Gon. I love you, Sir,

Dearer than eye-fight, fpace and liberty;
Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;

No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour:
As much as child e'er lov'd, or father found.

A love that makes breath poor, and fpeech unable,
Beyond all manner of fo much I love you.

Cor. What fhall Cordelia do? love and be filent.

[Afide. Lear. Of all these bounds, ev'n from this line to this, With fhadowy forefts and with champions rich'd, With plenteous rivers and wide-skirted meads, We make thee lady. To thine and Albany's iffue Be this perpetual.What fays our fecond daughter, Our dearest Regan, wife of Cornwall? fpeak.

Reg. I'm made of that self-metal as my fifter,
And prize me at her worth, in my true Heart. (1)
I find, the names my very deed of love;

Only the comes too fhort: that I profefs
Myfelf an enemy to all other joys,

Which the most precious fquare of fenfe poffeffes;
And find, I am alone felicitate

In your dear Highness' love.

Cor. Then poor Cordelia!

And yet not fo, fince, I am fure, my love's
More pond'rous than my tongue.

[Afide.

Lear. To thee, and thine, hereditary ever,
Remain this ample third of our fair Kingdom;
No lefs in fpace, validity, and pleasure,
Than that conferr'd on Gonerill.-Now our joy,
Although our laft, not leaft; to whofe young love,
The vines of France, and milk of Burgundy,
Strive to be int'refs'd: what fay you, to draw
A third, more opulent than your fifters ? fpeak.
Cor. Nothing, my lord.

(1) And prize me at her worth. In my true beart.] Mr. Bishop prefcrib'd the pointing of this paffage, as I have regulated it in the text. Regan would fay, that in the truth of her heart and affection, the equals the worth of her fifter. Without this change in the pointing, she makes a boaft of herself without any cause affign'd.

A 4

Lear.

.

Lear. Nothing?

Cor. Nothing.

Lear. Nothing can come of nothing; speak again.
Cor. Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave

My heart into my mouth: I love your Majefty
According to my bond, no more nor lefs.

Lear. How, how, Cordelia? mend your speech a little, Left you may mar your fortunes.

Cor. Good my lord,

I

You have begot me, bred me, lov'd me.
Return thofe duties back, as are right fit;
Obey you, love you, and moft honour you.
Why have my fifters hufbands, if they fay,
They love you, all? hap'ly, when I fhall wed,
That lord, whofe hand must take my plight, fhall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure, I fhall never marry like my fifters,

To love my father all.

Lear. But goes thy heart with this?
Cor. Ay, my good lord.

Lear. So young, and fo untender?
Cor. So young, my lord, and true.

Lear. Let it be fo, thy truth then be thy dower:
For by the facred radiance of the fun,

The myfteries of Hecate, and the night,
By all the operations of the orbs,

From whom we do exift, and cease to be;
Here I difclaim all my paternal care,
Propinquity, and property of blood,
And as a stranger to my heart and me

Hold thee, from this, for ever. The barb'rous Scythian,
Or he that makes his generation, meffes

To gorge his appetite; fhall to my bofom

Be as well neighbour'd, pitied, and reliev'd,
As thou, my fometime daughter.

Kent. Good my Liege

Lear. Peace, Kent!

Come not between the dragon and his wrath.

I lov'd her moft, and thought to set my reft

On

On her kind nurs'ry. Hence, avoid my fight!

So be my grave my peace, as here I give

[To Cor.

Her father's heart from her; Call France; who ftirs?
Call Burgundy.Cornwall and Albany,

With my two daughters dowers, digeft the third.
Let pride, which the calls plainnefs, marry her.
I do inveft you jointly with my Power,
Preheminence, and all the large effects

That troop with Majefty. Our felf by monthly course,
With refervation of an hundred Knights,
By you to be fuftain'd, shall our abode
Make with you by due turns: only retain
The name and all th' addition to a King:
The fway, revenue, execution,

Beloved fons, be yours; which to confirm,
This Cor'onet part between you.

Kent. Royal Lear,

[Giving the Crown.

Whom I have ever honour'd as my King,

Lov'd as my father, as my mafter follow'd,
And as my patron thought on in my pray'rs-

Lear. The bow is bent and drawn, make from the shaft..
Kent. Let it fall rather, though the fork invade
The region of my heart; be Kent unmannerly,
When Lear is mad: what would't thou do, old man ?
Think't thou, that duty fhall have dread to fpeak,
When pow'r to flatt'ry bows? to plainnefs Honour
Is bound, when Majefty to folly falls.

Referve thy State; with better judgment check
This hideous rafhnefs; with my life I answer,
Thy youngest daughter does not love thee leaft;
Nor are thofe empty-hearted, whofe low found
Reverbs no hollowness.

Lear. Kent, on thy life no more.

Kent. My life I never held but as a pawn To wage against thy foes; nor fear to lofe it, Thy fafety being the motive.

Lear. Out of my fight!

Kent. See better, Lear, and let me ftill remain The true blank of thine eye.

A 5

Lear. Now by Apollo

Kent. Now by Apollo, King, Thou fwear'ft thy gods in vain. Lear. O vaffal! mifcreant!

[Laying his hand on his word.

Alb. Corn. Dear Sir, forbear.

Kent. Kill thy phyfician, and thy fee beftow
Upon the foul difeafe; revoke thy doom,
Or whilst I can vent clamour from my throat,
I'll tell thee, thou doft evil.

Lear. Hear me, recreant!

Since thou haft fought to make us break our vow,
Which we durft never yet; and with strain'd pride,
To come betwixt our fentence and our power;
(Which nor our nature, por our place, can bear ;)
Our potency made good, take thy reward.
Five days we do allot thee for provifion,
To fhield thee from difafters of the world;
And, on the fixth, to turn thy hated back
Upon our Kingdom; if, the tenth day following,
Thy banish'd trunk be found in our dominions,
The moment is thy death: away! By Jupiter,
This fhall not be revok'd.

Kent. Fare thee well, King; fith thus thou wilt appear,
Freedom lives hence, and banishment is here;
The gods to their dear fhelter take thee, maid,
That juftly think'ft, and haft moft rightly faid;
And your large fpeeches may your deeds approve,
That good effects may fpring from words of love:
Thus Kent, O Princes, bids you all adieu,
He'll shape his old course in a country new.

[Exit.

Enter Glo'fter, with France and Burgundy, and

Attendants.

Glo. Here's France and Burgundy, my noble lord. (2)

(2) Cor. Here's France, and Burgundy, my noble lord.] The generality of the editions, ancient and modern, ftupidly place this verfe to Cordelia. But I have, upon the authority of the old 4to, reftor'd it to the right owner, Glofer; who was, but a little before, fent by the King to conduct France and Burgundy to him. 4

Lear.

Lear. My lord of Burgundy,

We first addrefs tow'rd you, who with this King
Have rivall'd for our daughter; what at leaft
Will you require in prefent dower with her,
Or ceafe your queft of love?

Bur. Moft royal Majefty,

I crave no more than what your Highnefs offer'd,
Nor will you tender lefs.

Lear. Right noble Burgundy,

When fhe was dear to us, we held her fo;
But now her price is fall'n: Sir, there fhe ftands,
If aught within that little feeming fubftance,
Or all of it with our difpleasure piec'd,

And nothing more, may fitly like your Grace,
She's there, and she is yours.

Bur. I know no answer.

Lear. Will you with thofe infirmities fhe owes, Unfriended, new-adopted to our hate,

Dowr'd with our curfe, and stranger'd with our oath, Take her, or leave her?

Bur. Pardon, royal Sir;

Election makes not up on fuch conditions.

I tell you all her wealth.

[me,

Lear. Then leave her, Sir; for by the pow'r that made For you, great King, [To France.

I would not from your love make fuch a ftray,

To match you where I hate; therefore befeech you, T'avert your liking a more worthy way

Than on a wretch, whom nature is asham'd

Almoft t' acknowledge hers.

France. This is most ftrange!

That the, who ev'n but now was your beft object,
Your Praife's argument, balm of your age,
Dearest and beft; fhould in this trice of time
Commit a thing fo monftrous, to dismantle
So many folds of favour! fure, her offence
Must be of fuch unnatural degree,

That monfters it; (3) or your fore-voucht affection

Fal'n

(3) As monftrous is,] This bald reading is a modern fophiftication: the eldest and beft copies read;

That