but there is, Sir, an aiery of children, little eyafes, (30) that cry out on the top of queftion; and are most tyrannically clapt for't; these are now the fashion, and fo berattle the common ftages, (fo they call them) that many wearing rapiers are afraid of goofe-quills, and dare fcarce come thither. Ham. What, are they children? who maintains 'em ; how are they escorted? will they pursue the quality, no longer than they can fing? will they not fay afterwards, if they fhould grow themselves to common players, (as it is moft like, if their means are no better :) thei writers do them wrong to make them exclaim against their own fucceffion? Rof. 'Faith, there has been much to do on both fides; and the nation holds it no fin, to tarre them on to controverfy. There was, for a while, no money bid for argument, unless the poet and the player went to cuffs in the question. Ham. Is't poffible? Guil. Oh, there has been much throwing about of brains. Ham. Do the boys carry it away? Ref. Ay, that they do, my Lord, Hercules and his load too. Ham. It is not ftrange; for mine uncle is King of Denmark; and thofe, that would make mowes at him (30) But there is, Sir, an aiery of children, little yafes, that cry out on the top of queflion.] The Poet here fteps out of his fubject to give a Jath at home, and fneer at the prevailing fashion of following plays performed by the children of the chapel, and abandoning the eftablish'd theatres. But why are they call'd little yafes? I wish, fome of the editors would have expounded this fine new word to us; or, at leaft, told us where we might meet with it. Till then, I fhall make bold to fufpect it; and, without overtraining fagacity, attempt to retrieve the true word. As he firft calls 'em an aiery of children, (now, an aiery or eyery is a hawk's or eagle's neft) there is not the leaft question but we ought to reftore-little eyafes; i. e. young neflings, creatures juft out of the egg. (An eyes or nyas hawk, un xiais, accipiter nidarius, qui recens ex ovo emerfit. Skinner) So Mrs. Ford fays to Falfaffe's dwarf page. How now, my eyas-mulket? What news with you? G. 5 Merry Wives. while while my father lived, give twenty, forty, fifty, an hundred ducats a-piece, for his picture in little. There is fomething in this more than natural, if philofophy could find it out. [Flourish for the Players. Gail. There are the players. Ham. Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elfinoor; your hands come then, the appurtenance of welcome is fashion and ceremony. Let me comply with you in this garbe, left my extent to the players (which, I tell you, muft fhew fairly outward) should more appear like entertainment than yours. You are welcome; but my Uncle-father and Aunt mother are deceiv'd. Guil. In what, my dear Lord? Ham. I am but mad north, north-weft: when the wind is foutherly, I know a hawk from a hand-faw. Enter Polonius. Po'. Well be with you, gentlemen. Ham. Hark you, Guildenstern, and you too, at each ear a hearer; that great baby, you fee there, is not yet out of his fwathling-clouts. Rof. Haply, he's the fecond time come to them; for they fay, an old man is twice a child. Ham. I will prophefy, he comes to tell me of the players. Mark it ;-you say right, Sir; for on Monday, morning 'twas fo, indeed.. Pol. My Lord, I have news to tell you. When Rofcius was an actor in Rome Pol. The actors are come hither, my Lord. Pol. Upon mine honour. Ham. Then came each actor on his afs Pol. The best actors in the world, either for tragedy comedy, hiftory, paftoral, paftoral-comical, hiftoricalpaftoral, fcene undiyidable, or poem unlimited: Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light. For the law of wit, and the liberty, thefe are the only men. Hm.. Ham. Oh, Jephtha, judge of Ifrael, what a treafurehadst thou! Pol. What a treasure had he, my Lord? Ham. Why, one fair daughter, and no more, The which he loved passing well. Pol. Still on my daughter. Ham. Am I not i'th' right, old Jephtha? Pol. If you call me Jephtha, my Lord, I have a daughter that I love paffing well. Ham. Nay, that follows not. Po. What follows then, my Lord? Hm. Why, as by lot, God wot-and then you know, it came to pass, as noft like it was; the first row of the rubrick will fhew you more.. For, look, where my abridgements come.. Enter four or five Players.. Y'are welcome, masters, welcome all. I am glad to fee thee well; welcome, good friends. Oh! old friend !! thy face is valanc'd, fince I faw thee laft: com'st thou to beard me in Denmark? What! my young lady and miftrefs? b'erlady, your ladyship is nearer heaven than. when I faw you laft, by the altitude of a chioppine. Pray God, your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold,, be not crack'd within the ring.-Mafters, you are all welcome; we'll e'en to't like friendly faulconers, fly at: any thing we fee; we'll have a fpeech ftraight. Come,. give us a taste of your quality;; come, a. paffionate: fpeech. 1 Play. What fpeech, my good Lord?: Ham. I heard thee fpeak me a fpeech once; but it was ; never acted or if it was, not above once; for the play, I remember, pleas'd 'not the million, 'twas Caviar to the general; but it was (as I received it, and others, whofe judgment in fuch matters cried in the top of mine) an excellent play; well digefted in the scenes,, fet down with as much modefty as cunning.. I reeG 6 member,, member, (31) one faid, there was no falt in the lines, to make the matter favoury; nor no matter in the phrafe, that might indite the author of affection; but call'd it, an honeft method. One speech in it I chiefly lov'd; 'twas Aneas's tale to Dido; and thereabout of it especially, where he speaks of Priam's flaughter. If (31) I remember, one faid, there was no falt in the lines to make the matter favoury.] i. e. That there was no poignancy of wit, or viru lence of fatire in them, as I had formerly explain'd this paflage. Mr. Pope has fallen upon me with a fneer, and triumphs that I should be fo ridiculous to think that fatire can have any place in tragedy. I did not mean, that fatire was to make its subject, or that the pafhions were to be purg'd by it: may not a sharp and farcaflical fentiment, for all that, occafionally arife from the matter? What does this gentleman think of irony? Is it not one fpecies of fatire? And yet Monfieur Hedelin (almost as good a judge as Mr. Pope in these matters) tells us, it is a figure entirely theatrical. Or what does Mr. Pope think of fuch fentences as there? -Frailty, thy name is woman! In fecond hufband let me be accurft! O woman! woman! woman! All the Gods Hamlet. Ibid. Coriolanus. Dryden's All for Love. And to borrow one inftance from an antient, who has outgone all the others quoted, in the ftrength of his farcafm, - χρὴν γὰρ ἀλλοθέν ποθεν βροτες Παίδας ποιείσθαι, θῆλυ δ' εκ εἶναι γένος. Eurip. in Medea. I chose this paffage, becaufe, I think, our Milton has left a fine paraphrafe upon it; and, I doubt not, had the Greek poet in his eye. Oh, why did God, Creator wife, that peopled highest heav'n If Mr. Pope does not think thefe paffages to be fatire, and yet they are all in tragedies, I must beg leave to diffent from him in opinion. Or, to conclude, has Mr. Pope never heard, that Euripides obtain'd the name of Micoying, woman-hater, because he fo virulently fatyx'd the fex in his tragedies ? it live in your memory, begin at this line, let me fee, Pol. 'Fore God, my Lord, well spoken, with good accent, and good difcretion. 1 Play. Anon he finds him, Striking, too fhort, at Greeks. His antique fword, But as we often fee, against some storm, A filence in the heav'ns, the rack ftand ftill, Qn |