POL. That hath made him mad. I am forry, that with better heed, and judgement, I had not quoted him: 3 I fear'd, he did but trifle, And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my jealoufy! It seems, it is as proper to our age To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions, As it is common for the younger fort To lack difcretion. Come, go we to the king: 3 I had not quoted him:] To quote is, I believe, to reckon, to take an account of, to take the quotient or refult of a computation. JOHNSON. I find a passage in The Isle of Gulls, a comedy, by John Day, 1606, which proves Dr. Johnson's sense of the word to be not far from the true one: "'twill be a scene of mirth "For me to quote his paffions, and his smiles." To quote on this occasion undoubtedly means to obferve. Again, in Drayton's Mooncalf: This honeft man the prophecy that noted, "And things therein most curioufly had quoted, Again, in The Woman Hater, by Beaumont and Fletcher, the intelligencer says," I'll quote him to a tittle," i. e. I will mark or observe him. To quote as Mr. M. Mason observes, is invariably used by Shakspeare in this sense. STEEVENS. "Will quote my loathed trespass in my looks." In this paffage, in the original edition of 1594, the word is written cote, as it is in the quarto copy of this play. It is merely the old or corrupt spelling of the word. See Vol. V. p. 276, n. 8, and p. 368, n. 8; Vol. VI. p. 367, n. 2; and Vol. VIII. p. 138, n. 5. In Minsheu's Dict. 1617, we find, "To quote, mark, or note, à quotus. Numeris enim fcribentes fententias fuas notant et diftinguunt." See also Cotgrave's Dict. 1611: "Quoter. To quote or marke in the margent; to note by the way." 4-it is as proper to our age To caft beyond ourselves in our opinions, As it is common for the younger fort MALONE. To lack difcretion.] This is not the remark of a weak man. The vice of age is too much fufpicion. Men long accustomed to : This must be known; which, being kept close, might move More grief to hide, than hate to utter love.s [Exeunt. Enter King, Queen, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and Attendants. KING. Welcome, dear Rofencrantz, and Guildenstern! Moreover that we much did long to fee you, the wiles of life caft commonly beyond themselves, let their cunning go farther than reafon can attend it. This is always the fault of a little mind, made artful by long commerce with the world. JOHNSON. The quartos read-By heaven it is as proper &c. STEEVENS. In Decker's Wonderful Yeare, 4to. 1603, we find an expreffion fimilar to that in the text. "Now the thirstie citizen cafts beyond the moone." MALONE. The fame phrafe has already occurred in Titus Andronicus. REED. 5 This must be known; which, being kept close, might move More grief to hide, than hate to utter love.] i. e. this must be made known to the King, for (being kept fecret) the hiding Hamlet's love might occafion more mischief to us from him and the queen, than the uttering or revealing of it will occafion hate and refentment from Hamlet. The poet's ill and obfcure expreffion feems to have been caused by his affectation of concluding the scene with a couplet. Sir T. Hanmer reads, More grief to hide hate, than to utter love. JOHNSON. Since nor the exterior nor the inward man More than his father's death, that thus hath put him So much from the understanding of himself, That,-being of so young days brought up with him: And, fince, so neighbour'd to his youth and hu mour, That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court QUEEN. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd And, sure I am, two men there are not living, As fits a king's remembrance. Ros. Both your majesties Might, by the fovereign power you have of us, 6 and humour,] Thus the folio. The quartos read haviour. STEEVENS. Whether aught, &c.] This line is omitted in the folio. STEEVENS. 8 To show us so much gentry,] Gentry, for complaisance. WARBURTON. 9 For the fupply &c.] That the hope which your arrival has raised may be completed by the defired effect. JOHNSON. 2 -you have of us,] I believe we should read-o'er us, instead of of us. M. MASON. I 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 be commanded. KING. Thanks, Rosencrantz, and gentle Guil denstern. QUEEN. Thanks, Guildenstern, and gentle Ro fencrantz: And I beseech you instantly to visit My too much changed fon.-Go, some of you, GUIL. Heavens make our prefence, and our prac KING. Thou still haft been the father of good news. POL. Have I, my lord? Affure you, my good liege, 3-in the full bent,] Bent, for endeavour, application. WARBURTON. The full bent, is the utmost extremity of exertion. The allufion is to a bow bent as far as it will go. So afterwards in this play : " They fool me to top of my bent." MALONE. : ! : I hold my duty, as I hold my foul, KING. O, speak of that; that do I long to hear. Re-enter POLONIUS, with VOLTIMAND and CORNE LIUS. KING. Well, we shall fift him.-Welcome, my Say, Voltimand, what from our brother Norway? 4 the trail of policy - The trail is the course of an animal pursued by the fcent. JOHNSON. 5 -the fruit-] The defert after the meat. JOHNSON. |