Sc. VIII. Edm. confeffes his treasons. Edg. difcovers himself, and relates the share he hath had in the action of the play. Edm. relents. Sc. IX. Enter a Gentleman with a bloody knife, which he brings reeking from the heart of Gon. who had killed herself, and confeffed that she had poisoned her fifter Reg. Enter Kent, discovering himself, and enquiring for the King; which puts Alb. on queftioning Edm. about him and Cor. The bodies of Gon. and Reg. are brought in. Edm. finding himself near death, defires that meffengers may be quickly fent to the prifon to fave the lives of Lear and Cor. for whofe murder he and Gen. had given orders. Edm. is borne off. Sc. X. Enter Lear with Cor. dead in his arms. Afterwards a meffenger with the news of Edmund's death. Lear dies of grief for the lofs of Cordelia. Exeunt with a dead march. ERRATUM. P. 133. note, for and R. and J. read R.'s 8vo. KING KING LEAR. ACT I. SCENE I The King's Palace. Enter Kent, Glofter, and Edmund the Baftard. Kent. I THOUGHT the king had more affected the duke of C Glo. It did always feem b fo to us, but now in the divifion of the kingdom it appears not which of the dukes he values moft; for d equalities are fo weighed, that curiosity 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 blush'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, whereupon she grew round-wombed; and had indeed, fir, a fon for her * The scene is not described in the qu's or fo's. b. The three laft fo's omit fo. The qu's read kingdoms. So the qu's; all the reft, qualities. A cradle, 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 fo proper. с Glo. But I have, fir, a fon by order of law, fome f year elder than this is, 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 i 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 must love you, and fue to know you better. Glo. He hath been out nine years, and away he fhall again. -The king is coming. [Trumpets found within. So the qu's; all the reft read, But I have a fon, fir, by, &c. f The Oxford editor, not understanding the common phrase, alters year to years. He did not consider the bastard says, For that I am fome twelve or fourteen moon-fhines Lag of a brother. The qu's read fomething. W. h So the qu's; the reft read to for into. iSo the qu's, and 1 f. the rest read nobleman, Edmund ? k P. is the first who reads ftudy your deferving; followed by the aftereditors; but the word your here interpolated is certainly fuperfluous. 1 This direction is put in by T. SCENE Enter King Lear, Cornwall, Albany, Gonerill, Regan, Lear. Attend b my lords of France and Burgundy, Glo'fter, Glo. I fhall, my liege. [Exit. Lear. Mean time wed will exprefs our darker purposes; f Give me the map there. Know, we have divided h In three our kingdom; and 'tis our faft intent To shake all cares and business from our age, a The qu's read Sound a fennet, enter one bearing a coronet, then Lear, then the dukes of Albany and Cornwall, next Gonorill, Regan, Cordelia, with fol lowers. b So the qu's; the reft read the for my. * P. and H. omit Glofter. d So the qu's; the rest, shall for will So the qu's; the rest purpose. f The qu's omit Give me, So the qu's, and 1st and 2d fo's; the rest read here, h The qu's read first; P. leaves it quite out; W. fays, this (viz. the word fast) is an interpolation of T. for want of knowing the meaning of the old reading in the q. 1608, and 1 f. 1623, viz. first; (but here W. falfely accuses T. of interpolation, for all the fo's and R. read faft) which is as Shakespear wrote it (a thing impossible to be known) who makes Lear declare his purpose 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. W. But it seems more likely that Shakespear wrote fast, i. e. firm and unalterable, because it makes better sense in this place. He is so far from giving the love of his people as the first reason of his abdication, that he does not fo much as hint at that, but his own ease is the reason he gives, as the word unburden'd demonftrates; and he gives no second reason at all. From our age. The qu's read of our state. |