Both. Arm'd, my lord. Ham. From top to toe? Both. My lord, from head to foot. Hor. Oh, yes, my lord, he wore his beaver up. Hor. A count'nance more in forrow than in anger. 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; ftaid it long? [hundred. Hor. While one with moderate hafte might tell a Both. Longer, longer. Hor. Not when I faw't. Ham. His beard was grifly? Hor. It was, at I have feen it in his life, A fable filver'd. Ham, I'll watch to-night; perchance, 'twill walk again. Ham. If it affume my noble father's perfon, All. Our duty to your honour. Ham. Your loves, as mine to you: farewel. My father's fpirit 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 changes to an Apartment in Polonius's Houfe. Enter Laertes and Ophelia. Y neceffaries are imbark'd, farewel; Latr. M And, fifter, as the winds give benefit, And convoy is affistant, do not sleep, 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 prime nature, Forward, not permanent, tho' fweet, not lasting: Oph. No more but fo? Laer. Think it no more: For nature, crefcent, does not go alone Grows wide withal. Perhaps, he loves you now; (10) And now no foil, nor cautel.] Cautel, from cautela, in its firft deriv'd fignification means a prudent forefight or caution: but when we naturalize a Latin word into our tongue, we do not think ourfelves oblig'd to use it in its precise, native fignification. So here, traductively, 'tis employ'd to mean, deceit, craft, infincerity. And in thefe acceptations we find our Author using the adjective from it, in his Julius Cæfar. Swear priefts, and cowards, and men cautelous. In the like manner the French use their cauteleux; by which they understand, rusé, trompeur : and Minsbew has explain'd the word cautel thus, a crafty way to deceive. Mr. Warburton. And And therefore muft his choice be circumfcrib'd May give his faying deed; which is no further, Or lofe your heart, or your chafte treasure open ; Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear fister Shew me the steep and thorny way to heav'n; Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads, Laer. Oh, fear me not. Enter Polonius. I ftay too long;-but here my father comes: Occafion fmiles upon a fecond leave. Pol. Yet here, Laertes! aboard, aboard for fhame; The wind fits in the shoulder of your fail, (11) And (11) The wind fits in the fhoulder of your fail, And you are faid for there. My bleffing, &c.] There where ? in the shoulder of his fail? For to that muft this local adverb relate, as And you are ftaid for. There; My bleffing with you; [Laying his hand on Laertes' head. And these few precepts in thy memory See thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue, But not expreft in fancy; rich, not gaudy: For the apparel oft proclaims the man, And they in France of the best rank and station Laer. Moft humbly do I take my leave, my 'tis fituated. Besides, it is a dragging idle expletive, and feems of no ufe but to fupport the measure of the verfe. But when we come to point this paffage right, and to the Poet's intention in it, we fhall find it neither unneceffary, nor improper, in its place. In the fpeech immediately preceding this, Laertes taxes himself for staying too long; but feeing his father approach, he is willing to ftay for a fecond bleffing, and kneels down to that end: Polonius accordingly lays his hand on his head, and gives him the fecond bleffing. The manner, in which a comic actor behaved upon this occafion, was sure to raise a laugh of pleasure in the audience: and the oldeft quarto's, in the pointing, are a confirmation that thus the Poet intended it, and thus the ftage exprefs'd it, VOL. VIII. F Pol. Pol. The time invests you ; go, your fervants tend. (12) Laer. Farewel, Ophilia, and remember well What I have faid. Oph. 'Tis in my mem'ry lockt, And you yourself thall keep the key of it. Laer. Farewel. [Exit Laer. Pol. What is't, Ophelia, he hath faid to you? 'Tis told me, he hath very oft of late Given private time to you; and you yourself [Hamlet. Have of your audience been moft free and bounteous. And that in way of caution,) must tell you, Oph. He hath, my Lord, of late, made many tenders Of his affection to me. Pol. Affection! puh! you speak like a green girl, Unfifted in fuch perilous circumftance. Do you believe his tenders, as you call them ? Oph. I do not know, my Lord, what I fhould think. Pol. Marry, I'll teach you; think yourself a baby, That you have ta'en his tenders for true pay, Which are not sterling. Tender yourfelf more dearly; (13) Or (not to crack the wind of the poor phrase, (12) The time invites you, -] This reading is as old as the firft folio; however I fufpect it to have been fubftitnted by the players, who did not understand the term which poffeffes the elder quarto's : The time invefts you, i. e. befieges, preffes upon you on every fide. To inveft a town, is the military phrafe from which our Author borrow'd his metaphor. (13) Tender yourself more dearly; Or (not to crack the wind of the poor phrase) Wronging it thus, you'll tender me a fool.] The parenthefts is clos'd at the wrong place; and we muft make likewife a flight correction in the last verse. Polonius is racking and playing on the word tender, till he thinks proper to correct himfelf for the licence; and then he would fay not farther to crack the wind of the phrafe by twisting and contorting it, as I have done, &c, Mr. Warburton." Wringing |