as three of my Editions have it; and as I know it is constantly pronounc'd on the Stage:

That he is mad, 'tis true; 'tis true, 'tis Pity;

And Pity 'tis, 'tis true.

XL. Ibid.

For this effect defective [,] comes by caufe [,]

Either the Comma after defective must be taken out, or another added before it; otherwife, the Subftantive is disjoined from its Verb. Reftore it,

For this Effect, defective, comes by Caufe;

XLI. Ibid. Page 384.

POLONIUS having explain'd to them the Nature of HAMLET'S Lunacy, and from what Cause he imagines it to have sprung; the King asks the Queen, if fhe is of Opinion that it had fuch a Rife; which, fhe confeffes, feems very probable to her that it might. Restore, therefore, as all my Editions have it.

Take this from this, if this be otherwife [,]

POLONIUS thinks himself fo certain of being right in his Dif covery, that he is willing the King fhould take his Head from

L

his

Falle Pointing.

Correction from Various Reading.

Falfe Pointing.

his Shoulders, if he is out in his Politicks.
ed;

It must be point

Various
Reading..

Conjectural

Take This from This, --- if This be otherwife ;

XLIII. Ibid.

If he love her not,

And be not from his reason fal'n thereon,
Let me be no affiftant for a state,

AND keep a farm and carters.

Instead of the Copulative AND, which does not make the Sense fo clear, my two Quarto Editions read it, I think, better, with a Conjunction disjunctive.

If he love her not,

And be not from his Reason fall'n thereon,

Let me be no Affiftant for a State,

BUT keep a Farm and Carters..

XLIV. Act 2. Scene 6. Page 391.

Emendation. These are now the FASHION, and fo berattle the common STAGES (fo they call them,) that many wearing rapiers are afraid of goofequills, and dare fcarce come thither.

I'll give the Reading firft as I think it ought to be reftor'd, and then affign the Reasons.

Thefe now are the FACTION, and so berattle the common STAGERS (So they call them,) that Many wearing Rapiers are afraid of Goofe-quills, and dare fcarce come thither.

The Poet, as it were, here fteps out of Denmark into England, and makes Rofencraus, in talking of Theatres, allude to the Plays

per

performed at home by the Children of the King's Chappel; who
were in great Eftination at that Time of day, and "out-rival'd
the Gentlemen of the Profeffion. The Variation of Fashion into
Faction we owe to Mr. HUGHS; I think it much the more for-
cible and expreffive Term: implying, that thofe Children were
not only in Fashion and Efteem; but were a Prevailing Faction
against the other Playhouses, or had a Faction made by the
Town in their Favour. As to the other Alteration of common
Stages into common Stagers, which is a Conjecture of my own,
my
Reafon for it is this: The Poet certainly cannot intend by
his Many wearing Rapiers, that Gentlemen-Spectators were afraid to
go to the common Theatres, for Fear of the Refentment of these
Children, who fo berattled the common Stages. What greater
Affront could SHAKESPEARE put upon his Audience, than to
suppose any of them were of fuch tame and cowardly Spirits?
No, if I understand him, he seems to me to hint, that this
young Fry were so pert upon the profeft Actors, that even they,
tho' they wore Swords, were afraid of going near them, least
they should be banter'd, or infulted, past Sufferance. What far-
ther induces me to think, it should be common Stagers, rather than
common Stages, is, that, in the Speech immediately following,
HAMLET, fpeaking of these Children, retorts upon them,
If they fhould grow themselves to common PLAYERS--- and does
not fay, If they should come themselves to the common PLAY-
HOUSES, or Stages.

XLV. Ibid.

ing.

What, are they Children? who maintains them? how are they efcoted? False Pointwill they pursue the quality no longer than they can fing? will they not say afterwards, if they should grow themselves to common players [?][] as it is most like, if their Means are no better: [] their writers do them wrong to make them exclaim against their own Succeffion [.]

The Pointing of the latter Part of this Speech is fo very faulty,
that the Sense of it is but barely intelligible.
Mr. HUGHS's Edition partly leads the way;

Reftore it, as

Will they not fay afterwards, if they should grow themselves to com-
mon Players, (as it is most like, if their Means are not better;) their
Writers do them wrong to make them exclaim against their own
Succeffion?

I cannot help obferving, that the Beginning of this Speech con-
tains one of those Paffages in which the Poet may be faid to over-
shoot himself; and be guilty of an Abfurdity, by making his Actor
fay what he cannot be fuppofed to know in Character: Which
is confounding the Perfon of the Drama with a Poeta loquitur.
HAMLET, replying to Rofencraus concerning these young Players,
afks, What, are they Children? who maintains them? how are
they efcoted? These Questions argue him a Stranger to them,
and their Quality: Yet, without any Information, he immediate-
ly after cries, Will they pursue the Quality no longer than they can
fing?
which is intimating tacitly, as I take it, that, hẹ
knew them to be the Singing-Boys of the King's Chappel : a Know-
ledge, no ways to be accounted for, as I can imagine, unless the
Poet had given his HAMLET a Portion of Sir John Falstaffe's
INSTINCT. I must own, SHAKESPEARE is not without fome
more Samples of these Self-Contradictions; and one Great one,
that has been generally imputed to him, will fall under Confi-
deration in the next Act. But of That in its own Place.

XLVI. Ibid.

Faith, there has been much to do on both fides; and the Nation holds it no fin, to tarre them [] to controverfie.

I think it will be more numerous to the Ear, and, perhaps, requifite in point of Language, to read;

And the Nation holds it no Sin to tarre them on to Controverfie.

To

To tarre on is an old ENGLISH Word, fignifying, to provoke, urge on, fet on, as we do Dogs to fighting. And fo, I observe, SHAKESPEARE in other Paffages writes it.

King JOHN, pag. 169.

And like a Dog, that is compell'd to fight,
Snatch at his Mafter that doth tarre him on.

And, fo again, in TROILUS and CRESSIDA, pag. 3 2.
Two Curs fhall tame each other; Pride alone
Muft tarre the Maftives on, as 'twere their Bone.

XLVII. A& 2. Scene 7. Page 391.

ing.

I will prophefie, he comes to tell me of the Players [.] Mark it [,] False Pointyou Say right, Sir;

This ought to be pointed as in Mr. HuGHS's Impreffion.

I will prophefie, he comes to tell me of the Players; Mark it :
You Say right, Sir;

I remember one faid, there was No falts in the lines, to make the Various Rea ding, and O-matter favoury; nor no matter in the phrafe, that might indite million supthe author of AFFECTION; but call'd it, an honest method.

I must own, I can have no tolerable Comprehenfion of what is meant here by the Word Affection: HAMLET is speaking of fome Play, to the Stroling Players, which he liked very well, but which did not fo currently go down with the Multitude. One, it seems, who had a Mind to make a Criticism upon it, hints, That there was no Matter in its Phrafe that could indite the Author of Affection. Now, what can Affection, as a Quality with regard to a Play, fignify, but Paffion? Yet furely the

Author

ly'd.