8 That on the fupervize, no leisure bated, Hor. Is't poffible? Ham. Here's the Commiffion, read it at more leifure; But wilt thou hear now how I did proceed? Hor. I beseech you. Ham. Being thus benetted round with villains, Ere I could make a prologue to my Brains, They had begun the Play: I fate me down, Devis'd a new Commiffion, wrote it fair: logue, is abfurd: Both as he had no thoughts of playing them a trick till they had played him one; and because his counterplet could not be called a prologue to their Plot. WARBURTON. In my opinion no alteration is neceffary. Hamlet is telling how luckily every thing fell out; he groped out their commiffion in the dark without waking them; he found himself doomed to immediate deftruction. Something was to be done for his prefervation. An expedient occurred, not produced by the comparison of one method with another, or by a regular deduction of confequences, but before he could make a prologue to bis Brains, they bad begun the play. Before he could fummon his faculties, and propofe to himself what fhould be done, a complete fcheme of action prefented itself to him. His mind operated before he had excited it. This appears to me to be the meaning. I once did hold it, as our Statists do, A baseness to write fair, and labour'd much Hor. Ay, good my Lord. Ham. An earneft conjuration from the King, As England was his faithful tributary, As love between them, like the palm, might flourish, 'As Peace should still her wheaten garland wear, And ftand a Comma 'tween their amities; As Peace fhould fill her wheaten garland wear, And fland a COMMA 'tween their amities ;] Peace is here properly and firely perfonalized as the Goddess of good league and friendship; and very claffically dress'd out. Ovid lays, Pax Cererem nutrit, Pacis alumna Ceres. And Tibullus, At nobis, Pax alma! veni, picamque teneto. But the placing her as a Comma, or ftop, between the amities of two kingdoms, makes her rather ftand like a cypher. The poet without doubt wrote, And fand a COMMERB 'tween our amities. The term is taken from a trafficker in love, who brings people together, a procurefs. And this Idea is well appropriated to the fatirical turn which the fpeaker gives to this wicked adjuration of the King, who would lay the foundation of the peace of the two kingdoms in the blood of the heir of one of them. Periers And in his Novels, ufes the word Commere to fignify a fhe-friend. A tous fes gens, chacun une Commere. And Ben Johnson, in his Devil's an Afs, englishes the word by a middling Goffip Or what do you Say to a mid. To bring you together, WARBY And ftand a cement, Iam again inclined to vindicate the old reading. That the word Commere is French, will not be denied; but when or where was it English? The expreffion of our authour is, like many of his phrafes, fuf ficiently constrained and affected, but it is not incapable of explanation. The Comma is the note of connection and continuity of fentences; the Period is the note of abruption and disjunction. Shakespeare had it perhaps in his mind to write, That unless Eng land complied with the mandate, war should put a period to their amity; he altered his mode of diction, and thought that, in an U 3 oppofito And many fuch like As's of great charge; Hor. How was this feal'd? Ham. Why, even in that was heaven ordinant; I had my father's fignet in my purse, Which was the model of that Danish seal: I folded the writ up in form of th' other, Subfcrib'd it, gave th' impreffion, plac'd it fafely, 3 The changeling never known; now, the next day Was our fea-fight, and what to this was fequent Thou know't already. Hor. So, Guildenstern and Rofincrantz go to't. They are not near my confcience; their defeat Hor. Why, what a King is this! Ham. Does it not, think'ft thou, ftand me now He that hath kill'd my King, and whor'd my mother, And with fuch cozenage; is't not perfect confcience, oppofite fenfe, he might put, That Peace fhould ftani a Comma between their amities. This is not an eafy ftyle; but is it not the style of Shakespeare? 2 - ·As's of great charge ;] Affes heavily loaded. 3 The changeling never known ;] A changeling is a child which the fairies are fuppofed to leave in the room of that which they fteal. 4 Doth by their own infinuasion grow:] Infinuation, for corruptly obtruding themfelves into his fervice. WARBURTON. " To "5 To quit him with this arm? and is't not to be damn'd, "To let this canker of our nature come "In further evil? "Hor. It must be shortly known to him from England, "What is the iffue of the bufinefs there. "Ham. It will be short. "The Interim's mine; and a man's life's no more "Than to fay, one. "But I am very forry, good Horatio, "That to Laertes I forgot myfelf; "For by the image of my cause I fee "The portraiture of his; I'll court his favour; "But, fure, the bravery of his grief did put me "Into a tow'ring paffion. Hor. Peace, who comes here? SCENE IV. Enter Ofrick. Ofr. Your Lordship is right welcome back to Denmark. Ham. I humbly thank you, Sir, • Doft know this water-fly? Hor. No, my good Lord. Ham. Thy ftate is the more gracious; for 'tis a vice to know him. He hath much land, and fertile. Let a beast be Lord of beasts, and his crib fhall stand at 5 To quit him-] To requite him; to pay him his due. 6-Doft know this waterfly ? A waterfly skips up and down U 4 upon the furface of the water, without any apparent purpose or reafon, and is thence the proper emblem of a bufy trifler. the 7 the King's meffe. It is a chough; but, as I fay, fpacious in the poffeffion of dirt. Ofr. Sweet Lord, if your Lordship were at leifure, I fhould impart a thing to you from his Majefty. Ham. I will receive it with all diligence of fpirit. Your bonnet to his right use, 'tis for the head. Ofr. I thank your Lordship, 'tis very hot. Ham. No, believe me, 'tis very cold; the wind is northerly. Ofr. It is indifferént cold, my Lord, indeed. Ham. But yet, methinks, it is very fultry, and hot for my complexion. Ofr. Exceedingly, my Lord. It is very fultry, as 'twere, I cannot tell how.-My Lord, his Majefty bid me fignify to you, that he has laid a great wager on your head. Sir, this is the matter Ham. I beseech you, remember———— [Hamlet moves him to put on bis hat. Ofr. Nay, in good faith. For mine cafe. In good faith.-Sir, here is newly come to Court Laertes; believe me, an abfolute Gentleman, full of most excellent Differences, of very foft fociety, and great shew: indeed, to fpeak feelingly of him, he is the card or kalendar of gentry; for you fhall find in him the continent of what part a gentleman would fee: 7 It is a chough;] A kind of jackdaw. 1 full of most excellent Differences,] Full of diftinguishing excellencies. 9 the card or kalendar of gentry;] The general preceptor of elegance; the card by which a gentleman is to direct his courfe; the calendar by which he is to chufe his time, that what he does may be both excellent and feafonable. ' for you shall find in him the continent of what part a gentleman would fee.] You shall find him containing and comprifing every quality which a gentleman would defire to contemplate for imitation. I know not but it fhould be read, You shall find him the continent, Ham. |