My too much changed son.-Go, some of you,
And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.

Guil. Heavens make our presence, and our prac

tices,

lord, Are joyfully return'd.

King. Thou still hast been the father of good

news.

Pol. Have I, my lord? Assure you, my good liege,

I hold my duty, as I hold my soul,

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Both to my God, and to my gracious king:
And I do think, (or else this brain of mine
Hunts not the trail of policy so sure
As it hath us'd to do,) that I have found
The very cause of Hamlet's lunacy.

King. O, speak of that; that do I long to hear. Pol. Give first admittance to the embassadors; My news shall be the fruit to that great feast. King. Thyself do grace to them, and bring them in. [Erit POLONIUS.

He tells me, my dear Gertrude, he hath found The head and source of all your son's distemper. Queen. I doubt, it is no other but the main ; His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage.

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- the trail of policy-] The trail is the course of an animal pursued by the scent.

Re-enter POLONIUS, with VoLTIMAND and Cor

NELIUS.

King. Well, we shall sift him.-Welcome, my

good friends! Say, Voltimand, what from our brother Norway? Volt. Most fair return of greetings, and desires, Upon our first, he sent out to suppress His nephew's levies; which to him appear'd To be a preparation 'gainst the Polack; But, better look'd into, he truly found It was against your highness: Whereat griev'd,That so his sickness, age, and impotence, Was falsely borne in hand, sends out arrests On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys; Receives rebuke from Norway; and, in fine, Makes vow before his uncle, never more To give the assay of arms against your majesty. Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy, Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee; And his commission, to employ those soldiers, So levied as before, against the Polack; With an entreaty, herein further shown,

[Gives a Paper.

That it might please you to give quiet pass
Through your dominions for this enterprize;
On such regards of safety, and allowance,
As therein are set down.

King.

It likes us well;

And, at our more consider'd time, we'll read,
Answer, and think upon this business.

Mean time, we thank you for your well-took labour:

I

-borne in hand,] i. e. deceived, imposed on.

2 To give the assay-] To take the assay was a technical expression, originally applied to those who tasted wine for princes and great men,

Go to your rest; at night we'll feast together:
Most welcome home!

Pol.

[Exeunt VOLTIMAND and CORNELIUS.

This business is well ended.

My liege, and madam, to expostulate3
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night, night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: Your noble son is mad:
Mad call I it: for, to define true madness,
What is't, but to be nothing else but mad:
But let that go.

Queen.

More matter, with less art.

Pol. Madam, I swear, I use no art at all.

3 My liege, and madam, to expostulate-] To expostulate, for to enquire or discuss.

WARBURTON makes the character of Polonius, a character only of manners, discriminated by properties superficial, accidental, and acquired. The poet intended a nobler delineation of a mixed character of manners and of nature. Polonius is a man bred in courts, exercised in business, stored with observation, confident in his knowledge, proud of his eloquence, and declining into dotage. His mode of oratory is truly represented as designed to ridicule the practice of those times, of prefaces that made no introduction, and of method that embarrassed rather than explained. This part of his character is accidental, the rest is natural. Such a man is positive and confident, because he knows that his mind was once strong, and knows not that it is become weak. Such a man excels in general principles, but fails in the particular application. He is knowing in retrospect, and ignorant in foresight. While he depends upon his memory, and can draw from his repositories of knowledge, he utters weighty sentences, and gives useful counsel; but as the mind in its enfeebled state cannot be kept long busy and intent, the old man is subject to sudden dereliction of his faculties, he loses the order of his ideas, and entangles himself in his own thoughts, till he recovers the leading principle, and falls again into his former train. This idea of dotage encroaching upon wisdom, will solve all the phænomena of the character of Polonius. JOHNSON.

That he is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true, 'tis pity;
And pity 'tis, 'tis true; a foolish figure;
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Mad let us grant him then: and now remains,
That we find out the cause of this effect;
Or, rather say, the cause of this defect;
For this effect, defective, comes by cause:
Thus it remains, and the remainder thus.
Perpend.

I have a daughter; have, while she is mine;
Who, in her duty and obedience, mark,

Hath given me this: Now gather, and surmise. -To the celestial, and my soul's idol, the most beautified Ophelia,

That's an ill phrase, a vile phrase; beautified is a vile phrase; but you shall hear. Thus :

In her excellent white bosom, these, &c.-
Queen. Came this from Hamlet to her?
Pol. Good madam, stay awhile; I will be faith-

ful.

Doubt thou, the stars are fire;

Doubt, that the sun doth move:

Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt, I love.

[Reads.

O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers; I have not art to reckon my groans: but that I love thee best, O most best, believe it. Adieu.

Thine evermore, most dear lady, whilst this machine is to him, Hamlet.

This, in obedience, hath my daughter shown me :
And more above, hath his solicitings,
As they fell out by time, by means, and place,
All given to mine ear.

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What do you think of me?

:

King. As of a man faithful and honourable.
Pol. I would fain prove so. But what might you

think,

When I had seen this hot love on the wing,
(As I perceiv'd it, I must tell you that,

Before my daughter told me,) what might you,
Or my dear majesty your queen here, think,
If I had play'd the desk, or table-book;
Or given my heart a working, mute and dumb ;
Or look'd upon this love with idle sight;
What might you think? no, I went round to work,
And my young mistress thus did I bespeak;
Lord Hamlet is a prince out of thy sphere;
This must not be: and then I precepts gave her,
That she should lock herself from his resort,
Admit no messengers, receive no tokens.
Which done, she took the fruits of my advice;
And he, repulsed, (a short tale to make,)
Fell into a sadness; then into a fast;
Thence to a watch; thence into a weakness;
Thence to a lightness; and, by this declension,
Into the madness wherein now he raves,

$ If I had play'd the desk, or table-book;
Or given my heart a working, mute and dumb;
Or look'd upon this love with idle sight;

What might you think?] i. e. If either I had conveyed intelligence between them, and been the confident of their amours [play'd the desk or table-book,] or had connived at it, only observed them in secret, without acquainting my daughter with my discovery [giving my heart a mute and dumb working;] or lastly, been negligent in observing the intrigue, and overlooked it [looked npon this love with idle sight; or concealed it, what would you have thought of me?

6 Which done, she took the fruits of my advice;] She took the fruits of advice when she obeyed advice, the advice was then made fruitful.

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