clares, be found the passage left out in feveral of the later quarto im preffions, yet in the lift of thofe he pretends to have collated for the ufe of his edition, he mentions but one of a later date, and had never seen either that published in 1609, or another without any date at all; for in the former of thefe the paffage in queftion is preferved, (the latter I have no copy of) and he has placed that in 1637, on the fingle faith of which he rejected it, among thofe only of middling authority: fo that what he fo roundly afferts of feveral, can with juftice be faid of but one, for there are in reality no later quarto editions of this play than I have here enumerated, and two of thofe (by his own confeffion) he had never met with. The hemistich, which Mr. T. pronounces to be of moft profound abfurdity, deferves a much better character; but being misplaced, could not be connected with the part of the fpeech where he found it, but, being introduced a few lines lower, feems to make very good fenfe. "Come bitter conduct! come 66 at once run on "The dafhing rocks my fea "Thy drugs are quick. Thus "with a kifs I die." To tumble into port in a form, I believe to be a fea-phrafe, as is a tumbling fea, and agrees with the allufion to the pilot or the tempeft beaten bark. Here's fue cefs, fays he (continuing the allufion) to the veffel wherever it tumbles in, or perhaps, to the pilot who is to conduů, or tumble it in; meaning, I wish it "mag fucceed in ridding me of life, whatever may betide me after it, or wherever it may carry me. He then drinks to the memory of Juliet's love, adding (as he feels the poifon work) a fhort apoftrophe to the apothecary, the effect of whofe drugs he can doubt no longer, and turning his thoughts back again to the object most beloved, he dies (like Othella) on a kiss. The other hemiflich (not difpofed of) may yet be brought in; how naturally, must be left to the reader to determine. The quarto of 1609, exhibits the paffage thus: "Ah, dear Juliet! "Why art thou yet so fair? "I will believe; "Shall I believe? that unfab" ftantial death is amorous, "And that the lean, &c." If fuch an idea could have any foundation in nature, or be allowed in poetry, and Romeo in confequence of having raised it to his imagination, was jealous of death, it would follow, that in the firft frenzy of it he might addrefs himfelf to his mistrefs, and take her in his arms for the greater fecurity. That being granted, with a flight tranf pofition (one verfe already exceeding the measure by two feet) the paffage might be read thus: "Ah! dear Juliet, "Why 1 "Why art thou yet so fair? "And that the lean, &c." The whole paffage may perhaps be fuch as hardly to be worth this toil of tranfpofition, but one critick has juft as good a right to offer at the introduction of what he thinks he underftands, as another has to omit it because he can make no use of it at all. The whole of the conjecture on both paffages is offered with no degree of confidence, and from no other motive than a defire of preferving every line of Shakespeare, when any reafon, tolerably plaufible, can be given in its favour. Mr. Theobald has not dealt very fairly in his account of this Speech, as the abfurdity is apparently owing to the repetition of fome of the lines by a blunder of the printer, who had thereby made Romeo confefs the effects of the poison before he had tafted it. This play was confiderably altered and enlarged by the author, after the first copies had been printed, and great as is the improvement made by the additions, the alterations here and there may be for the worse. To enumerate these is now too late, as they are many in number, and happen in almoft every speech. Mr. STEEVENS. As I could not procure a fight of any of the quartos, 'till I had printed off the whole play, I muft refer the curious reader to the old editions themselves, which will very foon be made publick. P. 142. For your father loft, loft, bis, read your father loft, loft his. P. 147. Hor. I jaw him once, Ham. He was a man, take him Eye fhall not look upon his like again.-] This feems to me more the true fpirit of ShakeSpeare than I. Mr. HOLT. The emendation of Sir T. SAMWEL. P. 160. Doth all the noble fub ftance of worth out;] The Revifal reads, Doth all the noble fubftance oft eat out; Or, Doth all the noble substance foil with doubt. The authour would have de fpifed them both, had they been another's. Mr. Holt reads, Doth all the noble fubftance oft adopt. I think Theobald's reading may ftand. P. 164. Doom'd for a certain time to walk the night, And for the day confin'd to faft in fires.] Chaucer has a fimilar paffage, with regard to the punishments of Hell. Parfon's Tale, p. 193. Mr. Urry's edition. "And moreover, the mifefe "(uneafinefs) of hell, "Shall be in defaute of mete " and drink." Dr. GRAY. P. 166. The word here ufed was more probably defigned by a Metathefis, either of a poet, or tranfcriber, for henebon, that is henbane; of which the most common kind (hyofcyamus niger) L12 is certainly narcotic, and perhaps, if taken in a confiderable quantity, might prove poifonous. Galen calls it cold in the third degree; by which in this, as well as opium, he feems not to mean an actual coldness, but the power, it has of benumbing the faculties. Diofcorides afcribes to it the property of producing madness, (τοσκύκμος μανιώδης.) There qualities have been confirmed by feveral cafes related in modern obfervations. In Wepfer we have a good account of the various effects of this root upon most of the members of a Convent in Germany, who eat of it for fupper by mistake, mixed with fuccory-heat in the throat, giddinefs, dimness of fight, and delirium. Cicut. Aquatic. c. 18. Dr. GRAY. P. 168. Oh horrible, ob horrible, moft horrible.] It was very ingenioufly hinted to me by a learned lady, that this line feems to belong to Hamlet, in whofe mouth it is a proper and natural exclamation, and who, according to the practice of ftage, may be fuppofed to interrupt fo long a Speech. P. 194. Hamlet. How chances it they travel? their refidence hath in reputation and profit was better both ways. Rofin. I think their inhibition comes by means of thelate innovation.] This is a proof this play was not wrote till after the 39 Eliz. 1597, (Shakespeare then 33,) when the firft ftatute againft vagabonds was made, including players; and perhaps, not till after the ft James 1602. Mr. HOLT. P. 198. The firft row of the Rubrick will here you more. The words of the Rubrick were first inferted by Mr. Rowe, in his edition in 1709, in the room of Pons Chanfon, (which is the reading of the firft folio) and have been tranfplanted thence by fuc ceeding editors. The old quarto in 1611, reads pious chanson, which (I think) gives the fenfe wanted. The pious chanfans were a kind of Chriftmas Carol, containing fome Scripture History, thrown into loose rhimes, and fung about the ftreets by the common people, when they went at that feason to beg alms. Hamlet is here repeating fome fcraps from fongs of this kind, and when Polonius enquires what followed them, he refers him to the first row (i.c. divifion) of one of these, to obtain the information he wanted. Mr. STEEVENS. The firft Row of the Rubrick will braw you more.] Firft row of the pans Chanfon, in the first two folio editions of 1623, and 1632. The first row of pont chanfans, Sir Thomas Hanmer. Old ballads fung upon bridges. P. 198. I cannot guess at Mr. Pope's reafon for the alteration. But Mr. Warburton subjoins, "That "the rubrick is equivalent, the "titles of old ballads being "written in red letters." But he does not mention one fingle ballad in proof. There are five large folio volumes of ballads in Mr. Pepy's library, in Magdalen College, Cambridge, fome as ancient as Henry VII. reign, and not one red letter upon any one of the titles, as I am informed. Dr. GRAY. P. 198. Caviare is the fpawn of sturgeon pickled; it is imported hither from Ruffia. Mr. HAWKINS. P. 220. Enter a Duke & Dutchefs, with regal coronets.] Regal coronets are improper for any perfonage below the dignity of a king; regal, as a fubftantive, is the name of a musical inftrument, now out of ufe. But there is an officer of the houthold called, Tuner of the regals. The cornet is well known to be a mufical inftrument, and proper for proceffions. Might we not then read? Enter a Duke and Dutchefs, with royals, cornets, &c. P. 230. Ham. Methinks it is like an ouzle. Pol. It is black like an ouzle.] The firft folio reads, it is like a weazell, It is back'd like a weazell. And this I apprehend to be the true reading. Polonius has already agreed to the fimilitude the cloud bears to a camel, and confeffes, readily enough, that it is very like a whale; but on Hamlet's puthing the matter ftill further, though his complaifance holds out, it will not extend to a general refemblance any longer; he therefore admits the propriety of the laft comparison but in part, and only fays, It is back'd like a weasel. The weasel is remarkable for the length of its back; but the editors were mifled by the quartos, which concur in reading, black like a weafel, for this they faid was impoffible to be right, the animal being of another co lour. The variation in thefe old copies was no more than a blunder of the printers, for it is as likely that the cloud fhould refemble a weafel in fhape, as an ouzle, i. e. blackbird, (which they fubftituted for it) in colour. Mr. STEEVENS. -Senfe fure you P. 241. bave, Elfe you could not have no tion.] For motion, which the note of Dr. Warburton had perfuaded me to admit into the text, I would now replace the old reading motion; for though the emendation be elegant, it is not neceffary. P. 250. Ape is certainly the right reading. The ape hath large bags, by the fide of his jaws, called his alfarches, from alforja, the word ufed in Spain for a wallet, in which, whenever he meets with any food, he conftantly depofits part of it to be chewed and fwallowed at pleafure, after his meal is ended. REVISAL. P. 28. Oph. How should I, &c.-] There is no part of this play, in its representation on the ftage, is more pathetic than this fcene, which, I fuppofe, proceeds from the utter infenfibility fhe has to her own misfortune. A great fenfibility, or none at all, feem to produce the fame effect; in the latter, the audience supply what he wants, and in the former, they fympathife. Mr. REYNOLDS. P. 262. The ra'ifiers and preps of every word.] By word is here meant a declaration, or propofal; it is determined to L13 this this fenfe, by the reference it hath to what had juft preceded, The rabble call him lord. This acclamation, which is the word here spoken of, was made without regard to antiquity, or received cuftom, whofe concurrence, however, is neceffarily required to confer validity and flability in every propofal of this REVISAL. This interpretation leaves the expreffion ftill harsh, but nothing fo good has yet been offered. P. 266. Oph. You mnft fing, down-a-down, and you call him a-down-a. kind. O how the wheel becomes it!] The wheel means no more than the burthen of the fong, which the has just repeated, and as fuch was formerly used. I met with the following obfervation in an old quarto black letter book, published before the time of Shakespeare. "The fong was accounted an "excellent one, thogh it was "not moche graced by the "wheele, which in no wife ac"corded with the subject matter "thereof." I quote this from memory, and from a book, of which I cannot recollect the exact title or date, but the paffage was in a preface to fome fongs, or fonnets; and I well remember to have met with the word in the fame fenfe in feveral other old books, and am very forry I cannot give, at prefent, a more fa. tisfactory quotation to prove what I am confident is the true meaning of the expreffion. Mr, STEEVENS. P. 268. No trophy, faward, nor hatchment, &c.] The note on this paffage feems to imply a difufe of this practice; whereas it is uniformly kept up at this day; not only the fword, but the helmet, gauntlet, fpurs and taburd, i. e. a coat, whereon the armorial enfigns were anciently depicted (from which the term coat armour) are hung over the grave of every knight. Mr. HAWKINS. P. 278. Hamlet. Make her grave ftraight.] Some, for whofe opinions I have great regard, think that ftraight is only immediately. My interpretation I have given with no great confidence, but the longer I confider it, the more I think it right. P. 279. Crowner's queft law.] Iftrongly fufpect that this is a ridicule on the cafe of dame Hales, reported by Plowden, in his commentaries, as determined in 3. Eliz. It feems her husband, Sir James Hales, had drowned himfelf in a river, and the question was, whether by this act à forfeiture of a leafe from the dean and chapter of Canterbury, which he was poffeffed of, did not accrue to the crown; an inquifition was found before the coroner, which found him felo de fe. The legal and logical fubtleties, arifing in the courfe of the argument of this cafe, gave a very fair opportunity for a fneer at Crowner's queft Law. The expreffion, a little before that, an a bath three branches, &c. is fo pointed an allufion to the cafe I mention, that I cannot doubt but that Shakespeare |