—­But now our joy,
  Although the last, not least in our dear love,
  What can you say to win a third, &c.

The folio,

  —­Now our joy,
  Although our last, and least; to whose young love
  The vines of France, and milk of Burgundy,
  Strive to be int’ress’d. What can you say?

I.i.138 (318,5) The sway, revenue, execution of the rest] [W:  of th’ hest] I do not see any great difficulty in the words, execution of the rest, which are in both the old copies.  The execution of the rest is, I suppose, all the other business.  Dr. Warburton’s own explanation of his amendment confutes it; if hest be a regal comnand, they were, by the grant of Lear, to have rather the hest than the execution.

1.1.149 (319,6)

  Think’st thou, that duty shall have dread to speak,
  When power to flattery bows?  To plainness honour’s bound,
  When majesty stoops to folly.  Reverse thy doom,
  And in thy best consideration check
  This hideous rashness:  answer my life my judgment,
  Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least]

I have given this passage according to the old folio, from which the modern editions have silently departed, for the sake of better numbers, with a degree of insincerity, which, if not sometimes detected and censured, must impair the credit of ancient books.  One of the editors, and perhaps only one, knew how much mischief may be done by such clandestine alterations.  The quarto agrees with the folio, except that for reserve thy state, it gives, reverse thy doom, and has stoops instead of falls to folly.  The meaning of answer my life my judgment, is, Let my life be answerable for my judgment, or, I will stake my life on my opinion.—­The reading which, without any right, has possessed all the modern copies is this;

—­to plainness honour Is bound, when majesty to folly falls.  Reserve thy state; with better judgment check This hideous rashness; with my life I answer, Thy youngest daughter, &c.

I am inclined to think that reverse thy doom was Shakespeare’s first reading, as more apposite to the present occasion, and that he changed it afterwards to reserve thy state, which conduces more to the progress of the action.

I.i.161 (320,9) The true blank of thine eye] The blank is the white or exact mark at which the arrow is shot. See better, says Kent, and keep me always in your view.

I.i.172 (320,1) strain’d pride] The oldest copy reads strayed pride; that is, pride exorbitant; pride passing due bounds.