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A C T I.

SCENE I.

King Lear's Palace,

Enter Kent, Glofter, and Edmund.

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

Glo.

way into many bal

The ftory of this tragedy had found its lads and other metrical pieces; yet Shakspeare seems to have been more indebted to the True Chronicle Hiftory of King Leir and his Three Daughters, Gonorill, Ragan, and Cordella, 1605, (which I have already published at the end of a collection of the quarto copies) than to all the other performances together. It appears from the books at Stationers' Hall, that fome play on this fubject was entered by Edward White, May 14, 1594. "A booke entituled, The mofte famous Chronicle Hyftorie of Leire King of England, and his three Daughters." A piece with the fame title is entered again, May 8, 1605; and again Nov. 26, 1607. See the extracts from these Entries at the end of the Prefaces, &c. From The Mirror of Magiftrates, 1586, Shakspeare has, however, taken the hint for the behaviour of the Steward, and the reply of Cordelia to her father concerning her future marriage. The epifode of Glofter and his fons must have been borrowed from Sidney's Arcadia, as I have not found the least trace of it in any other work. I have referred to thefe pieces, whenever our author feems more immediately to have followed them, in the courfe of my notes on the play. For the firft King Lear, fee likewife Six old Plays on which Shakespeare founded, &c. publifhed for S. Leacroft, Charing-Crofs.

The reader will alfo find the ftory of K. Lear, in the fecond book and 10th canto of Spenfer's Faery Queen, and in the 15th chapter of the third book of Warner's Albion's England, 1602.

The whole of this play, however, could not have been written till after 1603. Harfnet's pamphlet to which it contains fo many references, (as will appear in the notes) was not published till that year. STEEVENS.

Camden, in his Remains, (p. 306. ed. 1674.) tells a fimilar story to this of Leir or Lear, of Ina king of the Weft Saxons;

2

Glo. It did always feem fo to us: but now, in the divifion of the kingdom, it appears not which of the dukes he values moft; for 3 equalities are fo weigh'd, that curiofity in neither can make choice of either's moiety.

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 braz'd to't.

Kent. I cannot conceive you.

Glo. Sir, this young fellow's mother could: where

which, if the thing ever happened, probably was the real origin of the fable. See under the head of Wife Speeches. PERCY.

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

JOHNSON.

3 equalities,] So, the firft quartos; the folio readsQualities. JOHNSON.

Either may ferve; but of the former I find an instance in the Flower of Friendship, 1568: "After this match made, and equalities confidered, &c." STEEVENS.

that curiofity in neither-] 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 preference one share to the other. WARBURTON.

Curiofity is fcrupuloufnefs, or captioufnefs. So, in the Taming of a Shrew, act IV. fc. iv.

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"For curious I cannot be with you." STEEVENS.

make choice of either's moiety.] The ftrict fenfe of the word moiety is half, one of two equal parts; but Shakspeare commonly ufes it for any part or divifion.

Methinks my moiety north from Burton here,

In quantity equals not one of

yours:

and here the divifion was into three parts. STEEVENS.

Heywood likewife ufes the word moiety as fynonymous to any part or portion. "I would unwillingly part with the greatest moiety of my own means and fortunes." See Vol. V. p. 372. MALONE.

Hift. of Women, 1624.

upon

upon fhe grew round-wombed; and had, indeed, a fon for her cradle, ere fhe had a husband for her bed. Do you smell a fault?

Kent. I cannot wish the fault undone, the iffue of it being so proper.

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 study deferving.

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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. I fhall, my liege. [Exeunt Glofter, and Edmund. Lear. Mean time we fhall 7 exprefs our darker

purpose.

The

―fome year elder than this,- -] The Oxford editor, not understanding the common phrafe, alters year to years. He did not confider, the Baftard fays:

For that I am fome twelve or fourteen moon-fhines
WARBURTON.

Lag of a brother.

Some year, is an expreffion ufed when we fpeak indefinitely.

STEEVENS.

7-express our darker purpose.] Darker, for more fecret ;

not for indirect, oblique. WARBURTON.

The map there.-Know, that we have divided,
In three, our kingdom: and 'tis our faft intent
To shake all cares and bufinefs from our age;
Conferring them on younger ftrengths', while we
Unburden'd crawl toward death.-Our fon of Corn-
wall,

And you, our no lefs loving fon of Albany,
We have this hour a 3 conftant will to publish
Our daughters' feveral dowers; that future ftrife
May be prevented now. The princes, France and
Burgundy,

This word may admit a further explication. We fhall 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 hall regulate the partition. This interpretation will justify or palliate the exordial dialogue. JOHNSON

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-and 'tis our fast intent.] This is an interpolation of Mr. Lewis Theobald, for want of knowing the meaning of the old reading in the quarto of 1608, and first folio of 1623; where we find it,

-and 'tis our firft intent;

which is as Shakspeare wrote it; who makes Lear déclare his purpofe with a dignity becoming his character: that the first reafon of his abdication was the love of his people, that they might be protected by fuch as were better able to discharge the truft; and his natural affection for his daughters, only the fecond. WARBURTON.

Faft is the reading of the first folio, and, I think, the true reading. JOHNSON.

9

from our age;] The quartos read-off our fate.

STEEVENS.

* Conferring them on younger ftrengths,] is the reading of the folio; the quartos read, Confirming them on younger years. STEEVENS.

2 —while we, &c.] From while we, down to prevented now, is omitted in the quartos. STEEVENS.

3-conftant will feems a confirmation of faft intent. JOHNSON. Conftant is firm, determined. Conftant will is the certa voluntas of Virgil. The fame epithet is used with the fame meaning in the Merchant of Venice:

-elfe nothing in the world Could turn fo much the conftitution

Of any conftant man.

STEEVENS.

Great

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 diveft us, both of rule,
Intereft of territory, cares of ftate,)

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

5 Where nature doth with merit challenge.-Goneril, Our eldeft-born, fpeak first.

Gon. Sir, I

Do love you more than words can weild 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 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, even from this line to

this,

8

With fhadowy forests and with champains rich'd,

• Since now, &c.] These two lines are omitted in the quartos. STEEVENS.

s Where nature doth with merit challenge. -] Where the claim of merit is fuperadded to that of nature; or where a fuperiour degree of natural filial affection is joined to the claim of other merits. STEEVENS.

6

Beyond all manner of fo much-] Beyond all affignable quantity. I love you beyond limits, and cannot fay it is fo much, for how much foever I fhould name, it would be yet more.

JOHNSON. 7 do?] So the quarto; the folio has Speak. JOHNSON. 8 -and with champains rich'd,

With plenteous rivers-] These words are omitted in the quartos. To rich is an obfolete verb. It is ufed by Tho. Drant in his tranflation of Horace's Epiftles, 1567:

"To ritch his country let his words lyke flowing water fall." STEEVENS.

Rich'd is used for enrichd, as 'tice for entice, 'bate for abate,

frain for sonftrain, &c. MONCK MASON.

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