1 Clo. A whoreson mad fellow's it was: whose do you think it was?

Ham. Nay, I know not.

1 Clo. A pestilence on him for a mad rogue! a' poured a flagon of Rhenish on my head once. This same scull, sir, this same scull, sir, was Yorick's scull, the king's jester.

Ham. This?

1 Clo. E'en that.

[Takes the Scull.

Ham. Let me see1. Alas, poor Yorick!-I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is3! my gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips, that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one now, to mock your own grinning? quite chapfallen? Now, get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come; make her laugh at that.-Pr'ythee, Horatio, tell me one thing.

Hor. What's that, my lord?

Ham. Dost thou think, Alexander looked o'this fashion i'the earth?

Hor. E'en so.

Ham. And smelt so? pah!

Hor. E'en so, my lord.

[Puts down the Scull.

Ham. To what base uses we may return, Horatio! Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of Alexander, till he find it stopping a bung-hole?

Let me see.] Only in the folio; and above it characteristically repeats "this same scull, sir."

5

--

- how abhorred IN my imagination IT is !] Here the quartos are to be preferred the folio reads, "how abhorred my imagination is.”

6 — to mock your own GRINNING ?] The folio, jeering; but the scull did not jeer, though it "grinned." In the next line, the quartos have "my lady's table,” excepting the quarto, 1603, which supports the folio.

So.

Hor. Twere to consider too curiously, to consider

Ham. No, faith, not a jot; but to follow him thither with modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it: as thus'; Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth into dust; the dust is earth; of earth we make loam, and why of that loam, whereto he was converted, might they not stop a beer-barrel?

Imperial Cæsar, dead, and turn'd to clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away:
O! that that earth, which kept the world in awe,
Should patch a wall t' expel the winter's flaw"!
But soft! but soft! aside:-here comes the king,

Enter Priests, &c. in Procession; the Corpse of OPHELIA, LAERTES and Mourners following; King, Queen, their Trains, &c.

The queen, the courtiers.

the courtiers. Who is that they follow, And with such maimed rites? This doth betoken, The corse they follow did with desperate hand

Fordo its own life: 'twas of some estate 1o.

Couch we a while, and mark.

[Retiring with HORATIO.

Laer. What ceremony else?
Ham.

A very noble youth: mark.

Laer. What ceremony else?

That is Laertes,

1 Priest'. Her obsequies have been as far enlarg'd As we have warranty: her death was doubtful;

- as thus ;] Not in any of the quartos, but that of 1603.

IMPERIAL Cæsar,] So the folio: the quartos, imperious: the words were often used indifferently. See Vol. vi. p. 283.

9-t' expel the WINTER'S flaw !] "The water's flaw," in the quartos, 1604, &c.: the quarto, 1603, has not the couplet. A flaw is a gust of wind. See Vol. v. p. 162. In the next line, the quartos read awhile for "aside."

10 FORDO its own life: 'twas of some estate.] To "fordo" is to destroy, to undo. The folio has, " 'twas some estate."

66

11 Priest.] The " Priest" of the folio, is called in the quarto, 1604, Doctor; but in that of 1603, "Priest."

And but that great command o'ersways the order,
She should in ground unsanctified have lodg'd,
Till the last trumpet; for charitable prayers,
Shards, flints, and pebbles, should be thrown on her;
Yet here she is allow'd her virgin crants3,

Her maiden strewments, and the bringing home
Of bell and burial.

Laer. Must there no more be done?

1 Priest.

No more be done.

We should profane the service of the dead,
To sing a requiem1, and such rest to her
As to peace-parted souls.

Laer.

Lay her i'the earth;

And from her fair and unpolluted flesh,
May violets spring!—I tell thee, churlish priest,
A ministering angel shall my sister be,
When thou liest howling.

Ham.

What! the fair Ophelia?

Queen. Sweets to the sweet: farewell.

[Scattering flowers. I hop'd thou should'st have been my Hamlet's wife: I thought thy bride-bed to have deck'd, sweet maid, And not to have strew'd thy grave.

O! treble woes

Laer.
Fall ten times treble on that cursed head,
Whose wicked deed thy most ingenious sense
Depriv'd thee of!-Hold off the earth awhile,
Till I have caught her once more in mine arms.

[Leaping into the Grave.

2 Shards,] i. e. (says Ritson) broken pots or tiles, called pot-sherds, tilesherds. The quartos omit "shards."

3 Yet here she is allowed her virgin CRANTS,] We preserve the word in every old quarto anterior to that of 1637, (which, like the folio, has rites) excepting that of 1603, where the line is not found. "Crants" are garlands, from the German kranz. Warburton substituted chants.

To sing a requiem,] "To sing sage requiem," in the folio only.

5 O! treble woe] The folio introduces a strange corruption here, of which some modern editors have taken no notice, but have quietly adopted the reading of the quartos. The folio, 1623, reads, " O! terrible woer ;" and it is followed by the three later folios. Our text is that of the quartos, 1604, &c.

Now pile your dust upon the quick and dead,
Till of this flat a mountain you have made,
To o'er-top old Pelion, or the skyish head
Of blue Olympus.

Ham. [Advancing.] What is he, whose grief
Bears such an emphasis? whose phrase of sorrow
Conjures the wandering stars, and makes them stand,
Like wonder-wounded hearers? this is I,

Hamlet the Dane.

Laer.

[Leaping into the Grave.

[Grappling with him.

The devil take thy soul!

Ham. Thou pray'st not well.

I pr'ythee, take thy fingers from my throat;
For though I am not splenetive and rash,
Yet have I in me something dangerous,

Which let thy wisdom fear. Hold off thy hand'.
King. Pluck them asunder.

Queen.

All. Gentlemen3,—

Hor.

Hamlet! Hamlet!

Good my lord, be quiet.

[The Attendants part them, and they come out of the Grave.

Ham. Why, I will fight with him upon this theme, Until my eyelids will no longer wag.

Queen. O my son! what theme?

Ham. I lov'd Ophelia: forty thousand brothers
Could not, with all their quantity of love,

Make up my sum.-What wilt thou do for her?
King. O! he is mad, Laertes.

Queen. For love of God, forbear him.

Ham. 'Swounds! show me what thou'lt do:

6 FOR though I am not-] The folio reads, “Sir, though I am not." No doubt the compositor mistook the ƒ for a long s, and hence the error.

7 Which let thy WISDOM fear: HOLD OFF thy hand.] The folio has wiseness, and "Away thy hand."

* All. Gentlemen,] The folio has not this speech, and the quartos naturally give the next to Horatio, and not to a Gentleman.

9 'Swounds!] For this exclamation the folio tamely substitutes "Come."

Woul't weep? woul't fight? woul't fast? woul't tear

thyself?

Woul't drink up Esill'? eat a crocodile?
I'll do't.-Dost thou come here to whine?
To outface me with leaping in her grave?
Be buried quick with her, and so will I:
And, if thou prate of mountains, let them throw
Millions of acres on us; till our ground,

Singeing his pate against the burning zone,
Make Ossa like a wart!

I'll rant as well as thou.

Queen.

Nay, an thou'lt mouth,

This is mere madness2:

And thus a while the fit will work on him;
Anon, as patient as the female dove,

When that her golden couplets are disclos'd3,
His silence will sit drooping.

Ham.

Hear you, sir:

What is the reason that you use me thus?

I lov'd you ever: but it is no matter;
Let Hercules himself do what he may,

The cat will mew, and dog will have his day.

[Exit.

King. I pray you, good Horatio, wait upon him.[Exit HORATIO. [To LAERTES.] Strengthen your patience in our last night's speech;

We'll put the matter to the present push.

Good Gertrude, set some watch over your son.-
This grave shall have a living monument:

1 Woul't drink up ESILL?] We print this word "Esill," as it stands in the quarto, 1604, &c. There is no doubt that eyesel is the old word for vinegar, although there is considerable doubt whether that be meant here. Some of the commentators suppose Hamlet to challenge Laertes to drink up the river Yssell,

or Eisell, and Sir T. Hanmer went so far as to change it to Nile. The quarto, 1603, affords us no aid here, for it reads, "Wilt drink up ressels?" In the folio it is, "Woo't drinke up Esile," and omits "woul't fast" in the preceding line.

2 This is mere madness:] This speech in the folio is given to the King.

3 When that her golden couplets are DISCLOS'D,] To disclose was anciently used for to hatch; and as Malone remarks, the word disclose has already occurred in that sense in this play, Act iii. sc. 1, p. 264.