ALB. He knows not what he says; and vain it is That we present us to him. EDG. Very bootless. Enter an Officer. That's but a trifle here. 300 OFF. Edmund is dead, my lord. You lords and noble friends, know our intent. What comfort to this great decay may come During the life of this old majesty, To him our absolute power: [to EDGAR and KENT] you, to your rights; With boot, and such addition as your honours Have more than merited. All friends shall taste 305 The wages of their virtue, and all foes The cup of their deservings. O, see, see! LEAR. And my poor fool is hanged! No, no, no life! Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life, And thou no breath at all? Thou'lt come no more, 310 Never, never, never, never, never! Pray you undo this button: thank you, sir. Do you see this? Look on her, look, her lips, 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. He is gone indeed. KENT. The wonder is he hath endured so long: He but usurped his life. 320 ALB. Bear them from hence. Our present business Is general woe. [To KENT and EDGAR.] Friends of my soul, you twain Rule in this realm, and the gored state sustain. KENT. I have a journey, sir, shortly to go; My master calls me, I must not say, no. ALB. The weight of this sad time we must obey, Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne most; we that are young Shall never see so much, nor live so long. [Exeunt, with a dead march. 325 NOTES. ACT I. SCENE 1. P. 3, 1. 1. affected, cared, or had affection, for. P. 3, 1. 5. curiosity . . . moiety, none of the dukes can say that the share falling to one of them is better than that falling to the otherat least three shares are contemplated. Curiosity, a most jealous scrutiny. P. 3, 1. 10. out, i.e., abroad. Note the true importance of this fact. P. 4, 1. 31. with merit challenge, deservedly makes claim to it. P. 4, 1. 43. champains, open country. P. 4, 11. 48-55. Note the style of this speech. P. 4, 1. 50. my very deed of love, the real truth about my love. Cf. "in very deed". P. 4, 1. 53. square, estimate. Suggest other interpretation. P. 5, 1. 63. vines . . . milk, Burgundy included southern Belgium. P. 5, 1. 64. interess'd (Lat. interesse), to have concern with. P. 5, 1. 72. bond, as a daughter is bound to love her father. P. 6, 1. 89. Hecate, a dissyllable; sometimes identified with Diana, the moon goddess, and sometimes with Proserpina, the goddess of dark. Lear swears by the Sun and Night. ness. P. 6, 1. 90. operations of the orbs, influences of the stars. P. 6, 1. 96. generation, offspring, those whom he has begotten. Messes (French mets), dishes of food. P. 6, 1. 102. set my rest, "to stake everything" on the cards in his hand; a phrase from a card-game. P. 6, 1. 103. nursery, nursing or care. P. 6, 1. 107. digest, share or arrange. P. 6, 1. 108. marry her, be her marriage dowry. P. 6, 1. 116. revenue, Scan as revénue. P. 7, 1. 122. make from, keep out of the way of. P. 7. 1. 128. reserve thy state, i.e., do not resign thy power as king. P. 7, 1. 134. pawn, a stake or pledge. Lat. pamus, "a cloth ". P. 7, 1. 138. blank, the white mark in the centre of the target at which to aim; let my advice prevail. P. 8, 1. 151. our potency made good, what light does this throw on Lear's character? P. 8, 1. 153. diseases, troubles. P. 8, 1. 177. little seeming substance, that which appears great but is in reality nothing. P. 9, 1. 181. owes, in its original sense P. 9, 1. 183. stranger'd with our oath. " "to have or "to own". P. 9, 1. 185. election makes not up, choice cannot decide. P. 10, 1. 210. still-soliciting, still = always or constantly. P. 10, 1. 218. regards, i.e., a dowry and such-like considerations. P. 11, 1. 237. waterish. Note the force of epithet. Literally referring to the well-watered countries of southern Belgium. P. 11, 1. 240. here, where, nouns. P. 11, 1. 251. professed. Note the meaning—to you who protested your affections. P. 11, 1. 259. plaited (or plighted), folded-therefore deep. P. 11, 11. 262-285. Note the light thrown on the character of Lear by this dialogue between the sisters. P. 13, 1. 275. long-engraffed condition, deep-rooted state of habit. P. 13, 1. 278. unconstant starts, "fits and starts". P. 13, 1. 281. hit together, strike a line of policy together. ACT I. SCENE 2. P. 13, 1. 2. subscribed, surrendered. P. 13, 1. 3. exhibition. Cf. scholarship or exhibition-an allowance. P. 13, 1. 4. upon the gad, gad = good, "upon the spur of the moment". P. 14, 1. 38. character, handwriting. P. 15, 1. 56. run a certain course, play a safe game. P. 15, 1. 61. to no other pretence of danger, with no other intention of danger. P. 15, 1. 71. me, for me, the ethic dative, "prithee". P. 15, 1. 73. unstate myself to be in a due resolution, give up all my position to be satisfied as to his meaning. P. 15, 1. 76. late eclipses. See Introduction as to date of play. P. 16, 1. 83. bias of nature, natural tendency. The bias is a leaden weight in the bowl to make it bend in a certain way (game of bowls). P. 16, 1. 85. disquietly, causing us unrest. P. 16, 1. 93. treachers, traitors. Cf. treachery. P. 16, 1. 93. by spherical predominance, by the influence of the planets. P. 16, 1. 98. catastrophe, катaσтроon, or sudden turn which in the old Greek comedies introduced an artificial turning-point. P. 16, 1. 99. cue, or word which gave the signal to an actor to come on the stage. Tom o' Bedlam, a common term for vagabonds feign- P. 16, 1. 100. sectary astronomical, a follower of astronomical signs. P. 17, l. 121. forbear his presence, keep out of his sight-with what result? P. 17, l. 123. with the mischief of your person, it would scarcely be allayed by actually doing harm to you. P. 19, 1. 10. slack of former services, fall short in waiting on the king. P. 19, l. 16. I know, how is the sister's mind known? P. 19, 1. 21. when they are seen abused, when they are deceived by flattery they must be restrained by checks as well. ACT I. SCENE 4. P. 20, 1. 2. defuse, disguise. Kent wishes his voice may be as well disguised as his appearance. P. 20, 1. 15. converse, associate with. P. 20, 1. 16. eat no fish, possibly to like good fare, or in reference to the Roman Catholic practice of eating fish. P. 21, 1. 45. clotpoll, clodpole or blockhead. P. 22, 1. 66. curiosity, over-scrupulousness. P. 22, 1. 76. my lady's father. Note the significance of this. P. 22, 1. 80. bandy, from the game of tennis, exchange. P. 22, 1. 82. base football-player, the game of football seems to have been considered low-class; foul play seems to have been common in the game of knappan. P. 22, 1. 89. earnest, money given as a pledge. P. 23, 1. 90. coxcomb, so called because it resembled a cock's comb. P. 23, 1. 106. Lady the brach, brach is a female hound-a dog hunting by scent. P. 23, 1. 113. owest, ownest. P. 23, 1. 114. goest, dost walk. P. 23, 1. 116. throwest, stake less than thou throwest for. P. 23, 1. 122. nothing can be made out of nothing, what has Lear said to Cordelia ? P. 24, 1. 135. motley, the spotted dress which he himself wore. |