Ham. [Aside.][a 1] Nay, then I have an eye of you.[b 1]—
If you love me, hold not off.
Guil. My lord, we were sent for. 305
Ham. I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation
prevent your discovery,[a 2][b 2] and your secrecy to
the king and queen moult no feather. I have
of late,—but wherefore I know not,—lost all
my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises;[a 3][b 3] and 310
indeed it goes so heavily[a 4] with my disposition
that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me
a sterile promontory; this most excellent
canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'er-hanging[a 5]
firmament,[a 6] this majestical roof fretted[b 4] 315
with golden fire, why, it appears[a 7] no[a 8] other thing
to me than a foul and pestilent congregation
of vapours. What a piece[a 9] of work is a man![a 10][b 5]
how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty![a 11][a 12]
- ↑ 303. Aside] Steevens.
- ↑ 307. discovery, and] Q, discovery of F, with colon after queen, line 308.
- ↑ 310. exercises] Q, exercise F.
- ↑ 311. heavily] Q, heavenly F.
- ↑ 314, 315. o'erhanging] ore-hanged Qq 4–6.
- ↑ 315. firmament] Q, omitted in F.
- ↑ 316. appears] F, appeareth Q, appeared Ff 2–4.
- ↑ 316, 317. no . . . than] F, nothing to me but Q.
- ↑ 318. a piece] F, peece Q.
- ↑ 318. a man] man Q 6, Dyce (ed. 2), Furness.
- ↑ 319. faculty] F, faculties Q.
- ↑ 319-322. Q points with commas after moving, action, apprehension, and colon after God.
- ↑ 303. of you] on you, So "of" for "on" in II. ii. 27.
- ↑ 307. prevent your discovery] anticipate your disclosure.
- ↑ 310. custom of exercises] In T. Bright's A Treatise of Melancholy (1586), p. 126, occur the words "custom of exercise." It is a passage in which Bright describes melancholy men as sometimes very witty; as "exact and curious in pondering the very moments of things"; as deliberating long "because of doubt and distrust"; and as troubled with fearful dreams. I can hardly doubt that Shakespeare was acquainted with Bright's Treatise.
- ↑ 315. fretted] Clar. Press compares Cymbeline, II. iv. 88:
"The roof o' the chamber
With golden cherubins is fretted."
Fret is an architectural term, used here loosely for emboss, or adorn. - ↑ 318. a man] Dyce (ed. 2) thinks "a" in Qq. 2–5 was shuffled out of its place before piece, and that Ff, instead of transposing "a," added another before piece.
