Whether 'tis nobler in the mind, to fuffer
The flings and arrows of outrageous fortune;
(5) Or to take arms against a fea of troubles,
And by oppofing end them ?-To die,-to fleep-
No more; and by a fleep, to fay, we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural fhocks
That flesh is heir to; 'tis a confummation
Devoutly to be wifhed. To die- to fleep
To fleep perchance, to dream. Ay, there's the rub;
For in' that fleep of Death what dreams may come,
When we have fhuffled off this (6) mortal coil,
Muft give us paufe. There's the respect,
That makes calamity of fo long life..

For who would bear (7) the whips and scorns of time,
Th' op-

question, which, as it fhall be answered, will determine, whether 'tis nobler, and more fuitable to the dignity of reafon, to fuffer the outrages of fortune patiently, or to take arms against them, and by oppofing end them, though perhaps with the lofs of life. If to die, were to fleep, no more, and by a fleep to end the miferies of our na ture, fuch a fleep were devoutly to be wifbed; but if to sleep in death, be to dream, to retain our powers of fenfibility, we must paufe to confider, in that fleep of death what dreams may come. This confideration makes calamity to long endured; for, who would bear the vexations of life which might be ended by a bare bodkin, but that he is afraid of fomething in unknown futurity? This fear it is that gives efficacy to confcience, which, by turning the mind upon this regard, chills the ardour of refolution, checks the vigour of enterprife, and makes the current of defire ftagnate in inactivity. We may fuppofe that he would have applied thefe general obfervations to his own cafe, but that he discovered Ophelia.

(5) Or to take arms against A SEA of troubles,] Without question Shakefpear wrote,

WARBURTON.

against ASSAIL of troubles, i, e. assault. Mr. Pe propofed fiege. I know not why there fhould be fo much folicitude about this metaphor. Shakespeare breaks his metaphors often, and in this defultory fpeech there was lefs need of preferving them.` :

(6) -mortal coil,] i. e. turmoil, bustle.

WARBURTON.

(7) --the whips and fcorns or TIME,] The evils here complained of are not the product of time or duration fimply, but of a corrupted age or manners. We may be fure, then, that ShakeSpear wrote,

-the whips and scorns OF TH' TIME.

And

Th' oppreffor's wrong, the proud man's contumely.
The pang of defpis'd love, the law's delay,
The infolence of office, and the fpurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes ;
When he himself might his Quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardles bear,
(8) To groan and fweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of fomething after death,
That undifcover'd country, from whose bourne
No traveller returns, puzzles the will;

And makes us rather bear thofe ills we have,
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus confcience doth make cowards of us all,...,
And thus the native hue of refolution
Is ficklied o'er with the pale caft of thought;
And enterprizes of great pith and moment,
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And löfe the name of action- -Soft you, now!

[Seeing Ophelia with a Book.

And the description of the evils of a corrupt age, which follows, confirms this emendation. WARBURTON.

I doubt whether the corruption of this paffage is not more than the editor has fufpected. Whips and fcorns have no great connection with one another, or with time; whips and fcorns are evils of... verydifferent magnitudes; and though at all times fcorn may be endured, yet the times that put men ordinarily in danger of whips, are very rare. Falstaff has faid, tbat the courtiers would whip bim with their quick wits; but I know not that whip can be used for a. fcoff or infult, unless its meaning be fixed by the whole expreffion. I am afraid left I should venture too far in correcting this paf fage. If whips be retained, we may read,

For who would bear the whips and fcorns of tyrants.

But I think that quip, a fneer, a farcafm, a contemptuous jeft, is the proper word, as fuiting very exactly with form. What then must be done with time, it fuits no better with the new reading. than with the old, and tyrane is an image too bulky and serious. I read, but not confidently,

For who would bear the quips and fcorns of title.

It may be remarked, that Hamlet, in his enumeration of miferies, forgets, whether properly or not, that he is a prince, and mentions many evils to which inferior stations only are expofed.

(8) To groan and fweat-] All the oid copies have, to grunt and Sweat. It is undoubtedly the true reading, but can scarcely be born by modern ears.

The

The fair Ophelia? (9) Nymph, in thy orifons
Be all my fins remembred.
my Lord,

Oph. Good

How does your Honour for this many a day?
Ham. I humbly thank you, well.

Oph. My Lord, I have remembrances of yours,
That I have longed long to re-deliver.

I pray you, now receive them.

Ham. No, I never gave you aught.

Oph. My honour'd Lord, you know right well, you did;

And with them words of fo fweet breath compos'd,
As made the things more rich; that perfume loft,
Take thefe again; for to the noble mind

Rich gifts wax poor, when givers prove unkind.
-There, my Lord.

Ham. Ha, há are you honeft?
Oph. My Lord.

Ham. Are you fair?

Oph. What means your Lordship?

Ham. (1) That if you be honest and fair, you should admit no difcourfe to your beauty.

Oph. Could beauty, my Lord, have better commerce than with honefty?

Ham. Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will fooneer transform honefty from what it is, to a bawd; than the force of honefty can tranflate beauty into its likenefs. This was fometime a paradox, but now the time gives its proof. I did love you once.

Oph. Indeed, my Lord, you made me believe fo.
Ham. You fhould not have believed me. For virtue

(9)-Nymph, in thy orifons, &c.] This is a touch of nature. Hamlet, at the fight of Ophelia, does not immediately recollect, that he is to perfonate madness, but makes her an addrefs grave and folemn, fuch as the foregoing meditation excited in his thoughts.

(1) That if you be honest and fair, you should admit no difcourfe to your beauty.] This is the reading of all the modern editions, and is copied from the quarto. The folio reads, your honefty should admit no difcourfe to your beauty. The true reading feems to be this, If you be boneft and fair, you should admit your honefty to no difcourfe ivith your beauty. This is the fenfe evidently required by the procefs of the conversation.

cannot

cannot fo inoculate our old ftock, but we shall relish of it. I lov'd you not.

Oth. I was the more deceiv'd.

Ham. Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of finners? I am myself indifferent honeft; but yet I could accufe me of fuch things, that it were better, my mother had not borne me. I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences (2) at my beck, then I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them fhape, or time to act them in. What fhould fuch fellows, as I, do crawling between heav'n and earth? We are arrant knaves, believe none of Go thy ways to a nunnery. Where's your father? Oph. At home, my Lord.

us.

Ham. Let the doors be fhut upon him, that he may play the fool no where but in's own houfe. Farewel. Oph. Oh help me, you fweet heav'ns!

Ham. If thou doft marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry. Be thou as chafte as ice, as pure as fnow, thou shalt not efcape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, farewel; or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wife men know well enough, what monfters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewel.

Oph. Heav'nly powers restore him!

Ham. (3) I have heard of your painting too, well enough. God has given you one face, and you make yourfelves another. You jig, you amble, and you lifp,

(2) at my beck,] That is, always ready to come about me,

With more offences at my beck, than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to given them shape, or time to act them in.] What is the meaning of thoughts to put them in? A word is dropt out. We fhould read,

thoughts to put them in NAME. This was the progrefs. The offences are first conceived and named, then projected to be put in act, then executed.

To put a thing in thought, is to think on it.

WARBURTON.

(3) I have beard of your painting too, well enough, &c.] This is according to the quarto; the folio, for painting, has prattlings, and for face, has pace, which agrees with what follows, you jig, you amble. Probably the authour wrote both. I think the common reading belt.

and

and nick-name God's creatures, and (4) make your wantonnefs your ignorance. Go to, I'll no more on't, it hath made me mad. I fay, we will have no more marriages. Thofe that are married already, all but one, fhall live; the reft fhall keep as they are.

nery, go.

To a nun

[Exit Hamlet. Oph. Oh, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown! The courtier's, foldier's, fcholar's, eye, tongue, fword; Th' expectancy and rofe of the fair State,

The glafs of fashion, and (5) the mould of form,
Th' obferv'd of all obfervers! Quite, quite down!
I am of ladies moft deject and wretched,
That fuck'd the honey of his musick vows:
Now fee that noble and moft fov'reign reafon,
Like fweet bells jangled out of tune, and harsh;
That unmatch'd form, and feature of blown youth,
Blafted with ecftafy. Oh, woe is me!
T' have feen what I have feen; fee what I fee.

SCENE III.

Enter King and Polonius.

King. Love! his affections do not that way tend,
Nor what he spake, tho' it lack'd form a little,
Was not like madnefs. Something's in his foul,
O'er which his melancholy fits on brood;
And, I do doubt, the hatch and the difclofe
Will be fome danger, which, how to prevent,
I have in quick determination

Thus fet it down. He fhall with speed to England,
For the demand of our neglected Tribute:

Haply, the Seas and Countries different,

With variable objects, fhall expel

This fomething fettled matter in his heart,
Whereon his brains ftill beating, puts him thus
From fashion of himself. What think you on't?
Pol. It thall do well. But yet I do believe,
The origin and commencement of this grief

(4) make your wantonnefs your ignorance.] You mistake by wanton affectation, and pretend to miftake by ignorance.

(5) the mould of form,] The model by whom all endeavoured toform themselves.

Sprung