HAM. There's letters seal'd: and my two school fellows, Whom I will trust as I will adders fang'd, They bear the mandate; they must sweep my way, go hard But I will delve one yard below their mines, I'll lug the guts into the neighbour room. [Exeunt severally; Hamlet dragging in Polonius. 202-210 There's letters seal'd .. directly meet] Thus the Quartos. The lines are omitted from the Folios. 203 adders fang'd] adders with fangs. 206 enginer] the old form of engineer. 207 Hoist petar] Hoisted with his own petard or mortar; petard was a piece of ordnance used in blowing open gates and doors. 211 This man .. packing] This uncle of mine shall turn me into a plotter. "Packing" is used in a double sense, both of conspiring and of hurrying off. 210 A ROOM IN THE CASTLE Enter KING, QUEEN, ROSENCRANTZ, and GUILDENSTERN KING these sighs, these profound heaves: You must translate: 't is fit we understand them. Where is your son? QUEEN. Bestow this place on us a little while. [Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Ah, mine own lord, what have I seen to-night! KING. What, Gertrude? How does Hamlet? QUEEN. Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend Which is the mightier: in his lawless fit, ACT IV, SCENE 1] The Quarto of 1676 first made Act IV to begin here, and that arrangement is generally followed. But this scene closely continues the action of the preceding one, and there is some ground for deferring the opening of a new act till Scene iv, infra. Behind the arras hearing something stir, KING. O heavy deed! It had been so with us, had we been there: To you yourself, to us, to every one. Alas, how shall this bloody deed be answer'd? Should have kept short, restrain'd and out of haunt, To keep it from divulging, let it feed Even on the pith of life. Where is he gone? Shows itself pure; he weeps for what is done. The sun no sooner shall the mountains touch, 11 brainish apprehension] crazy notion. 18 kept short Ho, Guildenstern! out of haunt] kept within bounds . . removed from company. For "kept short, restrain'd," cf. I, iii, 125, supra: “And with a larger tether may he walk.” 26 a mineral] a metallic vein in a mine or a lode. 10 20 30 Re-enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN Friends both, go join you with some further aid: And from his mother's closet hath he dragg'd him: [Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Whose whisper o'er the world's diameter As level as the cannon to his blank Transports his poison'd shot, may miss our name [Exeunt. 40 Theobald inserted Happily slander after untimely done, which Capell changed to So haply slander, words which are usually adopted to fill the obvious hiatus, and make satisfactory grammar and sense. 41 diameter] probably used for "circumference." 42 blank] bull's-eye; the white mark in the centre of a target. HAM. But soft, what noise? who calls on Hamlet? O, here they come. Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN Ros. What have you done, my lord, with the dead body? HAM. Compounded it with dust, whereto 't is kin. Ros. Tell us where 't is, that we may take it thence And bear it to the chapel. HAM. Do not believe it. HAM. That I can keep your counsel and not mine Besides, to be demanded of a sponge! what rep lication should be made by the son of a king? Ros. Take you me for a sponge, my lord? HAM. Ay, sir; that soaks up the king's countenance, his rewards, his authorities. But such officers do the king best service in the end: he keeps them, like an ape, in the corner of his jaw; first mouthed, to be last swallowed: when he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry again. Ros. I understand you not, my lord. HAM. I am glad of it: a knavish speech sleeps in a foolish ear. 6 Compounded] Thus the Folios. The Quartos read Compound, in the imperative, which suits the context better. For Hamlet has not buried Polonius' body. 15 countenance] favour. 16 authorities] offices of authority. 17 like an ape] Thus the Folios. The Quartos read like an apple, which may safely be rejected. 10 20 |