Edm. Well thought on. Take my sword, · The captain-give it the captain. Edg. Haste thee for thy life.

[Exit Meffenger.
Edm. He hath commission from thy wife and me
To hang Cordelia in the prison, and
To lay the blame upon her own despair,

That the foredid herself.
Alb. The Gods defend her! Bear him hence awhile.

[Edmund is borné off

Enter Lear, with Cordelia dead in his arms,

Lear. e Howl, howl, howl, howl, O, you are mea

of stone; Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so, That heaven's vault should crack. O lhe is gone for ever, I know when one is dead, and when one lives ; She's dead as earth! Lend me a looking-glass, If that her breath will mist i and stain the stone, Why then the lives.

Kent. Is this the promis'd end ?

< So the ift q.; the reß omit the captain.

• So the alt q. the fo's, R. and J.; the ad q. P. and the rest omit thai fee foredid berfelf.

Ć The fo's and R. repeat bowl but three times,
f The ift and ad fo's read your for you.
3 All before P. read stones.

So the ad q. ; the rest she's gone for ever, i So the 2d q.; the rest or for anda

Edg:

k Edg. O image of true honour !
Alb. Fair and chaste!

Lear. This feather stirs, the lives; if it be fo,
It is a chance 1 that does redeem all sorrows,
That ever I have felt.
Kent. m Ah! my good master.

[Kneeling. Lear. Pr'ythee, awayEdg. 'Tis noble Kent, your friend.

Lear. A plague upon you murd'rous traytors all!
I might have fav'd her ; now she's gone for ever!
Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little.
What is't thou say'ft? Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low; an excellent thing in p women.
I kill'd the Nave that was a hanging thee.

Gent. 'Tis true, my lords, he did.

Lear. Did I not, fellow? 9 I have seen the day, with my good biting faulchion

• Ha!

* The qu's, fo's, R. and J. read,

Edg. Or image of that horror.

Alb. Fall and cease. P. not being able to amend these two speeches, leaves them out, and the rest of the editors after him (besides F.): as they have done other paffages. But this is undoubtedly a corruption of something which Shakespeare wrote; and it had been but fair to print it, that every reader might try to restore the original reading. Till a better emendation is proposed, read as in the text,

Edg. O image of true honour !

Alb. Fair and chajte.
Which is a very natural exclamation on the murder of so amiable a creature.

| So the qu's; the rest which for that.
m The qu's read a for ah; the rest o.
n The fo's, R. P. and H. read murth'rers, traytors, &c.
o The 2d q. omits ha!
P So the qu's; the rest woman.
9 7'he ad q. reads I ha seen ihe day, that with my biting falchion, &c.

I would

I would have made' them skip: I am old now,
And these fame crosses spoil me.

Who are you?
Mine eyes are • none o'th' best.- I'll tell you straight.

Kent. If fortune ' brag of two she lov'd and hated,
One of them w you behold,

Lear. x 'This is a dull y light. Are z you not Kent ?

Kent. The same ; your servant Kent, Where is your servant Caius ?

Lear. ''Twas a good fellow, I can tell you that,
He'd strike, and quickiy too.

He's dead and rotten.
Kent. No, my good lord, I am the very man
Lear. I'll see that straight.

Kent. That from your first of difference and decay,
Have follow'd your sad steps

Lear. You are welcome hither.
Kent. « Nor no man else. All's chearless, dark, and 4 deadly.

: The fo's and R. read bin for them.

« The 2d, 3d, and 4th fo's omit not; the ad q. reads none; followed by the after-editors.

+ The qu's read bragd.
· The qu's read or for and.

Though all the editions read we behold; it is evident we should read

you bebold.

* The qu's, P. T. H. and W. omit this is a dull light.

y Though all the cditions that have this passage read fight for light; the context seems to require we should read light.

2 The qu's read not you. a All before T. read,

He's a good fellow, I can tell you [the qu's omit you] that,

He'll strike, and quickly too : he's dead and rotten. • The qu's and P. read life for first. · P. reads 'twas for nor ; followed by H. * T. reads dead (as no edicion before) followed by W. and J.

Your

Your eldest daughters have e fore-done themselves,
And desperately are dead.

Lear. Ay, fo I think.

Alh. He knows not what he 8 fees; and vain " it is, That we present us to him.

Edg. Very bootless.

i Enter a Messenger:

Mel. Edmund is dead, my lord.

Alb. That's but a trifle k here. You lords and noble friends, know our intent; What comfort to this great decay may come, Shall be applied. For us, we will resign, During the life of this old Majesty, To him our absolute power ; m to you, your rights, [To Edg. With boot, and such addition as your n honours Have more than merited. All friends shall taste The wages of their virtue, and all foes The cup of their deservings. O fee, see

'Lear. And my poor fool is hang'd. P No, no, no life. Why should a dog, a horse, a rat 9 have life,

e The ist q. reads foredcome ; the 2d fore-doom'd.
f The ist q. reads jo think I to; the 2d so I think too.

& So the qu’s; all the rest says for sees. But the sense is, he won't know us when he sees us, therefore 'tis in vain to present ourselves to him.

b So the qu's; the rest is it.
· The qu's read Enter Captaine.
k P. T. H. and W. omit here,
| The qu's omit great.
m All before P. read you to your rights.
n The i ft q. reads honor.
• H. gives O fee, fee, to Lear.
P The qu's have no but once.
9 The ist q. reads of for bave.

And

And thou no breath at all? O thou wilt come no more,

Never, never, never
Pray you, undo this button. "Thank you, fir.
Do you fce this? Look on her look-u her lips---
Look there, look there-

w [He dies,
Edg. He faints; x my lord, my lord-
Kent. Break, heart, I pr’ythee, break!
Edg. Look ? up, my lord.

. Kent, Vex not his ghost. O let him pass. He hates him ?, That would upon the rack of this tough world Stretch him out longer.

Edg. O he is gone indeed.

Kent. The wonder is he hath endur'd so long; He but usurp'd his life.

Alb. Bear them from hence; our present business Is d general woe. Friends of my soul, you twain

[To Kent and Edgar. Rule in this realm, and the 'gor'd state sustaina.

So the qu's; the rest thou'lt come no more, omitting 0. . So the qu's; the rest repeat never five times. ! The qu's conclude this speech, thank you, fir. 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, omitting do you see this, &c.

"So the ift f.; all after infert on before her lips.
w This direction not in the qu's.
* The 4th f. and all after have my lord but once,

The qu's give this speech to Lear.
2 The three last fo's, R. and P. read to for wp.
· The ad q. reads much after him.
A So all before P. who alters tough to rough; followed by the rest.
* All but the qu's omit 0.
• The qn's insert to after is.
• The qu's read kingdom for realm.
f The ad q. reads good for gor'd; the ist goard.
• The play would end best here.