Oph. What means this, my lord ?

b

C

Ham. Marry this is a munching Mallico, it means mischief.

Oph. Belike, this fhew imports the argument of the play.
Enter Prologue.

d

Ham. We fhall know by this fellow; the players cannot keep counfel, they'll tell all.

Oph. Will he tell us what this fhew meant?

Ham. Ay, or any fhew that you'll fhew him. Be not you afham'd to fhew, he'll not fhame to tell you what it

means.

Oph. You are naught, you are naught. I'll mark the play.

z The ft q. omits is after this; the 2d reads, tis; the 3d, it is; all the reft as in the text.

and as fuch men generally did it for the purposes of lying in wait, it then fignified to rob. And in this fenfe Shake

a So the qu's and C. All the reft fpeare ufes the noun, a micber, when read miching.

b So the qu's. The fo's and all the reft, Maliche, befides W. who reads Malbeber, and gives the following note,

fpeaking of prince Henry among the gang of robbers. Shall the blessed fun of heaven prove a micber? Shall the fon of England prove a thief? And in this fenfe it is ufed by Chaucer in the translation of Le Roman de la rofe, where he

means.

The fo's, R. P. and H. read, that

d The fo's and R. thefe fellows.

Marry, this is miching Malicho; it means mischief.] The Oxford editor, imagining that the speaker had here english-turns the word lierre, (which is larron, ed his own cant phrase, of mishing Ma- voleur) by micber. W. licho, tells us (by his gloffary) that it fignifies mifchief lying hid, and that Malicho is the Spanish Malbeco; whereas it fignifies, Lying in wait for the poifoner, which the fpeaker tells us was the very purpofe of this reprefentation. It should therefore be read Malbechor, Spanish, the poifoner. So Micb fignified originally, to keep hid and out of fight;

f

e The qu's omit counsel.

Qu's, a for be; fo's and R. they. 8 Qu's, you will.

h The 2d, 3d, and 4th fo's, make for

mark.

1

Prol. For us, and for our tragedy,

Here ftooping to your clemency,

We beg your hearing patiently.

Ham. Is this a prologue, or the pofie of a ring?

Oph. 'Tis brief, my lord,

Ham. As woman's love.

i

Enter King and Queen, Players.

King. Full thirty times hath Phoebus* cart gone round Neptune's falt wash, and Tellus'' orbed ground;

And thirty dozen moons with borrow'd theen

About the world have times twelve thirties been
Since love our hearts, and Hymen did our hands,
Unite co-mutual, in moft facred bands.

Queen. So many journeys may the fun and moon
Make us again count o'er, ere love be done.

But woe is me, you are fo fick of late,

So far from cheer and from " your former ftate,
That I diftruft you; yet though I diftruft,
Discomfort you, my lord, it nothing must :
[For women fear too much, ev'n as they love.]
And womens' fear and love P hold quantity

↑ In neither ought, or in extremity.

iPlayers firft added by P.

* So qu's, fo's and C. the reft ear. 1 The qu's read, and Tellus orb'd the

ground.

The 3d q. reads twelve times thirty. S. takes no notice of this reading. The 2d, 3d and 4th fo's, R. P. T. W. and 7, read, time twelve thirties. H. reads times tavelve thirty.

n The 1st q. reads, our.

o Here a line feems wanting, either before or after this, which should rhyme

to love. This line, in crotchets, is
omitted in the fo's, R. P. H. and C.
And in the next line they read For in-
ftead of And, except P. and H.
P The fo's read bolds.

a The qu's read, Either none, in neither ought, &c. P. alters it, 'Tis either none, or in extremity; and is followed by the editors after him. What is in the text is the reading of the fo's and C.

Now

Now what my

love is, proof hath made you know;

And as my love is fiz'd, my fear is fo.

• "
Where love is great, the littleft doubts are fear;
Where little fears grow great, great love grows there.
King. 'Faith, I must leave thee, love, and fhortly too :
My operant pow'rs" their functions leave to do;
And thou fhalt live in this fair world behind,
Honour'd, belov'd; and, haply, one as kind
For husband fhalt thou---

Queen. Oh, confound the reft!

Such love must needs be treafon in my breast

In fecond husband let me be accurft!

None wed the second, but who kill'd the first.

Queen. The inftances, that second marriage move,
Are base respects of thrift, but none of love.
A fecond time I kill my husband dead,

When fecond husband kiffes me in bed.

King. I do believe you think what now you speak ;
But what we do determine oft we break;

Purpose is but the slave to memory,
Of violent birth, but poor validity:

The 1st and 2d qu's read lord. So S. but gives not love, the reading of 3d. s The ift and 3d qu's read ciz'd; the ad q. ciz ft. The 1ft f. fiz'd; the 2d, fix; the 3d and 4th, fix'd; so R. and P. and the reft read after the firft

u T. alters this to smalleft; and is fol lowed by the reft, who retain thefe lines, except C.

w The fo's and R. read my functions. * T. W. and J. read kill.

y So the qu's and C. All the reft, Wormwood, wormwood!

The two lines in italic are not in you.

tle fo's, R. P. and H.

2 The fo's and R. put a period after

b

Which now, like fruit unripe, fticks on the tree,

But fall unshaken, when they mellow be.
Moft neceffary 'tis, that we forget

Το pay ourselves what to ourselves is debt:
What to ourselves in paffion we propose,
The paffion ending doth the purpose lofe;
The violence of either grief or joy,

d

Their own enactures with themselves destroy.

Where joy most revels, grief doth most relent,
* Grief joys, joy grieves, on flender accident.
This world is not for aye, f nor 'tis not strange,
That ev❜n our loves fhould with our fortunes change,
For 'tis a question left us yet to prove

Whether love lead fortune, or else fortune love.
The great man down, you mark, his fav'rite flies;
The poor advanc'd, makes friends of enemies.
And hitherto doth love on fortune tend,

For who not needs fhall never lack a friend;
And who in want a hollow friend dọth try,
Directly feasons him his enemy.

But orderly to end where I begun,
Our will and fates do fo contrary run,

That our devices ftill are overthrown;

Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own.

So the fo's. The qu's read the intead of like.

b P. alters fruit to fruits, followed by H. the after editors, except C.

The fo's read other.

The qu's read Grief joy, joy griefes,

f P, alters nor to end; followed by

g P. alters this line thus, (and is fallowed by H.)

So the qu's, J. and C, All the reft, Whether love fortune lead, or fortune love.

h T. alters lead to leads, and is fol

lowed by W. and J.

So

So think thou wilt not fecond husband wed;

But die thy thoughts, when thy firft lord is dead.

Queen. Nor earth to give me food, nor heaven light! Sport and repofe lock froin me, day and night!

1

To defperation turn my trust and hope!

1. And anchors' chear in prison be my scope!

Each oppofite, that blanks the face of joy,
Meet what I would have well, and it destroy!
Both here, and hence, purfue me lafting ftrife!
If once I be a widow, ever I be a wife.

Ham. If the fhould break it now

King. 'Tis deeply fworn; fweet, leave me here awhile;

My fpirits grow dull, and fain I would beguile

The tedious day with fleep.

Queen. Sleep rock thy brain,

And never come mifchance between us twain!

Ham. Madam, how like you 9 this play?

* [Sleeps.

P [Exit,

Queen. The lady doth proteft too much, methinks.
Ham. O, but he'll keep her word.

King. Have you heard the argument? Is there no offence

in 't?

Ham. No, no, they do but jeft, poifon in jeft. No offence

i' th' world.

King. What do you call the play?

i H. and C. read, Nor earth oh! give reft read, me food, &c.

The two lines in italic are omitted in the fo's, R. P. and H.

And anchors' cbear, i. e. And the chear of anchorites. T. alters this to, An antbor's chear, &c. followed by W. and J.

If once a widow, ever I be wife.
This direction not in the qu's.

• The 2d.q. betwixt.
P Qu's, Exeunt.

9 The 2d, 3d and 4th fo's and R. read the play.

So the qu's. The fo's and all after,

So the qu's. The fo's and all the The lody protests, Te. ·

Ham.