Ham. That's two of his weapons: but, well. Osr. The king, sir, hath wagered with him six Barbary horses against the which he has imponed, as I take it, six French rapiers and poniards, with their assigns, as girdle, hangers, and so. Three of the carriages, in faith, are very dear to fancy, very responsive to the hilts, most delicate carriages, and of very liberal conceit. Ham. What call you the carriages? Hor. I knew, you must be edified by the margin, ere you had done". Osr. The carriages, sir, are the hangers. Ham. The phrase would be more german to the matter, if we could carry a cannon by our sides: I would, it might be hangers till then. But, on: six Barbary horses against six French swords, their assigns, and three liberal-conceited carriages; that's the French bet against the Danish. Why is this imponed, as you call it? Osr. The king, sir, hath laid, sir, that in a dozen passes between yourself and him, he shall not exceed you three hits: he hath laid on twelve for nine; and that would come to immediate trial, if your lordship would vouchsafe the answer. Ham. How, if I answer, no? Osr. I mean, my lord, the opposition of your person in trial. Ham. Sir, I will walk here in the hall: if it please his majesty, it is the breathing time of day with me, let the foils be brought, the gentleman willing, and the king hold his purpose, I will win for him, if I can; if not, I will gain nothing but my shame, and the odd hits. and digger," and that what the last wished to sell was 66 a rapier and dagger." The dialogue was, doubtless, made up from short-hand notes taken in the theatre, and the transcriber blundered, because in short hand the same letters spell reaper and digger and "rapier and dagger." In another passage, higher on the same page, the Rev. Mr. Dyce has printed "lakus skins" instead of "jackass skins,” and "clark" instead of calf; not seeing that the Clown was referring to the different kinds of leather of which slippers might be made. Such oversights, even by careful editors, ought to make us charitable. 6 against the which he has IMPONED,] The folio has "imponed" for impauned of the 4tos: but by what follows, "imponed" seems an imitation of Osrick's affected pronunciation. 7 ―ere you had done.] Horatio (whose interruption is not in the folio) refers to the explanatory comment upon the body of a work, sometimes inserted in the margin of the page. 8 Why is this IMPONED, as you call it ?] The 4tos. omit "imponed;" and other trifling variations hardly require notice: the folio has "French but" for "French bet" of the 4tos. Osr. Shall I deliver you so? Ham. To this effect, sir; after what flourish your nature will. Osr. I commend my duty to your lordship. [Exit. Ham. Your's, your's. He does well to commend it himself; there are no tongues else for's turn'. Hor. This lapwing runs away with the shell on his head. Ham. He did comply with his dug before he sucked it. Thus has he (and many more of the same breed, that, I know, the drossy age dotes on) only got the tune of the time, and outward habit of encounter, a kind of yesty collection, which carries them through and through the most fanned and winnowed opinions'; and do but blow them to their trial, the bubbles are out. Enter a Lords. Lord. My lord, his majesty commended him to you by young Osrick, who brings back to him, that you attend him in the hall he sends to know, if your pleasure hold to play with Laertes, or that you will take longer time. Ham. I am constant to my purposes; they follow the king's pleasure if his fitness speaks, mine is ready; now, or whensoever, provided I be so able as now. Lord. The king, and queen, and all are coming down. Lord. The queen desires you to use some gentle entertainment to Laertes, before you fall to play. Ham. She well instructs me. 1 [Exit Lord. no tongues else for's TURN.] The folio carelessly repeats tongue instead of "turn," as it stands in the 4tos. 2 He did COMPLY with his dug, before he sucked it.] Horatio, by the simile of the lapwing, calls Osrick a forward fellow, and Hamlet follows it up by saying that he was so forward and conceited, that he complimented with his dug before he sucked it. Various authorities might be produced to show that to "comply" was to compliment: see also this play, p. 521. 3 and MANY more of the same BREED,] The folio reads, " and mine more of the same beavy:" bery might be right, but mine must be wrong. It may be recollected that" more " is, just as unquestionably, misprinted mine in " Macbeth," A. i. sc. 4, this Vol. p. 395. the most FANNED and winnowed opinions ;] "Fond and winnowed opinions" in the old copies, but Tollet proposed "fanned," and we feel convinced that such is the proper text. The 4to, 1604, reads, "the most prophane and trennowed opinions," which became trennowned in the 4to, 1611, and what could have been understood by it, it is hard to say. 5 Enter a Lord.] From the entrance of this lord, to his exit, the text is only to be found in the 4tos. It is, however, to be traced in the 4to, 1603. Hor. You will lose this wager, my lord. Ham. I do not think so: since he went into France, I have been in continual practice; I shall win at the odds. Thou wouldst not think, how ill all's here about my heart; but it is no matter. Hor. Nay, good my lord,— Ham. It is but foolery; but it is such a kind of gain-giving', as would, perhaps, trouble a woman. Hor. If your mind dislike any thing, obey it: I will forestall their repair hither, and say you are not fit. Ham. Not a whit, we defy augury: there is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come the readiness is all. Since no man, of aught he leaves, knows, what is't to leave betimes? Let be 3. Enter King, Queen, LAERTES, Lords, OSRICK, and Attendants with foils, &c. King. Come, Hamlet, come, and take this hand from me. [Giving HAMLET the hand of LAERTES, Ham. Give me your pardon, sir: I've done you wrong; But pardon't, as you are a gentleman. This presence knows, And you must needs have heard, how I am punish'd With sore distraction. What I have done, That might your nature, honour, and exception, And, when he's not himself, does wrong Laertes, 7 -- 6 You will lose THIS WAGER,] The words "this wager" are from the folio. such a kind of GAIN-GIVING,] i. e. Mis-giving, against-giving. The 4tos. have gam-giving and game-giving, but none of them have " gain-giving" of the folio. It is singular that this word, "gain-giving," should not have led the Rev. Mr. Dyce to understand that in "The Pilgrim," A. v. sc. 3 (Beaumont and Fletcher, viii. 79), the word "gainful" should be taken as against-full or opposite, where Juletta tells the Keeper, “You will find him gainful, but be sure you curb him,” she means you will find him resist you, but be sure you control him. There can be no doubt about it. 8 Since no man, of aught he leaves, knows, what is't to leave betimes? Let be.] We have preferred here the reading of the 4to, 1604, which Warburton adopted: the folio has, "Since no man ha's aught of what he leaves. What is't to leave betimes?" omitting "Let be." Who does it then? His madness. If't be so, His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy. Sir, in this audience', Let my disclaiming from a purpos'd evil Free me so far in your most generous thoughts, And hurt my brother'. I am satisfied in nature, Laer. To keep my name ungor'd. But till that time, And will not wrong it. Ham. I embrace it freely; And will this brother's wager frankly play.— Give us the foils; come on. Laer. Come; one for me. Ham. I'll be your foil, Laertes: in mine ignorance Your skill shall, like a star i' the darkest night, Stick fiery off indeed. Laer. You mock me, sir. Ham. No, by this hand. King. Give them the foils, young Osrick.-Cousin Hamlet, You know the wager? Ham. Very well, my lord; Your grace hath laid the odds o' the weaker side. King. I do not fear it: I have seen you both; But since he is better'd, we have therefore odds. Laer. This is too heavy; let me see another. Ham. This likes me well. These foils have all a length? Osr. Ay, my good lord. [They prepare to play. King. Set me the stoops of wine upon that table.— If Hamlet give the first or second hit, Sir, in this audience,] This hemistich is not in any of the 4tos: it seems little wanted in the folio, but we dare not omit it. 1 And hurt my BROTHER.] The folio, 1623, misprints "brother" mother, but it is made "brother" in the corr. fo. 1632. In the next speech of Laertes the folio, 1623, reads ungorg'd for "ungor'd." Or quit in answer of the third exchange, Give me the cups; And let the kettle to the trumpet speak, The trumpet to the cannoneer without, The cannons to the heavens, the heavens to earth, Ham. Come on, sir. King. Stay; give me drink. Hamlet, this pearl is thine; Here's to thy health.-Give him the cup. [Trumpets sound; and cannon shot off within. Ham. I'll play this bout first; set it by awhile. Come. Another hit; what say you? [They play. He's fat, and scant of breath ‘.— Queen. 2 And in the cup an UNION shall he throw,] So the folio, rightly, an "' union being the most valuable kind of pearl. The 4to, 1604, has unice, the undated 4to. Onix, and so it continued to be printed in the 4to, 1637. 3 set IT by awhile.] The folio omits "it" (inserted in the corr. fol. 1632), and the 4tos. afterwards leave out "A touch; a touch." He's fat, and scant of breath.] On the authority of "Wright's Historia Histrionica," 1699, it has been supposed that Joseph Taylor was the original Hamlet. This is a mistake: Wright says only that "Taylor acted Hamlet incomparably well;" but he had had the advantage of seeing Burbage in the part until 1619. We know, on the authority of the MS. epitaph upon Burbage, that he was celebrated for his Hamlet, and Shakespeare's words are there employed, with reference to the obesity of the actor : "No more young Hamlet, though but scant of breath, Shall cry revenge for his dear father's death." These lines must have been written very soon after the decease of the subject of them, and they are decisive upon the point that Burbage was the performer who first acted the part of Hamlet. See the Introduction, and "The Lives of the Actors in Shakespeare's Plays " (printed by the Shakesp. Soc. in 1846), pp. 21. 52. 5 Here, Hamlet, TAKE MY napkin, rub thy brows:] So the 4tos: the folio, |
