King Lear (23 page)

5.2.1 tree
= F. Q = bush
14 SH GLOUCESTER And … too
. = F.
Not in Q
.

5.3.2 first
= F. Q = best
26 good years
= F. Q = goode
40 down
. = F. Q = down. /
Cap
. I cannot draw a cart, nor eate dride oats, / If it bee mans worke ile do’t.
48 send
= F. Q
uncorrected
= saue
retention
= F. Q
uncorrected
= retention and appointed guard
49 had
= F. Q = has
60 might
= F. Q = should
63 immediacy
= F. Q = imediate
67 addition
= F. Q = aduancement
70 SH ALBANY
= F. Q =
Gon
.
77 Dispose … thine:
= F.
Not in
Q
84 SH REGAN
= F. Q =
Bast
.
thine
= F. Q = good
86 thy arrest
= F. Q = thine attaint
87 sister
= Q. F = sister
88 bar
= Ed. F = bare
91 loves
= F. Q = loue
94 let … sound:
= F.
Not in
Q
95 person
= F. Q = head
97 make
= F. Q = proue
101 medicine
= F. Q = poyson
116 lists
= F. Q = hoast
117 by
= F. Q = at
120 SH HERALD
= F. Q =
Edmund
128–29 Yet … cope
= F. Q = yet are I mou’t / Where is the aduersarie I come to cope with all
136–37 my … honours —
= F. Q = the priuiledge of my tongue,
140 Despise
= F. Q = Despite
143 Conspirant
= F. Q = Conspicuate
145 below thy foot
= F. Q = beneath thy feet
147 are
= F. Q = As
152 tongue
= F. Q = being
153 What … delay
= F.
Not in
Q
154 rule
= F. Q = right
155 Back
= F. Q = Heere
156 hell-hated lie o’er-whelm
= F. Q = hell hatedly, oreturnd
157 scarcely
= Q. F = scarely
162 war
= F. Q = armes
wast
= F. Q = art
166 stop … sir=
F. Q = stople it
167 name
= F. Q = thing
172 SH EDMUND
= F. Q =
Gon
.
183 vices
= F. Q = vertues
184 plague
= F. Q = scourge
200 we
= F. Q = with
207 fault
= F. Q = Father
211 our
= F. Q = my
222 SH EDGAR
= F. Q =
Alb
.
223 SH ALBANY Speak, man
. = F.
Not in
Q
224 SH EDGAR
= F. Q
assigns line to Albany
226 O, she’s dead!
= F.
Not in
Q
227 Who … man
. = F. Q = Who man, speake?
229 confesses
= F. Q = hath confest
234 judgement
= F. Q = Iustice
235 is this
= F. Q = tis
265 you
= Q. F = your
281 you, murderers, traitors
= F. Q = your murderous traytors
287 SH GENTLEMAN
= F. Q =
Cap
.
290 him
= F. Q = them
295 This … sight
. = F.
Not in
Q
298 you that
= F. Q = that
302 first
= F. Q = life
309 says
= F. Q = sees
327 sir
. = F. Q = sir, O, o, o, o.
328–29 Do … there!
= F.
Not in
Q
331 SH KENT
= F. Q =
Lear
342 realm
= F. Q = kingdome
345 SH EDGAR
= F. Q =
Duke

EDMUND
    
Nor is not, sure
¹
.

GLOUCESTER
    To his father, that so tenderly and entirely loves him.

Heaven and earth!

as of
unnaturalness
⁴
between the child and the parent,

death,
dearth
, dissolutions of
ancient amities
,
divisions
⁵
in

state, menaces and
maledictions
⁶
against king and nobles,

needless
diffidences
, banishment of friends,
dissipation of
⁷

cohorts,
nuptial breaches
⁸
, and I know not what.

EDGAR
    How long have you been a
sectary astronomical
⁹
?

EDMUND
    Come, come,

Not
to be overruled.
Idle
¹¹
old man,

That still would manage those authorities

That he hath given away! Now by my life

Old fools are babes again, and must be
used
¹⁴

With
checks as flatteries
, when they are
seen abused
¹⁵
.

FOOL
That lord that counselled thee to give away thy land,

Come place him here by me, do thou for him
stand
¹⁷
,

The sweet and bitter fool will
presently
¹⁸
appear:

The one in
motley
¹⁹
here, the other found out there.

LEAR
    Dost thou call me fool, boy?

FOOL
    All thy other titles thou hast given away, that thou

wast born with.

KENT
    This is not
altogether fool
²³
my lord.

FOOL
    No, faith, lords and great men will not let me, if I

had a monopoly out, they would have part
on’t
²⁵
: and ladies

too, they will not let me have all the fool to myself, they’ll be

snatching
²⁷
.

I would learn that, for by the
marks
²⁸
of sovereignty,

knowledge, and reason, I should be
false
²⁹
persuaded I had

daughters.

FOOL
    Which they will make an obedient father.

His fault is much, and the good king, his master,

Will
check
him for’t: your purposed
low correction
³³

Is such as basest and
’temnest
³⁴
wretches

For
pilf’rings
and most common
trespasses
³⁵

Are punished with.

tears his white hair,

Which the impetuous blasts with
eyeless
³⁸
rage

Catch
³⁹
in their fury, and make nothing of,

Strives in his little world of man to out-scorn,

The to-and-fro-conflicting wind and rain:

This night wherein the
cubdrawn
bear would
couch
⁴²
,

The lion and the
belly-pinchèd
⁴³
wolf

Keep their fur dry,
unbonneted
⁴⁴
he runs,

And
bids what will take all
⁴⁵
.

But true it is, from France there comes a
power
⁴⁶

Into this
scattered
⁴⁷
kingdom, who already

Wise in
our negligence, have secret
feet
⁴⁸

In some of our best ports, and are
at point
⁴⁹

To show their open banner.

Now to you:

If
on my
credit
⁵²
you dare build so far

To make your speed to Dover, you shall find

Some that will thank you,
making just report
⁵⁴

Of how unnatural and
bemadding
⁵⁵
sorrow

The king hath cause to
’plain
⁵⁶
.

I am a gentleman of
blood
⁵⁷
and breeding,

And from some knowledge and
assurance
⁵⁸
,

Offer this
office
⁵⁹
to you.

EDGAR
    The foul fiend bites my back.

FOOL
    He’s mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a

horse’s health, a boy’s love, or a whore’s oath.

LEAR
    It shall be done, I will
arraign
them
straight
⁶³
,

Come sit thou here most learnèd
justice
⁶⁴
.—

Thou,
sapient
⁶⁵
sir sit here.

No, you she foxes—

EDGAR
    Look where he stands and glares.
Want’st thou
eyes
⁶⁷

at trial, madam?

Come o’er the
bourn
⁶⁹
, Bessy, to me—

FOOL
Her boat hath a leak
⁷⁰
,

    And she must not
speak
⁷¹

    Why she dares not
come over
⁷²
to thee.

EDGAR
    The
foul
⁷³
fiend haunts poor Tom in the voice of a

nightingale,
Hopdance
⁷⁴
cries in Tom’s belly for two white

herring,

Croak not
black angel
⁷⁶
, I have no food for thee.

KENT
    How
do
you sir? Stand you not so
amazed
⁷⁷
,

Will you lie down and rest upon the
cushings
⁷⁸
?

LEAR
    I’ll see their trial first, bring in their evidence.—

Thou robèd man of justice, take thy place—

And thou, his
yoke-fellow of equity
⁸¹
,

Bench
by his side:— you are
o’th’commission
⁸²
,

Sit you too.

EDGAR
    Let us deal justly.

Sleepest or wakest thou, jolly shepherd?

Thy sheep be in the corn,

And
for one blast of thy
minikin
⁸⁷
mouth,

Thy sheep shall take no harm.

Purr
⁸⁹
, the cat is grey.

LEAR
    Arraign her first, ’tis Goneril. I here take my oath

before this honourable assembly, she kicked the poor king

her father.

FOOL
    Come hither, mistress. Is your name Goneril?

LEAR
    She cannot deny it.

FOOL
    
Cry you mercy
, I took you for a
joint-stool
⁹⁵
.

LEAR
    And here’s
another
whose
warped looks
⁹⁶
proclaim

What
store
her heart is made
on
⁹⁷
: stop her there!

Arms, arms, sword, fire! Corruption in the place!

False justicer
, why hast thou let her
scape
⁹⁹
?

KENT
    
Oppressed
¹⁰⁰
nature sleeps:

This rest might yet have
balmed thy broken sinews
¹⁰¹
,

Which, if
convenience
¹⁰²
will not allow,

Stand in hard cure
¹⁰³
.— Come help to bear thy master:

Thou must not stay behind.

EDGAR
    When we our betters see
bearing our woes
¹⁰⁵
,

We scarcely think our miseries our foes.

Who alone suffers, suffers most i’th’mind
¹⁰⁷
,

Leaving
free
things and
happy shows
¹⁰⁸
behind,

But then the mind much
sufferance
doth
o’erskip
¹⁰⁹
,

When grief hath mates, and
bearing
¹¹⁰
fellowship:

How light and
portable
¹¹¹
my pain seems now,

When that which makes me bend, makes the king
bow
¹¹²
:

He childed as I fathered
¹¹³
. Tom away!

Mark the
high noises
and thyself
bewray
¹¹⁴

When false opinion, whose wrong thoughts defile thee,

In thy just proof
¹¹⁶
repeals and reconciles thee.

What will hap more tonight, safe scape the king
¹¹⁷
:

Lurk
¹¹⁸
, lurk.

SERVANT
    I’ll never care what wickedness I do,

If this man come to good.

SECOND SERVANT
    If she live long,

And in the end meet the
old course of death
¹²²
,

Women will all turn monsters.

FIRST SERVANT
    Let’s follow the old earl, and get the
Bedlam
¹²⁴

To lead him
where he would
¹²⁵
: his madness

Allows itself to
¹²⁶
anything.

SECOND SERVANT
    Go thou: I’ll fetch some
flax and whites of eggs
¹²⁷

To apply to his bleeding face. Now heaven help him!