But what is your affair in Elfinoor?

We'll teach you to drink deep, ere you depart.
Hor. My lord, I came to fee your father's funeral.
Ham. I pr'ythee, do not mock me, fellow-ftudent;
I think, it was to fee my mother's wedding.

Hor. Indeed, my lord, it follow'd hard upon.
Ham. Thrift, thrift, Horatio; the funeral bak'd

meats

Did coldly furnish forth the marriage-tables. 'Would, I had met my deareft foe in heav'n, Or ever I had feen that day, Horatio!

My father

methinks, I fee my father.

Hor. Oh where, my lord?.

Ham. In my mind's eye, Horatio.

Hor. I faw him once, he was a goodly King..
Ham. He was a man, take him for all in all,
I fhall not look upon his like again.

Hor. My lord, I think, I saw him yesternight.
Ham. Saw! whom?-

Hor. My lord, the King your father.
Ham. The King my father!

7

Hor. Seafon your admiration but a while, With an attentive ear, 'till I deliver,

Upon the witness of these gentlemen,

This marvel to you.

Ham. For heaven's love, let me hear.

Hor. Two nights together had thefe 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-pé,

Appears before them, and with folemn march
Goes flow and ftately by them; thrice he walk'd,
By their oppreft and fear-furprised eyes,

Dearest, for diret, moft

dreadful, moft dangerous.

7 Seafon your admiration] That is, temper it.

L 2

Within

Within his truncheon's length; whilft they, diftill'd Almoft to jelly with the act of fear,

୫

Stand dumb, and speak not to him. This to me fl In dreadful fecrefy impart they did,

And I with them the third night kept the watch; Where, as they had deliver'd, both in time, vid Form of the thing, each word made true and good, The Apparition comes. I knew your father a 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? O

Hor. My lord, I did;

But answer 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 away,

And vanifh'd from our fight.

Ham. 'Tis very strange.

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.

8 with the ACT of fear,] Shakespear could never write fo improperly, as to call the paffion of fear, the act of fear. Without 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 hold on him; fear drove bim away. If it were proper to be rigorous in examining trifles, it might be replied, that Shake

Speare would write more erroneoufly, if he wrote by the direction of this critick; they were not diffilled, whatever the word may mean, by the effect of fear; for that diftillation was itself the effect; fear was the cause, the active caufe, that distilled them by that force of operation which we ftrictly call act in voluntary, and power in involuntary agents, but popularly call act in both. But of this too much.

Hem. In

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?

V

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 you.

Ham. Very like. Staid it long?

Hor. While one with moderate hafte might tell a hundred.

Bath. Longer, longer.

Hor. Not when I faw't.

Ham. His beard was grifly?

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

A fable filver'd.

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

bic Hor. I warrant you, it will.

Ham. If it affume my noble father's perfon, I'll fpeak 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, ? Let it be treble in your filence ftill:

And whatsoever fhall 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,
My father's Spirit in arms! all is not well.

I doubt fome foul play.

come!

[Exeunt.

Farewel.

Would, the night were

'Till then fit ftill, my foul. Foul deeds will rife, Tho' all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes.

[Exit.

SCENE

V.

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

Laer. M. And, fifter, as the winds give benefit,

Y neceffaries are imbark'd, farewel

And Convoy is affiftant, do not sleep,
But let me hear from you.

Oph. Do you doubt that?

Laer. 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:
The perfume, and fuppliance of a minute:
No more.

The perfume, and Suppliance
of a minute:] Thus the
: the folio has it,
Sweet, not lafting,
The fappliance of a minute,

quarto

Oph.

It is plain that perfume is neceffary to exemplify the idea of fweet, not lafting. With the word fuppliance I am not fatisfied, and yet dare hardly offer what I

imagine

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;
And now no foil, nor cautel, doth befmerch
The virtue of his will: but you must fear,
His Greatness 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 himfelf; for on his choice depends
3 The fanity and health of the whole State :
And therefore muft his choice be circumfcrib'd
Unto the voice and yielding of that body,
Whereof he's dead. 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.

imagine to be right. I fufpect that foffiance, or fome fuch word, formed from the Italian, was then used for the act of fumigating with fweet scents.

2 And now no foil, NOR cau-. tel, From cautela, which fignifies only a prudent forefight or caution; but paffing thro' French hands, it lost its innocence, and now fignifies fraud, deceit. And fo he uses the adjective in Julius Cæfar,

Swear priests and cowards and men cautelous. But I believe Shakespear wrote, And now no fail of cautelwhich the following words con

firm,

doth befmerch The virtue of his will:

L 4

Then