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NOTES ON KING LEAR
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means to attend the Council in order to be with Edmund. Full of jealousy, she invites Goneril to go with her. Goneril refuses, but then, seeing Regan’s motive, contemptuously and ironically consents (I doubt if ‘O ho, I know the riddle’ should be ‘aside,’ as in modern editions, following Capell). Accordingly the two sisters go out, followed by their soldiers; and Edmund and Albany are just going out, in a different direction, to Albany’s tent when Edgar enters. His words cause Albany to stay; Albany says to Edmund, as Edmund leaves, ‘I’ll overtake you’; and then, turning to Edgar, bids him ‘speak.’


6. V. iii. 151 ff.

When Edmund falls in combat with the disguised Edgar, Albany produces the letter from Goneril to Edmund, which Edgar had found in Oswald’s pocket and had handed over to Albany. This letter suggested to Edmund the murder of Albany. The passage in the Globe edition is as follows:

Gon.        This is practice, Gloucester:By the law of arms thou wast not bound to answerAn unknown opposite: thou art not vanquish’d,But cozen’d and beguiled.Alb.           Shut your mouth, dame,Or with this paper shall I stop it: Hold, sir;Thou worse than any name, read thy own evil:No tearing, lady; I perceive you know it.[Gives the letter to Edmund.Gon. Say, if I do, the laws are mine, not thine:Who can arraign me for’t?Alb.           Most monstrous! oh!Know’st thou this paper?[Exit.Gon. Ask me not what I know.Alb. Go after her: she’s desperate: govern her.Edm. What you have charged me with, that have I done;And more, much more; the time will bring it out:’Tis past, and so am I. But what art thouThat hast this fortune on me?

The first of the stage-directions is not in the Qq. or Ff.: it was inserted by Johnson. The second (‘Exit’) is both in the Qq. and in the Ff., but the latter place it after the words ‘arraign me for’t.’ And they give the words ‘Ask me not what I know’ to Edmund, not to Goneril, as in the Qq (followed by the Globe).

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