Moreover that we much did long to fee you,
The need we have to use you did provoke
Our hafty fending. Something you have heard
Of Hamlet's transformation; fo I call it,
Since not the exterior, nor the inward man
Refembles that it was. What it should be
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from the understanding of himself,
cannot dream of. I intreat you both,

That being of fo young days brought up with him,
And fince to neighboured to his youth and humour,
That you vouchiafe you ret here in our court
Some little time; fo by your companies
To draw him on to pleafures, and to gather,
So much as from occafions you may glean,
If aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus,
That opened lyes within our remedy.

Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talked
of you;

And fure I am two men there are not living,
To whom he more adheres. If it will pleafe you
To fhew us fo much gentry and good will,
As to extend your time with us a while,
For the fupply and profit of our hope,
Your vifitation fhall receive fuch thanks
As fits a king's remembrance.

Rof. Both your Majesties

Might by the fovereign power you have of us,
Put your dread pleasures more into command
Than to entreaty.

Guil. But we both obey,

And here give up ourselves, in the full bent

To lay our fervice freely at your feet.

King. Thanks, Rofincrantz, and gentle Guildenftern.

Queen. Thanks, Guildenftern, and gentle Rofin. And I befeech you instantly to vifit

[crantz. My too much changed fon. Go, some of ye, And bring thefe gentlemen where Hamlet is. Guil. Heavens make our prefence and our pracPleafant and helpful to him!

[tices

[Exeunt Rof. and Guil.

Queen. Amen.

Enter POLONIUS.

Pol. Th' ambaffadors from Norway, my good Are joyfully returned.

[Lord, King. Thou ftill haft been the father of good news. Pol. Have I, my Lord? affure you, my good I hold my duty, as I hold my foul,

[liege, Both to my God, and to my gracious King; And I do think, (or else this brain of mine Hunts not the trail of policy fo fure As I have used to do) that I have found The very caufe of Hamlet's lunacy.

King. Oh, fpeak of that, that do I long to hear. Pol. Give first admittance to th' amballadors:

in.

My news fhall be the fruit to that great feaft.
King. Thyfelf do grace to them, and bring them.
[Exit Pol
He tells me, my fweet Queen, that he hath found
The head and fource of all your fon's diftemper.

Queen. I doubt it is no other but the main, His father's death, and our o'er-hafty marriage..

Re-enter POLONIUS, with VOLTIMOND, and

CORNELIUS.

King. Well, we fhall fift him.---- Welcome, my good friends!

Say, Voltimond, what from our brother Norway

Vol. Moft fair return of greetings and defires.

Upon our first, he fent out to fupprefs
His nephew's levies, which to him appeared
To be a preparation 'gainst the Polack :
But, better looked into, he truly found
It was against your Highnefs: whereat grieved,
That fo his ficknefs, age, and impotence
Was falfely borne in hand, fends out arrets
On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys,
Receives rebuke from Norway, and, in fine,
Makes vow before his uncle, never more
To give th' affay of arms against your majefty.
Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,

Gives him threefcore thoufand crowns in annual fee; (27)

(27) Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee;] This reading first obtained in the edition put out by the players. But all the old Quartos (from 1605, downwards) read, as I have reformed the text. I had hinted, that three core thoufand crowns feemed a much more fuitable donative from a King: to his own nephew, and the general of an army, than fo poor a pittance as three thousand crowns, a pension fearce large enough for a dependent courtier. I therefore restored;

Gives him threefore thousand crowns.

To this Mr Pope, (very archly critical, as he imagines) has only replied,—which in his ear is a verfe. I own it is; and I'll venture to prove to this great mafter in numbers, that two fyllables may, by pronunciation, be refolved and melted into one, as eafily as two notes are flurred in music; and a redundance of a fyllable, that may be so funk, has never been a breach of harmony in any language. We must pronounce, as if 'twere written;

Gi's'm three core thou find crowns [

But has Mr Pope, indeed, fo long been converfant with verse, and never obferved the licence of the pes proceleufma ticus, or that an anapast is equal in time and quantity to a fpondée ? A few inftances from the Claflics will convince him, and perfons (if there are any fuch) of superior learning. Γαλακτοφάγων, ἀβιων, δικαιοτάτων ἀνθρώπων. Hom. Π. v. v.6. Βορέης και Ζέφυρος, τώ τε Θρήκηθεν ἄκλον. II. . v. 5. Νέα μέν μοι κατέαξε Ποσειδάων ενοσίχθων.

And his commiffion to employ those foldiers,
So levied as before, against the Polack:
With an entreaty herein further shewn,
That it might pleafe you to give quiet pafs
Through your dominions for this enterprize,
On fuch regards of fafety and allowance
As therein are fet down.

Ἱέρευον δὲ σύας σιαλος καὶ βῦν ωγελαίνη.

Odyff. p. v. 187.

Κύκλωψ, τῆ, πιε οἶνον, ἐπεὶ φάγες ἀνδρόμεα κρέα. Odyf. 1. 347.
Ειαρι πολεῖν, θέρεος νεωμένη ἐ σ' απατήσει. Hefiod. Εργ. 461.
Capitibus nutantes platanos, rectafque cupreus.
Tenula puta, minuta, croci contina colore.
Tenue, cavati oculi, cava temp.ra, frigida pellis.
Per terras amnes, atque oppida cooperuiffe.
Vehemens et liquidus, purique, fimillimus amni.
Parietibusque premunt artis, et quatuor addunt.
Herent parietibus Scale.
Fluviorum rex Eridanus.

Arietat in portas et duros objice poftes

Ennius.

Lucret.

Idem.

Idem.

Horat.

Virgil.

Idem.

Idem.

Idem..

Senec.

Idem.

Idem.

Let us

1

Ego laticis hauftu fatior? aut ullo furor, &c.
Tumet animus ira, fervet immenfum dolor.
Vide ut animus ingens latus audierit necem.
But inftances from the Claffics would be endlefs.
now take a fhort view, whether there are not other verfes
in our Author which neither can be scanned nor pronounced,
without melting down fome fyllables, and extending others;
and yet the verfes will ftand the teft of all judicious ears,
that are acquainted with the licences of verfification.

Unholyrood day, the gallant Hotfpur there. Henry. IV.
And that the Lord of Weft | morland shall | maintain.
3 Henry VI.
Thy grandfather Roger Mortimer Earl | of

March.

I am the fon of Henry | the Fifth.

For Henry here is made a trifyllable.

Ibid.

Ibid.

Tul. Caf.

As fire drives out fire, fo pity pity.. And I might amafs a thousand more inftances in proof. To conclude, without this liberty of liquidating fyllables, as we may call it, how would Mr Pope, or any body elfe, fcan this verfe in Johnfon's Volpene?

But Pără | fites or | sub-pa | râfites. | And yet, &c.

King. It likes us well;

And at our more confidered time we'll read,
Answer, and think upon this busmefs.

Mean time, we thank you for your well-took labour.

Go to your reft; at night we'll feaft together.

Most welcome home!

Pol. This business is well ended.

[Exeunt Ambas

My Liege, and Madam, to expoftulate (28)
What Majefty fhould be, what duty is,

Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to walte night, day and time.
Therefore, fince brevity's the foul of wit,
And tedioufnefs the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief; your noble fon is mad;
Mad, call I it; for, to define true madness,

(28) My liege, and Madam, to expoftulate] There seems to me in this fpeech most remarkable strokes of humour. Inever read it without astonishment at the Author's admirable art of preferving the unity of character. It is so just a satire on impertinent oratory, (especially of that then in vogue) which was of the formal cut, and proceeded by definition, division, and fubdivifion, that I think every body must be charmed with it. Then as to the jingles, and play of words, let us but look into the fermons of Dr Donne, (the wittiest man of that age) and we hall find them full of this vein; only, there they are to be admired, here to be laughed at. Then with what art is Polonius made to pride him

felf in his wit?

A foolish figure.-But, farewel it.

Again, how finely is he fneering the formal oratory in fafhion, when he makes this reflection on Hamlet's raving:

Though this be madness, yet there's method in it.

As if method in a difcourfe (which the wits of that age thought the most essential part of good writing) would make amends for the madnefs of it. This in the mouth of Polonius is exceeding fatirical. Though it was madness, yet he could comfort himself with the reflection that at least it was method. Mr Warburton.