"In her excellent white bosom, these," &c.Queen. Came this from Hamlet to her?

Pol. Good madam, stay awhile; I will be faithful.—

"Doubt thou the stars are fire,

Doubt, that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar,

But never doubt I love.

[Reads.

"O dear Ophelia! I am ill at these numbers: I have not art to reckon my groans; but that I love thee best, O most best! believe it.

Adieu.

Thine evermore, most dear lady, whilst
this machine is to him, Hamlet."

This in obedience hath my daughter shown me;
And more above, hath his solicitings,

As they fell out by time, by means, and place,
All given to mine ear.

King.

Receiv'd his love?

Pol.

But how hath she

What do you think of me?

King. As of a man faithful, and honourable.

Pol. I would fain prove so. But what might you

think,

When I had seen this hot love on the wing,

(As I perceiv'd it, I must tell you that,

Before my daughter told me) what might you,
Or my dear majesty, your queen here, think,
If I had play'd the desk, or table-book;

Or given my heart a winking?, mute and dumb;

Or look'd upon this love with idle sight;

What might you think? no, I went round to work,
And my young mistress thus I did bespeak:
"Lord Hamlet is a prince, out of thy star;

7 Or given my heart a winking,] The quartos have working for "winking " of the folio, which seems the better reading.

out of thy STAR,] All the old copies, quarto and folio, anterior to the

This must not be:" and then I precepts gave her,
That she should lock herself from his resort,
Admit no messengers, receive no tokens.

Which done, she took the fruits of my advice ;
And he, repulsed, a short tale to make,
Fell into a sadness; then into a fast;

Thence to a watch; thence into a weakness;
Thence to a lightness; and by this declension,
Into the madness wherein now he raves,

And all we wail for9.

King.

Do you think 'tis this?

Queen. It may be, very likely.

Pol. Hath there been such a time, I'd fain know

that,

That I have positively said, ""Tis so,"

When it prov'd otherwise?

King.

Pol. Take this from this, if this be otherwise.

Not that I know.

[Pointing to his Head and Shoulder.

If circumstances lead me, I will find

Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeed

Pol. At such a time I'll loose my daughter to him: Be you and I behind an arras, then:

Mark the encounter; if he love her not,

And be not from his reason fallen thereon,

folio of 1632, read "out of thy star:" even the quarto, 1603, has it so; but the editor of the folio, 1632, altered it to "sphere." "Star" is probably to be taken as destiny. In the next line we also follow the folio, 1623, preferring "precepts" to prescripts. Lower down the folio reads "repulsed," and the quartos repell'd. The two first changes are in the quarto, 1637, but it generally follows the other quartos.

And all we WAIL for.] So the folio, which we also adhere to in the two next speeches, which slightly vary from those in the quartos.

Let me be no assistant for a state,

But keep a farm, and carters.

King.

We will try it.

Enter HAMLET, reading.

Queen. But, look, where sadly the poor wretch comes reading.

Pol. Away! I do beseech you, both away.

I'll board him presently:-O! give me leave.—

[Exeunt King, Queen, and Attendants.

How does my good lord Hamlet?

Ham. Well, god-'a-mercy.

Pol. Do you know me, my lord?

Ham. Excellent well'; you are a fishmonger.

Pol. Not I, my lord.

Ham. Then, I would you were so honest a man.

Pol. Honest, my lord?

Ham. Ay, sir: to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand2.

Pol. That's very true, my lord.

Ham. For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion,-Have you a daughter?

k

BUT keep a farm,] The folio reads " And keep a farm," &c.

I EXCELLENT well ;] The folio spoils the line, if line were intended, by repeating "excellent."

2

3

out of ten thousand.] So every quarto. The folio has "two thousand."

- being a good kissing carrion,] Warburton's note, and Johnson's eulogy of it, seem to have led most subsequent editors from the old text in this place without sufficient consideration. The passage is not found in the quarto, 1603, (where, by the way, the scene is transposed) and in every other old impression, quarto and folio, the words are, "being a good kissing carrion," and not "being a god, kissing carrion," as Warburton gave them. "Good" could hardly have been a misprint for God, as in the latter case it would most likely have been written with a capital letter. Coleridge considered the passage "purposely obscure," but understood the reference to be to Ophelia and Polonius-the former as bred out of the latter, "a dead dog," but nevertheless" a good kissing carrion." As Warburton remarked, in "Cymbeline" the sun is called "commonkissing Titan," but the whole sense which seems to have been intended by Hamlet is obtained without altering "good" to god: if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, which dead dog is a good kissing carrion, why may not Ophelia have been produced by such carrion as Polonius? Such is Coleridge's interpretation. (Lit. Rem. vol. ii. p. 224.) The objection to this notion seems to be, that if VOL. VII. R

Pol. I have, my lord.

Ham. Let her not walk i' the sun: conception is a blessing; but not as your daughter may conceive1:— friend, look to't.

Pol. [Aside.] How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter:-yet he knew me not at first; he said, I was a fishmonger. He is far gone, far gone: and truly in my youth I suffered much extremity for love; very near this. I'll speak to him again.—What do you read, my lord?

Ham. Words, words, words.

Pol. What is the matter, my lord?
Ham. Between whom?

Pol. I mean, the matter that you reads, my lord. Ham. Slanders, sir: for the satirical rogue says here, that old men have grey beards; that their faces are wrinkled; their eyes purging thick amber, and plumtree gum; and that they have a plentiful lack of wit, together with most weak hams: all of which, sir, though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not honesty to have it thus set down; for you yourself, sir, should be old as I am, if like a crab you could go backward.

Pol. Though this be madness, yet there is method in't. [Aside.] Will you walk out of the air, my lord? Ham. Into my grave?

Pol. Indeed, that is out o' the air.-How pregnant

Hamlet likens Polonius to carrion, he necessarily likens Ophelia to the offspring of carrion. In a case of such difficulty it is at all events better to furnish the ancient wording, leaving the reader to form his own conjectures.

- but NOT as your daughter may conceive:-] The negative is found in the folios, and although the passage is intelligible without it in the quartos, it seems to render the sense more distinct. Lower down the repetition "far gone" is also from the folio.

5 - the matter that you READ,-] So every quarto, and rightly: the folio, "the matter that you MEAN." In the next line, the folio substitutes slave for "rogue" of all previous authorities. Southern corrected the error in his folio, 1685, the property of Mr. Holgate.

6

- for you yourself, sir, should be-] For "should be" of the folio, the quartos have shall grow. There are other minute variations.

sometimes his replies are! a happiness that often madness hits on, which reason and sanity could not so prosperously be delivered of. I will leave him, and suddenly contrive the means of meeting between him and my daughter.-My honourable lord, I will most humbly take my leave of you'.

Ham. You cannot, sir, take from me any thing that I will more willingly part withal; except my life, except my life, except my life3.

Pol. Fare you well, my lord.

Ham. These tedious old fools!

Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN.

Pol. You go to seek the lord Hamlet; there he is.

Ros. God save you, sir!

[TO POLONIUS.

[Exit POLONIUS.

Guil. Mine honour'd lord!—

Ros. My most dear lord!

Ham. My excellent good friends!

How dost thou, Guildenstern? Ah, Rosencrantz ! Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do ye both?

Ros. As the indifferent children of the earth. Guil. Happy, in that we are not overhappy; On fortune's cap we are not the very button". Ham. Nor the soles of her shoe?

Ros. Neither, my lord.

Ham. Then you live about her waist, or in the middle of her favours?

7 take my leave of you.] For this passage, from " and suddenly contrive," the quartos, 1604, &c. have only "I will leave him and my daughter. My lord, I will take my leave of you." In the quarto, 1603, the interview between Hamlet and Ophelia has already taken place.

8 except my life.] The folio has only "except my life, my life." These repetitions in the quartos struck Coleridge as "most admirable." (Lit. Rem. vol. ii. p. 224.)

9

the very button.] In the quartos previous to that of 1637, the reading is, "Happy in that we are not ever happy on Fortune's lap. We are not the very button."