When the blood búrns, how prodigal the foul Lends the tongue, vows. These blazes, oh my daughter, BV Giving more light than heat, extinct in both, Ev'n in their promise as it is a making, You must not take for fire. From this time, Be somewhat scanter of thy maiden-presence, 6 Set your intreatments at a higher rate, Than a command to parley. For Lord Hamlet, Believe so much in him, that he is young; And with a ? larger tether he may walk, Than may be given you. In few, Ophelia, , Do not believe his vows; for they are brokers, Not of that Die which their investments shew, But mere implorers of unholy suits, * Breathing like fanctified and pious Bonds, The better to beguile. This is for all : ? I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, Have amorous 6 Set your intreatments pressed in very plain words. Do Intreatments here means company, not believe (says Polonius to his conversation, from the French Daughter) Hamlet's l'entretien. vows made 10 gort; which pre. 7- -larger tether- -] A tend religion in them,* (the better Aring to tye horses. POP.. to beguile,) like those fan&ified 1.18 Breathing like fanctified and and pious vows for bonds]m de 10 pious Bonds:] On which the heaven. And why should not editor Mr. Theobalt remarks, this pass without fufpicion? Tho' all the editions have fwal WARBURTON. lowed this reading implicitly, it is Theobald for bonds fubftitutes certainly corrupt; and I have bawds. been surprised how men of genius 9 I would not, in plain terms, and learning could let it pass wirb- from this time forth, out fome suspicion. What ideas Have you so slander any mocan we frame to ourselves of a ment's leisure,) The hubreathing bond, or of its being 'mour of this is fine. The speakfan&tified and pious, &c. But he er's character is all affectation. was too hasty in framing ideas Atlast he says he will speak plain, before he underltood those alrea. and yet cannot for his life; his dy framed by the poet, and ex- plain speech of Jandering a moHave you ment's fo Nander-any moment's leisure, jos jod As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet, bria Look to't, I charge you. Come your way dotem Opb. I shall obey, my Lord. [Exeunt. SCE N E VII. » ༣ ཙྪཱ ཙ ༑ ཉཙ༈ T Enter Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus. Hor. It is a nipping and an eager air. Hor. I heard it not. It then draws near the feason, [Noise of warlike mufick within. rouse, Hor. Is it a custom? ment's leifare being of the like ed than before, but in terms that fultian stuff with the reit. cannot be misunderstood : I would WARBURTON. not have you so disgrace your moff Here is another fine paffage, idle moments, as not to find better of which I take the beauty to be employment for them ihan Lord only imaginary. Polonius fays, Hamlet's converfotion. in plain terins, that is, not in lan- I-the swaggʻring up-Spring ] guage less elevated or embellish. The bluftering upstart. But, But, to my mind, though I am native here, mole of in As infinite as man may undergo, Doth 2 This heavy-headed rével east that would be otherwise attri and wej,] i. e. This revel- buted to us, ing that observes no hours, but 4 complexion,] i. e. hucontinues from morning to night, mour; as fanguine, melancholy, &c. WARB, phlegmatic, &c. I should not have suspected 5-fortune's fear, ] In the old this passage of ambiguity or ob- quarto of 1637, it is fcurity, bad I not found my opi WÁRB. fortune's ftar: nion of ii differing from that of But I think scar is proper. the' learned critick. I conftrue 6 As infinite as man may un. it thus, This beavy-headed revel dergo,] As large as can be makes us traduced east and wpft, accumulated upon man. and taxed of orher nations. 7-The drama of Eafe : 3 The pith and marrow of our Doth all the noble fubfiance of attribute.] The best and a Doubt moft valuable part of the praise To his own scandal.] I do not remember 1 M L E T, Hor. Look, my Lord, it comes ! Ham. Angels and ministers of grace defend us! Have 9 remember a passage throughout 8 -questionable share,] By all our poet's works, more intri- queslionable is meant provoking cate and deprav'd in the text, of question. HANMER, Jess meaning to outward appear. So in Macbeth, ance, or more likely to baffle the Live jou, or are you aught attempts of criticism in its aid. I hat man may question. It is certain, there is neither sense -tell, nor grammar as it now stands : Why thy canoniz'dbones, hearsed yet with a flight alteration, I'll in DEATH, endeavour to cure those defects, Have burft their cearments?] and give a sentiment too, that Hamlet here fpeaks with wonder, fhall make the poet's thought that he who was dead should rise close nobly. The dram of Base again and walk. But this, ac(as I have corrected the text) cording to the vulgar fuperftimeans the least alloy or baseness tion here followed, was no won. or vice. It is very frequent with der. Their only wonder was, our poet to use the adje&live of that one who had the rites of quality instead of the substantive Sepulture performed to him, fignifying the thing. Besides, I should walk; the want of which have observed, that elsewhere, was supposed to be the reason of speaking of worib, he delights walking ghosts. Hamlet's won. to consider it as a quality that der then should have been placed adds weight to a person, and con- here: And fo Shakespear placed nects the word with that idea. it, as we shall see presently. For THEOBALD. bearfed is used figuratively to fig. 1 Have bürft their cearments? Why the fepulchre, That nify repofited, therefore the place I suppose for the sake of harmowhere should be designed: but ny, not of sense. For tho' the death being no place, but a pri- rites of fepultare performed canovalion only, hearsed in death is nizes the body buried; yet it nonsense. We should read, does not canonize the earth in -tell, which it is laid, unless every fuWhy thy canoniz'd bones hearsed neral service be a new confecrain EARTH tion. WARBURTON, Have burf their cearments. It were too long to examine It appears, for the two reasons this note period by period, tho' given above, that earth is the almost every period seems to me true reading. It will furiher ap- to contain something reprehenpear for these two other reasons. fible. The critick, in his zeal First, From the words, canoniz'd for change, writes with so little bones ; by which is not meant (as consideration, as to say, that one would imagine) a compli- Hamkt cannot call his father ment, for, made holy or fainted; canonized, because we are told but for bones to which the rites of he was murdered with all his sepulture have been performed; fins fresh upon him. He was not or which were buried according then told it, and had so little the to the canon. For we are told he power of knowing it, that he was er'd with all his fins to be told it by an apparition. fresh upon him, and therefore in The long succession of reasons no way to be sainted. But if upon reasons prove nothing, but this licentious use of the word ca. what every reader discovers, that nonized be allowed, then earth the King had been buried, which must be the true reading, for in- is implied by lo many adjiirats húming bodies was one of the ef- of burial, that the direct mention fential parts of fepulchral rites. of earth is not neceffary, Hamle!, Secondly, From the words, have amazed at an apparition, which, burft their cearments, which im- though in all ages credited, has ply the preceding mention of in- in all ages been considered as the huming, but no mention is made moit wonderful and moft dreadof it in the common reading, ful operation of fupernatural This enabled the Oxford Editor agency, enquires of the Spectre, to improve upon the emendation; in the most emphatick terms, why fo, he reads, he treaks the order of nature, by Why thy bones hears d in cano- returning from the dead; this he nized earth. aks in a very confused cirVol. VIIT. M cumlocurion, was |
