The ftory of King Leir and his three daughters was originally told by Geoffrey of Monmouth, from whom Holinfhed tranfcribed it; and in his Chronicle Shakspeare had certainly read it, as it occurs not far from that of Cymbeline; though the old play on the fame fubject probably firft fug gefted to him the idea of making it the ground-work of a tragedy.

Geoffrey of Monmonth fays, that Leir, who was the eldest fon of Bladud, nobly governed his country for fixty years." According to that hiftorian, he died about 800 years before the birth of Christ.

The name of Leir's youngest daughter, which in Geoffrey's history, in Holinfhed, The Mirrour for Magiftrates, and the old anonymous play, is Cordeilla, Cordila, or Cordella, Shakspeare found foftened into Cordelia by Spenfer in his Second Book, Canto X. The names of edgar and Edmund were probably fuggefted by Holinfhed. See his Chronicle, Vol. I. p. 132: "Edgar, the fon of Edmund, brother of Athelftane," &c.

This tragedy, I believe, was written in 1605. See An Attempt to afcertain the order of Shakspeare's plays.

As the epifode of Glotter and his fons is undoubtedly formed on the tory of the blind king of Paphlagonia in Sidney's Arcadia, I shall subjoin it, at the end of the play. MALONE,

Knights attending on the King, Officers, Meffengers, Soldiers,

and Attendants.

SCENE, Britain,

ACT I SCENE I.

A Room of fate in King Lear's Palace.

Enter KENT, GLOSTER, and EDMUND.

Kent. I thought, the king had more affected the duke of Albany, than Cornwall.

Glo. It did always feem fo to us; but now, in the division of the kingdom, it appears not which of the dukes he values moft; for equalities are fo weigh'd, that curiofity in neither can make choice of either's moiety.4

Kent. Is not this your fon, my lord ?

Glo. His breeding, fir, hath been at my charge: I have fo often blufh'd to acknowledge him, that now I am brazed to it.

Kent. I cannot conceive you..

Glo. Sir, this young fellow's mother could: whereupon The grew round-wombed ;. and had, indeed, fir, a fon for her cradle, ere fhe had a husband for her bed. Do you fmell a fault?

Kent. I cannot with the fault undone, the issue of it being fo proper.s

Glo.

2 There is fomething of obfcurity or inaccuracy in this preparatory fcene. The king has already divided his kingdom, and yet when he enters he examines his daughters, to difcover in what proportions he fhould divide it. Perhaps Kent and Glofter only were privy to his defign, which he ftill kept in his own hands, to be changed or performed as fubfequent reafons fhould determine him. JOHNSON.

3 Curiofity, for exacteft fcrutiny. The fenfe of the whole fentence is, The qualities and properties of the feveral divifions are fo weighed and balanced against one another, that the exacteft fcrutiny could not determine in preferring one fhare to the other. WARBURTON.

Curiofity is fcrupuloufness, or captioufnefs. STEEVE'N S»

4 The strict fenfe of the word moiety is half, one of two equal parts; but Shakspeare commonly ufes it for any part or divifion. STEEVENS. Heywood likewife ufes the word moiety as fynonymous to any part ofportion. MALONE.

5 i..e. handfome.. MALONE.

Glo. But I have, fir, a fon by order of law, fome year elder than this," who yet is no dearer in my account: though this knave came fomewhat faucily into the world before he was fent for, yet was his mother fair; there was good fport at his making, and the whorefon must be acknowledged. Do you know this noble gentleman, Edmund ?

Edm. No, my lord.

Glo. My lord of Kent: remember him hereafter as my honourable friend.

Edm. My fervices to your lordship.

Kent. I muft love you, and fue to know you better.
Edm. Sir, I fhall ftudy deferving.

Glo. He hath been out nine years, and away he fhall again :-The king is coming.

[Trumpets found within.

Enter LEAR, CORNWALL, ALBANY, GONERIL, REGAN, CORDELIA, and Attendants.

Lear. Attend the lords of France and Burgundy, Glofter. Glo. 1 fhall, my liege.

[Exeunt GLOSTER and EDMUND. Lear. Mean-time we fhall exprefs our darker purpose. Give me the map there.-Know, that we have divided, In three, our kingdom: and 'tis our faft intent To fhake all cares and bafinefs from our age; Conferring them on younger ftrengths, while we Unburden'd crawl toward death. Our fon of Cornwall, And you, our no lefs loving fon of Albany, We have this hour a conftant will to publish Our daughters' feveral dowers, that future ftrife

May be prevented now. The princes, France and Burgundy.

6 Some year, is an expreffion ufd when we fpeak indefinitely.

Great

STEEVENS,

7 Darker, for more fecret ; not for indirect, oblique. WARBURTON. This word may admit a further explication. We shall exprefs our darker purpose: that is, we have already made known in fome measure our defire of parting the kingdom; we will now difcover what has not been told before, the reafons by which we thall regulate the partition. This interpretation will justify or palliate the exordial dialogue. JOHNSON. $ Seems a confirmation of faft intent. JOHNSON.

Conftant is firm, determined." Conft..nt will is the certa voluntas of Virgil. STEEVENSA

Great rivals in our youngest daughter's love,

Long in our court have made their amorous fojourn, And here are to be anfwer'd.-Tell me, my daughters, (Since now we will deveft us, both of rule,

Intereft of territory, cares of ftate.)

Which of you, fhall we fay, doth love us molt ?
That we our largest boanty may extend

Where merit doth moft challenge it.-Goneril,
Our eldeft-born, speak first.

Gon.

Sir, I

Do love you more than words can wield the matter,
Dearer than eye-fight, fpace and liberty;
Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;

No lefs 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 speech unable;
Beyond all manner of fo much I love you.

8

Cor. What fhall Cordelia do? Love and be filent. [Afides Lear. Of all these bounds, even from this line to this, With fhadowy forests and with champains 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 deareft Regan, wife to Cornwall? Speak.

Reg. I am made of that felf metal as my fifter, And prize me at her worth. In my true heart

I find,

8 Beyond all affignable quantity. I love you beyond limits, and cannot fay it is so much, for how much foever I should name, it would be yet more. JOHNSON.

9 Rich'd is used for enriched, as 'tice for entice, 'bate for abate, ftrain for confirain, &c. M. MASON.

I believe this paffage should rather be pointed thus:

And prize me at her worth, in my true heart

I find, fhe names, &c.

That is, And to may you, prize me at her worth, as in my true beart 】 find, that be names, &c. TYRWHITT.

I believe we should read:

"And prize you at her worth;

That is, fet the fame high value upon you that he does. M. MASON, Prize me at her worth, perhaps means, I think myself as worthy of your favour as fhe is. HENLEY.