of his birth right; befides Laertes's attack upon, and language, to a monarch, without knowing a fyllable: of the matter he contends about, makes him an abfolute drawcanfir equally the foe of juftice, reafon, and decorum; indeed the author feems to have been fenfible of this, making the king fay

Will you, in revenge of your dear father's death
Destroy both friends and foes?

Ophelia's fecond introduction relieves and gives fome fparks of life to a converfation full of false fire and impotence; wherein one party appears a bluftering fool, and the other a dastard villain: as to the confpiracy against Hamlet's life, it seems the ne plus ultra of a forced catastrophe; a plan, which by approving it, fhews Laertes to be as much an intentional murderer as the King.

There is a degree of deteftation mingled with contempt, and that difagreeable feeling both these characters raise; the Queen's account of Ophelia's mournful end is juftly admired; and tho' the lady while in her fenfes, faid very little to affect us, yet here the poet teaches us to feel for the event which has deprived her of life.

Notwithstanding Mr. Voltaire's objections to the first scene of the fifth act, as being inconfiftent with the dignity and decorum of tragedy, are in a great measure true; yet the characters are fo finely drawn; fuch pointed fatire and fuch inftructive moral fentiments arife, as give it great estimation and raise it far above infipid proprety; fome expreflions of the grave digger in anfwer to Hamlet's

question, how long a corfe will be in the ground be fore it rots; however true, are offenfively indelicate.

The funeral of Ophelia is indeed a mained and to me, an irreconcileable piece of work. She is we find allowed Chriftian burial, is attended by the king queen and whole court yet the clergyman refufes funeral fervice; fuppofing her death doubtfull, tho' the queen in the foregoing act imputes it without refervation to an accident; and I venture to prefume there is no medium between admiffion to confecrated ground with all ufual ceremonies; and a total exclufion from the whole; but the author feems to have been in a state of difficulty; he would have a grave, and made the beft apology for it he could.

The encounter of Hamlet and Laertes is fupported with an excess of spirit on both fides and, if we confider the real ftate of things, rather blameably on the part of the former; he has killed the father and in confequence deprived the fifter of her fenfes; yet when a grieving, injured brother and fon vents an explanation, very excufable in his fituation; the prince, even at the interment of a Woman he pretends love for; indulges a moft outrageous degree of paflion; interrupts a facred ceremony and offers his leffon in ftile of a challenge to Laertes; nay after most infulting behaviour, when separated -he retorts accufation upon the challenged perfon in the following irritative taunt,

Hear you Sir,

What is the reason you abuse me thus?

I lov'd you ever-but tis no matter,
Let Hercules himself do what he may,

The cat will mew, the dog will have his day.

There

There is indeed a palliative excuse made by Hamlet to Laertes for this inconfiftent behaviour at the beginning of the laft fcene-where he says; This prefence knows,

And you must needs have heard, how I am punish'd
With a fore diftraction; what I have done,

That might your nature, honour and exception
Roughly awake; I here proclaim was madness.

Now if it be confidered, that his madness has been but affumed, this appears a mean prevarication, to a man whom he has moft deeply injured, and who, to his knowledge, never meant him wrong; to say that this paffion was put on to deceive the court, weighs but little, as we find in the action, difhevelled hair, ungartered Stockings, &c. are laid afide for a compofed appearance; and immediately after the blufter we find him not only regular in converfation with a coxcomb meffenger of the King's, but punctual in the terms of the challenge; and coolly fenfible in fulfilling it before the court, without any defign, more than the credit of victory in view.

Another faint apology is made in a scene with Horatio, where the prince feems to be forry that the bravery of Laertes's grief should so far provoke him; but all this fcene, except a very few lines, is left out in the reprefentation; and indeed, tho' meant to account for Hamlet's coming back, it draws fuch a strange picture of his getting at the King's dispatches, and forging others, to turn the defign of his death upon Rofencraus and Guil

denftern,

denftern, that we lament fuch low chicanery in a character of dignity; one who had no occafion, but much to the contrary, to appear a volunteer in his uncle's propofition of fending him to England; however, as the tranfaction of his fpeedy return fhould be accounted for, I wifh fomewhat more like a narrative was preferved in action.

Otrick is a whimsical mushroom of fancy, and tho' Shakespeare prefents his audience with a Danish beau, he took the conftituent parts from English court-butterflies of his days, and even furnishes him with the equivocal punning file, which took its rife and fashion from that fecond Solomon, James the first, whofe pedantry and hatred of witches were equally confpicuous.

The laft fcene, if there are two good fencers, (which by the bye feldom happens) muft please the eye confiderably; yet fuch a flaughter of characters must cloy the moft fanguine critic that ever thirfted for theatrical blood-fhed, and pity must extend very far indeed, to attend even the expiring hero of this piece with any degree of patience.

Having thus progreffively delineated the plan, it becomes neceffary to make fome general strictures upon the whole, to juftify thofe occafional remarks which have been made.

At the opening of the play, we find that a very remarkable apparition has been feen by the palaceguard two nights together; yet fo refolute and fecret have these foldiers been, that no mention is made of it, except to Horatio, who disbelieves the ftory; but on his watch the third night, is con

vinced

vinced by ocular demonftration; upon which, he very naturally determines to mention it to Hamlet in particular, as feemingly moft interested in the appearance; this, in conjunction with Bernardo and Marcellus, he does the next morning; here it feems a little irreconcileable, that Horatio, the particular and intimate friend of the prince, fhould be in Elfinoor two days, or more, as we must fuppofe from circumftances, before he paid refpects to his royal patron; thefe, I confefs, are minutiæ, claim notice in the ftrictness of criticifm.

yet

Hamlet's affumed madness might undoubtedly have been made the inftrument of fome important fecret purpose relative to his father's murder, and his own juft refentment; yet, as it now appears, answers no other end, than merely cajoling the the King, diftreffing the Queen and Ophelia, bamming Polonius and the courtiers, and giving great fcope for capital acting; which laft article feems much more the author's intention through this piece than decorum and confiftence.

The King not being able, either by his spies, or even condescending to be a liftener himself, to find out the bottom of this frenzy, which, through conscious guilt to him looks terrible, forms a refofolution of fending him to England, under pretence of receiving tribute; but, as appears afterwards, that the complaifant English monarch fhould put to death the heir of the Danish crown upon mere request.

Strange! that he who found means to deftroy his his own brother, in the plenitude of power and po

pular,