■ A brother's murther!--- Pray can I not,
Though inclination be as fharp P as will;
My ftronger guilt defeats my ftrong intent:
And, like a man to double bufineis bound,
I ftand in pause where I fhall firft begin,
And both neglect. What if this curfed hand
Were thicker than itself with brother's blood?
Is there not rain enough in the fweet heavens
To wash it white as fnow? Whereto ferves mercy,
But to confront the vifage of offence?

And what's in prayer, but this two-fold force
To be fore-ftalled ere we come to fall,

Or a pardon'd being down? Then I'll look up;

My fault is paft. But oh! what form of prayer
Can ferve my turn? Forgive me my foul murther!
That cannot be, fince I am ftill poffeft

Of thofe effects for which I did the murther,

My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.
May one be pardon'd, and retain th' offence?
In the corrupted currents of this world,
Offence's gilded hand may

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,
w The fo's read currants.
× The 2d and 3d qu's read guided,
y The qu's read show,

And oft 'tis feen, the wicked prize itself
Buys out the law; but 'tis not fo above:
There, is no fhuffling; there, the action lies
In his true naturé, 2 and we ourselves compell'd,
Ev'n to the teeth and forehead of our faults,
To give in evidence. What then? what refts?
Try what repentance can. What can it not?
* Yet what can it, when one cannot repent?
O wretched state! oh bofom, black as death!
O limed foul, that, ftruggling to be free,
Art more engaged! Help, angels! make affay!
Bow, ftubborn knees; and, heart with ftrings of fteel,
Be foft as finews of the new-born babe !

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?
But in our circumftance and course of thought,

'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;
When he is drunk, afleep, or in his rage,

Or in th' inceftuous pleasure of his bed,
At game, a swearing, or about fome act
That has no relifh of falvation in 't;

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.
Ham. Mother, you have my father much offended.
Queen.. Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue.
Ham. Go, go, you queftion with a wicked tongue.

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?
Queen. Have you forgot me?

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!
Ham. A bloody deed; almoft as bad, good mother,

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.