frage, I might relate, I was many years ago fo fhocked by Cor delia's death, that I know not whether I ever endured to read again the last scenes of the play till I undertook to revise them as an editor.

There is another controverfy among the critics concerning this play. It is difputed whether the predominant image in Lear's difordered mind be the lofs of his kingdom or the cruelty of his daughters. Mr. Murphy, a very judicious critic, has evinced by induction of particular paffages, that the cruelty of his daughters is the primary fource of his diftrefs, and that the lofs of royalty affects him only as a fecondary and fubordinate evil. He obferves with great juftnefs, that Lear would move our compaffion but little, did we not rather confider the injured father than the degraded king.

The ftory of this play, except the episode of Edmund, which is derived, I think, from Sidney, is taken originally from Geoffry of Monmouth, whom Holinfhed generally copied; but perhaps immediately from an old hiftorical ballad. My reason for believing that the play was pofterior to the ballad, rather than the ballad to the play, is, that the ballad has nothing of Shakspeare's nocturnal tempeft, which is too ftriking to have been omitted, and that it follows the chronicle; it has the rudiments of the play, but none of its amplifications: it firft hinted Lear's madnefs, but did not array it in circumftances. The writer of the ballad added fomething to the hiftory, which is a proof that he would have added more, if more had occurred to his mind, and more must have occurred if he had feen Shakspeare.

JOHNSON.

A lament

A lamentable SONG of the Death of King Leir and bis Three Daughters.

'King Leir once ruled in this land,
With princely power and peace ;'
And had all things with heart's content,
That might his joys increase.
Amongst those things that nature gave,
Three daughters fair had he,

So princely feeming beautiful,

As fairer could not be.

So on a time it pleas'd the king
A queftion thus to move,
Which of his daughters to his grace
Could fhew the deareft love:
For to my age you bring content,
Quoth he, then let me hear
Which of you three in plighted troth
The kindeft will appear.

To whom the eldest thus began ;
Dear father, mind, quoth fhe,
Before your face, to do you good,
My blood shall render'd be:
And for your fake my bleeding heart

Shall here be cut in twain,
Ere that I fee your reverend age
The smallest grief fuftain.

1 King Leir, &c.] This ballad is given from an ancient copy in the Golden Garland, black letter; to the tune of, When flying Fame. It is here reprinted from Dr. Percy's Reliques of ancient English Poetry, Vol. I. Third Edit. STEEVENS.

And

Thus flatt'ring fpeeches won renown

By these two fifters here:

The third had caufelefs banishment,

Yet was her love more dear:
For poor Cordelia patiently
Went wand'ring up and down,
Unhelp'd, unpity'd, gentle maid,
Through many an English town.

Until at laft in famous France
She gentler fortunes found;
Though poor and bare, yet fhe was deem'd
The fairest on the ground:

Where when the king her virtues heard,

And this fair lady feen,

With full confent of all his court

He made his wife and queen.