I'll do't.---Doft thou come hither but to whine?
To outface me with leaping in her grave?
Be buried quick with her; and fo will I ;
And if thou prate of mountains, let them throw
Millions of acres on us, 'till our ground,
Singeing his pate against the burning zone,
Make Offa like a wart! nay, an thou'lt mouth,
I'll rant as well as thou.

Queen. This is mere madness;

And thus a while the fit will work on him:
Anon, as patient as the female dove, 、
When that her golden couplets are disclosed,
His filence will fit drooping.

Ham. Hear you, Sir---

What is the reason that you ufe me thus ?

I loved you ever; but it is no matter---
Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew, the dog will have his day. [Ex.
King. I pray you, good Horatio, wait upon him.

[Exit Hor. Strengthen your patience in our laft night's fpeech. [To Laertes. We'll put the matter to the prefent pufh. Good Gertrude, fet fome watch over your fon: This grave fhall have a living monument. An hour of quiet fhortly fhall we fee;

'Till then, in patience our proceeding be. [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to a Hall, in the Palace.

Enter HAMLET and HORATIO.

Ham. So much for this, you now fhall fee the

other.

You do remember all the circumftance ?

Hor. Remember it, my Lord?

[ing,

Ham. Sir, in my heart there was a kind of fight

That would not let me fleep; methought I lay
Worse than the mutines in the bilboes; rafhnefs
(And praised be rathnefs for it) lets us know,
Our indifcretion fometimes ferves us well,

When our deep plots do fail; and that should teach us,

There's a divinity that fhapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will.
Kor. That is most certain.
Ham. Up from my cabin,

My fea-gown fearf'd about me in the dar
Groped I to find out them; had my defire,
Fingered their packet, and in fine withdrew
To mine own room again, making so bold
(My fears forgetting manners) to unfeal
Their grand commitlion, where I found, Horatio,
A royal knavery; an exact command,

Larded with many feveral forts of reasons,
Importing Denmark's health and England's too,
(With, ho! fuch bugs and goblins in my life)
That on the furpervize, no leifure bated,

No, not to stay the grinding of the ax,
My head fhould be ftruck off.

Hor. Is it poffible?

Ham. Here's the commiffion, read it at more
leifure;

But wilt thou hear now how I did proceed!
Hor. I befeech you.

Ham. Being thus benetted round with villainy, (Ere I could make a prologue, to my bane (70)

(70) Being thus benetted round with villains,

E'er I could make a prologue to my brains,
They had begun the play. I hate me down, &c.]

This paffage is certainly corrupt both in the text and pointing. Making a prologue to his brain is fuch a phrase as Shakespeare would never have used to mean, e'er I could form my thoughts to making a prologue, I communicated

They had begun the play :) I fate me down,
Devised a new commission, wrote it fair:
(I once did hold it, as our Statists do,

A bafenefs to write fair, and laboured much
How to forget that learning; but, Sir, now
It did me yeoman's fervice;) wilt thou know
Th' effect of what I wrote?

Hor. Ay, good my Lord.

Ham. An earneft conjuration from the King, As England was his faithful tributary,

As love between them, like the palm, might flourish, As peace fhould ftill her wheaten garland wear, (71) And ftand a Commere 'tween their amities;

my doubts to my two ingenious friends Mr Warburton and Mr Bishop; and by their affiftance, I hope, I have reformed the whole to the Author's intention:

Being thus benetted round with villainy,

(E'er I could make a pologue, to my bane

They had begun the play :) I fate me down.

i. e. Being thus in their fnares, ere I could make a prologue, (take the leaft previous step to ward off danger), they had begun the play (put their fchemes in action) which was to terminate in my deftruction.

(71) As Peace fuld fill her wheaten garland wear,

And fand a comma 'tween their amities, &c.]

Peace is finely and properly perfonalized here, as the goddefs of good league and friendship; but what idea can we form of her standing as a comma, or stop, betwixt their amities? I am fure the stands rather like a cypher in this reading. I have no doubt but the Poet wrote;

And ftand a commere 'tween their amities.

i. e. a guarantee, a common mother. Nothing can be more picturesque than this image of Peace's standing dreffed in her wheaten garland between the two princes, and extending a hand to each. In this equipage and office we frequently fee her on Roman coins; particularly on two exhibited by Baron Spanheim; one of Auguftus, and the other of Vef pafian. The pects likewife image to us Peace holding an car of corn, as the emblem of plenty. Tibull. lib. I. Eleg. x. At nobis, pax alma, veni, Spicamque teneto. Mr Warburton.

And many fuch like As's of great charge;
That on the view and knowing thefe contents,
Without debatement further, more or lefs,
He thould the bearers put to fudden death,
Not thriving-time allowed.

Hor. How was this fealed?

Ham. Why, even in that was Heaven ordinant; I had my father's fignet in my purse, Which was the model of that Danith feal : I folded the writ up in form of th' other, Subfcribed it, gave th' impreffion, placed it fafely, The changeling never known. Now, the next day Was our fea-fight, and what to this was fequent Thou knoweft already.

Hor. So Guildenstern and Rofincrantz go to't. Ham. Why, man, they did make love to this employment.---

They are not hear my confcience; their defeat
Doth by their own infinuation grow:
'Tis dangerous when the bafer nature comes
Between the pafs and fell incenfed points

Of mighty oppo tes.

Hor. Why, what a King is this!

Ham. Does it not, thinkest thou, ftand me now upon?

He that hath killed my King, and whored my moPop'd in between th' election and my hopes, [ther, Thrown out his angle for my proper life,

And with fuch cozenage; is it not perfect confcience To quit him with this arm? and is't not to be To let this canker of our nature come [damned,

In further evil?

Hor. It must be fhortly known to him from EngWhat is the iffue of the business there.

Ham. It will be short.

[land,

The interim's mine; and a man's life's no more

Than to fay, one.

VOL. XII.

But I am very forry, good Horatio,
That to Laertes I forgot myfelf;
For by the image of my caufe I fee

The portraiture of his; I'll court his favour;
But fure, the bravery of his grief did put me
Into a towering paffion.

Hor. Peace, who comes here?

Enter OSRICK.

Ofr. Your Lordship is right welcome back to Denmark.

Ham. I humbly thank you, Sir. Doft know this water-fly?

Hor. No, my good Lord.

Ham. Thy ftate is the more gracious; for 'tis a vice to know him: he hath much land, and fertile; let a beast be lord of beasts, and his crib fhall stand at the King's mefs; 'tis a chough; but, as I fay, fpacious in the poffeffion of dirt.

Ofr. Sweet Lord, if your Lordship were at leifure, I fhould impart a thing to you from his Majesty.

Ham. I will receive it with all diligence of fpirit: your bonnet to his right ufe'tis for the head.

Ojr. I thank your Lordship, 'tis very hot. (72)

(72) I thank our Lordship, 'tis very hot.

Ham. No, believe me, 'tis very cold; the wind is northerly. Ofr. It is indifferent cold, my Lord, indeed.

Ham. But yet, methinks, it is very fultry, and hot for my complexion.

Ofr. Exceedingly, my Lord, it is very fultry, as 'twere, I cannot tell how:] The humourous compliance of this fantastic courtier to every thing that Hamlet fays, is fo clofe a copy from Juvenal, (Sat. III.) that our Author muft certainly have had that picture in his eye:

-Rides? majore cachinno