A violet in the youth of primy nature, Oph. Laer. No more but so? Think it no more: For nature, crescent, does not grow alone you, Then, if he says he loves It fits your wisdom so far to believe it, As he in his particular act and place May give his saying deed; which is no farther, The perfume and suppliance of a minute ;] Tho folio strangely omits the words "perfume and," absolutely necessary to the line. The virtue of his WILL:] So every quarto: the folios have fear for "will," which last is evidently the right word. The compositor, perhaps, caught fear from the end of the line. "Besmirch," in the previous line, is a word which has frequently occurred before (Vol. ii. pp. 235. 246; Vol. iii. p. 26; and Vol. iv. p. 542) with the same meaning, viz., soiled or sullied. ✦ For he himself is subject to his birth.] This line is only in the folios. The quarto, 1603, has no trace of it, and the whole speech of Laertes is there much abridged. 5 The SAFETY and health of THIS WHOLE State;] We follow the quartos, 1604, &c.: the folio is very incorrectly printed in this part of the scene, and reads, "The sanctity and health of the weole state." "Safety" was often of old, as in this line, pronounced as a trisyllable. 6 — his PARTICULAR ACT and PLACE,] So the quartos, 1604, &c. The folio reads, “peculiar sect and force;" but there is little doubt that it is a misreading. Sect and force may be strained into a meaning, but "act and place" require no such effort. Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal. Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister; Oph. I shall th' effect of this good lesson keep, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, Laer. O! fear me not. I stay too long;-but here my father comes. Enter POLONIUS. A double blessing is a double grace; Occasion smiles upon a second leave. Pol. Yet here, Laertes? aboard, aboard, for shame! The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail, And you are stay'd for. There, my blessing with you; [Laying his Hand on LAERTES' Head. And these few precepts in thy memory 7 And RECKS not his own READ.] i. e. And cares not for his own counsel or advice. "Read" was used of old both as a substantive and a verb. Look thou characters. Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportion'd thought his act. But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy: And they in France, of the best rank and station, For loan oft loses both itself and friend, Laer. Most humbly do I take my leave, my lord. What I have said to you. Oph. 'Tis in my memory lock'd, And you yourself shall keep the key of it. * Look thou CHARACTER:] i. e. Look thou imprint, as in characters. The folio has, "See thou character." 9 -- with HOOPS of steel ;] Malone would substitute hooks for " hoops," without any authority. The oldest quarto has, "with a hoop of steel," and all the others, and the folios, "with hoops of steel." Lower down the quartos have courage for "comrade," and the folio unhatch'd for "new-hatch'd." 1 Are of a most select and generous CHIEF in that.] The meaning perhaps is, "Are of a most select and generous rank and station, chiefly in that." Malone, however, thought that "chief" might here be used as in heraldry. * The time INVITES you :] Every quarto but the first, where the passage is wanting, has, "The time invests you :" the folio "invites." Laer. Farewell. [Exit LAERTES. Pol. What is't, Ophelia, he hath said to you? Oph. So please you, something touching the lord Hamlet. Pol. Marry, well bethought: "Tis told me, he hath very oft of late Given private time to you; and you yourself Have of your audience been most free and bounteous. And that in way of caution) I must tell you, Oph. He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders Of his affection to me. Pol. Affection? pooh! you speak like a green girl, Unsifted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his tenders, as you call them? Oph. I do not know, my lord, what I should think. Pol. Marry, I'll teach you think yourself a baby; That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay, Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly; Or, not to crack the wind of the poor phrase, Wronging it thus3, you'll tender me a fool. Oph. My lord, he hath importun'd me with love, Pol. Ay, fashion you may call it; go to, go to. lord, With almost all the holy vows of heaven*. Pol. Ay, springes to catch woodcocks. I do know, 3 WRONGING it thus,] The folios read, "Roaming it thus," and the quartos, 1604, &c. "Wrong it thus." Possibly the true reading may have been, “Running it thus." Warburton printed " Wringing it thus," and Coleridge (Lit. Rem. vol. ii. p. 217) suspected that "wronging" was used much in the same sense as wringing or wrenching. 4 With almost all the holy vows of heaven.] The folio reads poorly, and lamely, "With all the vows of heaven." Our text is that of the quartos. When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul [Exeunt. LENDS the tongue vows: these blazes, daughter,] The folio has Gires for "Lends" of all the quartos: the last is to be preferred, if on no other account, because the next line begins with "Giving." Coleridge did not doubt (Lit. Rem. vol. ii. p. 217) " that a spondee had dropped out in this line," but we have had many previous examples of eight-syllable lines, and the old copies are uniform in the text. * FROM this time,] So the quartos, 1604, &c. "Fire" is to be read as a dissyllable: the folio has, "For this time, daughter," which is clearly wrong. 7 Not of THAT DIE-] So every quarto but that of 1603, which does not contain the passage. The folios, "Not of the eye," probably a mere misprint: the "die" has reference to the "investments," or restments. 8 - and pious BONDS,] Theobald, with great plausibility, and with reference to "brokers" just above, read bauds for "bonds ;" but as the text is intelligible without alteration, we make none. 9 — any moment leisure,] i. e. any leisure moment. The old copies, quarto and folio, are uniform in this text, and modern editors uniform in varying from it. At the same time it is to be admitted, that "any moment's leisure " would not be objectionable, if change were required. |