The very foul; and sweet religion makes
A rhapsody of words.

8 Heaven's face doth glow;

Yea, this folidity and compound mass,
With triftful vifage, as against the doom,
Is thought-fick at the act.

Queen. Ay me! what act,

That roars fo loud, and thunders in the index?

8

-Heaven's face doth glow;

Yea, this folidity and compound mass,

With trifful vifage, as againft the doom,

Ham.

Is thought-fick at the act.] If any fenfe can be found here, it is this. The fun glows [and does it not always] and the very folid mafs of earth has a triftful vifage, and is thoughtfick. All this is fad ftuff. The old quarto reads much nearer to the poet's fenfe,

Heaven's face does glow,

O'ER this folidity and compound mafs,

With heated vifage, as against the doom,
Is thought-fick at the act.

From whence it appears, that Shakespeare wrote,

Heaven's face doth glow,

O'ER this folidity and compound mass,

With triftful vifuge; AND, as 'gainst the doom,
Is thought-fick at the act.

This makes a fine fenfe, and to this effect. The fun looks upon our globe, the scene of this murder, with an angry and mournful countenance, half hid in eclipfe, as at the day of doom. WARBURTON.

The word heated, though it agrees well enough with glow, is, I think, not fo ftriking as triftful, which was, I fuppofe, chofen at the revifal. I believe the whole paffage now ftands as the author gave it. Dr. WARBURTON's reading restores two improprieties, which Shakespeare, by his alteration, had removed. In the first, and in the new reading: Heaven's face glows with triftful vilage; and, Heaven's face is thought-fick. To the common reading there is no juft objection. JOHNSON.

That roars fo loud, &c.] The meaning is, What is this act, of which the difcovery, or mention, cannot be made, but with this violence of clamour? JOHNSON.

—and thunders in the index?] Mr. EDWARDS, I think, fays, that the indexes of many old books were at that time inferted at the beginning, inftead of the end, as is now the cuftom. This obfervation I have often feen confirmed.

So

Ham. Look here upon this picture, and on this; The counterfeit prefentment of two brothers. See, what a grace was feated on this brow: Hyperion's curls; the front of Jove himself; An eye, like Mars, to threaten or command; A ftation, like the herald Mercury New-lighted on a heaven-kiffing hill, A combination, and a form, indeed, Where every god did feem to fet his feal, To give the world affurance of a man:

This was your husband.-Look you now, what follows;

Here is your husband; like a mildew'd ear,
Blafting his wholfome brother. Have you eyes?
Could you on this fair mountain leave to feed,
And batten on this moor? ha! have you eyes?
You cannot call it, love; for, at your age,
The hey-day in the blood is tame, it's humble,
And waits upon the judgment; and what judgment
Would step from this to this? [3 Senfe, fure, you

have,

Elfe, could you not have notion; but, fure, that fenfe

So Othello, A& 2. Sc. 7.

Is

-an index and obfcure prologue to the history of luft and foul thoughts. STEEVENS.

Look on this picture, and on this ;] It is evident from the following words,

A ftation, like the herald Mercury, &c.

that thefe pictures, which are introduced as miniatures on the ftage, were meant for whole lengths, being part of the furniture of the queen's closet.

like Maia's fon be flood,

And fhook his plumes.

2 Hyperion's curls-] It is obfervable that Hyperion is ufed by Spenfer with the fame error in quantity. FARMER.

3 In former editions,

-Senfe, fure, you have,

Elfe, could you not have MOTION;] But from what philofophy our editors learnt this, I cannot tell. Since motion depends fo little upón fenfe, that the greatest part of motion in

the

Is apoplex'd: for madness would not err,
Nor fenfe to ecftafy was ne'er fo thrall'd,
But it referv'd fome quantity of choice

To serve in such a difference.]What devil was't,
That thus hath cozen'd you at hoodman blind + ?
Eyes without feeling, feeling without fight,
Ears without hands or eyes, fmelling fans all,
Or but a fickly part of one true sense
Could not fo mope.

O fhame! where is thy blufh? 5 Rebellious hell,
If thou canft mutiny in a matron's bones,

To

the universe, is amongst bodies devoid of fenfe We should read,

Elfe, could you not have NOTION,

i. e. intellect, reafon, &c. This alludes to the famous peripatetic principle of, Nil fit in INTELLECTU, quod non fuerit in SENSU. And how fond our author was of applying, and alluding to, the principles of this philofophy, we have given feveral inftances. The principle in particular has been fince taken for the foundation of one of the nobleft works that these latter ages have produced. WARBURTON.

at hoodmand blind?] This is, I fuppofe, the fame as blindman's buff. STEEVENS.

5

Rebellious hell,

If thou canst mutiny in a matron's bones, &c.] Alluding to what he had told her before, that her enormous conduct fhewed a kind of poffeffion.

-What devil was't,

That thus hath, &c.

And again afterwards,

For ufe can almost change the ftamp of nature,
And mafter even the devil, or throw him out
With wondrous potency-

But the Oxford Editor, not apprehending the meaning, alters

it to

-rebellious heat,

If thou canft, &c.

And fo makes nonfenfe of it. For must not rebellious luft mutiny wherever it is quartered? That it fhould get there might feem ftrange, but that it should do its kind when it was there feems to be natural enough. WARBURTON.

I think the prefent reading right, but cannot admit that HANMER'S emendation produces nonfenfe. May not what is

To flaming youth let virtue be as wax,

And melt in her own fire:-Proclaim no fhame,
When the compulfive ardour gives the charge;
Since froft itself as actively doth burn,

Andreafon panders will.

Queen. O Hamlet, speak no more:

Thou turn ft mine eyes into my very foul,
And there I fee fuch black and 7 grained fpots,
As will not leave their tinct.

Ham. Nay, but to live

In the rank sweat of an 8 incestuous bed;
Stew'd in corruption; honying, and making love
Over the nasty stye!

Queen. Oh, fpeak to me no more;

Thefe words like daggers enter in mine ears :-
No more, fweet Hamlet.

Ham. A murderer, and a villain!

A flave, that is not twentieth part the tythe
Of your precedent lord!-a 9 vice of kings!
A cutpurfe of the empire and the rule;
'That from a fhelf the precious diadem ftole,
And put it in his pocket!

Queen. No more.

faid of heat, be faid of hell, that it will mutiny wherever it is quartered? Though the emendation be elegant, it is not neceffary. JOHNSON.

6

-reafon panders will.] So the folio, I think rightly s but the reading of the quarto is defenfible;

reafon pardons will. JOHNSON.

? —grained-] Dyed in grain. JOHNSON.

8

--

inceftuous bed;] The folio has enfeamed, that is, greasy bed. JOHNSON.

Incestuous is the reading of the quarto, 1611. STEEVENS. "vice of kings!] a low mimick of kings. The vice is the fool of a farce; from whom the modern punch is defcended. JOHNSON.

1 That from a shelf, &c.] This is faid not unmeaningly, but to fhew, that the ufurper came not to the crown by any glorious villainy that carried danger with it, but by the low cowardly theft of a common piiferer. WARBURTON.

Enter

2

Enter Ghoft.

Ham. A king of fhreds and patches.

Save me, and hover o'er me with your wings,

[Starting up. You heavenly guards!-What would your gracious

figure?

Queen. Alas, he's mad.

Ham. Do you not come your tardy fon to chide, That, 3 laps'd in time and paffion, lets go by The important acting of your dread command? O, fay!

Gheft. Do not forget: this vifitation

Is but to whet thy almoft blunted purpose.
But, look! amazement on thy mother fits
O, step between her and her fighting foul:
Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works.-
Speak to her, Hamlet.

Ham. How is it with you, lady?

Queen. Alas, how is't with you;

That thus you bend your eye on vacancy,
And with the incorporal air do hold difcourfe?
Forth at your eyes your fpirits wildly peep,
And, as the fleeping foldiers in the alarm,
Your bedded hair, 4 like life in excrements,
Starts up, and ftands on end. O gentle fon,
Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper
Sprinkle cool patience. Whereon do you look?
Ham. On him! on him!-Look you, how pale
he glares!

His form and caufe conjoin'd, preaching to stones,

2 A king of freds and patches.] This is faid, pursuing the idea of the vice of kings. The vice was dreffed as a fool, in a coat of party-coloured patches. JOHNSON.

3 laps'd in time and paffion,] That, having fuffered time to flip, and paffion to cool, lets go, &c. JOHNSON.

4-like life in excrements,] The hairs are excrementitious, that is, without life or fenfation; yet thofe very hairs, as if they had life, ftart up, &c. POPE.

Would