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King. We will try it.

Enter HAMLET, reading.

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

Pol. Away, I do befeech you, both away;

I'll board him prefently :-O, give me leave.

[Exeunt King, Queen, and Attendants.

"Some little time; fo by your companies
"To draw bim on to pleafures, and to gather
So much as from occation you may glean,

"Whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus,
"That open'd lies within our remedy; -"

How

feem to have been formed on the following flight hints in The Hyfory of Hambler, bl. let. fig. C. 3: "They counfelled to try and know if poffible, how to difcover the intent and meaning of the young prince; and they could find no better nor more fit invention to intrap him, then to fet fome faire and beautiful woman in a fecret place, that with flattering speeches and all the craftieft meanes the could, should purposely feek to allure his mind to have his pleasure of her.-To this end, certain courtiers were appointed to lead Hamblet into a folitary place, within the woods, where they brought the woman, inciting him to take their pleafures together. And furely the poore prince at this affault had beene in great danger, if a gentleman that in Horvendille's time had been nourished with him, had not showne himselfe more affectioned to the bringing up he had received with Hamblet, than defirous to please the tyrant.-This gentleman bare the courtiers company, making full account that the leaft fhowe of perfect fence and wifdome that Hamblet fhould make, would be fufficient to caufe him to loose his life; and therefore by certain fignes he gave Hamblet intelligence in what danger he was like to fall, if by any means he seemed to obaye, or once like the wanton toyes and vicious provocations of the gentlewoman fent thither by his uncle: which much abafhed the prince, as then wholly being in affection to the lady. But by her he was likewife informed of the treafon, as one that from her infancy loved and favoured him.-The prince in this fort having deceived the courtiers and the ladys expectation, that affirmed and fwore hee never once offered to have his pleasure of the woman, although in fubtlety he affirmed the contrary, every man thereupon aflured themselves that without doubt he was diftraught of his fences;-fo that as then Fengon's practife took no effect."

Here we find the rude outlines of the characters of Ophelia, and Horatio, the gentleman that in the time of Horvendille (the father of Hamlet) bad been nourished with him. But in this piece there are no traits of the character of Polonius. There is indeed a counfellor, and

he

How does my good lord Hamlet?
Ham. Well, god-'a-mercy.

Pol. Do you know me, my lord?

Ham. Excellent well; you are a fifhmonger.

Pol. Not I, my lord.

Ham. Then I would you were fo honest a man.

Pol. Honest, my lord?

Ham. Ay, fir; to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man pick'd out of ten thousand.

Pol. That's very true, my lord.

Ham. For if the fun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a god, kifling carrion 6,-Have you a daughter?

Pol.

he places himself in the queen's chamber behind the arras ;-but this is the whole. MALONE.

6 For if the fun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a god, kiffing carrion,--&c.] The old copies read-a good killing carrion. The emendation was made by Dr. Warburton, who yet in my apprehenfion did not understand the paffage. I have therefore omitted his laboured comment on it, in which he endeavours to prove that Shakspeare intended it as a vindication of the ways of Providence in permitting evil to abound in the world. He does not indeed pretend that this profound meaning can be drawn from what Hamlet fays; but this is what he was thinking of; for "this wonderful man (Shakspeare) had an art not only of acquainting the audience with what his actors fay, but with what they think!"

Hamlet's obfervation is, I think, simply this. He has just remarked that honesty is very rare in the world. To this Polonius afients. The prince then adds, that fince there is fo little virtue in the world, fince corruption abounds every where, and maggots are bred by the fun, even in a dead dog, Polonius ought to take care to prevent his daughter from walking in the fun, left the should prove" a breeder of finners;" for though conception in general be a bleffing, yet as Ophelia (whom Hamlet fuppofes to be as frail as the reft of the world,) might chance to conceive, it might be a calamity. The maggots breeding in a dead dog, feem to have been mentioned merely to introduce the word conception; on which word, as Mr. Steevens has obferved, Shakfpeare has play'd in King Lear: and probably a fimilar quibble was intended here. The word, however, may have been used in its ordinary fenfe, for pregnancy, without any double meaning.

The flight connection between this and the preceding paffage, and Hamlet's abrupt question, bave you a daughter & were manifeftly intended more strongly to imprefs Polonius with the belief of the prince's madnefs.

Perhaps

Pol. I have, my lord.

Ham. Let her not walk i' the fun: conception is a bleffing; but as your daughter may conceive,-friend, look to't.

Perhaps this paffage ought rather to be regulated thus:-"being a god-kiffing carrion; i. e. a carrion that kiffes the fun. The participle being naturally refers to the laft antecedent, dog. Had Shakspeare intended that it should be referred to fun, he would probably have written" be, being a god," &c. We have many fimilar compound epithets in these plays. Thus in K. Lear, A&t II. Sc. i. Kent speaks of "ear-kiffing arguments."Again, more appofitely in the play before us: "New lighted on a beaven-killing hill."

Again, in The Rape of Lucrece :

"Threatning cloud-kiffing Ilion with annoy."

However, the inftance quoted from Cymbeline by Dr. Warburton, «-common-kissing Titan," feems in favour of the regulation that has been hitherto made; for here we find the poet confidered the fun as kiffling the carrion, not the carrion as kifling the fun. So alfo in K. Henry IV. P. I. "Did'st thou never see Titan kifs a dish of butter? "* The following lines alfo in the hiftorical play of King Edward III. 1596, which Shakspeare had certainly feen, are, it must be acknow ledged, adverfe to the regulation which I have fuggested:

"The freshest fummer's day doth foonest taint

"The loathed carrion, that it feems to kiss."

In juftice to Dr. Johnfon, I should add, that the high elogium which he has pronounced on Dr. Warburton's emendation, was founded on the comment which accompanied it; of which however, I think, his judgment must have condemned the reasoning, though his goodnefs and piety approved its moral tendency. MALONE.

This is a noble emendation, which almost sets the critick on a level with the author. JOHNSON.

7-conception is a bleffing; &c.] Thus the quarto. The folio reads: "Conception is a blefling, but not as your daughter may conceive. Friend, look to't." The word not, I have no doubt, was inferted by the editor of the folio, in confequence of his not understanding the paflage. A little lower we find a fimilar interpolation in fome of the copies, probably from the fame caufe: "You cannot, fir, take from me any thing that I will not more willingly part withal, except my life." MALONE.

The meaning feems to be, conception (i. e. understanding) is a bleffing; but as your daughter may conceive (i. e. be pregnant), friend look to't, i. e. have a care of that. The fame quibble occurs in the first scene of K. Lear:

"Kent. I cannot conceive you, fir.

"Glo. Sir, this young fellow's mother could." STEEVENS.

VOL. IX.

S

Pol

Pol. How fay you by that? [Afide.] ftill harping on my daughter :-yet he knew me not at firft; he faid, I was a fishmonger: He is far gone, far gone: and, truly, in my youth I fuffer'd much extremity for love; very near this. I'll fpeak to him again.-What do you read, my lord?

Ham. Words, words, words!

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

Pol. I mean, the matter that you read, my lord.

Ham. Slanders, fir: for the fatirical rogue fays 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 moft weak hams: All which, fir, though I moft powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not honefty to have it thus fet down; for yourself, fir, fhall 8 Slanders, fir: for the fatirical rogue fays bere, that old men, &c.] By the fatirical rogue he means Juvenal in his tenth fatire :

Da fpatium vitæ, multos da Jupiter annos:

Hoc recto vultu, folum boc et pallidus optas.
Sed quàm continuis et quantis longa fenectus

Plena malis! deformem, et tetrum ante omnia vultum,
Diffimilemque fui, &c.

Nothing could be finer imagined for Hamlet, in his circumftances, than the bringing him in reading a description of the evils of long life. WARBURTON,

Had Shakspeare read Juvenal in the original, he had met with "De temone Britanno, Excidet Arviragus."—and " Uxorem, Pofibume, ducis?" We should not then have had continually in Cymbeline, Arviragus and Poftbūmus. Should it be faid that the quantity in the former word might be forgotten, it is clear from the mistake in the latter, that Shakspeare could not poffibly have read any one of the Roman poets.

There was a tranflation of the roth fatire of Juvenal by Sir John Beaumont, the elder brother of the famous Francis: but I cannot tell whether it was printed in Shakspeare's time. In that age of quotation, every claffic might be picked up by piece-meal.

I forgot to mention in its proper place, that another defcription of Old Age in As you like it, has been called a parody on a paffage in a French poem of Garnier. It is trifling to fay any thing about this, after the obfervation I made in Macbeth: but one may remark once for all, that Shakspeare wrote for the people; and could not have been fo abfurd as to bring forward any allufion, which had not been familiarized by fome accident or other. FARMER.

grow

grow as old as I am, if, like a crab, you could go backward.

Pol. Though this be madness, yet there's method in't.

Will you walk out of the air, my lord?

Ham. Into my grave?

[Afide.

Pol. Indeed, that is out o' the air. How pregnant fometimes his replies are! a happiness that often madnefs hits on, which reafon and fanity could not fo prof perously be deliver'd of. I will leave him, and fuddenly 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, fir, take from me any thing that I will more willingly part withal; except my life, except my life, except my life.

Pol. Fare you well, my lord.

Ham. These tedious old fools!

Enter ROSENCRANTZ2, and GUILDENSTERN.

Pol. You go to feek the lord Hamlet; there he is,
Ref. God fave you, fir!

Guil. My honour'd lord!—

Rof. My most dear lord!—

[to Pol. Exit Pol.

Ham. My excellent good friends! How doft thou, Guildenstern? Ah, Rofencrantz! Good lads, how do ye both?

Rof. As the indifferent children of the earth. .
Guil. Happy, in that we are not over-happy;
On fortune's cap we are not the very button.
Ham. Nor the foals of her shoe ?

Rof. Neither, my lord.

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

Guil. 'Faith, her privates we.

9 How pregnant, &c.] Pregnant is ready, dexterous, apt. STEEV. -and fuddenly, &c.] This, and the greateft part of the two following lines, are omitted in the quartos. STEEVENS,

2 Rofencrantz,] There was an ambasador of that name in England about the time when this play was written. STEVENS.

S 2

Ham.

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