Editors' Note

At the beginning of Act IV of Shakespeare's King Lear, Edgarcongratulates himself on the fact that, reduced to beggary,there is nothing worse that can happen to him. The discoverya few minutes later that his father has been blinded, ruinedand cast out quickly disabuses him of such a foolish notionand, enlightened as to the true nature of this uncertain world,he says

Who is't can say ‘I am at the worst?’... The