Guild. We will provide ourselves: Rof. The fingle and peculiar life is bound, Which now goes too free-fopted. Both. We will hafte us. [Exeunt Gentlemen. Enter POLONIUS. Pol. My Lord, he's gone to his mother's clofet; Behind the arras I'll convey myself To hear the procefs. I'll warrant fhe'll tax him And, as you faid, and wifely was it faid, [home. 'Tis meet that fome more audience than a mother (Since nature makes them partial,) fhould o'er-hear The fpeech, of vantage. Fare you well, my Liege; on that play. Perhaps, too, in the Merry Wives of Windsor, where all the editions read, Why, woman, your husband is in his old lines again; we ought to correct, in his old lunes again; i, e. in his old fits of maduefs, frenzy. I'll call upon you ere you go to bed, King. Thanks, dear my Lord. Oh! my offence is rank, it fmells to heaven, (46) It hath the primal, eldest curse upon't; [Exit. Alrather's murder. -Pray I cannot,] The laft verfe, 'tis evident, halts in the meafare; and, if I don't mistake, is a little lame in the fenfe too. Was a brother's murder the eldeft curfe? Surely it was rather the crime that was the caufe of this eldeft curfe. We have no affiftance, however, either to the fenfe or numbers from any of the copies. All the editions concur in the deficiency of a foot; but if we can both cure the meafure, and help the meaning, without a prejudice to the Author, I think the concurrence of the printed copies fhould not be fufficient to forbid a conjecture. I have ventured at two fupplemental fyllables, as innocent in themselves as neceffary to the purposes for which they are introduced; That of a brother's murder. (47) Though inclination be] This line has lain under the fufpicion of many nice obfervers; and an ingenious gentleman started, at a heat, this very probable emendation: Though, inclination be as fharp as 'twill. The variation from the traces of the letter is very minute, a t with an apostrophe before it only being added, which might very easily have flipt out under the printer's hands; fo that the change will not be difputed, fuppofing there is a necef fity for it; which however is fubmitted to judgment. 'Tis certain the line, as it flands in all the editions, has fo ftrongly the air of a flat tautology, that it may deferve a fhort comment, and to have the difference betwixt inclination and will afcertained. The word inclination, in its ufe with us (as my friend Me Warburton defines it to me) is taken in these. three acceptations. Firft, in its exact philofophical fenfe, it fignifies the drawing or inclining the will to determine itfelf one certain way; according to this fignification the line is nonfenfe; and is the fame as to affirm, that the part is as big as the whole. In the next place, inclination fignifies the will, and then it is the most absurd tautology. But, lafily, My ftronger guilt defeats my ftrong intent: And what's in prayer, but this two-fold force, Or pardoned being down? then I'll look up; Of thofe effects for which I did the murder, it fignifies a difpofition to do a thing, already determined of, with complacency and pleafure. And if this is, as it feems to be, the fenfe of the word here, then the fentiment will be very clear and proper. For wi fignifying barely the determination of the mind to do a thing, the fenfe will be this: Though the pleasure I take in this act, be as itrong as the determination of my mind to perform it, yet my honger gu.lt defeats my strong intent, &c." Oh limed foul, that, ftruggling to be free, [iteel, All may be well. [The King retires and kneels. Enter HAMLET. Ham. Now might I do it pat, now he is praying, And now I'll do't-and fo he goes to heaven.And fo am I revenged? that would be scanned; A villain kills my father, and for that 1, his fole fon, do this fame villain fend To heaven-0, this is hire and falary, not revenge. With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May; Or in th' incestuous pleasure of his bed; (48) Up, fword, and know thou a more horid time.] This is a fophifticated reading, warranted by none of the copies of any authority. Mr Pope fays, I read conjecturally; a more horrid bent. I do fo, and why? The two oldest Quartos, as well as the two elder Folios, read,- a more horrid bent. But as there is no fuch English fubftantive, it seems very natural to conclude, that, with the change of a fingle letter, our Author's genuine word was bent, i. e drift, fcope, inclination, purpose, &c. I have proved his frequent ufe of this word, in my Shakespeare Reftored; fo fhall fpare the trouble of making the quotations over again here. I took notice there, that throwing my eye cafually over the fourth Folio edition, priated in 1685, I found my correction there anticipated At gaming, fwearing, or about fome act Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven; King. My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; Words, without thoughts, never to Heaven go. [Exit. SCENE changes to the Queen's Apartment. Enter Queen and POLONIUS. Pol. He will come ftraight; lock you lay home to him: Tell him, his pranks have been too broad to bear with; And that your Grace hath fereened, and stood be tween Much heat and him. I'll filence me e'en here;- Ham. [within.] Mother, mother, mother. Withdraw, I hear him coming. [Polonius hides himself behind the Arras. Enter HAMLET. [ed. Ham. Now, mother, what's the matter? I think myfelf obliged to repeat this confeffion, that 1 may not be accufed of plagiarifm, for an emendation which I had made before ever I faw a fingle page of that book. |