According to the phrafe or the addition

Of man and country.

Rey. Very good, my Lord.foo

Pol. And then, Sir, does he this ; He does what was I about to say?

I was about to fay fomething--where did I leave ?—...... Rey. At, clofes in the confequence.

Pol. At, clofes in the confequence-Ay, marry. He clofes thus ; -I know the gentleman,

I faw him yesterday, or t'other day,

Or then, with fuch and fuch; and, as you fay,
There was he gaming, there o'ertook in's rowfe;
There falling out at tennis; or, perchance,

I faw him enter fuch a houfe 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 affays of Byas,
By indirections find directions out;
So by my former lecture and advice
Shall you my fon. You have me, have
Rey. My Lord, I have.

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

Rey. Good my Lord

you not

Pol. Obferve his inclination (5) in yourself.

Rey. I fhall, my Lord..

Pol. And let him ply his mufick.:

Rey. Well, my Lordsval

SCENE II

?

Sino [Exit.

Enter Ophelia.

Pol. Farewel. How now, Ophelia, what's the mat-
ter?

Opb. Alas, my Lord, I have been fo affrighted!
Pol. With what, in the name of heav'n?

Ferfonth, a term of which I do not well know the original meaning, was used to men as well as to women.

(5) -in your felf]

Hanmer reads, e'en yourfelf, and is fel

lowed by Dr. Warburton; but perhaps in yourfelf means, in your

en perfon, not by fpies.

Opb.

Oph. My Lord, as I was sewing in my clofet,
Lord Hamlet, with his Doublet all unbrac'd,
No hat upon his head, (6) his stockings loose,
Ungarter'd, and down-gyred to his ancle,
Pale as his fhirt, his knees knocking each other,
And with a look fo piteous in purport,

As if he had been loofed out of hell,

To fpeak 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 faid he?

Oph. He took me by the wrift, 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 perufal of my face,

As he would draw it. Long time ftaid he so;
At last, a little shaking of mine arm,

And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
He rais'd a figh fo piteous and profound,
That it did feem to fhatter all his bulk,.
And end his Being. Then he lets me go,
And, with his head over his fhoulder turn'd,
He feem'd to find his way without his eyes;
For out o' doors he went without their help,.
And, to the laft, bended their light on me.

Pol. Come, go with me, I will go feek the King.
This is the very ecftacy of love,

Whofe violent property foredoes itself,

And leads the Will to defp'fate undertakings,

As oft as any paffion under heav'n,

That does afflict out nature

I am forry;

What, have you giv'n him any hard words of late?

(6)- -bis ftockings foul'd,

Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to bis ancle.] I have restored the reading of the elder quarto's Lis flockings loofe. The change, I fufpect, was firft from the players, who faw a contradiction in his ftockings being loofed, and yet fhackled down at ancle. But they, in their ignorance, blunder'd away our author's word, 'because they did not understand it :

Ungarter'd, and down-gyred, i. e. turn'd down. eft copies; and, fo his ftockings were properly were ungarter'd and rowl'd down to the ancle.

So, the oldloofe, as they THEOBALD.

Oph.

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

His accefs 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 triff'd,
And meant to wreck thee; but befhrew my jealousy;
It feems, (8) it is as proper to our age

To caft beyond ourselves in our opinions,

As it is common for the younger fort

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

(6) This must be known; which, being kept close,

might move

More grief to hide, than hate to utter,

love.. [Exeunt.

(7) I had not QUOTED him.-] The old quarto read, coted. It appears Shakespeare wrote NOTED. Quoted is nonsense.

WARBURTON. To quote is, I believe, to reckon, to take an account of, to take the quotient or refult of a computation.

opinions,

This is not the

(8) it is as proper to our age To caft beyond ourselves in our As it's common for the younger fort To lack difcretion. remark of a weak man. The vice of age is too much fufpicion. Men long accuftomed to the wiles of life caft commonly beyond themselves, let their cunning go further than reafon can attend it. This is always the fault of a little mind, made artful by long commerce with the world.

(9) This must be known; whi, b, being kept clefe, might move,

More grief to bide, than bate to utter, love.] i, e. This must be made known to the King, for (being kept fecret) the hiding Hamlet's love might occafion more mifchief to us from him and the Queen, than the uttering or revealing of it will occafion hate and refentment from Hamlet. The poet's ill and obfcure expreffion feems to have been caufed by his affectation of concluding the fcene with a couplet. WARBURTON.

Hanmer reads,

More grief to hide hate, than to utter love.

SCENE

SCENE III.

Changes to the Palace.

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

put

him

King. Welcome, dear Rofincrantz, and Guildenftern! Moreover that we much did long to fee you, The need, we have to ufe you did provoke Our hafty fending. Something you have heard Of Hamlet's transformation; fo 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 So much from th' understanding of himself, I cannot dream of. I entreat you both, That being of fo young days brought up with him, And fince fo neighbour'd to his youth and humour, That you vouchfafe your Reft here in our Court Some little time; fo by your companies To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather, So much as from occafions you may glean, If aught to us unknown, afflicts him thus, That open'd lies within our remedy.

P

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

you;

And, fure I am, two men there are not living,
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
(1) To fhew us fo much gentry and good-will,

As to expend your time with us a

while,

(2) For the fupply and profit of our hope, Your vifitation fhall receive fuch thanks,

As fits a King's remembrance.

Rof. Both your majefties.

Might, by the fov'reign pow'r you have of us,

(1) To fhew us fo much gentry-] Gentry, for complaifance.

WARBURTON.

(2) For the Supply, &c.] That the hope which your arrival has raifed may be completed by the desired effect.

Put

Put your dread pleafures more into command
Than to entreaty.

Guil. But we both obey,

And here give up ourselves, (3) in the full bent,
To lay our fervice freely at your feet.

King. Thanks, Rofincrantz, and gentle Guildenstern.
Queen. Thanks, Guildenfiern, and gentle Refin-

crantz.

And, I beseech you, inftantly to vifit

My too much changed fon. Go, fome 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' ambaffadors from Norway, my good Lord, Are joyfully return'd.

King. Thou ftill haft been the father of good news. Pol. Have I, my Lord? affure you, my good Liege,

I hold my duty, as I hold my foul,

Both to my God, and to my gracious King;
And I do think, or elfe this brain of mine
Hunts not (4) the trail of policy fo fure
As I have us'd to do, that I have found
The very caufe of Hamlet's lunacy.

King. Oh, fpeak of that, that I do long to hear.
Pol. Give firft admittance to th' ambaffadors.
My news fhall be (5) the fruit of that great feaft.
King. Thyfelf do grace to them, and bring them in.
Exit Pol.
He tells me, my fweet Queen, that he hath found
The head and fource of all your fon's diftemper.
Queen. I doubt, it is no other but the main,
His father's death, and our o'er-hafty marriage.

WARBURTON.

in the full bent,] Bent, for endeavour, application. -the trail of policy- -] The trail is the course of an animal purfued by the fcent.

(3)

·(4)

(5).

the fruit] The deffert after the meat.

SCENE