And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my

jealousy!

It seems, it is as proper to our age

To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions,

As it is common for the younger sort

To lack discretion. Come, go we to the king: This must be known; which, being kept close, might move

To quote on this occasion undoubtedly means to observe. Again, in Drayton's Mooncalf:

"This honest man the prophecy that noted,

"And things therein most curiously had quoted,

"Found all these signs," &c.

Again, in The Woman Hater, by Beaumont and Fletcher, the intelligencer says," I'll quote him to a tittle," i. e. I will mark or observe him.

To quote, as Mr. M. Mason observes, is invariably used by Shakspeare in this sense. STEEVENS.

So, in The Rape of Lucrece :

"Yea, the illiterate

"Will quote my loathed trespass in my looks."

66

In this passage, in the original edition of 1594, the word is written cote, as it is in the quarto copy of this play. It is merely the old or corrupt spelling of the word, which frequently occurs in these plays. In Minsheu's Dict. 1617, we find, To quove, mark, or note, á quotus. Numeris enim scribentes sententias suas notant et distinguunt." See also, Cotgrave's Dict. 1611: Quoter. To quote or marke in the margent; to note by the way." MALONE.

66

4

it is as proper to our age

TO CAST beyond ourselves in our opinions,

As it is common for the younger sort

To lack discretion.] This is not the remark of a weak man. The vice of age is too much suspicion. Men long accustomed to the wiles of life cast commonly beyond themselves, let their cunning go farther than reason can attend it. This is always the fault of a little mind, made artful by long commerce with the world. JOHNSON.

The quartos read—" By heaven it is as proper," &c. STEEVENS. In Decker's Wonderful Yeare, 4to. 1603, we find an expression similar to that in the text: "Now the thirstie citizen casts beyond the moone." MALONE.

The same phrase occurs also in Titus Andronicus. REED.

More grief to hide, than hate to utter love 5.

Come*.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

A Room in the Castle.

Enter King, Queen, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and Attendants.

KING. Welcome, dear Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern!

Moreover that we much did long to see you,
The need, we have to use you, did provoke
Our hasty sending. Something have you heard
Of Hamlet's transformation; so I call it,

Since not the exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was: What it should be,
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from the understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of: I entreat you both,

That,-being of so young days brought up with him : And, since, so neighbour'd to his youth and humour § 6,

That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court

*First folio omits Come.

First folio, deeme.

+ Quarta, sith nor.
§ Quarto, haviour.

5 This must be known; which, being kept close, might move More grief to hide, than hate to utter love.] i. e. this must be made known to the King, for (being kept secret) the hiding Hamlet's love might occasion more mischief to us from him and the Queen, than the uttering or revealing of it will occasion hate and resentment from Hamlet. The poet's ill and obscure expression seems to have been caused by his affectation of concluding the scene with a couplet.

Sir T. Hanmer reads:

σε More grief to hide hate, than to utter love." JOHNSON. 6 and HUMOUR,] Thus the folio. The quartos read—

haviour.

STEEVENS.

Some little time: so by your companies
To draw him on to pleasures; and to gather,
So much as from occasion you may glean,
Whether aught', to us unknown, afflicts him thus,
That, open'd, lies within our remedy.

QUEEN. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of you;

And, sure I am, two men there are not living,
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
To show us so much gentry, and good will,
As to expend your time with us a while,
For the supply and profit of our hope,
Your visitation shall receive such thanks
As fits a king's remembrance.

Ros.
Both your majesties
Might, by the sovereign power you have of us',
Put your dread pleasures more into command
Than to entreaty.

GUIL.

But we both obey;

And here give up ourselves, in the full bent 2,
To lay our service freely at your feet,

To be commanded.

KING. Thanks, Rosencrantz, and gentle Guildenstern.

*First folio omits But.

First folio, services.

✦ Whether aught, &c.] This line is omitted in the folio.

STEEVENS.

8 To show us so much GENTRY,] Gentry, for complaisance. WARBURTON. 9 For the supply, &c.] That the hope which your arrival has raised may be completed by the desired effect. JOHNSON. -you have or us,] Í believe we should read-o'er us, instead of of us. M. MASON.

1

2 in the full BENT,] Bent, for endeavour, application.

WARBURTON.

The full bent, is the utmost extremity of exertion. The allusion is to a bow bent as far as it will go. So afterwards, in this play:

They fool me to top of my bent." MALONE.

QUEEN. Thanks, Guildenstern, and gentle Ro

sencrantz :

And I beseech you instantly to visit

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,

Pleasant and helpful to him!

QUEEN.

Ay, amen!

[Exeunt ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and some Attendants.

Enter POLONIUS.

POL. The embassadors from Norway, my good 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,

Both to my God, and to my gracious king:
And I do think, (or else this brain of mine

3

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.

4

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 [Exit POLONIUS. He tells me, my dear Gertrude +, he hath found

in.

*First folio, As I have.

† First folio, news.

First folio, He tells me, my sweet queen, that.

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

the fruit-] The desert after the meat. JOHNSON.

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.

Re-enter POLONIUS, with VOLTIMAND and CORNELIUS. 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

6

To give th'assay of arms against your majesty.
Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,
Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee";

5-borne in hand,] i. e. deceived, imposed on. So, in Macbeth, Act III.:

"How you were borne in hand, how cross'd," &c.

STEEVENS. To give the assay-] To take the assay was a technical expression, originally applied to those who tasted wine for princes and great men. See King Lear, Act V. Sc. III. MALONE.

7 Gives him THREE thousand crowns in annual fee ;] This reading first obtained in the edition put out by the players. But all the old quartos (from 1605, downwards,) read threescore.

THEOBALD.

The metre is destroyed by the alteration: and threescore thousand crowns, in the days of Hamlet, was an enormous sum of money. M. MASON.

66

annual fee;" Fee in this place signifies reward, recomSo, in All's Well that Ends Well:

Not helping, death's my fee;

"But if I help, what do you promise me?"