Edm. No, my Lord.

Glou. My Lord of Kent.

Remember him hereafter as my honourable friend. Edm. My fervices to your Lordship.

Kent. I must love you, and fue to know you

better

Edm. Sir, I hall ftudy your deferving.

Glou. He hath been out nine years, and away.

he fhall again. The King is coming.

[Trumpets found within.

Exter King Lear, Cornwall, Albany, Gonerill; Regan, Cordelia, and Attendants.

Lear. Attend the Lords of France and Burgundy, Glofter.

Glou. I all, my Liege.

[Exit.

Lear. Mean time we thall express our darker

purpofe.

Give me the map here. Know we have divided,..
In three, our kingdom; and 'tis our faft intent,
To flake all cares and bufinefs from our age,
Conferring them on younger ftrengths, while we
Unburden'd crawl tow'rd death. Our fon of Corn-
wall,

And you, our no less loving fon of Albany,
We have this hour a conftant will to publish
Our daughters feveral dow'rs, that future ftrife
May be prevented now.

Burgundy,

The Princes France and,

Great rivals in our younger daughter's love,

Long in our court have made their am'rous fojourn,

And here are to be anfwer'd. Tell me, daughters, Since now we will diveft us both of rule,

Int'reft of territory, cares of state,

Which of you, fhall we fay, doth love us most,

• Darker, for more fecret; not for indirect, oblique.

Warburton.

That we our largest bounty may extend

Where nature doth with merit challenge. Gonerill, Our eldest born, speak first.

Gon. Sir,

I love you more than words can wield the matter, Dearer than eye-fight, space and liberty ;

Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare;

No lefs than life, with grace, health, beauty, ho

nour;

As much as child e'er lov'd, or father found;
A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable,-
Beyond all manner of so much † I love you.

Cor. What thall Cordelia do ? love, and be filent.

[4fide 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-fkirted 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 felf metal as my fifter,
And prize me at her worth, in my true heart.
I find the names my very deed of love,

Only the comes too fhort; that I profess
Mvfelf an enemy to all other joys

*

Which the most precious fquare of fense 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 everRemain this ample third of our fair kingdom; No lefs in fpace, validity, and pleasure, Than that conferr'd on Gonerill.-Now our joy, ́.

tie beyond all expreffion. Warburton.

That is, the full complement of all the fenfes.

Revifal.

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? Speak.
Cor. Nothing, my Lord.

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 fpeecha little,

Left you may mar your fortunes.
Cor Good my Lord,

You have begot me, bred me, lov'd me. I
Return thofe duties back, as are right fit,
Obey you, love you, and moft honour you.
Why have my fifters hufbands, if they say
They love you all? haply, when I shall wed,
That Lord whofe hand must take my plight shall

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?

Gor. 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 Hecat, and the night,
By all the operations of the orbs,

From whom we do exist and cease to be,
Here I difclaim all my paternal care,
Propinquity and property of blood,

And as a firanger to my heart and me

Hold thee, from this, for ever. The barb'rous Sey.

thian,

Or he that makes his generation messes

To gorge his appetite, fhall to my bosom

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 let my reft
On her kind nurs'ry. Hence, avoid my fight!-
{To Cordelia.
So be my grave my peace, as here I give

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 invest 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, fhall our abode
Make with you by due turns; only retain
The name and all th' addition to a king;
The fway, revenue, exécution of the reft,
Beloved fons, be yours; which to confirm,
This coronet 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,
As my great patron thought on in my pray’rs—
Lear. The bow is bent and drawn, make from
the fhaft.

Kent. Let it fall rather, though the fork invade The region of my heart; be Kent unmannerly, When Lear is mad. What wouldft thou do, old man?

Think'st thou that duty fhall have dread to fpeak, When pow'r to flatt'ry bows? To plainnefs honour's bound,

When Majefty falls to folly. Referve thy ftate, And in thy beft confideration check,

This hideous rashness. Answer my life my judg ment *

Thy youngest daughter does not love thee leaft; Nor are those empty hearted, whose low found Reverbs no hollownefs.

Lear. Kent, on thy life no more.

Kent. My life I never held but as a pawn To wage against thine enemies, nor fear to lose it, Thy fafety being the motive.

Lear. Out of my fight!

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

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 fword.

Alb. Corn. Dear Sir, forbear.

Kent. Kill thy phyfician, and thy fee beftow
Upon the foul disease ; 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 ftrain'd pride,
To come betwixt our fentence and our power,
Which nor our nature nor our place can bear;
Our potency made good, take thy reward †.
Five days we do allot thee for provifion,

The meaning of antwer my life my judgment, is, Let my life be answerable for my judgment; or, I will stake my life on my opinion. Johnfon.

tie." You have endeavoured, fays Lear, to make me "break my oath, you have prefumed to ftop the exe"cution of my fentence: the latter of thefe attempts "neither my temper nor high flation will fuffer me to "bear; and the other, had I yielded to it, my power

could not make good, or excufe."-Which, in the first line, referring to both attempts: but the ambiguity of it, as it might refer only to the latter, has occafioned all the obfcurity of the paffage. Warburton.