That, laps'd in time and paffion, let's go by Ghoft. Do not forget: this vifitation Is but to whet thy almoft blunted purpose. Ham. How is it with you, Lady ? That thus you bend your eye on vacancy, (53) Your bedded hairs, like life in excrements, Sprinkle Start up and fand on end.] I took notice, in my SHAKESPEARE Reftor'd, that this expreflion as much wanted an explanation, as any the most antiquated word in our Poet wants a glofs. Mr. Hughs, in his impreffion of this play, has left it out: either becaufe he could make nothing of it, or thought it alluded to an image too naufeous. The Poet's meaning is founded on a phyfical determination, that the bair and nails are excrementitious parts of the body (as indeed, they are) without life or fenfation. MACROBIUS, in his Saturnalia, (lib. vii. cap. 9.) not only speaks of thofe parts of the human body which have no fenfation; but likewife affigns the reafons, why they can have none. Offa, dentes, cum unguibus & capillis, nimiâ ficcitate ità denfata funt, ut penetrabilia non fint effectui anime qui fentum miniftrat. Therefore the Poet means to lay, fear and furprize had fuch an effect upon Hamlet, that his hairs, as if there were life in those excrementitious parts, ftarted up and food on end. He has exprefs'd the fame thought more plainly in Macbeth. -and my fell of hair Would at a difmal treatise rowz`, and fir, That our Poet was acquainted with this notion in phyfics, of the hair being without life, we need no stronger warrant, than that he frequently mentions it as an excrement. Why is time fuch a niggard of bair, being, as it is, fo plentiful an excrement? • Vor. VIII. 1 Comedy of Errors, How Sprinkle cool patience. Whereon do you look? Hom. On him! on him!-look you, how pale he glares! Will want true colour; tears, perchance, for blood. Ham, Do you fee nothing there? [Pointing to the Gb. Queen. No, nothing but ourselves. Ham. Why, look you there! look, how it steals away! My father in his habit as he liv'd! Look, where he goes ev'n now, out at the portal. [Exit Ghoft. Queen. This is the very coinage of your brain, This bodilefs creation ecstasy Is very cunning in. Ham. What ecstasy ? My pulfe, as yours, doth temp'rately keep time, And I the matter will re-word; which madness How many cowards, whofe hearts are a'l as falfe To render them redoubted. Whilft Merchant of Venice. For I must tell thee, it will please his grace (by the world!) fometime to lean upon my poor fhoulder, and with his royal finger thus dally with my excrement, with my muftachio. Love's Labour Loft. &c. &c. (54) It will but fkin and film the ulcerous place, Whilft rank corruption, running all within, Infects unfeen.] So, our Poet elfewhere fpeaking of the force of power; Весацие Whilft rank corruption, mining all within, Virtue itself of vice muft pardon beg, Yea, courb, and woce, for leave to do it good. Queen. Oh Hamlet! thou hast cleft my heart in twain. And live the purer with the other half. That monfter custom, who all sense doth eat (55) Because authority, tho' it err like others, Hath yet a kind of medicine in itself, . Meaf. for Meaf. But why, in the paffage before us, has Mr. Pope given us a reading that is warranted by none of the copies, and degraded one, that has the countenance of all of them? Whilst rank corruption, mining all within, The Poet defcribes corruption as having a corrofive quality, eating its fecret way, and undermining the parts that are fkin'd over, and feem found to exteriour view. He, in another place, ufes the fimple verb for the compound. He lets me feed with his hinds, bars me the place of a brother, and, as much as in him lies, mines my gentility with my education. (55) That monfter Cuftom, who all fenfe doth eat, Of babit's devil, is angel yet in this; That to the ufe of actions fair and good Ile likewife gives a frock, or livery, As You Like it. That aptly is put on.] this paflage is left out in the two eller folios: it is certainly corrupt, and the players did the difcreet part ro te what they did not understand. Habit's devil certainly arofe from fome conceited tam perer with the text, who thought it was neceffary, in contrast to angel. The emendation of the text I owe to the fagacity of Dr. Thirlby. That monfter Cuftom, who all jenje doth eat Of habits evil, is angel, &c. i.e. Cuttom, which by inuring us to ill habits, makes us lofe the apprehenfion of the r being really ill, as eafily will reconcile us to the practice of good actions, I 2 Of habits evil, is angel yet in this; And that thall lend a kind of eafinefs To the next abftinence; the next, more eafy; I'll Bleffing beg of you.-For this fame Lord, [Pointing to Polonius. Thus bad begins, and worfe remains behind. Ham. Not this by no means, that ! bid you do. Or padling in your neck with his damn'd fingers, That I effentially am not in madness, But mad in craft. "Twere good, you let him know. Such dear concernings hide? who would do fo? Unpeg the bafket on the houfes' top, Let the birds fly, and, like the famous ape, And break your own neck down. Queen. Be thou affur'd, if words be made of breath, And breath of Life, I have no life to breathe What thou haft faid to me. Ham. I muft to England, you know that? Queen Queen. Alack, I had forgot; 'tis fo concluded on. Hoift with his own petard: and't shall go hard, I'll lug the guts into the neighbour room; [Exit Hamlet, tugging in Felonius. ******** ACT IV. SCENE, A Royal Apartment. Enter King and Queer, with Rofincrantz, and Guildenstern. KING. HERE's matter in these fighs; these profound THE heaves You must tranflate; 'tis fit, we understand them. Queen. Bestow this place on us a little while. [To Rof. and Guild. who go out. Ah, my good Lord, what have I feen to-night? Queen. Mad as the feas, and wind, when both contend I 3 Which |