But even for want of that, for which I am richer, That I am glad I have not, though, not to have it, Lear. Better thou Hadft not been born, than not to have pleas'd me better. France. Is it but this? a tardinefs 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 stand Aloof 3 from the intire point. Will you have her? She is herself a dowry. Bur. 4 Royal Lear, Give me but that portion which yourself propos'd, And here I take Cordelia by the hand, Dutchefs of Burgundy. Lear. Nothing:-I have fworn; I am firm. Bur. I am forry then, you have fo loft a father, That you must lose a husband. Cor. Peace be with Burgundy! Since that respects of fortune are his love, France. Fairest Cordelia, that art most rich, being poor; Moft choice, forfaken; and moft lov'd, despis'd! Be it lawful, I take up what's caft away. Gods, gods! 'tis ftrange, that from their cold'ft negle& My love fhould kindle to inflam'd refpect.. 3 from the intire point.-] Intire, for right, true. WARB. Rather, fingle, unmixed with other confiderations. JOHNS. Dr. Johnfon is right. The meaning of the paffage is, that his love wants fomething to mark its fincerity: "Who feeks for aught in love but love alone?" STEEV. Royal Lear,] So the quarto: the folio has-Royal king. Thy dow'rlefs daughter, king, thrown to my chance, Lear. Thou haft her, France: let her be thine; for we [Flourish. Exeunt Lear and Burgundy. France. Bid farewell to your fifters. Cor. Ye jewels of our father, with wash'd eyes Cordelia leaves you; I know you what you are; And, like a fifter, am moft loth to call Your faults, as they are nam'd. Love well our father: Το your profeffing bofoms I commit him: But yet, alas! ftood I within his grace, I would prefer him to a better place. So farewell to you both. Reg. Prefcribe not us our duties. Be, to content your lord; who hath receiv'd you 6 And well are worth the want that you have wanted. Cor. 5 Thou lofeft here,] Here and where have the power of nouns. Thou lofeft this refidence to find a better refidence in another place. JOHNSON. 6 And well are worth the want that you have wanted.] This is a very obfcure expreffion, and must be pieced out with an implied fenfe to be understood. This I take to be the poet's meaning, ftript of the jingle which makes it dark; You "well deferve to meet with that want of love from your huf"band, which you have profeffed to want for our father." THEOBALD, And well are worth the want that you have wanted.] This nonsense must be corrected thus, And well are worth the want that you have vaunted. i, e. that disherison, which you so much glory in, you deserve. WARBURTON. I think Cor. Time fhall unfold what 7 plaited cunning hides, Who cover faults, fhame them at laft derides. Well may you profper! France. Come, my fair Cordelia. [Exeunt France and Cordelia. Gon. Sifter, it is not a little I have to fay, of what most nearly appertains to us both. I think our father will hence to-night. Reg. That's most certain, and with you; next month with us. Gon. You fee how full of changes his age is; the observation we have made of it hath not been little : he always lov'd our fifter moft; and with what poor judgment he hath now caft her off, appears too grofsly. Reg. 'Tis the infirmity of his age: yet he hath ever but flenderly known himself. Gon. The best and foundeft of his time hath been but rafh; then must we look to receive from his age, not alone the imperfections of long-engrafted condition, but, therewithal, the unruly waywardness that infirm and choleric years bring with them. Reg. Such unconftant starts are we like to have from him, as this of Kent's banishment. Gon. There is further compliment of leave-taking I think the common reading very fuitable to the manner of our author, and well enough explained by Theobald. JOHNS. The meaning may be this. You are well worthy to deferve the want (i. e. poverty) which, in my opinion, you have wanted (i. e. folicited or defired to have) from our father. The difficulty is only in the ambiguity of the words want and wanted, which are ufed in the different fenfes of egere and carere. Both the quarto's read, 7 And well are worth the worth that you have wanted. · plaited cunning—] i. e. complicated, involved cunning. Who cover faults, &c.] The quarto's read, JOHNSON. This I have replaced. The former editors read with the folio, Who covers faults at laft with fhame derides. STEEV. between France and him. Pray you, let us hit together. If our father carry authority with fuch difpolition as he bears, this laft furrender of his, will but offend us. Reg. We fhall further think of it. Gen. We muft do fomething, and 10' the heat. SCENE II. [Exeunt. Changes to a coftle belonging to the earl of Glofter. 1 Enter Edmund, with a letter. Edm. Thou, Nature, art my goddess; to thy law My fervices are bound: wherefore should I Stand in the plague of cuftom, and permit 9 The let us bit -] So the old quarto. The folio, let us fit. JOHNSON. 10 -let us hit- -] i. e. agree. STEEVENS. i' the beat] i. e. We must strike while the iron's hot. STEEVENS, Thou, Nature, art my goddess ;-] He makes his baftard an atheist. Italian atheifm had much infected the English court, as we learn from the best writers of that time. But this was the general title thofe atheifts in their works gave to Nature: thus Vanini calls one of his books, De admirandis NATURÆ Regina DEEQUE MORTALIUM Arcanis. So that the title here is emphatical. WARBURTON. Dr. Warburton fays that Shakespeare has made his baftard an atheift; when it is very plain that Edmund only speaks of nature in oppofition to cuftom, and not (as he supposes) to the exiftence of a God. Edmund means only as he came not into the world as custom or law had prefcribed, fo he had nothing to do but to follow Nature and her laws, which make no difference between legitimacy and illegitimacy, between the eldeft and the youngest. STEEVENS. 2 Stand in the PLAGUE of custom,- -] The word plague is in all the old copies: I can fcarcely think it right, nor can I yet reconcile my felf to the emendation propofed, though I have nothing better to offer. JOHNSON. Shakespeare feems to mean by the plague of cuflom, Wherefore fhould remain in a fituation where I fhall be plagued and tormented 3 The curiofity of nations + to deprive me, For that I am fome twelve or fourteen moon-fhines 5 Lag of a brother? Why baftard? Wherefore bafe? When my dimenfions are as well compact, My mind as generous, and my fhape as true, As honeft madam's iffue? Why brand they us With base? with baseness? baftardy? bafe, base? 6 Who, in the lufty stealth of nature, take More tormented only in confequence of the contempt with which cuftom regards thofe who are not the iffue of a lawful bed? Dr. Warburton prop fes plage, which he defines to be the place, the country, the boundary of cuftom; which definition he might have fpared, as there is no fuch word as that which he would introduce. STEEVENS. 3 The courtesy of nations. -] Mr. Pope reads nicety. The copies give, the curiofity of nations; -but our author's word was, cartely. In our laws fome lands are held by the curtesy of England. THEOBALD. Curi fiy, in the time of Shakespeare, was a word that fignified an over nice fcrupuloufnefs in manners, drefs, &c. In this fense it is uted in Timon. When thou waft (fays Apemantus) "in thy gilt and thy perfume, they mock'd thee for too much "curiofity." Curiofity is the old reading, which Mr. Theobald changed into courtesy, though the word occurs a fecond time in this act, and is ufed by Beaumont and Fletcher in the fame fenfe. STEEVENS. 4 to deprive me,] To deprive was, in our author's time, fynonymous to difinherit. The old dictionary renders exhæredo by this word and Holinfhed fpeaks of the line of Henry before deprived. STEEVENS. 's Edmund inveighs against the tyranny of cuftom, in two inftances, with refpect to younger brothers, and to baftards. In the former he muft not be understood to mean himself, but the argument becomes general by implying more than is faid, Wherefore fhould I or any man. HANMER. Who, in the lufty stealth of nature, &c.] These fine lines are an inflance of our author's admirable art in giving proper fentiments to his characters. The baftard's is that of a confirmed atheist; and his being made to ridicule judicial afrology was defigned as one mark of fuch a character. For this impious juggle had a religious reverence paid to it at that time. And therefore the beft characters in this play acknowledge the force of the ftars' influence. But how much the lines following this, are in character, may be feen by that monftrous wish of Vanini, |