Sept. 15. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



199 



declaration from Swift, addressed to Motte, De- 

 cember 9, 1732, that he had no advantage by any 

 one of the four volumes of the Miscellanies. In a 

 letter addressed to Pulteney, dated in the printed 

 correspondence. May 12, 1735, Swift says: "I 

 never got a farthing for anything I writ, except 

 once, about eight years ago, and that by Mr. Pope's 

 prudent management for me." The vague ex- 

 pression, "about eight years ago," would apply 

 either to Gulliver or the Miscellanies ; but I con- 

 ceive the Dean alluded to the sum of 200Z. for the 

 copyright of Gulliver. When corresponding with 

 Motte in 1727, under the name of Richard Symp- 

 son, he was living with Pope at Twickenham ; 

 and most likely consulted with his friend as to the 

 transaction with Motte, before giving Lewis in- 

 structions how to act. Pope was well skilled in 

 the art of dealing with booksellers ! I may add, 

 that there is an interesting unpublished letter by 

 Swift in the collection of Mr. Watson, bookseller. 

 Prince's Street, Edinburgh ; who has perhaps the 

 finest private collection of autographs and old his- 

 torical pictures in the kingdom. R. Carruthebs. 

 Inverness. 



THE HISTORICAL HAMLET. 



Shakspeare kills Hamlet at the same time that 

 poetic justice is done upon his mother and uncle : 

 not so, however, the genuine history as written by 

 Saxo Grammaticus ; for Hamlet, having set on 

 fire his uncle's palace, and having taken his 

 uncle's life, addresses the people in a long speech 

 explanatoz'y of the cause of his simulated mad- 

 ness, — vengeance for his father's murder. This 

 speech is described in the margin (Dan. Hist., 

 1. iv. p. 28. c, Basil, 1534) as " Oratio perfectae 

 eloquential plena," and is constructed with rhe- 

 torical skill. In its peroration he says, — 



■ "Dolebam et patris et patriae injuriam, ilium extinxi 

 vobis atrociter, et supra quam viros decuerat, imperan- 

 tem. Recognoscite beneficium, veneramini ingenium 

 meum, regnum si raerui date, liabetis tanti autorem mu- 

 neiis, paternoe potestatis liseredem, non degenerem, non 

 paricidam, sed legitimum regni suceessorem, et pium 

 noxaj paricidalis ultorem. Debetis mihi recuperatum 

 libertatis beneficium, exclusum afflictantis imperium, 

 ademptum oppressoris jugum, excussum paricidae do- 

 minium, calcatum tyrannidis sceptrum. Ego servitute 

 vos exui, indui libertate, restitui culmen, gloriam repa- 

 ravi, tyrannum sustuli, carnificem triumphavi. Premium 

 penes vos est, ipsi meritum nostis, k vestra merces virtute 

 requiritur." 



This speech had a powerful effect on its auditors, 

 moving some to pity, others even to tears ; and 

 when such expression of grief had subsided, he 

 was promptly declared king by acclamation. He 

 afterwards fitted up three ships for the purpose of 

 visiting the British king, his father-in-law, and the 

 daughter whom he had married. The mode by 

 which he acquired her is characteristic of the 

 No. 307.] 



"sotiltie" of Hamlet. Fengo the uncle, to avoid 

 offence to Rurick, Hamlet's grandfather, or to his 

 mother, sends him on a mission to the British 

 king, with instructions secretly to take Hamlet's 

 life. The two kings appear to have been equals 

 (peers) in villany. Hamlet, however, proved more 

 than a match for both, by getting access to his 

 own death-warrant, " quicquid chartis illitum 

 erat, curavit abradl, novisque figurarura apicibus 

 substitutis," inserting the names of the person, 

 called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in the play, 

 instead of his own, for execution, and adding a 

 recommendation, as from Fengo, of himself as a 

 suitable son-in-law of the majesty of Britain. 

 Hamlet took with him, on this second visit, a 

 shield prepared to represent the memorable events 

 of his life. As Saxo's description forms a sum- 

 mary of Hamlet's history before he attained the 

 throne, it is given at length : 



" In scuto quoque sibi parari jusserat omnem operum. 

 suorum contextum, ab ineuntis jetatis primordiis auspica- 

 tus, idque exquisitis picturae notis adumbrandum curavit. 

 Quo gestamine perinde ac virtutum suarum teste usus, 

 claritatis incrementa contraxit. Istic depingi videres 

 Horuuendilli jugulum Fengonis cum incestu paricidiura, 

 flagitiosum patruum fratruelem ridiculum, aduncas stipi- 

 tum formas, suspicionem vitrici, dissimulationem privigni, 

 procurata tentamentorum genera, adhibitam insidiis foe- 

 minam, hiantem lupum, inventum gubernaculum, prae- 

 teritum sabulum, initum nemus, insitam cestro paleam, 

 instructum indiciis adolescentum, elusis comitibus rem 

 seorsum cum virgine habitam. Cerneres itaque adum- 

 brari regiara, adesse cum Alio reginam, trucidari insidia- 

 torem, trucidatum decoqui, cloacae coctum infundi, infusum 

 suibus objici, coeno artus insterni, instratos belluis absu- 

 mendos relinqui. Videres etiam ut Amlethus dormientium 

 comitum secretum deprehenderit, ut obliteratis apicibus, 

 alia figurarum elementa substituerit, ut dapem fastidierit, 

 potionemque contempserit, ut vultum regis arguerit, ut 

 reginam sinistri moris notaverit. Aspiceres quoque lega- 

 torum suspendium, adolescentis nuptias figurari, Daniam 

 navigio repeti, inferias convivio celebrari, comitum loco 

 baculos percontantibus ostendi, juvenem pincernae partes 

 exequi, districto per industriam ferro digitos exulcerari, 

 gladiura clavo pertundi, convivales plausus augeri, incre- 

 brescere tripudia, aulaeam dormientibus injici, injectam 

 uncorum nexibus obfirmari, pertinacius sopitos involvi, 

 tectis torrem immitti, cremari convivas, depastam incen- 

 dio regiam labefactari, Fengonis cubiculum adiri, gladium 

 eripi, iuutilem erepti loco constitui, regem privigni raanu 

 proprii mucronis acumine trucidari. Haec omnia excul- 

 tissimo rerum artificio militari ejus scuto opifex studiosus 

 illeverat, res formis imitatus, et facta figurarum adumbra- 

 tione complexus." 



In this he proved 



" The glass of fashion and the mould of form;" 



for Saxo adds, — 



" Sed et comites ipsius, quo se nitidius gererent, oblitis 

 tantum auro clypeis utebantur." 



This summary, it will be seen, adverts to many 

 circumstances left unnoticed by Shakspeare as 

 unfit for tragedy ; of which more hereafter, if 

 occasion fits. T. J. Buckton. 



Lichfield. 



