■ A brother's murther!--- Pray can I not, And what's in prayer, but this two-fold force Or a pardon'd being down? Then I'll look up; My fault is paft. But oh! what form of prayer Of thofe effects for which I did the murther, My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen. W y n To fupply the want of a foot in this verfe, T. proposes to read, That of a brother's murther, &c. For the fame reafon H. reads,—Pray, alas! I cannot, • R. alters this to, Pray I cannot; followed by the rest, except C. P W. reads, as th' ill. T. and Heath propofes, as 'twill: So H. and J. read. The qu's read pardon. The 2d q. reads faults: So S. but he does not give us the reading of the 3d q. viz. fault. shove by justice; W. reads th' effects, efteeming the other reading improper. Shakespeare's meaning is plain enough, May I be pardoned, yet ftill determine to go on offending, by continuing illegally to poffefs the crown, and by living in incest with the queen? These are properly enough the very offences themselves. u The 2d q. reads conrupted, And oft 'tis feen, the wicked prize itself All may be well. The king retires and kneels, SCENE X d Enter Hamlet. Ham. Now might I do it--- but now he is praying --And now I'll do 't---and fo e he goes to heaven: And fo am I f reveng'd? that would be fcann'd. z P. and H. omit and. a H. reads, Yer zubat can aught, &c. W. reads, Fet what can it when one can bet repent? b No direction in qu's or fo's. expreffed, Now might I do it, while be's alone;-No, but he is praying now, which makes it an improper time.-Nevertheles I'll do it; bis prayers fha'n't protect him. -But if I kill bim noro be is praying, be • This is called Scene IX. in W. and goes to heaven.-And fo am I reveng'd, dSo the qu's (and much better than the fo's and all other editions, which read, Now might I do it pat, not be is praying, &c.) We have here the fudden ftarts of mind of one intent on doing a bufinefs of this nature more naturally &c. e Qu's, a for be. f The 1st and 2d qu's read revenge; and fo S; but he does not give us the reading which is in the 3d q. vix. ra veg'd. A villain A villain kills my father, and for that I, his fole fon, do this fame villain fend To heav'n. Oh this is hire and falary, not revenge. * He took my father grofly, full of bread, With all his crimes broad blown, as m flush as May; And how his audit ftands, who knows, fave heav'n? 'Tis heavy with him. And am I then reveng'd, To take him in the purging of his foul, When he is fit and feafon'd for his paffage ?--- No. Up, fword, and know thou a more horrid » hent; Or in th' inceftuous pleasure of his bed, Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heav'n; [Exit. King. My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; Words, without thoughts, never to heaven go. The fo's read foul, which W. alters him but C. to fal'n. Qu's and C. Why for Ob. P Hent, i. c. hold, feizure. So the qu's and fo's, (except the last f. which i Instead of hire and falary the qu's which reads bent, followed by T. H. and read bafe and filly. * Qu's, a for be. 1 Inftead of as, W. reads and. in The fo's and R. read fresh. W.) R. and P. read time. C. bint. 97. reads drunk-asleep. r C, pleasures. So the qu's. The rest read, At gar n P. and all after him, but C, omit ming, fwearing, &c. And No is omitted by P, and all after The 2d and 3d qu's read beele. "This direction first put in by T. SCENE Pol. He will come ftrait; look, you lay home to him; Tell him, his pranks have been too broad to bear with; And that your Grace hath fcreen'd, and ftood between Much heat and him. I'll filence me even here; Pray you, be round with him, d Ham. [within] Mother, mother, mother. --Queen. I'll warrant you, fear me not. с Withdraw, I hear him coming: с [Polonius hides himself behind the arras, Enter Hamlet, Ham. Now, mother, what's the matter? Queen. Hamlet, thou haft thy father much offended. a The words with kim are omitted by Fear me not: you withdraw, I bear bim Queen. Why, how now, Hamlet? Ham. What's the matter now? Ham. No, by the rood, not so: You are the queen, your husband's brother's wife; And, would it were not fo, you are my mother. Queen. Nay, then I'll set those to you that can speak. Ham. Come, coine, and fit you down; you shall not budge. You go not, till I fet you up a glass i Where you may fee the inmoft part of you. Queen. What wilt thou do? thou wilt not murther me? Help, m ho! [Hamlet kills Polonius. Ham. How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead. Pol. Oh, I am flain. Queen. Oh me, what haft thou done? Ham, Nay, I know not: is it the king? Queen, Oh, what a rash and bloody deed is this! As kill a king and marry with his brother. Queen. As P kill a king? Ham. Ay, lady, it was my word. Thou wretched, rafh, intruding fool, farewel; [T. Polon. |