Ham. Mother, you have my father much offended Queen. Come, come, you anfwer with an idle tongue. Ham. Go, go, you queftion with a wicked tongue. Ham. No, by the rood, not fo; You are the Queen, your husband's brother's wife, But, 'would you were not fo!-You are my mother. Queen. Nay, then I'll fet thofe to you that can fpeak. Ham. Come, come, and fit you down; you shall You go not, 'till I fet you up a glafs not budge: Where you may fee the inmoft part of you. Queen. What wilt thou do? thou wilt not murder Help, ho. Pol. What ho, help. [me? [Behind the Arras. Ham. How now, a rat? dead for a ducat, dead: Pol. Oh, I am flain. [Hamlet kills Polonius. Queen. Oh me, what haft thou done? Ham. Nay, I know not: is it the King? Queen. Oh, what a rath and bloody deed is this! Ham. A bloody deed; almost as bad, good mother, As kill a King, and marry with his brother. Ham. Ay, Lady, 'twas my word. Thou wretched, rafh, intruding fool, farewel; [To Polonius. I took thee for thy betters; take thy fortune; If damned custom have not brazed it so, Queen. What have I done, that thou darest wag In noise fo rude against me? [thy tongue Ham. Such an act, That blurs the grace and blufh of modefty; Queen. Ay me! what act, That roars fo loud, and thunders in the index? (49) A station, like the herald Mercury,] The Poet employs this word in a fenfe different from what it is generally used to figaify; for it means here an attitude, a filent pofture, fixt demeanour of perfon, in oppofition to an active behaviour. So our Poet before, defcribing Octavia; Cleo. What majefty is in her gate? Remember, Mell. She creeps: Her motion and her ftation are as one. Anto and Cleop. And I ought to obferve, (which feems no bad proof of our Author's learning and knowledge) that among the Latins, the word ftatio, in its first and natural fignification, implied ftantis actio, i. e. a posture, or attitude. This Monf. Fresnoy, in his Art of Painting, has chose to expreft by positura : New-lighted on a heaven-kiffing hill; A combination, and a form indeed, This was your husband,---Look you now, what fol Querendafque inter pofituras, luminis, umbra, Par erit barmoniam Which our Dryden has thus tranflated; "'Tis the business of a painter, in his choice of attitudes, to foresee the effect and harmony of the lights and fhadows, with the colours which are to enter into the whole." And again, afterwards; Mutorumque filens pofitura imitabitur actus. Which I think may be thus rendered; Still let the fileat attitude betray What the mute figure should in gesture say. (50) fenfe. fure you have, &c.] Mr Pope has left out the quantity of about eight verfes here, which I have taken care to replace. They are not, indeed, to be found in the two elder Folios, but they carry the ftile, expression, and caft of thought, peculiar to our Author; and that they were not an interpolation from another hand needs no better proof than that they are in all the oldest Quartos. The first motive of their being left out, I am perfuaded, wasto fhorten Hemlet's fpeech, and confult the cafe of the actor: and the reason why they find no place in the Folio impreffions is, that they were printed from the playhoufe caftrated copies. But, furely, this can be no authority for a modern editor to confpire in mutilating his author; fuch omiffions either muft betray a want of diligence in collating, or a want of justice in the voluntary filling. Elfe could you not have motion: but, fure, that [fenfe : To ferve in fuch a difference. What devil was't Could not fo mope. O fhame! where is thy blush? rebellious hell, And melt in her own fire. Proclaim no shame, (51) And Reafon panders Will. Queen. O Hamlet, fpeak no more. Thou turnest mine eyes into my very foul, Ham. Nay, but to live In the rank sweat of an incestuous bed, (51) -Proclaim no fame, When the compulfive ardour gives the charge; And reafon pardons will. This is, indeed, the reading of fome of the older copies; and Mr Pope has a strange fatality, whenever there is a various reading, of espousing the wrong one. The whole tenour of the context demands the word degraded by that judicious editor; And reafon pan ters will. This is the reflection which Hamlet is making, “Let us not call it thame when heat of blood compels young people to indulge their appetites; fince froft too can burn; and age, at that feafon when judgment fhould predominate, yet feels the flings of inclination, and fuffers reafon to be the bawd to appetite." VOL. XII. K Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love Over the nasty sty. Queen. Oh, fpeak no more; These words like daggers enter in mine ears. Ham. A murderer, and a villain !--------- That from a fhelf the precious diadem stole Queen. No more. Enter Ghoft. Ham. A king of fhreds and patches----Save me! and hover o'er me with your wings, [Starting up. You heavenly guards! what would your gracious Queen. Alas! he's mad---- [figure? Ham. Do you not come your tardy fon to chide, That, lapfed in time and paffion, lets go by Th' important acting of your dread command? O fay ! Gheft. Do not forget: this vifitation Is but to whet thy almoft blunted purpose. (52) 4 Vice of Kings;] This does not mean, a very vicious king; as on the other hand, in King Henry V. this grace of Kings, means this gracious King, this honour to royalty. But here I take it, a perfon, and not a quality, is to be understood By a vice (as I have explained the word in feveral preceding notes) is meant that buffoon character which used to play the fool in old plays; fo that Hamlet is here designed to call his uncle, a ridiculous ape of majefty, but the mimicry of a king. |