Than is my deed to my most painted word. Oh heavy burden! Pol. I hear him coming; let's withdraw, my Lord. [Exeunt all but Ophelia. SCENE II. Enter Hamlet. Ham. To be, or not to be? that is the question.-Whether 'tis nobler in the mind, to fuffer The flings and arrows of outrageous fortune e; 4 To be, or not to be?] Of this celebrated foliloquy, which burfting from a man distracted with contrariety of defires, and overwhelmed with the magnitude of his own purposes, is connected rather in the fpeaker's mind, than on his tongue, I fhall endeavour to difcover the train, and to shew how one fentiment produces another. Hamlet, knowing himself injured in the most enormous and atrocious degree, and feeing no means of redrefs, but fuch as must expose him to the extremity of hazard, meditates on his fituation in this manner: Before I can form any rational Scheme of action under this pressure of diftrefs, it is neceffary to decide, whether, after our prefent flate, we are to be or not to be. That is the queftion, which, as it fhall be answered, will determine, whether 'tis nobler, and more fuitable to the dignity of reafon, to fuffer the outrages of fortune patiently, or to take arms against them, and by oppofing end them, though perhaps with the loss of life. If to die, were to fleep, no more, and by a fleep to end the miferies of our nature, fuch a fleep were devoutly to be wished; but if to sleep in death, be to dream, to retain our powers of fenfibility, we must pause to confider, in that fleep of death what dreams may come. This confideration makes calamity fo long endured; for who would bear the vexations of life which might be ended by a bare bodkin, but that he is afraid of fomething in unknown futurity? This fear it is that gives efficacy to confcience, which, by turning the mind upon this regard, chills the ardour of refolution, checks the vigour of enterprise, and makes the current of delire ftagnate in inactivity. We may fuppofe that he would have applied thefe general obfervations to his own cafe, but that he difcovered Ophelia. Or 5 Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, For in that fleep of Death what dreams may come, 7 For who would bear the whips and fcorns of time, Th' oppreffor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, Mr. Pope propofed fiege. I know not why there fhould be fo much folicitude about this metaphor. Shakespeare breaks his metaphors often, and in this deful tory fpeech there was lefs need of preferving them. 6 -mortal coil,] . e turmoil, buftle. WARB. 7--the whips and fcorns Or TIME,] The evi's here complained of are not the product of time or duration fimply, but of a corrupted age or manners. We may be fure, then, that ShakeJpear wrote, -the whips and forns OF TH' TIME. And the defcription of the evils of a corrupt age, which follows, confirms this emendation. WARBURTON. 1 he I doubt whether the corruption of this paffage is not more than the editor has fufpected. Whips and Scorns have no great connection with one another, or with time; whits and scorns are evils of very different magnitude, and though at all times fcorn may be endured, yet the times that put men ordinarily in danger of whis, are very rare. Fal. ftof has faid, that the courtiers would whip him with their quick its; but I know not that whip can be used for a fcoff or infult, unless its meaning be fixed by the whole expreffion. I am afraid left I fhould venture too far in correcting this paffage. If whips be retained, we may read, For who would bear the whips and ferns of tyrants. But I think that quip, a fucer, a farcafm, a contemptuous jeft, is the proper word, as fuiting very exactly with fcorn. What then mut The Is ficklied o'er with the pale caft of thought; Oph. Good my Lord, How does your Honour for this many a day? Opb. My Lord, I have remembrances of yours, must be done with time, it fuits no better with the new reading than with the old, and tyrant is an image too bulky and ferious. 1 read, but not confidently, For who would bear the quips and fcorns of title. It may be remarked, that Hamlet, in his enumeration of miferies, forgets, whether properly or not, that he is a prince, and mentions many evils to which inferior ftations only are expofed. VOL. VIII. 8 To groan and Sweat-] All the old copies have, to grant and fweat. It is undoubtedly the true reading, but can scarcely be born by modern ears. 9-Nymph, in thy orifons, &c.] This is a touch of nature. Hamlet, at the fight of Ophelia, does not immediately recollect, that he is to perfonate madness, but makes her an addrefs grave and folemn, fuch as the foregoing meditation excited in his thoughts. That I have longed long to re-deliver. Ham. No, I never gave you ought. Oph. My honour'd Lord, you know right well, you did; And with them words of fo fweet breath compos'd, Rich gifts wax poor, when givers prove unkind. Ham. Ha, ha! are you honeft? Ham. Are you fair? Opb. What means your Lordship? Ham. That if you be honest and fair, you should admit no difcourfe to your beauty. Oph. Could beauty, my Lord, have better commerce than with honesty? Ham. Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will fooner transform honefty from what it is, to a bawd; than the force of honefty can tranflate beauty into its likeness. This was fometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once. Oph. Indeed, my Lord, you made me believe fo. Ham. You fhould not have believed me. For virtue cannot fo inoculate our old stock, but we shall relifh of it. I lov'd you not. Oph. I was the more deceiv'd. Ham. Get thee to a nunnery. Why shouldst thou be a breeder of finners? I am myself indifferent ho 1 That if y u be honest and fair, you should admit no aifourfe to your beauty.] This is the reading of all the modern editions, and is copied from the quarto. The folio rads, your honefty should admit no difcourfe to your beauty. The true reading feems to be this, If you be hon ft and fair, you should admit your honeity to no difcourfe with your beauty. This is the fenfe evidently required by the process of the converfation. neft: 2 I am neft; but yet I could accufe me of fuch things, that Oph. At home my Lord. Ham. Let the doors be fhut upon him, that he may play the fool no where but in's own house. Farewel. Oph. Oh help him, you sweet heav'ns! Ham. If thou doft marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry. Be thou as chafte as ice, as pure as fnow, thou shalt not efcape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, farewel; or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wife men know well enough, what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewel. Opb. Heav'nly powers restore him! Ham. I have heard of your painting too, well enough. God has given you one face, and you make yourfelves another. You jig, you amble, and you 2 at my back,] That is, always ready to c me about me. With more offences at my beck, than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in.] What is the meaning of thoughts to put them in? A word is dropt out. We should read, thoughts to put them in NAME. This was the progrefs. The of fences are firft conceived and named, then projected to be put 3 I have heard of your painting Jifp, |