Thus Kent, O princes, bids you all adieu;
He'll shape his old course in a country new.

[Exit.

SCENE III.

Enter Glo'ster, with France and Burgundy, and attendants.

Glo. Here's France and Burgundy, my noble lord.
Lear. My lord of Burgundy,

We first address tow'rd you, who with m this king
Have rivall'd for our daughter; what in the least
Will you require in present dower with her,

Or cease your quest of love?

Bur. Most royal majesty,

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

Lear. Right noble Burgundy,

When she was dear to us, P we held her fo;
But now her price is fall'n. Sir, there she stands,
If aught within that little seeming fubftance,
Or all of it with our displeasure a piec'd,

And nothing more, may fitly like your grace,

She's there, and she is yours.

1

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

* Dower'd with our curse, and stranger'd with our oath,
Take her, or leave her?

Bur. Pardon me, royal fir;

Election makes not up on fuch conditions.

Lear. Then leave her, fir; for by the pow'r that made me,
I tell you all her wealth. -For you, great king, [To France.
I would not from your love make such a stray,
To match you where I hate; therefore beseech you,
T'avert your liking a more worthier way
Than on a wretch whom nature is asham'd
Almost t' acknowledge hers.

France. This is most strange!

That she, who even but now was your y best object,
The argument of your praise, balm of your age,
* Most best, most dearest, should in this trice of time
Commit a thing so monstrous, to dismantle

• Before will the qu's infert fir.

* The qu's read cover'd for dower'd.

P. and all after, omit me.

▼ So read all the editions before P. who alters it to worthy, followed by those after him. But the double comparative is very common in Shakespear; and was, no doubt, the language of that age. It is not the part of an editor to modernise his author.

* The qu's read that for who; the ist f. whom.
The ist f. omits best.

* P. alters this, Your praise's argument, &c. this is modernising again, for the fake of meafure: followed by all but J.

a So the qu's; the fo's, R. and F. the best, the dearest. P. first, and then all the rest, dearest and best.

b Best (quoth J.) is added from the first copy. Why, Dr. J. there is no copy without it.

So

"

So many folds of favour! fure, her offence

Must be of such unnatural degree

That monsters it; (or you for vouch'd affections

Fall'n into taint:) which to believe of her

Must be a faith that reason without miracle

Could never f plant in me.

Cor. I yet beseech your majefty

If- for I want that glib and oily art,

c P. and H. read fure th' offence, &c. d R. and P. read as monstrous is.

• So the qu's; the fo's read Or your fore-voucht affection fall into taint, &c. R. P. and H. read Or your fore-voucht affection could not fall into taint, &c. T. and W. Or your fore-vouch'd affection fall'n into taint, &c. J. reads as the fo's, but interprets or before, because or ever signifies before ever; but does he remember where or had at any time this signification unless joined with ever? R. seems to make the best sense of all these readings, but then he is obliged to interpolate. But let us now try the old reading; and to make sense of it, the best way perhaps will be to confider what was the real cause of the estrangement of Lear's love from Cordelia; it was the vouch'd affections of his three daughters: the two eldest vouch'd such affection to him as was beyond all nature and possibility to a father; but Cordelia vouched only fuch an affection as was natural and reasonable for a daughter to feel for her father. Now Lear was fallen into taint, i. e. his judgment was corrupted, in preferring the extravagant and lying protestations of his eldest daughters, to the sincere and just ones of his youngest. And if we ruminate a little, this is the only second reason for Lear's rejecting Cordelia that can with any probability be supposed to be guefied at by France: for it would be rude in France to charge Lear with vouching the dearest affections to one he did not really love; and it is abfurd to suppose that so great a love should change to hate, without the had committed some very great crime, and which France could not be brought to believe; therefore this second guess becomes the only one, and the true one, viz. that Regan and Gonerill had, by their fuperior art in coaxing, won all Lear's love from Cordelia.

f The 2d q. reads plaint; fo Steevens, and gives no other reading. 8 H. alters for to fo, to make. grammar of the passage; but perhaps

Shakespear designed this as an interruption. See p. 17, note i.

Το

To fpeak and purpose not, since what I well intend,
I'll do't before I speak that you may know [To France.

It is no vicious blot, murder, or foulness,

No unchaste action, or dishonour'd step

That hath depriv'd me of your grace and favour. [To Lear.

But ev'n1 for want of that, for which I'm richer,

A ftill foliciting eye, and fuch a tongue,

■ As I am glad I have not; though, not to have it, Hath lost me in your liking.

Lear. Go to, go to! better thou hadst not been born Than not to have pleas'd me better.

France. Is it no more but this? a tardiness in nature,
That often leaves the history unspoke,

That it intends to do? My lord of Burgundy,
What say you to the lady? Love is not love,
When it is mingled with regards: that stands

The fo's and R. read will for well.

i The fo's (followed by all the rest) read that you make known, to make it grammar with I yet beseech your majesty: but I am apt to think Shakespear intended this as a broken speech, which should express the modest fear and bathful diffidence of Cordelia, heightened by her concern under her present pitiable circumstances. She begins speaking to the king in a broken interrupted manner; then to France, that you may know, &c. then, without making a period, to the king again.

* The qu's read unclean for unchaste.

1 H. reads the for for.

The qu's read rich.

#So the qu's; all the rest read that for as.

•P. alters I have not to I've not; followed by the rest.

So the qu's; all the rest omit go to, go to !

The fo's and R. read t' have; but P. and all after, intirely omit fo.

So the qu's; all the rest omit no more.

• So the qu's; all the rest read which for that.

So the qu's, fo's, and R. where stands refers to love; Love is not love,

when, &c, love is not love, that stands, &c. all the relt read stand.

Aloof from the " entire point. Say, will you have her? w She is, herself, and dower.

Bur. [To Lear.] * Royal Lear,

Give but that portion which yourself propos'd,

And here I take Cordelia by the hand,

Dutchess of Burgundy.

Lear. Nothing: - I have sworn y.

Bur. I am forry then you have so loft a father, [To Cor.

That you must lose a husband.

Cor. Peace be with Burgundy,

Since that respects of fortune are his love,

I shall not be his wife.

France. Fairest Cordelia, that art most rich, being poor,

Moft choice, forsaken; and most lov'd, despis'd.

Thee and thy virtues here I a seize upon;

Be it lawful, I take up what's caft away.

Gods! Gods! 'tis strange, that from their * cold'st neglect My love should kindle to inflam'd respect.

So the qu's; all the rest read th' intire.

W. explains intire, right, true; J. single, unmixed with other confiderations. But

"

She is, herself, and dower (which is the reading of the qu's) explains the meaning of intire, whole. "That is not love which is mingled with regards; that cannot be love that stands aloof from the whole point (the perfon and the dower) for in Cordelia you have both herself and her "dower." Shakespear, I suppose, means, that the fuper-plus of perfections and good qualities she possessed above the generality of her fex, were to her in lieu of a dower. The rest read she is herself a dowry.

* So the qu's; all the rest read royal king, i. e. kingly king. Is it not strange that none of the editors should confult the qu's in this place? for if they had, they would certainly have restored the old reading.

After sworn, the fo's and R. read I am firm.

2 The fo's, R. and P. read respect and fortunes. a The ist q. reads ceaze for feize.

* The ist q. reads couldft.

Thy