King Lear — The division of Britain

'King Lear', the play, is 400 years old. Lear, himself, has mostly suffered a bad press. The division of Britain that he proposed is often denounced and offered as evidence of his declining mental powers. But now it can be revealed that Lear has been judged unfairly and it is his critics who can be seen as foolish. Recently, ancient relics, including a jester's wand and a coxcomb, were discovered by samphire pickers on the White Cliffs of Dover. Of much interest was a scroll of cowhide, brown with age and dry with sun, which after chemical treatment proved to be a 'document'. Computer enhancement revealed a map and some text. Once deciphered, it was found to be Lear's plan for the division of Britain.