Emendation.

either to the Senfe or Numbers, from any of the Copies. All the Editions concur in the Deficiency of a Foot; but if we can both cure the Measure, and help the Meaning, without a Difgrace or Prejudice to the Author, I think, the Authority of the printed Copies is not sufficient to forbid a Conjecture. Perhaps, the Poet wrote;

It has the primal eldeft Curfe upon't,

THAT OF a Brother's Murther. Pray, I cannot, &c.

LXXIV. A& 3. Scene 10. Page 420.

Up, fword, and know thou a more horrid TIME;
When he is drunk, afleep, or in his Rage, &c.

This, as I take it, is a sophisticated Reading, efpoufed by Mr.
PO PE from the more modern Editions. The fecond Folio Edi-
tion and the Quarto of 1637, both read;

Up, Sword, and know Thou a more horrid HENT;

The Editor has taken Notice, at the Bottom of his Page, of this Word, as a various Reading; but, as I humbly prefume, without gueffing at the Reafon of it. 'Tis true, there is no fuch Subftantive, I believe, as Hent; and yet the true Word of the Poet, I am fatisfied, lies hid under it, by a flight literal Corruption. Reftore it therefore;

Up, Sword, and know Thou a more horrid BENT;

i. e. Drift, Scope, Inclination, Purpose, &c. and there is fcarce any Word more frequent than This with our Poet, where he has Occafion to exprefs himself in those Senses.

(1.) MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. pag. 510.

They have the Truth of This from Hero, they feem to pity the Lady: it feems, her Affections have the full BENT.

(2.) WINTER'S TALE. pag. 559.

To your own BENTS difpofe you; you'll be found,
Be you beneath the Sky.

(3.) JULIUS CESAR, pag. 243.

Leave me to work;

For I can give his Humour the true BENT:
And I will bring him to the Capitol,

(4.) TROILUS and CRESSIDA, pag. 28.
1 bring a Trumpet to awake his Ear,
To fet his Senfe on that attentive BENT,
And then to speak.

(5.) CYMBELINE. pag. 123.

But not a Courtier,

(Altho' they wear their Faces to the BENT

Of the King's Looks ;) but hath a Heart that is not
Glad at the Thing they foul at.

(6.) ROMEO and JULIET, pag. 274.

If that thy BENT of Love be honourable,
Thy Purpofe, Marriage;

(7.) So twice before in HAMLET; as, pag. 380.

But we Both obey,

And here give up ourselves in the full BENT,
To lay our Service freely at your Feet.

(8.) And again, pag. 416.

They fool me to the Top of my BENT;

I am

Various
Reading.

I am furpriz'd the Editor could remember this Word from None of these Instances, and a Number more that lie interfpers'd in our Poet; efpecially as it is a Word of his own too in his Preface to the Edition, pag. 4. He hits upon that particular Point, on which the BENT of each Argument turns, or the Force of each Motive depends. I did not think, when I began this Work, to collate the more recent Folio Editions, especially the fourth, publifh'd in 1685, for I had it not then by Me; but upon throwing my Eye over it lately, I find it is there printed, as I have here corrected it a more horrid BENT. I thought my felf obliged to make this Confession, that I might not be accus'd of Plagiarism, for an Emendation which I had made, before ever I faw a fingle Page of That Book.

You are the Queen, your husband's brother's wife,
AND (would it were not fo) you are my mother.

If I understand at all what Hamlet fhould be prefum'd to fay
here, I think, the Editor has adopted a Reading directly op-
pofite to the Sentiment the Poet would exprefs. Surely, Ham
let does not fo much wish that the Queen was not his Mother,
as that She was not his Uncle's Wife. He loves and honours her
as his Mother; and therefore, out of those Regards, wishes She
had not that Disgrace upon her Character, of having married
his Uncle, whom he knew to be his Father's Murtherer. The
Paffage, certainly, ought to be diftinguished as the second Folio
Edition, and feveral other of the better Copies, lead the way.
Queen. Have you forgot me?

Haml.

No, by the Rood, not fo;

You are the Queen, your Husband's Brother's Wife,
BUT, 'would you were not fo!

You are my Mother.

LXXVI. Ibid. Page 422.

Ha! have you eyes?

You cannot call it love; for at your age,

The hey-day of the blood is tame, it's humble,

And waits upon the judgment; and what judgment
Would step from this to this? [

] what devil was't

That thus hath cozen'd you at hoodman blind?

There is an Addition, in several of the Copies, which, tho' it has not the Sanction of any older Edition, that I know of, than the Quarto of 1637. yet has fo much of the Style, Diction, and Cast of Thought peculiar to our Poet, that, I think, we may warrant it to be his, and not an Interpolation of the Players without that Authority. Perhaps, it was not written when he first finish'd the Play; or it was left out in the fhortning the Play for the Reprefentation, and fo loft its Place in the first Editions, which were printed from the Players Copies. The Verfes are thefe;

Ha! have you Eyes?

You cannot call it Love; for at your Age

The Hey-day of the Blood is tame, it's humble,

And waits upon the Judgment; and what Judgment

Would fep from This

to This---? Senfe fure you have,

Elfe could you not have Motion; but That Sense

Omiffion

supply'd.

Is apoplex'd: for Madness would not err;

Nor Senfe to Ecftafie was ne'er so thrall'd,

But it referv'd fome Quantity of Choice

To ferve in fuch a Difference. What Devil was't, &c.

The fame Book exhibits another fmall Addition, which is fo much inferior to the former, that I dare not fo boldly vouch for it's being genuine.

What

Various Reading restored, and explained.

In the rank fweat of an INCESTUOUS bed,
Stew'd in corruption, bonying and making love
Over the nafty fty:

Here again, as I conceive, we have a fophifticated Reading palmed upon us, probably, from the Players firft, who did not understand the Poet's Epithet, and therefore confcientiously subfticuted a new one. If we go back, however, to the fecond folio Edition (which is one of those collated by the Editor) we have there a various Reading, of which he is not pleased to take the least Notice, tho', as I verily believe, it reftores us the Poet's own Word.

i.e. gross, fulsome, swinish Bed. For, not to dwell too long upon an unfavoury Image, the Sweat of any other Bed of Pleasure will be as rank as that of an incestuous Bed. But befides, when we come to the Etymology, and abstracted Meaning of enfeam'd, we fhall have a Confonancy in the Metaphors, and a Reason for the Poet's calling the Bed a nafty Sty. In fhort, the Glossaries tell