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Edm. Well thought on. Take my fword,

The captain- -give it the captain.

Edg. Hafte thee for thy life.

[Exit Messenger.

Edm. He hath commiffion from thy wife and me

To hang Cordelia in the prifon, and

To lay the blame upon her own despair,

That she foredid herself.

Alb. The Gods defend her! Bear him hence awhile.

[Edmund is borne off.

SCENE X.

Enter Lear, with Cordelia dead in his arms.

Lear, e Howl, howl, howl, howl,-O, f you are men of % ftone;

Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them fo,

That heaven's vault should crack. hO fhe is gone for ever,
I know when one is dead, and when one lives;
She's dead as earth! Lend me a looking-glafs,

If that her breath will mifti and ftain the stone,
Why then the lives.

Kent. Is this the promis'd end?

So the ft q.; the reft omit the captain.

So the 1ft q. the fo's, R. and J.; the ad q. P. and the rest omit that She foredid herself.

• The fo's and R. repeat howl but three times.

f The 1st and 2d fo's read your for you.

8 All before P. read ftones.

So the ad q.; the rest she's gone for ever.

So the ad q.; the rest or for and.

Edg.

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k Edg. O image of true honour!

Alb. Fair and chafte !

Lear. This feather ftirs, fhe lives; if it be fo,

It is a chance that does redeem all forrows,

That ever I have felt.

Kent. m Ah! my good mafter.

Lear. Pr'ythee, away—

Edg. 'Tis noble Kent, your friend.

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Lear. A plague upon you " murd'rous traytors all!
I might have fav'd her; now fhe's gone for ever!
Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little. Ha!-

What is't thou fay'ft? Her voice was ever foft,
Gentle, and low; an excellent thing in P women.
I kill'd the flave that was a hanging thee.

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

Lear. Did I not, fellow?

¶ I have seen the day, with my good biting faulchion

The qu's, fo's, R. and 7. read,

Edg. Or image of that horror.

Alb. Fall and ceafe.

P. not being able to amend thefe two fpeeches, leaves them out, and the reft of the editors after him (befides F.): as they have done other paffages. But this is undoubtedly a corruption of fomething 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 propofed, read as in the text,

Edg. O image of true honour!

Alb. Fair and chafte.

Which is a very natural exclamation on the murder of fo amiable a creature. 1 So the qu's; the reft which for that.

m The qu's read a for ah; the rest 0.

n The fo's, R. P. and H. read murth'rers, traytors, &c.

o The ad q. omits ha!

P So the qu's; the reft woman.

9 The ad q. reads I ha feen the day, that with my biting falchion, &c.

I would

I would have made them skip: I am old now,

And these fame croffes fpoil me.

Who are you?

Mine eyes are none o'th' best.—I'll tell you straight.

t

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

Lear. This is a dull light. Arez you not Kent?
Kent. The fame; your fervant Kent.

Where is your fervant Caius ?

Lear. 'Twas a good fellow, I can tell you that, a

He'd ftrike, and quickly too.

He's dead and rotten.

Kent. No, my good lord, I am the very man

Lear. I'll fee that straight.

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

Lear. You are welcome hither.

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d

Kent. Nor no man elfe. All's chearlefs, dark, and deadly.

The fo's and R. read him for them.

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

The qu's read bragd.

The qu's read or for and.

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

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

Though all the editions that have this paflage read fight for light; the context seems to require we should read light.

z 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 ftrike, and quickly too: he's dead and rotten.

b The qu's and P. read life for first.

c P. reads 'twas for nor; followed by H.

T. reads dead (as no edition before) followed by 17. and J.

Your

Your eldest daughters have e fore-done themfelves,

And desperately are dead.

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Alh. He knows not what he & fees; and vain hit is

That we present us to him.

Edg. Very bootlefs.

i Enter a Meflenger:

Mef. Edmund is dead, my lord.

Alb. That's but a trifle k here.

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You lords and noble friends, know our intent;
What comfort to this great decay may come,
Shall be applied. For us, we will refign,

During the life of this old Majefty,

To him our abfolute power; m to you, your rights, [To Edg With boot, and fuch addition as your n honours

Have more than merited. All friends fhall taste

The wages of their virtue, and all foes

The cup of their defervings.

O fee, fee

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

é The 1ft q. reads foredcome; the ad fore-doom'd.

f The 1ft q. reads fo think I to; the 2d fo I think too.

8 So the qu's; all the reft fays for fees. But the fenfe is, he won't know us when he fees us, therefore 'tis in vain to prefent ourselves to him. h So the qu's; the rest is it.

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Do you fee this? Look on her-look-u her lips-
Look there, look there-

X

Edg. He faints; my lord, my lord

Kent. Break, heart, I pr'ythee, break!

Edg. Look up, my lord.

w [He dies.

Kent. Vex not his ghoft. O let him pafs. He hates him,

b

That would upon the rack of this tough world

Stretch him out longer.

с

Edg. O he is gone indeed.

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

Alb. Bear them from hence; our prefent bufinefs Is d general woe. Friends of my foul, you twain

[To Kent and Edgar.

Rule in this realm, and the f gor'd ftate fuftain".

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 fpeech, thank you, fir. O, 0, 0, 0, 0, omitting do you fee this, &c.

So the 1ft f.; all after insert 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.

The three last fo's, R. and P. read to for up.

a The ad q. reads much after him.

b So all before P. who alters tough to rough; followed by the rest.

All but the qu's omit 0.

d The qu's infert 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 herg.

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