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NIOBE.

"ere her tears had had time to redden her eyes?" Wr. refers to the transitive use of flush to fill with water; but the word here is probably used in the other sense. On galled eyes, cf. Rich. III. iv. 4. 53 and T. and C. v. 3. 55.

157. Dexterity. "Nimbleness" (Schmidt). Walker suspects that S. wrote "celerity;" but elsewhere the idea of adroitness in the word seems to have suggested to S. that of quickness. Cf. R. of L. 1389, M. W. iv. 5. 121 and 1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 286.

158. Nor it cannot. Cf. iii. 2. 183 below: "nor 't is not strange," etc. Gr. 406.

159. Break. Subjunctive (Gr. 364) or 3d person imperative; not 2d person imperative, as many eds. make it by putting a comma after it.

163. Change. Exchange. Johnson explains the passage: "I'll be

your servant, you shall be my friend;" but it may mean simply, "I'll exchange the name of friend with you.”

164. What make you? What are you doing? Cf. Oth. iii. 4. 169: “What make you from home?" The phrase is common in S. and is quibbled upon in L. L. L. iv. 3. 190 fol. and Rich. III. i. 3. 164 fol. See ii. 2. 266 below.

167. Good even, sir. Addressed to Bernardo, whom Hamlet does not recognize (W.).

170. Hear. The quarto reading; that of the folios is "have," adopted by K., Sr., and W.

171. That.

Such. See Gr. 277, and cf. i. v. 48 below.

172. Truster. Cf. T. of A. iv. I. 10: "And cut your trusters' throats." Gr. 443.

177. I pray thee. As Corson remarks, this reading of the folio is better than "I prithee," an earnest entreaty being meant.

179. Upon. For the adverbial use, see Gr. 192.

180. Bak'd meats. We have "bakemeats" in Gen. xl. 17 (printed with a hyphen in the ed. of 1611, as Wr. states) and "bake mete" in Chaucer, C. T. 343. It was an old custom to furnish a cold entertainment for the mourners at a funeral. Collins quotes the old romance of Syr Degore:

"A great feaste would he holde
Upon his quenes mornynge day,
That was buryed in an abbay;"

and Malone adds from Hayward's Life and Raigne of King Henrie the Fourth, 1599: "Then hee [Richard II.] was . obscurely interred,— without the charge of a dinner for celebrating the funeral." For further information on the subject, see Brande's Popular Antiquities (Bohn's ed.) vol. ii. pp. 237-245. The custom did not continue long after the time of S., for Flecknoe, in his Ænigmatical Characters, 1665, says of "a curious glutton" that when he dies he "onely regrets that funeral feasts are quite left off, else he should have the pleasure of one feast more (in imagination at least) even after death."

182. Dearest foe. Cf. A. Y. L. i. 3. 34. 'my father hated his father dearly," etc. See Temp. p. 124 (note on The dear'st of th' loss) or Rich. II. P. 151.

183. Or ever I had. The folio has "Ere I had ever," which some editors prefer. See on 147 above.

185. O where. The quartos omit the O. In my mind's eye. Cf. R. of L. 1426:

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unseen, save to the eye of mind;" Chaucer, C. T. 4972: with eyen of his mynde. See also Much Ado, iv. I. 231.

190. Saw? who? Some eds. print "Saw who?" and D. says that the Kembles, Kean, and Macready gave the words as a single question. For the who whom, see Gr. 274.

192. Season. "Qualify, temper" (Schmidt), as in ii. 1. 28 below. Cf. M. of V. iv. I. 197: "When mercy seasons justice."

"Be attent."

193. Attent. Attentive; used again in Per. iii. prol. II: Spenser uses it as a noun in F. Q. iii. 9. 52: “With vigilant regard and

dew attent;" and Id. vi. 9. 37: tent." Deliver relate, as in 209 and v. 2. 374 below. Cf. Temp. ii. 1. 45, v. I. 313, etc.

"And kept her sheepe with diligent at

198. Vast. The reading of 1st quarto; the later quartos and the folio have "waste." Malone and Steevens read "waist"=middle. Marston, in his Malecontent, 1604, has "waist of night." Vast, like waste,=void, emptiness. Cf. Temp. i. 2. 327: “that vast of night.'

200. At point. The folio has "at all points." Cf. Rich. II. i. 3. 2: "Yea, at all points ;" Spenser, F. Q. i. 1. 16: "Armed to point;" Id. i. 2. 12: "all armde to point," etc. See also Macb. p. 241, note on At a point. Cap-a-pe. Cap-à-pied, from head to foot; used again in W. T. iv. 4. 761: "I am courtier cap-a-pe." Cf. 228 below.

202. Thrice. In the folio joined to by them.

204. Distill'd. The folio has "bestil'd," and the Coll. MS. "bechill'd." Sr. quotes Sylvester, Du Bartas: "Melt thee, distill thee, turne to wax

205. Act. Action, operation. Cf. Oth. iii. 3. 328:

"Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons,
Which at the first are scarce found to distaste,
But with a little act upon the blood

Burn like the mines of sulphur."

207. Dreadful. Filled with dread; as in R. of L. 450, Rich. III. i. I. 8, etc. See on i. 1. 57 above.

216. It head. Cf. Temp. ii. 1. 163: "of it own kind ;" Hen. V. v. 2. 40: "in it own fertility;" Lear, i. 4. 236: “it 's had it head bit off by it young," etc. See Gr. 228 or Temp. p. 120. This possessive it occurs fourteen times in the folio (not counting a doubtful case in T. G. of V. v. 2. 21), it's nine times, and its only once (M. for M. i. 2. 4). Milton has its three times (P. L. i. 254, iv. 813, and Hymn on Nativ. 106). Its does not occur in the A. V. of 1611, and the possessive it is found only in Lez'. xxv. 5 ("its" in modern eds.).

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217. Like as. Cf. Sonn. 60. I: "Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore;" T. and C. i. 2. 7: 'like as there were husbandry in war," etc. Cf. Gr. 107 and 116.

218. But even. See on i. I. 81 above.

222. Writ. See on 27 above.

226. Arm'd, say you? This refers to the ghost, not to Horatio and Marcellus as some have understood it.

230. Beaver. The movable front of the helmet. Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iv. I. I20: "their beavers down," etc. It is sometimes put for the helmet, as in I Hen. IV. iv. 1. 104: "with his beaver on," etc. Hunter quotes Spenser, F. Q. iv. 6. 25: "they their bevers up did reare." vation of the word, see Wb.

For the deri

237. Like. Likely; as often. Cf. ii. 2. 341 below. See also M. of V. ii. 7. 49: "Is 't like that lead contains her?" etc.

238. Tell.

twenty," etc.

Count. Cf. Rich. III. i. 4. 122: "while one would tell
The word is now obsolete in this sense, except in the

r

phrases "all told" and "telling one's beads." Cf. teller = one who counts money or votes.

240. No? As F. remarks, the anonymous suggestion that this belongs to Horatio, not to Hamlet, is very plausible. "It is eminently characteristic of the precise Horatio (e'en the justest man Hamlet had ever found) to draw a nice distinction between grizzled and sable silvered. He had been most exact in his estimate of the time the Ghost stayed, and he would be equally exact even as to the colour and texture of the beard." 248. Tenable in your silence. To be kept silent or secret. The folio has "treble," which Caldecott and K. (only in his 1st ed.) defend, making the passage="impose a threefold obligation of silence."

251. Loves. See on i. 1. 173 above.

254. Your loves. Say rather your loves. Cf. 163 above.

256. Doubt. Suspect. Cf. Cor. iii. 1. 152, Oth. iii. 3. 19, etc.

258. To men's eyes. The folio omits the comma after them; and, as Corson says, it makes as good sense to connect to men's eyes with o'erwhelm as with rise.

SCENE III.-3. Convoy is assistant. Conveyance is ready. Cf. A. W. iv. 4. 10, Hen. V. iv. 3. 37, etc.

5. For. As for, as regards. See on i. 2. 112 above, and cf. i. 5. 139 below. 6. Fashion. Schmidt puts it under the head of fashion "that which good-breeding requires;" that is, a matter of form or courtesy. Wr. explains it as that "which is changeable or temporary."

=

A toy in blood. A caprice, an impulsive fancy. Wr. quotes Oth. i. 3. 269: "Light-wing'd toys Of feather'd Cupid.' For blood, cf. iii. 2. 64 below, and see A. Y. L. p. 197.

7. Primy. Early, vernal; perhaps peculiar to this passage (Nares). 8. Forward. Premature, and therefore liable to early decay. On the measure, see Gr. 484.

9. Suppliance. Gratification, pastime (Schmidt); used by S. only here. 10. No more but so? The early eds. have a period after so; the change is due to Rowe.

II. Crescent. Cf. A. and C. ii. 1. 10: "My powers are crescent."

12. Thews. Muscular powers; as in J. C. i. 3. 81 and 2 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 276. S. uses the word only three times. Thews= manners or mental qualities, used by Spenser, Chaucer, and earlier writers, has a different origin. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. i. 10. 4:

"The mother of three daughters, well upbrought

In goodly thewes, and godly exercise;'

Id. ii. 1. 33: "For well ye worthy bene for worth and gentle thewes," etc. Temple. Only on grave occasions applied to the body (Caldecott). Cf. R. of L. 719, 1172, Macb. ii. 3. 73, Cymb. ii. 1. 69, iv. 2. 55, v. 5. 220, etc. 13. The inward service, etc. As the body grows, the duties of the indwelling soul increase.

15. Cautel. Craft, deceit. Used only here and in Z. C. 303; but we have cautelous (=false, deceitful) in Cor. iv. I. 33 and 7. C. ii. 1. 129. Rushton suggests that S. had in mind Swinburn, Treatise on Wills, 1590: "There is no cautele under heaven, whereby the libertie of making or

"His virtuous intentions" (Mason).

revoking his testament can be utterly taken away." Besmirch is used literally in Hen. V. iv. 3. 110. 16. The virtue of his will. 18. This line is not in the quartos. 19. Unvalued. Of low birth, mean. In the only other instance in S. (Rich. III. i. 4. 27) it means invaluable. Cf. Marlowe, Tamburlane, i. 2 : "loss unvalued" (that is, inestimable). Here again Rushton cites Swinburn: "it is not lawful for legetaries to carve for themselves, taking their legacies at their own pleasure."

21. Safety. A trisyllable. Cf. Gr. 477 and 488. The folio has "sanctity," and Theo. substituted "sanity," which W. adopts and Abbott (Gr. 484) favours. D., H., and St. read "the health," which is perhaps the best emendation, if any be required.

26. Particular act and place. "The peculiar line of conduct prescribed to him by his rank" (Schmidt). The folio has "peculiar Sect and force." W. reads "peculiar sect and place;" making sect=class, rank. 28. Withal. An emphatic form of with (Gr. 196). 30. Credent. Credulous. Cf. L. C. 279 :

"Lending soft audience to my sweet design

And credent soul to that strong-bonded oath
That shall prefer and undertake my troth."

It means credible in M. for M. iv. 4. 29 and W. T. i. 2. 142.
32. Unmaster'd. "Uncontrolled, unbridled" (Schmidt).

36. Chariest. "Most scrupulous" (D.). So chariness=scrupulousness

in M. W. ii. I. 102.

38. Scapes. Not "scapes,” being used in prose by Bacon and others. See Macb. p. 214 or Wb. s. v.

39. Canker. Canker-worm. See M. N. D. p. 150.

40. Buttons. Buds (Fr. bouton).

42. Blastments. Blights; used by S. only here. Wr. quotes Coleridge, Zapolya: "Shall shoot his blastments on the land."

43. Best safety, etc. Cf. Macb. iii. 5. 32, and see note in our ed. p. 223. 44. Youth, etc. "In the absence of any tempter, youth rebels against itself, that is, the passions of youth revolt from the power of self-restraint; there is a traitor in the camp" (Wr.).

None else near. For the omission of is, see Gr. 403.

46. Good my brother. See Gr. 13.

47. Ungracious. "Graceless" (Wr.). Cf. Rich. II. ii. 3. 89, 1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 490, etc.

49. Whiles. Used by S. interchangeably with while and whilst. The folio has "Whilst" here. Puffed-bloated.

50. Primrose. Cf. Mach. ii. 3. 21: "the primrose way to the everlasting bonfire."

51. Recks not his own rede. Cares not for his own counsel. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. vi. 2. 30: "To whose wise read she hearkning," etc. So the verb rede or read = advise; as in F. Q. i. 1. 13: "Therefore I read beware," etc.

Fear me not. Fear not for me. Cf. iii. 4. 7 and iv. 5. 105 below. See also M. for M. iv. 1. 70, Much Ado, iii. 1. 31, etc. Gr. 200.