300rity with
such di
spo
sitions as he beares, this la
st surrender of
331302Regan. We
shall further thinke on't.
332303Gon. We mu
st do
something, and it'h heate.
Exeuent.