Lear. Nothing?

Cor. Nothing.

Lear. Nothing can come of nothing; fpeak again.
Cor. Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave

My heart into my mouth: I love your Majesty
According to my bond, no more nor lefs.

Lear. How, how, Cordelia? mend your fpeech a little, Left you may mar your fortunes.

Cer. Good my lord,

I

You have begot me, bred me, lov'd me.
Return thofe duties back, as are right fit;
Obey you, love you, and most honour you.
Why have my filters husbands, if they fay,
They love you, all? hap'ly, when I fhall wed,

That lord, whofe hand must take my plight, fhall carry
Half my love with him, half my care and duty.
Sure, Ifhall never marry like my fifters,

To love my father all..

Lear. But goes thy heart with this?
Cor. 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 Hecate, 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 tranger to my heart and me

Hold thee, from this, for ever. The barb'rous Scythian,
Or he that makes his generation, mefles

To gorge his appetite; fhall to my bofom

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 most, and thought to fet my relt

On

On her kind nurs'ry. Hence, avoid my fight!

So be my grave my peace, as here I give

[To Cor.

Her father's heart from her: Call France; who stirs? Burgundy.Cornwall and Albany,

Call

With my two daughters dowers, digeft the third.
Let pride, which the calls plainnefs, marry her.
I do inveft 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 sustain'd, shall our abode
Make with you by due turns; only retain
The name and all th' addition to a King:
The fway, revenue, execution,

[Giving the Crown.

Beloved fons, be yours; which to confirm,
This Coronet part between you..
Kent. Royal Lear,

Whom I have ever honour'd as my King,

Lov'd as my father, as my mafter follow'd,

And as my patron thought on in my pray'rs

Lear. The bow is bent and drawn, make from the shaft.
Kent. Let it fall rather, though the fork invade
The region of my heart; be Kent unmannerly,

When Lear is mad: what would'st thou do, old man?
Think't thou, that duty fhall have dread to speak,
When pow'r to flatt'ry bows? to plainness Honour
Is bound, when Majefty to folly falls.

Referve thy ftate; with better judgment check
This hideous rafhnefs; with my life I anfwer,
Thy youngest daughter does not love thee leaft;
Nor are thofe empty-hearted, whofe low found
Reverbs no hollowness.

Lear. Kent, on thy life no more.

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

Lear. Out of my fight!

Kent. See better, Lear, and let me still remain The true blank of thine eye.

A 5

Lear. Now by Apollo-
Kent. Now by Apollo, King,
Thou fwear'st 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 bestow
Upon the foul difeafe; revoke thy doom,
Or whilft 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,
Το
o 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,
To fhield thee from difafters of the world;
And, on the fixth, to turn thy hated back
Upon our kingdom; if, the tenth day following,
Thy banish'd trunk be found in our dominions,
The moment is thy death away! By Jupiter,
This fhall not be revok'd.

Kent. Fare thee well, King; fith thus thou wilt appear,
Freedom lives hence, and banishment is here;
The gods to their dear fhelter take thee, maid,
That juftly think'ft, and haft moft rightly faid;
And your large fpeeches may your deeds approve,
That good effects may fpring from words of love:
Thus Kent, O princes, bids you all adieu,
He'll fhape his old course in a country new.

[Exit.

Enter Glo'fter, with France and Burgundy, and

Attendants.

Glo. Here's France and Burgundy, my noble lord. (2),

(2) Cor. Here's France and Burgundy, my noble Lord.] The generality of the editions, ancient and modern, ftupidly place this verse to Cordelia. But I have, upon the authority of the old 4to, reffor'd it to the right owner, Glofter; who was, but a little before, fent by the King to conduct France and Burgundy to him,

Lear.

Lear. My lord of Burgundy,

We first addrefs tow'rd you, who with this King
Have rivall'd for our daughter; what at leaft
Will you require in prefent dower with her,
Or cease your quest of love?

Bur. Moft royal Majelty,

I crave no more than what your Highnefs offer'd,
Nor will you tender less.

Lear. Right noble Burgundy,

When she was dear to us, we held her fo;
But now her price is fall'n: Sir, there fhe ftands,
If aught within that little feeming substance,
Or all of it with our difpleafure piec'd,

And nothing more, may fitly like your Grace,
She's there, and the is yours.

Bur. I know no answer.

Lear. Will you with those infirmities she owes, Unfriended, new-adopted to our hate,

Dow'rd with our curfe, and stranger'd with our oath, Take her, or leave her?

Bur. Pardon, royal Sir;

Election makes not up on fuch conditions.

[me,

Lear. Then leave her, Sir; for by the pow'r that made

I tell you all her wealth.-For you, great King,

1

[To France.

I would not from your love make fuch a ftray,

To match you where I hate; therefore befeech you,
T'avert your liking a more worthy way

Than on a wretch, whom nature is afham'd
Almoft t' acknowledge hers.

France. This is most strange!

That she, who ev'n but now was your best object,
Your praife's argument, balm of your age,
Dearest and best; should in this trice of time
Commit a thing fo monftrous, to dismantle
So many folds of favour! fure her offence
Must be of fuch unnatural degree,

That monsters it; (3) or your fore-voucht affection

(3) As monstrous is,] This bald reading is a modern fophistication :

the eldest and best copies read;

That

Fal'n into taint: which to believe of her,

Must be a faith, that reafon without miracle
Should never plant in me.

Cor. I yet befeech your Majefty,

(If, for I want that glib and oily art,

To fpeak and purpofe not; fince what I well intend,
I'll do't before I fpeak,) that you make known
It is no vicious blot, murder, or foulness,
No unchafte action, or difhonour'd step,

That hath depriv'd me of your grace and favour;
But ev'n for want of that, for which I'am richer,
A ftill folliciting eye, and fuch a tongue,

That I am glad I've not; though, not to have it,
Hath loft me in your liking.

Lear. Better thou

Hadft not been born, than not have pleas'd me better.
France. Is it but this? a tardiness in nature,

Which often leaves the history unspoke,
That it intends to do? My lord of Burgundy,
What fay you to the lady? love's not love,
When it is mingled with regards, that ftand

Aloof from th' intire point. Say, will you have her?
She is herfelf a dowry.

Bur. Royal King,

Give but that portion which your felf propos'd,

And here I take Cordelia by the hand,

Dutchefs of Burgundy.

Lear. Nothing:

I've fworn.

Bur. I'm forry then, you have so lost a father,

That you must lofe a husband.

Car. Peace be with Burgundy,

That monfters it

i. e. that makes a monfter, a prodigy, of it: And cur poet ufes this verb elsewhere in fuch a fenfe. So Albany, afterwards in this play, lays to Gonerill, his wife;

Thou chang'd, and felf-converted thing; for fhame,
Be-monfter not thy features.

And fo, in Coriolanus;

I'd rather have one fcratch my head i' th' Sun,
When the alarum were ftruck, than idly fit

To hear my nothings monster'd,"