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real object would neceffarily produce in the fpectator, it affects us more strongly than by a pofitive enumeration of the most dreadful circumftances. The imagination left to her own inventions, overwhelmed with obfcurity, travels far into the regions of terror, into the abyffes of fiery and unfathomable darkness.

The condition of Hamlet's mind becomes ftill more curious and interefting. His fufpicions are confirmed, and beget refentment. Conceiving defigns of punishment, conscious of very violent perturbation, perceiving himself already fufpected by the king, afraid left his aspect, gefture, or demeanour should betray him, and knowing that his projects must be conducted with fecrecy, he refolves to conceal himself under the difguife of madness.

Swear, as before, never, fo help you mercy!
How ftrange or odd foe'er I bear myself,

As I, perchance, hereafter fhall think meet
To put an antic difpofition on,

That you, at such time seeing me, never fhall,

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(With arms encumber'd thus, or this head-shake, Or by pronouncing of fome doubtful phrafe,

As, well, well-we know ;-or, we could, and if we would;

Or, if we lift to speak ;—or, there be, an if there might
Or fuch ambiguous giving out) denote
That you know aught of me.

As it is of fignal confequence to him to have the rumour of his madnefs believed and propagated, he endeavours to render the counterfeit fpecious. There is nothing that reconciles men more readily to believe in any extraordinary appearance than to have it accounted for. A reason of this kind is often more plaufible and impofing than many forcible arguments, particularly, if the theory or hypothefis be of our own invention. Accordingly, Hamlet, the more easily to deceive the king and his creatures, and to furnish them with an explication of his uncommon deportment, practises his artifice on Ophelia.

Oph. Alas, my Lord, I have been so affrighted !
Pel. With what?

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Oph.

Oph. My Lord, as I was fewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet with his doublet all unbrac'd,
No hat upon his head, his stockings foul'd,
Ungarter'd, &c.

And with a look fo piteous in purport,
As if he had been loofed out of hell,

To speak of horrors; he comes before me.

Pol. Mad for thy love?

Oph. My Lord, I do not know;

But, truly, I do fear it.

Pol. What faid he?

Oph. He took me by the wrist, and held me hard;

Then goes he to the length of all his arms;

And, with his other hand, thus o'er his brow,

He falls to fuch perufal of my face,

As he would draw it, &c.

Pol. This is the very ecstasy of love,

Whofe violent property foredoes itself,

And leads the will to defperate undertakings, &c.

There is no change in his attachment, unless in so far as other paffions of a violent and unpleafing character have affumed a temporary influence. His affection is permanent. Nor ought the pretended rudeness and feeming inconfiftency of his behaviour to be at all attributed to inconftancy

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ancy or an intention to infult. Engaged in a dangerous enterprize, agitated by impetuous emotions, defirous of concealing them, and, for that reason, feigning his understanding difordered; to confirm and publish this report, feemingly so hurtful to his reputation, he would act in direct oppofition to his former conduct, and inconfiftently with the genuine fentiments and affections of his foul. He would feem frivolous when the occafion required him to be fedate: And, celebrated for the wifdom and propriety of his conduct, hẹ would affume appearances of impropriety. Full of honour and affection, he would feem inconfiftent; Of elegant and agreeable manners, and poffeffing a complacent temper, he would put on the femblance of rudeness. To Ophelia he would fhew diflike and indifference; because a change of this nature would be, of all others, the moft remarkable, and because his affection for her was paffionate and

fincere,

fincere. Of the fincerity and ardour of his regard he gives undoubted evidence.

I lov'd Ophelia: forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their quantity of love, Make up my fum.

The tendency of indignation, and of furious and inflamed refentment, is to inflict punishment on the offender. But, if refentment is ingrafted on the moral faculty, and grows from it, its tenor and conduct will be different. In its first emotion it may breathe exceffive and immediate vengeance: But fentiments of justice and propriety interpofing, will arrest and fufpend its violence. An ingenuous mind, thus agitated by powerful and contending principles, exceedingly tortured and perplexed, will appear hefitating and undetermined. Thus, the vehemence of the vindictive paffion will by delay, fuffer abatement; by its own ardour it will be exhausted; and our natural and habituated propenfities will resume their influ

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