Ham. Saw! whom?

Hor. My lord, the King your father.

Ham. The King my

father!

Hor. (7) Seafon your admiration but a while,
With an attentive ear; 'till I deliver,
Upon the witnefs of thefe gentlemen,
This marvel to you.

Ham. For heav'n's love, let me hear.

- Her. Two nights together had these gentlemen, Marcellus and Bernardo, on their watch,

In the dead vaft and middle of the night,
Been thus encounter'd. A figure like your father,
Arm'd at all points exactly, Cap-à-pè,

Appears before them, and with folemn march
Goes flow and ftately by them; thrice he walk'd,
By their oppreft and fear-furprised eyes,
Within his truncheon's length; whilft they, diftil'd
Almost to jelly (8) with the act of fear,
Stand dumb, and speak not to him.
In dreadful fecrefy impart they did,

This to me

And I with them the third night kept the watch;
Where, as they had deliver'd, both in time,

Form of the thing, each word made true and good,
The Apparition comes.

I knew your father:

Thefe hands are not more like.

Ham. But where was this?

Mar. My lord, upon the Platform where we watcht. Ham. Did you not speak to it?

(7) Seafon your admiration

1 That is, temper it.

(8) with the ACT of fear,] Shakespeare could never write fo improperly, as to call the paffion of fear, the act of fear. With out doubt the true reading is,

with TH EFFECT of fear.

WARBURTON.

Here is an affectation of fubtilty without accuracy. Fear is. every day confidered as an agent. Fear laid bold on bim; fear drove bim away. If it were proper to be rigorous in examining trifles,, it might be replied, that Shakespeare would write more erroneoufly, if he wrote by the direction of this critick; they were not diftilled, whatever the word may mean, by the effect of fear; for that diftillation was itfelf the effect; fear was the caufe, the active caufe, that diffilled them by that force of operation which we ftrictly call at in voluntary, and power in involuntary agents, but, ́popularly call aɛ in both. But of this too much.

Har..

Hor. My lord, I did;

But anfwer made it none; yet once, methought
It lifted up its head, and did addrefs

Itself to motion, like as it would speak;

But even then the morning cock crew loud;
And at the found it fhrunk in hafte

And vanish'd from our fight.

Ham. 'Tis very strange.

away,

Hor. As I do live, my honour'd lord, 'tis true; And we did think it writ down in our duty

To let you know of it.

Ham. Indeed, indeed, Sirs, but this troubles me.

Hold you the watch to-night?

Both. We do, my Lord.

Ham. Arm'd, fay you?
Both. Arm'd, my lord.

Ham. From top to toe?

Both. My lord, from head to foot.

Ham. Then faw you not his face ?

Hor. Oh, yes, my lord, he wore his beaver up.
Ham. What, look'd he frowningly?

Hor. A count'nance more in forrow than in anger,
Ham. Pale, or red?

Hor. Nay, very pale.

Ham. And fixt his eyes upon you?

Hor. Moft conftantly.

Ham. I would, I had been there!
Hor. It would have much amaz'd

Ham. Very like. Staid it long?

you.

Hor. While one with moderate hafte might tell a

hundred.

Both. Longer, longer.

Hor. Not when I faw't.

Ham. His beard was grilly?

Hor. It was, as I have feen it in his life,

A fable filver'd.

Ham. I'll watch to night; perchance, 'twill walk again.

Hor. I warrant you, it will.

Ham. If it affume my noble father's perfon, I'll speak to it, though hell itself should gape And bid me hold my peace. I pray you all,

If

you have hitherto conceal'd this fight, (9) Let it be treble in your filence still: And whatsoever shall befal to night, Give it an understanding, but no tongue; I will requite your loves; fo fare ye well. Upon the platform 'twixt eleven and twelve I'll vifit you.

All. Our duty to your honour.

Ham. Your loves, as mine to you, Farewel. My father's Spirit in arms! all is not well.

[Exeunt.

I doubt fome foul play. Would, the night were come! "Till then fit ftill, my foul. Foul deeds will rife,

Tho' all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes.

SCENE V.

Changes to an Apartment in Polonius's House.
Enter Laertes and. Ophelia..

Laer. My neceffaries are imbark'd, farewel.
And, fifter, as the winds give benefit,

And Convoy is affiftant, do not fleep,

But let me hear from you.

Oph. Do you doubt that?

Lear. For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favour,
Hold it a fashion, and a toy in blood;

A violet, in the youth of primy nature,
Forward, not permanent, tho' fweet, not lafting;
(1) The perfume, and fuppliance of a minute:

No

more.

[Exit.

Oph.

(9) Let it be treble in your filence fill:] If treble be right, in propriety it should be read,

Let it be treble in your filence now,

But the old quarto reads,

Let it be TENABLE in your filence ft. ll.

And this is right.

WARBURTON.

(1) The perfume, and fuppliance of a minute:] Thus the quarto:

the folio has it,

Sweet, not lafting, The fuppliance of a minute.

It

Oph. No more but fo?

Laer. Think it no more:

For Nature, crefcent, does not grow

alone

In thews and bulk; but, as this Temple waxes,
The inward fervice of the mind and foul

Grows wide withal. Perhaps, he loves you now;
(2) And now no foil, nor cautel, doth befmerch
The virtue of his will: but you must fear,
His Greatnefs weigh'd, his will is not his own:
For he himself is fubject to his Birth;
He may not, as unvalued perfons do,
Carve for himself; for on his choice depends
(3) The fanity and health of the whole State:
And therefore inuft his choice be circumfcrib'd
Unto the voice and yielding of that body,
Whereof he's head. Then, if he fays, he loves you,
It fits your wisdom fo far to believe it,

As he in his peculiar act and place

May give his Saying deed; which is no further, 'Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal.

It is plain that perfume is neceffary to exemplify the idea of fweet, rot lafting. With the word fuppliance I am not fatisfied, and yet dare hardly offer what I imagine to be right. I fufpect that foffiance, cr fome fuch word, formed from the Italian, was then used for the act of fumigating with fweet fcents.

(2) And now no foil, NOR cautel,- -] From cautela, which fignifies only a prudent forefight or caution; but paffing thro' French hands, it loft its innocence, and now fignifies fraud, deceit. And fo he ufes the adjective in Julius Cæfar,

Swear priefts and cowards and men cautelous.

But I believe Shakespeare wrote,

And now no foil or cautel

which the following words confirm,

-doth befmerch

The virtue of bis will:

For by virtue is meant the fimplicity of his will, not virtuous will: and both this and besmerch refer only to fail, and to the foil of craft and infincerity.

WARBURTON. Virtue feen's here to comp:ise both excellence and power, and may be explained the pure effect.

(3) The SANCTITY and health of the whole State:] What has the fanctity of the ftate to do with the prince's difproportioned marriage? We fhould read with the old quarto SAFETY.

WARBURTON. Hanmer reads very rightly, fanity. Sanctity is elsewhere printed for fanity, in the old edition of this play.

Then

Then weigh, what lofs your Honour may fuftain,
If with too credent ear, you lift his fongs;
Or lofe your heart, or your chafte treasure open
To his unmafter'd importunity.

Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear fifter

;

And (4) keep within the rear of your affection,
Out of the shot and danger of defire.
The charieft maid is prodigal enough,
If the unmask her beauty to the moon:
Virtue itself 'scapes not calumnious strokes ;
The canker galls the Infants of the Spring,
Too oft before their buttons be difclos'd;
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blaftments are moft imminent.
Be wary then, beft fafety 'ies in fear;
Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.
Oph. I fhall th' effects of this good leffon keep
As watchman to my heart. But, good my brother,
Do not, as fome ungracious paftors do,

Shew me the steep and thorny way to heav'n;
(5) Whilft, like a puft and careless libertine,

(4) keep within the rear, &c.] That is, do not advance fo far as your affection would lead you.

(5) Whilft, LIKE a puft and careless libertine,] This reading gives us a fenfe to this effect, Do not you be like an ungracious. preacher, who is like a carelefs libertine. And there we find, that he who is fo like a careless libertine, is the careless libertine himself. This could not come from Shakespeare. The old quarto reads,

Whiles a puft and reckless libertine, which directs us to the right reading, Whilft HE, a puft and reckless libertine.

The first impreffion of thefe plays being taken from the play-houfe copies, and thofe, for the better direction of the actors. being written as they were pronounced, thefe circumftances have occa fioned innumerable errors. So 'a for be every where.

'a was a goodly King,

'A was a man take him for all in all.

--I warn't it will,

for I warrant. This fhould be well attended to in correcting Shakespeare.

WARBURTON.

in

The emendation is not amifs, but the reafon for it is very conclufive; we use the fame mode of fpeaking on many occafions. When I fay of one, be fquanders like a fpendthrift, of another, be robbed me like a thief, the phrafe produces no ambiguity; it is understood that the one is a fpendthrift, and the other a thief.

Him