SC. II.]
PRINCE OF DENMARK
117
Oph. What means this, my lord?
Ham. Marry, this is[a 1] miching mallecho;[a 2][b 1] it[a 3] means
mischief.
Oph. Belike this show imports the argument of the 150
play?[a 4]
Enter Prologue.[a 5]
Ham. We shall know by this fellow;[a 6] the players
cannot keep counsel;[a 7] they'll tell all.
Oph. Will he[a 8] tell us what this show meant?
Ham. Ay, or any show that you'll[a 9] show him; be 155
not you ashamed to show, he'll not shame to
tell you what it means.
Oph. You are naught,[b 2] you are naught: I'll mark
the play.
Pro. For us, and for our tragedy, 160
Here stooping to your clemency,
We beg your hearing patiently. [Exit.[a 10]
Ham. Is this a prologue, or the posy[b 3] of a
ring?
- ↑ 148. this is] F, this Q.
- ↑ 148. miching malicho] Malone, muuching Mallico Q, Miching Malicho F, myching Mallico Q 1.
- ↑ 148. it] Q, that F.
- ↑ 151. play?] F, play. Q.
- ↑ Enter Prologue] Theobald; after fellow, line 152 Q; after play, line 159 F.
- ↑ 152. this fellow] Q, these fellowes F.
- ↑ 153. counsel] F, omitted Q.
- ↑ 154. he] Pope, a Q, they F.
- ↑ 155. you'll] F, you will Q.
- ↑ 162. Exit] Globe Sh.; omitted Q, F.
- ↑ 148. miching mallecho] skulking mischief. Minsheu gives "To miche, or secretly to hide himself out of the way, as Truants doe from schoole"; Florio has "to miche, to shrug, or sneake in some corner." See "micher," truant, in 1 Henry IV. II. iv. 452. "Mallecho," Spanish malhecho, mischief. So Shirley, Gentleman of Venice: "Be humble, Thou man of mallecho, or thou diest."
- ↑ 158. naught] improper, licentious, Bunyan in Grace Abounding declares that he never "so much as attempted to be naught with women." So Dekker, The Honest Whore (Pearson's Dekker, ii, p, 54).
- ↑ 163. posy] See Merchant of Venice, V. i. 147-150. Posies incised on rings were necessarily brief.
