Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

Mark you, your party in converfe, he you would found,
Having ever feen, in the prenominate crimes,
The youth, you breathe of, guilty, be affur'd,
He closes with you in this confequence;
Good Sir, or fo, or friend, or gentleman,
(According to the phrafe or the addition
Of man and country.)

Rey. Very good, my Lord.

Pol. And then, Sir, does he this;
He does what was I about to say?

I was about to fay fomething-where did I leave ?-
Rey. At, clofes in the confequence.

Pol. At, clofes in the confequence-Ay, marry.
He clofes thus ;- I know the gentleman,
I saw him yesterday, or t'other day,

Or then, with fuch and fuch; and, as you say,
There was he gaming, there o'ertook in's rowse,
There falling out at tennis; or, perchance,
I faw him enter fuch a houfe of fale,

Videlicet, a brothel, or so forth. -See you now;
Your bait of falfhood takes this carp of truth;
And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
With windlaces, and with effays of byas,

By indirections find directions out:

So by my former lecture and advice

Shall you my fon; you have me, have you not?
Rey. My Lord, I have.

Pol. God b'w' you; fare you well.

Rey. Good my Lord

Pol. Obferve his inclination in yourself.

Rey. I fhall, my Lord.

Pol. And let him ply his mufick.

Rey, Well, my Lord.

[Exit.

in the metaphors is there betwixt fallies and foil'd?· All the old copies, which I have feen, read as I have reform'd the text. So Beaumont and Fletcher in their Two Noble Kinfmen;

-Let us leave the city

Thebes, and the temptings in't, before we further

Sully our glofs of youth.

Enter

Enter Ophelia.

Pol. Farewel. How now, Ophelia, what's the matter? Oph. Alas, my Lord, I have been so affrighted! Pol. With what, in the name of heav'n ?` Oph. My Lord, as I was fewing in my closet, Lord Hamier, with his doublet all unbrac'd, No hat upon his head, his stockings loose, (25) Ungarter'd, and down-gyred to his ancle; Pale as his fhirt, his knees knocking each other, And with a look fo piteous in purport,

As if he had been loofed out of hell,

To speak of horrors; thus he comes before me.
Pol. Mad for thy love?

Oph. My Lord, I do not know:

But, truly, I do fear it.

Hol. What faid he?

Oph. He took me by the wrift, and held me hard;

(25)

bis ftockings foul'd,

Ungarter'd, and down gyveď to his ancle.] I have reftor❜d the readIng of the elder quarto's,—bis ftockings loofe.The change, I suspect, was first from the players, who faw a contradiction in his ftockings being loafe, and yet shackled down at ancle. But they, in their ignorance, blunder'd away our Author's word, because they did not understand it;

Ungarter'd, and down-gyred,

i. e. turn'd down. So, the oldeft copies; and, fo his stockings were properly loofe, as they were ungarter'd and rowl'd down to the ancle. Tugos among the Greeks fignified a circle; and yugów, to roul round; and the word yugos alfo meant crooked. Therefore the Gyræan rocks, amidft which Ajax of Locri was loft, were call'd fo, because, as Euftathius fays, they were crooked: or, perhaps, because they lay, as it were, in a ring. Hefychius, by the bye, wants a flight correction upon this word. † Γυρῇσι πέτρησιν, ὅτω καλῶνται. † Γυραὶ πέτραι ἐν τῷ ἱκαρίῳ πελάγει, πρὸς μυκώνῃ τῇ νήσῳ. In the frft place we muf take away the note of distinction, and reduce the two articles into one, thus. † Γυρῇσι πέτρησιν· ὅτω καλένται Γυραὶ πέτραι, &c. Then, inftead of μυκώνῃ, we muft read μυκώνω, or μυκόνῳ; for it is written both ways. But, to return to my theme. The Latins borrow'd Gyrus from the Greeks, to fignify a circle; as we may find in their best poets and profe writers: and the Spaniards and Italians have from thence adopted both the verb and fubftantive into their tongues: fo that Shake peare could not be at a loss for the use of the term.

Then

Then goes he to the length of all his arm;
And with his other hand, thus o'er his brow,
He falls to fuch perufal of my face,

As he would draw it. Long time ftaid he fo;
At laft, a little fhaking of mine arm,
And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
He rais'd a figh, fo piteous and profound,
That it did feem to fhatter all his bulk,
And end his being. Then he lets me go,
And, with his head over his fhoulder turn'd,
He feem'd to find his way without his eyes;
For out o' doors he went without their help,
And, to the last, bended their light on me.

Pol. Come, go with me, I will go seek the King.
This is the very ecftacy of love;

Whofe violent property foredoes itself,

And leads the will to defp'rate undertakings,
As oft as any paffion under heav'n,

That does affli&t our natures.

I am forry;

What, have you giv'n him any hard words of late? Oph. No, my good Lord; but, as you did command, I did repel his letters, and deny'd

His accefs to me.

Pol. That hath made him mad.

I'm forry, that with better speed and judgment (26)

(26) I'm forry, that with better heed and judgment

I had

I had not quoted him.] I have restor'd with the generality of the older copies, speed: and every knowing reader of our Author muft have obferv'd, that he oftner ufes speed in the fignification of success than of celerity. To be content with a few inftances;

Launce. There, and St. Nicholas be thy speed! 2 Gent. of Verona. Rof. Now Hercules be thy speed, young man! As You Like it. (Let me fee; What then?- -St. Dennis be my fpeed? K. Hen. V. Bapt. Well may'st thou wooe, and happy be thy speed!

Taming the Sbrew.

Winter's Tale.

The prince your fon, with meer conceit and fear Of the Queen's Speed, is gone. Or if we were to take speed, in its native fenfe of quickness, celerity, Polonius might very properly use it; meaning, that he is forry, he had not fooner, and with better judgment, fifted into Hamlet's indifpofition. So Neftor fays, in Troilus.

And

I had not quoted him. I fear'd, he triff'd,
And meant to wreck thee; but beshrew my jealoufy;
It seems, it is as proper to our age

To caft beyond ourselves in our opinions,

As it is common for the younger fort

To lack difcretion. Come; go we to the King.
This must be known; which being kept clofe, might move
More grief to hide, than hate to utter, love.

SCENE changes to the Palace.

[Exeunt.

Enter King, Queen, Rofincrantz, Guildenstern, Lords and other Attendants.

King. W

Elcome, dear Rofincrantz, and Guildenstern!
Moreover that we much did long to see you,
The need, we have to use you, did provoke
Our hafty fending. Something you have heard
Of Humlet's transformation fo I call it,
Since not th' exterior, nor the inward, man
Refembles that it was. What it fhould be
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from th' understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of. I intreat you both,

That being of fo young days brought up with him,
And fince fo neighbour'd to his youth and humour,
That you vouchsafe you reft here in our court
Some little time; fo by your companies
To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather,
So much as from occafions you may glean,
If aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus,
That open'd lies within our remedy.

Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of you ;
And, fure I am, two men there are not living,
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you

And in the publication, make no ftrain,

But that Achilles

will with great speed of judgment,
Ay, with celerity, find Hector's purpose
Pointing on him.

Το

To fhew us fo much gentry and good will,
As to extend your time with us a while,
For the fupply and profit of our hope,
Your visitation shall receive fuch thanks,
As fits a King's remembrance.
Rof. Both your majesties

Might, by the fov'reign power you have of us,
Put your dread pleasures more into command
Than to entreaty.

Guil. But we both obey,

And here give up ourselves, in the full bent,
To lay our fervice freely at your feet.

King. Thanks, Rofincrantz, and gentle Guildenftern. Queen. Thanks, Guild nftern, and gentle Rofincrantz. And, I beseech you, inftantly to visit

My too much changed fon. Go, fome of ye,
And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.

Guil. Heav'ns make our prefence and our practices Pleasant and helpful to him! [Exeunt Rof. and Guil. Queen. Amen.

Enter Polonius.

Pol. Th' ambaffadors from Norway, my good lord, Are joyfully return'd.

King. Thou ftill haft been the father of good news.
Pol. Have I, my Lord? affure you, my good Liege,
I hold my duty, as I hold my foul,

Both to my God, and to my gracious King;
And I do think, (or elfe this brain of mine
Hunts not the trail of policy fo fure

As I have us'd to do) that I have found

The very cause of Hamlet's lunacy.

King. Oh, fpeak of that, that do I long to hear.
Pol. Give firft admittance to th' ambaffadors:

My news fhall be the fruit to that great feaft.
King. Thyfelf do grace to them, and bring them in.

[Exit Pol.

He tells me, my fweet Queen, that he hath found
The head and fource of all your fon's diftemper.

Queen.

« AnteriorContinua »