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Oph. My lord, he hath importun'd me with love, In honourable fashion.

Pol. Ay, fashion you may call't: go to, go to.

Oph. And hath giv'n count'nance to his fpeech, my lord,

With almost all the holy vows of heaven.

Pol. Ay, fpringes to catch woodcocks. I do know, When the blood burns, how prodigal the foul

Lends the tongue vows. Thefe blazes, oh my daughter,
Giving more light than heat, extinct in both,
Ev'n in their promife as it is a making,

You must not take for fire. From this time,
Be fomewhat scanter of your maiden prefence,
your intreatments at a higher rate,

Set

Than a command to parley. For lord Hamlet,
Believe fo much in him, that he is young;
And with a larger tether may he walk,
Than may be given you. In few, Ophelia,
Do not believe his vows; for they are brokers,

Q3

(14)

Not

laft Verfe. Polonius is racking and playing on the Word Tender, till he thinks proper to correct himself for the Licence; and then he would say not farther to crack the Wind of the Phrase by twisting and contorting it, as I have done; &c. Mr. Warburton.

(14) Do not believe his Vows; for they are Brokers;

Breathing like fanctified and pious Bonds,

The better to beguile.]

To the fame purpose our Author, fpeaking of Vows, expreffes himself in his Poem, call'd, The Lover's Complaint.

Sarv, how Deceits were guilded in his Smiling;

Knew, Vows were ever Brokers to defiling:

But to the Paffage in Queftion: Tho all the Editors have swallow'd it implicitly, it is certainly corrupt; and I have been furpriz'd, how Men of Genius and Learning could let it pafs without fome Sufpicion. What Ideas can we form to ourselves of a breathing Bond, or of its being fanɛtified and pious? The only tolerable Way of reconciling it to a Meaning without a Change, is to fuppofe that the Poet intends, by the Word Bonds, verbal Obligations, Proteftations: and then, indeed, these Bonds may, in fome Senfe, be faid to have Breath. But this is to make him guilty of over-ftraining the Word and Allufion; and it will hardly bear that Interpretation, at leaft not without much Obfcurity. As he, juft before, is calling amorous Vows Brokers, and Implorers of unholy Suits; I think, a Continuation of the plain and natural Sense directs to an easy Emendation,

Not of that Die which their investments fhew,
But meer implorers of unholy fuits,
Breathing like fanctified and pious Bawds,
The better to beguile. This is for all:

I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth,
Have you fo flander any moment's leifure,

As to give words or talk with the lord Hamlet.
Look to't, I charge you; come your way.
Opb. I fhall obey, my lord.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to the Platform before the Palace,

Enter Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus,

Ham.THE Air bites fhrewdly; it is

TH

very cold.

Hor. It is a nipping and an eager air.

Ham. What hour now?

Hor. I think, it lacks of twelve.

Mar. No, it is ftruck.

Hor. I heard it not: it then draws near the feafon,

Wherein the Spirit held his wont to walk.

[Noife of warlike mufick within.

What does this mean, my lord?

Ham. The King doth wake to night, and takes his rowse,

Keeps waffel, and the fwagg'ring upfpring reels;

Emendation, which makes the whole Thought of a piece, and gives it a Turn not unworthy of our Poet.

Breathing, like fan&tified and pious Bawds,

The better to beguile.

Broker, 'tis to be obferv'd, our Author perpetually uses as the more modeft Synonymous Term for Bawd. Befides, what ftrengthens my Correction, and makes this Emendation the more neceffary and probable, is, the Words with which the Poet winds up his Thought, the better to beguile. It is the fly Artifice and Custom of Bawds to put on an Air and Form of Sanctity, to betray the Virtues of young Ladies; by drawing them firft into a kind Opinion of them, from their exteriour and dissembled Goodness. And Bawds in their Office of Treachery are likewise properly Brokers; and the Implorers and Prompters of unholy (that is, unchaft) Suits And fo a Chain of the fame Metaphors is continued to the End. I made this Emendation when I publifh'd my SHAKESPEARE reford, and Mr. Pope has thought fit to embrace it in his laft Edition.

And

And as he drains his draughts of Rhenifh down,
The kettle-drum and trumpet thus bray out
The triumph of his pledge.

Hor. Is it a custom?

Ham, Ay, marry, is't:

But to my mind, though I am native here,
And to the manner born, it is a custom
More honour'd in the breach, than the obfervance.
This heavy-headed revel, eaft and weft, (15)
Makes us traduc'd, and tax'd of other nations;
They clepe us drunkards, and with fwinish phrase
Soil our addition; and, indeed, it takes
From our atchievements, though perform'd at height,
The pith and marrow of our attribute.

So, oft it chances in particular men,

"That for fome vicious mole of nature in them, As, in their birth, (wherein they are not guilty, Since nature cannot chufe his origin)

By the o'ergrowth of fome complexion,

Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reafon;
Or by fome habit, that too much o'er-leavens
The form of plaufive manners; that these men
Carrying, I fay, the ftamp of one defect,
(Being nature's livery, or fortune's scar)
Their virtues elfe, be they as pure as grace,
As infinite as man may undergo,

Shall in the general cenfure take corruption

(15) This heavy-headed Revel, eaft and weft.] This whole Speech of Hamlet, to the Entrance of the Ghoft, I fet right in my SHAKESPEARE reftor'd, fo fhall not trouble the Readers again with a Repetition of those Corrections, or Juftification of them. Mr. Pope admits, I have given the Whole a Glimmering of Senfe, but it is purely conjectural, and founded on no Authority of Copies. But is this any Objection against Conjecture in Shakespeare's Cafe, where no Original Manufcript is fubfifting, and the Printed Copies have fucceffively blunder'd after one another? And is not even a Glimmering of Senfe, fo it be not arbitrarily impos'd, preferable to flat and glaring Nonsense? If not, there is a total End at least to this Branch of Criticiím: and Nonfenfe may plead Title and Prescription from Time, because there is no direct Authority for difpoffeffing it.

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.

From that particular fault. The dram of Base (16) Doth all the noble fubftance of worth out,

To his own fcandal.

Enter Ghost.

Hor. Look, my lord, it comes !

Ham. Angels and minifters of grace defend us! Be thou a Spirit of health, or Goblin damn'd,

The Dram of Ease

(16)
Doth all the noble Subftance of a Doubt

To his own Scandal.] Mr. Pope, who has degraded this whole Speech, has entirely left out this concluding Sentence of it. It looks, indeed, to be defperate, and for that Reafon, I conceive, he chofe to drop it. I do not remember a Paffage, throughout all our Poet's Works, more intricate and deprav'd in the Text, of lefs Meaning to outward Appearance, or more likely to baffle the Attempts of Criticism in its Aid. It is certain, there is neither Senfe, nor Grammar, as it now ftands: yet, with a flight Alteration, I'll endeavour to cure those Defects, and give a Sentiment too, that shall make the Poet's Thought close nobly. What can a Dram of Eafe mean? Or, What can it have to do with the Context, fup pofing it were the allow'd Expreffion here? Or, in a Word, what Agreement in Senfe is there betwixt a Dram of Eafe and the Subftance of a Doubt? It is a defperate Corruption, and the nearest way to hope for a Cure of it, is, to confider narrowly what the Poet must be fuppos'd to have intended here. The whole Tenour of this Speech is, that let Men have never fo many, or fo eminent, Virtues, if they have one Defect which accompanies them, that fingle Blemish fhall throw a Stain upon their whole Character: and not only fo, (if I understand him right) but fhall deface the very Effence of all their Goodness, to its own Scandal: fo that their Virtues themselves will become their Reproach. This is not only a Continuation of his Sentiment, but carries it up with a fine and proper Climax. I have ventur'd to conjecture, that the Author might write;

The Dram of Base

Doth all the noble Subftance of Worth out

To his own Scandal.

It is ve

The Dram of Base, i. e. the leaft Alloy of Bafeness or Vice. ry frequent with our Poet to use the Adjective of Quality instead of the Subftantive fignifying the Thing. Besides, I have obferved, that elfewhere, fpeaking of Worth, he delights to confider it as a Quality that adds Weight to a Perfon, and connects the Word with that Idea.

Let ev'ry Word weigh heavy of her Worth,
That he does weigh too light.

All's Well that ends Well.

From whofe fo many Weights of Baseness cannot
A Dram of Worth be drawn.

Cymbeline.

(17)

Bring with thee airs from heav'n, or blasts from hell,
Be thy intents wicked or charitable,
Thou com'ft in fuch a questionable shape,
That I will fpeak to thee. I'll call thee Hamlet,
King, Father, Royal Dane: oh! answer me;
Let me not burst in ignorance; but tell,
Why thy canoniz'd bones, hearfed in death,
Have burft their cearments? why the fepulcher,
Wherein we faw thee quietly in-urn'd,

Hath ope'd his ponderous and marble jaws,
To caft thee up again? What may this mean?
That thou, dead coarfe, again, in compleat fteel,
Revifit'ft thus the glimpfes of the moon,
Making night hideous, and us fools of nature
So horribly to shake our difpofition

With thoughts beyond the reaches of our fouls?
Say, why is this? wherefore? what fhould we do?

[Ghoft beckons Hamlet.

Hor. It beckons you to go away with it,
As if it fome impartment did defire
To you alone.

Mar. Look, with what courteous action
It waves you to a more removed ground:
But do not go with it.

Hor. No, by no means.

[bolding Hamlet.

Ham. It will not fpeak; then I will follow it.

Hor. Do not, my lord.

Ham. Why, what fhould be the fear?
I do not fet my life at a pin's fee;

And, for my foul, what can it do to That,
Being a thing immortal as it felf?

It waves me forth again. I'll follow it

Hor. What if it tempt you tow'rd the flood, my lord?

Or to the dreadful fummit of the cliff,

17 Thou com'ft in fuch a questionable Shape.] By questionable we now conftantly understand difputable, doubtful; but our Author ufes it in a Sense quite oppofite, not difputable, but to be convers'd with, inviting Question: as in Macbeth.

Live You, or are You aught that Man may question?

That

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