Rey. Very good, my Lord.
Pol. And then, Sir, does he this;

He does-what was I about to say?

I was about to say fomething-where did I leave ? Rey. At, closes in the consequence.

Pol. At, closes in the consequence-Ay, marry.

He closes thus;-I know the gentleman,
I saw him yesterday, or t'other day,
Or then, with fuch and such; and, as you fay,
There was he gaming, there o'ertook in's rowfe;
There falling out at tennis; or, perchance,
1 faw him enter such a house of fale,

Videlicet, a brothel, or fo forth. See you now;
Your bait of falfhood takes this carp of truth;
And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
With windlaces, and with assays of Byas,
By indirections find directions out;

So by my former lecture and advice

Shall you my fon. You have me, have you not?

Rey. My Lord, I have.

Pol. God b'w' you. Fare you well.

Rey. Good my Lord

Pol. Observe his inclinations in yourself.

Rey. I shall, my Lord.

Pol. And let him ply his musick.

Rey. Well, my Lord.

a general word of compliment as diftinct from fir; nor do I con ceive why any alteration should be made. It is a common mode of colloquial language to use, or So, as a flight intimation of more of the fame, or a like kind, that might me mentioned. We might read,

Good Sir, Forsooth, or Friend, or Gentleman.

Exit.

1

SCENE II.

Enter Ophelia.

Pol. Farewel. How now, Ophelia, what's the matter?

Oph. Alas, my Lord, I have been so affrighted! Pol. With what, in the name of heav'n? Oph. My Lord, as I was sewing in my closet, Lord Hamlet, with his Doublet all unbrac'd, No hat upon his head, his stockings loose, Ungarter'd, and down-gyred to his ancle, Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other, And with a look so piteous in purport, As if he had been loofed out of hell,

To speak of horrors; thus he comes before me.

Pol. Mad for thy love?

Oph. My Lord, I do not know:

But, truly, I do fear it.

Pol. What said he ?

Oph. He took me by the wrist, and held me hard

Then goes he to the length of all his arm;
And with his other hand, thus o'er his brow,
He falls to fuch perusal of my face,

As he would draw it. Long time staid he so;

6-his flockings foul'd,

Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle.] I have restored the reading of the elder quarto's -his stockings loose. The change, I suspect, was first from the players, who saw a contradiction in his stockings being loose, and yet shackled down at ancle. But they, in their igno

At last, a little shaking of mine arm,
And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
He rais'd a figh so piteous and profound,
That it did feem to shatter all his bulk,
And end his Being. Then he lets me go,
And, with his head over his shoulder turn'd,
He seem'd to find his way without his eyes;
For out o' doors he went without their help,
And, to the last, bended their light on me.

Pol. Come, go with me, I will go feek the King.

This is the very ecstacy of love,
Whose violent property foredoes itself,
And leads the Will to defp'rate undertakings,
As oft as any passion under heav'n,

1

That does afflict our natures. I am forry;
What, have you giv'n him any hard words of late?

Oph. No, my good lord; but, as you did command, I did repel his letters, and deny'd

His access to me.

Pol. That hath made him mad. I'm forry, that with better speed and judgment 7 I had not quoted him. I fear'd, he trifl'd, And meant to wreck thee; but beshrew my jealoufy; It seems, it is as proper to our age............ To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions, As it is common for the younger fort

To lack difcretion. Come; go we to the King.

7 I had not QUOTED him.-] The old quarto reads coted. It appears Shakespear wrote NOTED. Quoted is nonfenfe. WARB. To quote is, I believe, to reckon, to take an account of, to take the quotient or result of a computation.

8- it is as proper to our age To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions,

As it is common for the younger fort

VOL. VIII.

:

To lack difcretion.--] This is not the remark of a weak man. The vice of age is too much fufpicion. Men long accustomed to the wiles of life caft commonly beyond themselves, let their cunning go further than reason can attend it. This is always the fault of a little mind, made artful by long commerce with the world.

N

This

9 This must be known; which, being kept close,

might move

More grief to hide, than hate to utter, love. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Changes to the Palace.

Enter King, Queen, Rosincrantz, Guildenstern, Lords, and other Attendants.

King W

ELCOME, dear Rofincrantz, and Guild

enstern!

:

Moreover that we much did long to see you,
The need, we have to use you did provoke
Our hafty fending. Something you have heard
Of Hamlet's transformation; so I call it,
Since not th' exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was. What it should be
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from th'understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of. I entreat you both,
That being of so young days brought up with him,
And fince so neighbour'd to his youth and humour,
That you vouchsafe your Rest here in our Court
Some little time; fo by your companies

To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather,

This must be known; which, being kept close, might move More grief to hide, than hate to utter, love. i. e. This must be made known to the King, for (being kept secret) the hiding Hamlet's love might occafion more mischief to us from him and the Queen, than the uttering or revealing of it

will occafion hate and resentment from Hamlet. The poet's ill and obscure expression seems to have been caused by his affectation of concluding the sene with a couplet. WARB.

Hanmer reads,

More grief to hide hate, than to utter love.

So

So much as from occafions you may glean,
If aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus,
That open'd lies within our remedy.

Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of

you;

And, sure I am, two men there are not living,
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
• To shew us so much gentry and good-will,
As to expend your time with us a while,
* For the fupply and profit of our hope,
Your visitation shall receive such thanks,
As fits a King's remembrance.

Rof. Both your majesties
Might, by the sov'reign pow'r you have of us,
Put your dread pleasures more into command
Than to entreaty.

Guil. But we both obey,

And here give up ourselves, in the full bent,
To lay our service freely at your feet.

:

King. Thanks, Rofincrantz, and gentle Guildenstern. Queen. Thanks, Guildenstern, and gentle Rofin

crantz.

And, I beseech you, instantly to visit
My too much changed fon. Go, some of ye,
And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.

Guil. Heav'ns make our prefence and our practices Pleasant and helpful to him! [Exeunt Rof. and Guil.

Queen. Amen.

Enter Polonius.

Pol. Th' ambassadors from Norway, my good

Lord,

Are joyfully return'd.