Queen. If it be, Why feems it fo particular with thee? Ham. Seems, Madam? nay, it is; I know not seems; To give these mourning duties to your father: 2 To do obfequious forrow. But to perfevere 3 In obftinate condolement, is a course your father loft a father; That father, his; and the far vivir bound. Thus Mr. Pope judiciously corrected the faulty copies. On which the editor Mr. Theobald thus difcants; This fuppofed refinement is from Mr. Pope, but all the editions elfe, that I have met with, old and modern, read, That father loft, loft his;The reduplication of which word bere gives an energy and an elegance WHICH IS MUCH EASIER TO BE CONCEIVED THAN EX PLAINED IN TERMS. I believe fo: For when explained in terms 4 Of impious ftubbornness, unmanly grief. As of a father: for let the world take note, Than that which dearest father bears his fon, And we beseech you, bend you to remain. Queen. Let not thy mother lofe her prayers, Hamlet; ✦a will most incorrect-] Incorrect, for untutor❜d. WARBURTON. 5 To Reafon moft abfurd;-] Reafon, for experience. WARB. Reafon is here ufed in its common fenfe, for the faculty by which we form conclufions from arguments. tude. 6 And with no les nobility of love,] Nobility, for Magni. WARBURTON. Nobility is rather generfity." 7 Do I impart tow'rd you-] Impart, for profefs. WARD. I believe impart is, impart my felf, communicate whatever I can bestow. Be Be as ourself in Denmark. Madam, come; Ham. Oh, that this too too folid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlafting had not fixt His cannon 'gainft felf-flaughter! O God! O God; That grows to feed; things rank, and grofs in nature, two 1 So excellent a King, that was, to this, 8 Nojocundhealth.] The King's intemperance is very strongly impreffed; every thing that hap. pens to him gives him occafion to drink. 9 Or that the Everlafting had not fix'd His cannon 'gain felf flaughter!] The generality of the e'itions read thus, as if the Poet's thought were, Or that the Almighty had not planted his artillery, or arms of vengeance, against Hyperion Hyperion to a Satyr; fo loving to my mother, him, why, fhe would hang on As if Increase of Appetite had grown By what it fed on; yet, within a month, Let me not think-Frailty, thy name is Woman! O heav'n! a beast, that wants difcourfe of reason, Would have mourn'd longer-, married with mine uncle My father's brother; but no more like my father, be a little far-fetch'd; but it has 2. In former editions, winds of heav'n] This is a fophiftical reading, copied from the players in fome of the modern editions, for want of understanding the Poet, whofe text is corrupt in the old impreffions: All of which that I have had the fortune to fee, concur in reading; So loving to my mother, That he might not betcene the winds of heav'n Vifit her face too roughly. Beteene is a corruption with out doubt, but not fo inveterate a one, but that, by the change of a fingle letter, and the feparation of two words mistakenly jumbled together, I am verily perfuaded, I have retrieved the Poet's reading.-That he might not let e'en the winds of heav'n, &c. THEOBALD. 3 —a beaft, that wants dif Course of reason.] This is finely expreffed, and with a philofophical exactnefs. Beafts want not reafon, but the difcourfe of reafon: i. e. the regular inferring one thing from another by the affiftance of universals. WARBURTON. Difcourfe of renfon, as the logicians name the third operation of the mind, is indeed a philofophical term, but it is fine no otherwife than as it is proper; it cost the authour nothing, being the common language of his time. Of finding fuch beauties in any poet there is no end. Than کر Than I to Hercules. Within a month!- But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue. Enter Horatio, Bernardo, and Marcellus. Hor. Hail to your Lordship! Ham. I am glad to fee you well; Horatio,or I do forget my felf? Hor. The fame, my lord, and your poor fervant ever. Ham. Sir, my good friend; I'll change that name And what make you from Wittenberg, Horatio? Mar. My good lord Ham. I am very glad to fee you; good even, Sir. 4—what make gou- A familiar phrafe for what are you doing. 5 good even, Sir. ] So the copies. Sir Th. Hanmer and Dr. Wa burton put it, ond morn ing. The alteration is of no importance, but all licence is dan gerous. There is no need of any 2 change. Between the first and eighth fcene of this act it is ap parent that a natural day must pafs, and how much of it is already over, there is nothing that can determine. The King has held a council. It may now as well be evening as morning. But |