Let me not burst in ignorance! but tell was a mistake for "of't corrupt." Mr. W. N. Lettsom, too, observes, "a verb I should think must lurk under the corruption. 'a doubt,' or 'doubt,' with the signification of turn, pervert, cor rupt, or the like;" and Dr. Ingleby writes, "I am convinced that of a doubt' is a misprint for derogate,' for 1st, of a doubt' and ' derogate' have the same number of letters; 2nd, they have the o, a, d, and t in common; and 3rd, derogate' is the only verb that at the same time completes the sense and preserves the metre." The suggestion of "derogate" is ingenious; but may not the construction have been this," The dram of base (or ill, or bale, or lead, or whatsoever word the compositor tortured into "eale" or "ease") doth (i.e. doeth, worketh,) all the noble substance of a pound to its own vileness"? We by no means pretend that pound was the actual word misrendered "doubt;" it is inserted merely because it occurs in opposition to "dram" in a line of Quarles "Emblems," b. ii. E. 7, "Where ev'ry dram of gold contains a pound of dross," and because it is extremely probable some such antithesis was intended here. No, by no means. HOR. HAM. It waves me forth again;-I'll follow it. HOR. What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord, Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff, reason,a And draw you into madness? think of it: The very place puts toys of desperation, Without more motive, into every brain, That looks so many fathoms to the sea, And hears it roar beneath." НАМ. It waves me still : Go on; I'll follow thee. [Ghost beckons. Still am I call'd ;-unhand me, gentlemen ;— By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets© me! [Breaking from them. say, away!-Go on, I'll follow thee. I [Exeunt Ghost and HAMLET. HOR. He waxes desperate with imagination. MAR. Let's follow; 't is not fit thus to obey him. When I to sulphurous and tormenting flames Must render up myself. HAM. HAM. What! GHOST. I am thy father's spirit; Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night, And for the day confin'd to fast in fires,d Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature Are burnt and purg'd away. But that I am forbid To tell the secrets of my prison-house, I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word Would harrow up thy soul; freeze thy young blood; [spheres ; Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their Thy knotted and combined locks to part, And each particular hair to stand an end, Like quills upon the fretful porcupine ;‡ But this eternal blazon must not be To ears of flesh and blood.-List, list, O, list!—§ If thou didst ever thy dear father love,— HAM. O, God!|| [murder. GHOST. Revenge his foul and most unnatural HAM. Murder ! GHOST. Murder most foul, as in the best it is; As meditation or the thoughts of love, GHOST. I find thee apt; And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed That rots itself in ease on Lethe wharf, a Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason,-] Gifford was mistaken in assuming that "your sovereignty" was here merely a title of respect like "your lordship," applied to Hamlet. To deprive your sovereignty of reason, means to dethrone or displace your powers of reason. Warburton cites a passage from Einov Bariλikh, where the precise expression occurs: "At once to betray the soveraignty of reason in my own soul." b And hears it roar beneath.] This and the three preceding lines are not found in the folio. () First folio, Heaven. C- that lets me !-] That hinders, or obstructs me. confin'd to fast in fires,-] The reading of all the copies, except the 1603 quarto, which has, "Confinde in flaming fire," &c. Heath proposed, "- to lasting fires," &c.; and the same lection is suggested by Mr. Collier's annotator. e That rots itself-] The quartos all read, "roots itself," and ft is difficult to determine which expression deserves the preference. That it went hand in hand even with the vow But virtue, as it never will be mov'd, But, soft! methinks I scent the morning * air; The thin and wholesome blood: so did it mine; Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand Of life, of crown, of queen, at once despatch'd ;d [Exit. In this distracted globe. Remember thee! O, villain, villain, smiling, damned villain !— But he's an arrant knave. HOR. There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the grave To tell us this. HAM. Why, right; you are i' the right; And so, without more circumstance at all, I hold it fit that we shake hands and part; You, as your business and desire shall point you,— For every man has business and desire, (†) First folio repeats, My tables. (*) First folio, yes, yes. without having received the eucharist; "disappointed" = unappointed, means unprepared; and "unanel'd" is without extreme unction. f O, horrible! O, horrible! most horrible!] Notwithstanding the unanimity of the old copies in assigning this line to the Ghost, there can be little doubt it was intended to be spoken by Hamlet, as in acting, indeed, it usually is. g Hillo, ho, ho, boy! come, bird, come.] These were expressions of encouragement which the falconer of old was wont to address to his hawks. Such as it is, and, for mine own poor part, Look you, I'll go pray. HOR. These are but wild and whirling* words, my lord. HAM. I'm sorry they offend you, heartily; There's no offence, my lord. HAM. Yes, by Saint Patrick, but there is, Horatio,† And much offence too. Touching this vision here,- HOR. come; Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, That you, at such times seeing me, never shall, Or, If we list to speak;-or, There be, an if they might; Or such ambiguous giving out, to note That you know aught of me, this not to do, So grace and mercy at your most need help you, Swear! GHOST. [Beneath.] Swear! HAM. Rest, rest, perturbed spirit!-So, gentlemen, With all my love I do commend me to you: And still your fingers on your lips, I pray. [Exeunt. |