31. The wretched man gan then avise too late.
That love is not where most it is profest;
Too truely tryde in his extremest state.
At last resolv'd likewise to prove the rest,
He to Cordelia him selfe addrest,
Who with entyre affection him receav'd,
As for her syre and king her seemed best;
And after all an army strong she leav'd,

To war on those which him had of his realme bereav'd.

33. So to his crowne she him restor'd againe,

In which he dyde, made ripe for death by eld,
And after wild it should to her remaine :
Who peacefully the same long time did weld,
And all mens harts in dew obedience held;
Till that her sisters children, woxen strong,
Through proud ambition against her rebeld,
And overcommen kept in prison long,

Till weary of that wretched life her selfe she hong.

IV. Sidney's 'Arcadia'.— Book ii, ch. 10: ed. 1590, fol. 142-144.

The pitifull state, and storie of the Pafhlagonian vnkinde King, and his kind sonne, first related by the son, then by the blind father.

It was in the kingdome of Galacia, the season being (as in the depth of winter) very cold, and as then sodainely growne to so extreame and foule a storme, that neuer any winter (I thinke) brought foorth a

the pride of

by

some shrowding

fowler child: so that the Princes were euen com seekee hailg, that de blew into faces, to Vace with cert hollow rocke offering it vnto them, they made

a

it their shield against the temp

tempests furie. And so staying there, till the violence therof was passed, they heard the speach of a couple, who not perceiuing them (being hidde within that rude canapy) helde a straunge and pitifull disputation which made them steppe out; yet in

such sort, as they might see vnseene. There they perceaued an aged

man, and a young, scarcely come to the age of a man" both poorely young

arayed, extreamely weather-beaten; the olde man blinds. ttese

Well

man leading him: and yet through all those miseries, in
seemed to appeare a kind of noblenesse, not sutable to that affliction.
But the first words they heard, were these of jhe old man to
Leonatus (said he) since I cannot perswade to
me to that
which should end my griefe, & thy trouble, let me now entreat thee
to leaue me: feare not, my miserie cannot be greater then it is, &
nothing doth become me but miserie; feare not the danger of my
blind steps, I cannot fall worse then I am. And doo not I pray thee,
doo not obstinately continue to infect thee with wretchednes.
But flie, flie from this region, onely worthy of me. Deare father
(answered he) doo not take away from me the onely remnant of my
happinesse: while I haue power to doo you seruice, I am not wholly
miserable. Ah my sonne (said he, and with that he groned, as if
sorrow straue to breake his hearte) how euill fits it me to haue such a
sonne, and how much doth thy kindnesse vpbraide my wickednesse?
These dolefull speeches, and some others to like purpose (well shewing

they had not bene borne to the fortune they were in,) moued the Princes to goe out vnto them, and aske the younger what they were? Sirs (answered he, with a good grace, and made the more agreable by a certaine noble kinde of pitiousnes) I see well you are straungers, that know not our miserie so well here knowne, that no man dare know, but that we must be miserable. In deede our state is such, as though nothing is so needfull vnto vs as pittie, yet nothing is more daungerous vnto vs, then to make our selues so knowne as may stirre pittie. But your presence promiseth, that cruelty shall not ouer-runne hate. And 1f it d1d, in truth our state is soncke below the degree of feare.

This old man (whom I leade) was lately rightfull Prince of this countrie of Paphlagonia, by the hard-hearted vngratefulnes of a sonne of his, depriued, not onely of his kingdome (wherof no forraine forces were euer able to spoyle him) but of his sight, the riches which Nature graunts to the poorest creatures. Whereby, & by other his vnnaturall dealings, he hath bin driuen to such griefe, as euen now he would haue had me to haue led him to the toppe of this rocke, thence to cast himselfe headlong to death: and so would haue made me (who receiued my life of him) to be the worker of his destruction. But noble Gentle

men (said he) if either of you haue a father, and feele what duetifull affection is engraffed in a sonnes hart, let me intreate you to conuey this afflicted Prince to some place of rest & securitie. Amongst your worthie actes it shall be none of the least, that a King, of such might and fame, and so vniustly oppressed, is in any sort by you relieued.

But before they could make him answere, his father began to speake. Ah my sonne (said he) how euill an Historian are you, that leaue out the chiefe knotte of all the discourse? my wickednes, my wickednes. And if thou doest it to spare my eares, (the onely sense nowe left me proper for knowledge) assure thy selfe thou dost mistake me. And I take witnesse of that Sunne which you see (with that he cast vp his blinde eyes, as if he would hunt for light,) and wish my selfe in worse case then I do wish my selfe, which is as euill as may be, if I speake vntruly; that nothing is so welcome to my thoughts, as the publishing of my shame. Therefore know you Gentlemen (to whom from my harte I wish that it may not proue ominous foretoken 01 misfortune to haue mette with such a miser as I am) that whatsoeuer my sonne (6 God, that trueth binds me to reproch him with the name of my sonne) hath said, is true. But besides those truthes, this also is true, that hauing had in lawful mariage, of a mother fitte to beare royall children, this sonne (such one as partly you see, and better shall knowe by my shorte declaration) and so enioyed the expectations in the world of him, till he was growen to iustifie their expectations (so as I needed enuie no father for the chiefe comfort of mortalitie, to leaue an other ones-selfe after me) I was caried by a bastarde sonne of mine (if at least I be bounde to beleeue the words of that base woman my concubine, his mother) first to mislike, then to hate, lastly to destroy, to doo my best to destroy, this sonne (I thinke you thinke) vndeseruing destruction. What waies he vsed to bring me to it, if I should tell you, I should tediously trouble you with as much poysonous hypocrisie, desperate fraude, smoothe malice, hidden ambition, & smiling enuie, as in anie liuing person could be harbored. But I list it not, no remembrance, (no, of naughtines) delights me, but mine own; & me thinks, the accusing his traines might in some manner excuse my fault, which certainly I loth to doo. But the conclusion is, that I gaue order to

some seruants of mine, whom I thought as apte for such charities as my selfe, to leade him out into a forrest, & there to kill him.

But those theeues (better natured to my sopne then my selfe) spared his life, letting him goe, to learne to liue poorely: which he did, giuing himselfe to be a priuate in a countrie here by. But as

some

was redy to be gfeatly ^duane noble peeces of seruice which he did, he hearde newes of me: who (dronke in my affection to that vnlawfull and vnnaturall Sonne of mine) suffered my self so to be gouerned by him, that all fauours and punishments passed by him, all offices, and places of importance, distributed to his fauorites; so that ere I was aware, I had left my self nothing but the name of a King: which he shortly wearie of too, with many indignities (if any thing may be called an indignity, which was laid vpon me) threw me out of my seat, and put out my eies; and then (proud in his tyrannie) let me goe, nether imprisoning, nor killing me: but rather delighting to make me feele my miserie; miserie indeed, if euer there were any; full of wretchednes, fuller of disgrace, and fullest of guiltines. And as he came to the crowne by so vniust meanes, as vniustlie he kept it, by force of stranger souldiers in Cittadels, the nestes of tyranny, & murderers of libertie; disarming all his own countrimen, that no man durst shew himself a wel-willer of mine: to say the trueth (I think) few of them being so (considering my cruell follie to my good sonne, and foolish kindnes to my vnkinde bastard:) but if there were any who fell to pitie of so great a fall, and had yet any sparkes of vnstained duety lefte in them towardes me, yet durst they not shewe it, scarcely with giuing me almes at their doores; which yet was the onelie sustenance of my distressed life, no bodie daring to shewe so much charitie, as to lende me a hande to guide my darke steppes: Till this s sonne of mine (God knowes, woorthie of a more vertuous, and more fortunate father) forgetting my abhominable wrongs, not recking daunger, & neglecting the present good way he was in doing himselfe good, came hether to djo this kind my vnspeakable griefe; not is a glasse euen to my blind eyes, of my naughtines, but that aboue all griefes, it greeues me he should desperatly aduenture the losse of his soul-deseruing life for mine,

office you see him pe towards me,

because his

to

mudde

that yet owe more to fortune for my deserts, as if he as if he wraigneth, how

in a chest of chrjstall. For well I know, he much soeuer (and with good reason) he despiseth me, of all men despised; yet he will not let slippe any aduantage to make away him, whose iust title (ennobled by courage and goodnes) may one day shake the seate of a neuer secure tyrannie. And for this cause I craued of him to leade me to the toppe of this rocke, indeede I must confesse, with meaning to free him from so serpentine a companion as I am. But he finding what I purposed, onely therein since he was borne, shewed himselfe disobedient vnto me. And now Gentlemen, you haue the true storie, which I pray you publish to the world, that my mischieuous proceedings may be the glorie of his filial pietie, the onely reward now left for so great a merite. And if it may be, let me obtaine that of you, which my sonne denies me: for neuer was there more pity in sauing any, then in ending me; both because therein my agonies shall ende, and so shall you preserue this excellent young man, who els wilfully folowes his owne ruine.

APPENDIX B

NOTE ON THE METRE OF KING LEAR1

I. Blank Verse.—The normal verse consists of ten syllables alternately stressed and unstressed, beginning with an unstressed syllable, without rhyme (hence called blank verse'), and with a sense pause at the end of the line, e.g.— He raised' the house' with loud' and cow'ard cries' (ii. 4. 42). Return' to her7 and fifty men' dismiss'd'? (ii. 4. 204).

As the line contains five feet each of two syllables, and each stressed on the second syllable, it is commonly called an 'iambic pentameter'.

II. Normal Variations.—A succession of such lines, however, would be monotonous. Accordingly there are several variations in the rhythm.

(i) Stress Inversion.—The normal order of non-stress and stress may be inverted. E.g. in the various feet:

(1) Why' have my sisters husbands, if they say (i. 1. 92).

(2) But love, I dear1 love, and our aged father's right (iv. 4. 28).
(3) Which I must act: | brief'ness and fortune, work! (ii. 1. 18).
(4) Let me beseech your grace | not' to do so (ii. 2. 134).
(5) Though I condemn not, yet, under | par'don (i. 4. 334).

This inversion occurs commonly after a pause, and is thus found most frequently in the first, third, and fourth feet, i.e. after the pauses at the beginning or centre of the line. It is seldom found in the second foot, and it is very rare in the fifth foot. When it occurs in the fifth foot the effect is generally unrhythmical.

There are occasionally two inversions in the same line, e.g. (1, 4) Broth'er | a word; descend: | broth'er, | I say! (ii. 1. 19). (1, 4) Bold' in the quarrel's right, | roused' to

(1, 3) None' does | offend, | none,' I say, none;

the encounter
(ii. 1. 54).
I'll able 'em
(iv. 6. 149).

Two inversions rarely come together, as in i. 4. 334.

1 This note has been largely suggested by the "Outline of Shakespeare's Prosody" in Professor Herford's Richard II.

(ii) Stress Variation.-The stresses may vary in degree; a weak or intermediate stress (`) may be substituted for a strong stress.

And dare, | upon' | the war | rant of` | my note (iii. 1. 18). The weak stress is particularly common in the fifth foot, e.g.

Which else were shame, that then necessity' (i. 4. 202). There are, in fact, comparatively few lines with the normal five strong stresses. But there are certain limits to the variations; e.g. there are never more than two weakstressed feet in a line, and two weak-stressed feet rarely come together (see, however, iii. 4. 15). Frequently the absence of a strong stress in a foot is made up for by (a) two weak stresses, as

Prith'ee go' in' | thyself'; seek thine own ease (iii. 4. 23);

or (b) an additional stress in a neighbouring foot, either before or after, as

Both' wel' come and' | protection. Take up thy master (iii. 6. 90). The lesser is' | scarce' felt'. Thou 'ldst shun a bear (iii. 4. 9). Two strong stresses are fairly common in the fifth foot, e.g.

Although the last | not least, ❘ to whose | young' love'. (Cf. i. 1. 139, iii. 2. 37, iv. 6. 164.)

(iii) Addition of Unstressed Syllables. —An unstressed syllable is frequently added. It may be introduced in any foot, which then corresponds to an anapæst instead of an iambus.

(1) I am almost mad myself: I had a son (iii. 4. 154). (2) And when I have stol'n | upon these sons-in-law (iv. 6. 167). (3) Thou 'ldst meet the bear | i' the mouth. | When the mind's free (iii. 4. 11).

(4) Whereto our health is bound; | we are not ourselves (ii. 4. 103). (5) You sulphurous and thought-exec | uting fires (iii. 2. 4). Occasionally there are two such extra syllables in the same line, e.g.

(2, 4) When maj | esty stoops | to fol | ly. Reverse | thy doom (i. 1. 142). But see IV, (ii) (a) (8). These additional syllables within the line occur commonly at the pause or 'cæsura'.

Extra-metrical.-But this additional unstressed syllable is most commonly found at the end of the line, where it is extra-metrical. e.g.

I tax not you, you elements, with unkind | ness;

I never gave you kingdom, call'd you child | ren (iii. 2. 16, 17).