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Ham. 4 Buzze, buzze

Pol Upon mine honour

5

Ham. Then come each Actor on his afs

Pol. The best Actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy, hiftory, paftoral, paftoral-comical, hiftorical-paftoral, fcene undividable, or Poem unlimited: Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus to light. 6 For the law of writ, and the Liberty, thefe are the only men.

Ham. Oh, Jephtha, judge of Ifrael, what a treasure hadft thou!

Pol. What a treasure had he, my Lord? Ham. Why, one fair daughter, and no more, The which he loved paffing well.

Pol. Still on my daughter.

Ham. Am I not i' th' right, old Jeph ha? Pol. If you call me Jephtha, my Lord, I have a daughter that I love paffing well.

Ham. Nay, that follows not.

Pol. What follows then, my Lord?

Ham. Why, as by lot, God wot-and then you know, it came to pass, as most like it was: 7 the first

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row of the rubrick will fhew you more. For, look, where 8 my abridgments come.

Enter four or five Players.

Y'are welcome, masters, welcome all. I am glad to fee thee well; welcome, good friends. Oh! old friend thy face is valanc'd, fince I faw thee laft: com'st thou to beard me in Denmark? What! my young lady and miftrefs? b'erlady, your ladyfhip is nearer heaven than when I faw you laft, by the altitude of a chioppine. Pray God, your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, be not crack'd within the ring.-Mafters, you are all welcome, we'll e'en to't like friendly faulconers, fly at any thing we fee; we'll have a fpeech straight. Come, give us a taste of your quality; come, a paffionate speech.

1 Play. What fpeech, my good Lord?

Ham. I heard thee speak me a fpeech once; but it was never acted or if it was, not above once; for the Play, I remember, pleas'd not the million; 'twas Caviare to the general; but it was as I receiv'd it, and others whofe judgment in fuch matters 3 cried in the top of mine, an excellent Play; well digefted in the scenes, 4 fet down with as much modefty as cun

8 my abridgments] He calls the players afterwards, the brief chrances of the time; but I think he now means only thefe who will fhorten my talk.

9 be not crack'd within the ring.] That is, crack'd too much for ufe. This is faid to a young player, who acted the parts of

women.

like friendly falconers,] Han mer, who has much illuftrated the allufions to falconry, reads, like French falconers, but gives

no reafon for the correction.

2 Caviare to the general;] Caviure was a kind of foreign pickle, to which the vulgar pålates were, I fuppofe, not yet reconciled.

3 cried in the top of mine,] i, e. whole judgment I had the highelt opinion of. WARB.

I think it means only that were higher than mine.

4 fet down with as much modeity] Modefty, for fimplicity.

WARBURTON.

ning. I remember, one faid, there was no falt in the
lines, to make the matter favoury; nor no matter in
the phrafe, s that might indite the author of affection;
6 but call'd it, an honeft method, as wholesome as
fweet, and by very much more handsome than fine. One
fpeech in it I chiefly lov'd! 'twas Eneas's tale to
Dido; and thereabout of it efpecially, where he speaks
of Priam's flaughter. If it live in your memory, be-
gin at this line, let me fee, let me fee-The rugged
Pyrrhus, like th' Hyrcanian beast,—It is not so ;
it begins with Pyrrhus.

The rugged Pyrrhus, he, whofe fable arms,
Black as his purpose, did the Night refemble
When he lay couched in the ominous horse;
Hath now his dread and black complexion fmear'd
With heraldry more difmal; head to foot,
Now is he total gules; horridly trickt

With blood of fathers, mothers, daughters, fons,
Bak'd and impafted with the parching fires,
That lend a tyrannous and damned light
To murders vile. Roafted in wrath and fire,
And thus o'er-fized with coagulate gore,
With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus
Old grandfire Priam feeks.

Pol. 'Fore God, my Lord, well spoken, with good accent and good discretion.

1 Play. Anon he finds him,

Striking, too fhort, at Greeks. His antique fword. Rebellious to his arm, lies where it falls, Repugnant to Command; unequal match'd,

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3

Pyrrhus at Priam drives, in rage ftrikes wide
But with the whif and wind of his fell fword,
Th' unnerved father falls. Then fenfelefs Ilium,
Seeming to feel this blow, with flaming top
Stoops to his Bafe; and with a hideous crafh
Takes prifoner Pyrrhus' ear. For lo, his fword,
Which was declining on the milky head
Of rev'rend Priam, feem'd i' th' air to stick:
So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus ftood;
And, like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing.

But as we often fee, against some storm,
A filence in the heav'ns, the rack stand still,
The bold winds fpeechlefs, and the orb below
As hufh'as death, anon the dreadful thunder
Doth rend the region: So after Pyrrhus' pause,
A roufed vengeance fets him new a work,
And never did the Cyclops' hammers fall
On Mars his armour, forg'd for proof eterne,
With lefs remorse than Pyrrhus' bleeding sword
Now falls on Priam.

Out, out, thou ftrumpet Fortune! all you Gods,
In general fynod take away her power:

Break all the fpokes and fellies from her wheel,
And bowl the round nave down the hill of heav'n,
As low as to the fiends.

Pol. This is too long.

Ham. It fhall to th' barber's with your beard. Pr'ythee, fay on; he's for a jigg, or a tale of bawdry, or he fleeps. Say on, come to Hecuba.

1 Play. But who, oh! who, had seen 7 the mobled Queen,

7the mobled Queen, Moled or mabied, fignifies veiled. So Sandys, fpeaking of the Turkif women, fays, their heads and faces are MABLED in fine linen,

that no more is to be feen of them than their eyes. Travels.

WARBURTON, Mobled fignifies, buddled, grofily

cquired.

Ham.

Ham. The mobled Queen?

Pol. That's good; mobled Queen, is good.

1 Play. Run bare-foot up and down, threatning the flames

With biffon rheum! a clout upon that head,
Where late the Diadem ftood; and for a robe
About her lank and all-o'er-teemed loins,

A blanket in th' alarm of fear caught up;
Who this had feen, with tongue in venom fteep'd,
'Gainft fortune's itate would treafon have pronounc'd;
But if the Gods themselves did fee her then,
When the faw Pyrrhus make malicious fport
In mincing with his fword her husband's limbs;
The inftant burft of clamour that fhe made,
Unless things mortal move them not at all,

Would have made milch the burning eyes of heav'n,
And paffion in the Gods.

Pol. Look, whe're he has not turn'd his colour, and has tears in's eyes. Pr'ythee, no more.

Ham. 'Tis well. I'll have thee speak out the rest of this foon. Good my Lord, will you fee the Players well beftow'd? Do ye hear, let them be well us'd; for they are the abftract, and brief chronicles of the time. After your death, you were better have a bad Epitaph, than their ill report while you liv'd.

Pol. My Lord, I will ufe them according to their

defert.

Ham. Odd's bodikins, man, much better. Ufe every man after his defert, and who fhall 'fcape whipping? Ufe them after your own honour and dignity. The lefs they deferve, the more merit is in your bounty. Take them in.

Pol. Come, Sirs.
Ham. Follow him, Friends:

morrow.

Doft thou hear me, play the murder of Gonzaga? Play. Ay, my Lord.

[Exit Polonius.

we'll hear a play toold friend, can you

Ham.

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