* Th' extravagant and erring Spirit hies To his Confine: And of the truth herein This prefent object made probation. Mer. It faded on the crowing of the cock. Some fay, that ever 'gainst that seafon comes Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated, The bird of Dawning fingeth all night long: And then, they fay, no Spirit can walk abroad, The nights are wholecome, then no planets strike, 3 No fairy takes, no witch hath power to charm; So hallow'd and fo gracious is the time. . 2 Hor. So have I heard, and do in part believe it. But look, the morn, in ruffet mantle clad, Walks o'er the dew of yon + high eastern hill. Break we our watch up; and, by my advice, Let us impart what we have feen to night Unto young Hamlet; for, upon my life, This Spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him: Do you confent, we fhall acquaint him with it, As needful in our loves, fitting our duty? Mar. Let's do't, I pray, and I this morning know Where we fhall find him moft conveniently. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Changes to the palace. Enter Claudius King of Denmark, Gertrude the Queen, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, Voltimand, Cornelius, Lords and Attendants. King.TH Hough yet of Hamlet our dear brother's The memory be green, and that it us befitted. Yet fo far hath Difcretion fought with Nature, Taken to wife.Nor have we herein barr'd › Colleagued with this dream of his advantage, He hath not fail'd to pefter us with meffage 5 Colleagued with this dream of his advantage,] The meaning is, He goes to war fo indifcreetly, and unprepared, that he has no allies to support him but a Dream, with which he is colleagued or confederated. WARBURTON. Importing the furrender of thofe Lands To our most valiant brother.So much for him. Farewel, and let you hafte commend your duty. [Exeunt Voltimand and Cornelius, And lofe your voice, What would't thou beg, Laertes, That shall not be my offer, not thy afking? Laer. My a flagrant inftance of the first Editor's ftupidity, in preferring found to fenfe. But head, heart and band, he thought muft needs go together where an honeft man was the fubject of the encomi um; Laer. My dread lord, Your leave and favour to return to France; Yet now I must confefs, that duty done, My thoughts and wishes bend again tow'rd France: And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon. King. Have you your father's leave? what fays Polonius? Pol. He hath, my lord, by labourfome petition, Wrung from me my flow leave; and, at the last, Upon his will I feal'd my hard confent: I do befeech you, give him leave to go. King. 7 Take thy fair hour, Laertes, time be thine; And thy best Graces spend it at thy Will. But ratory where that vital liquor is digefted, diftributed, and (when weakened and debilitated) again reflored to the vigour neceflary for the difcharge of its functions. WARBURTON. Part of this emendation I have received, but cannot difcern why the bead is not as much native to the heart, as the blood, that is, natural and congenial to it, born with it, and co-operating with it. The relation is likewife by this reading better preferved, the Counsellor being to the King as the bead to the beart. 7 Take thy fair hour, Laertes, at thy will. This is the pointing in both Mr. Pope's editions; but the Poet's meaning is loft by it, and the clofe of the fentence miferably flatten'd. The pointing, I have restored, is that of the beft copies; and the fenfe, this: "You have my leave to But now, my coufin Hamlet, and my fon 8 Ham. A little more than kin, and less than kind. [Afide. Thou know'ft, 'tis common: all, that live, muft die; 66 go, Laertes; make the fairest "use you please of your time, "and spend it at your will with "the faireft graces you are maf"ter of." THEOBALD. I rather think this line is in want of emendation. I read, Time is thine, And my best graces; spend it at thy will. Ham. A little more than kin, and lefs than kind.] The King had called him, coufin Hamlet, therefore Hamlet replies, A little more than kin, i. e. A little more than coufin; because, by marrying his mother, he was become the King's fon-in-law; So far is easy. But what means the latter part, -and less than kind? The King, in the prefent reading, gives no occafion for this reflection, which is fufficient to fhew it to be faulty, and that we fhould read and point the fift line thus, But now, my coufin Hamlet.KIND my foni. e. But now let us turn to you, coufin Hamlet. Kind my fon, (or A little more than kin, and less than kind.] It is not un- HANMER. Kind is the Teutonick word for Child. Hamlet therefore answers with propriety, to the titles of coufin and fin, which the King had given him, that he was fomewhat more than coufin, and lefs than fon. 9too much i' th' Sun.] He perhaps alludes to the proverb, Out of heaven's blessing into the warm fun. Queen. " |