Page 331 - Hamlet: The Cambridge Dover Wilson Shakespeare

224 NOTES 4.5.

77-8. spies.. .battalions As an army advances, the
spies come first and the battalions follow.
82-3. death—and...him—poor Q2 'death: and
...him: poore'
91-2. Wherein necessity... arraign i.e. In which the
speakers, gravelled for other matter, are compelled to
attack me.
93. In ear and ear Suggesting a chain of whisperers.
96. Attend! FI and mod. edd. omit. MSH. p. 261.
100. impiteous Qz 'impitious,' F i 'impittious.'
V. G. Most edd. follow F 2 'impetuous.' N.E.D. gives
the two forms as doublets, but notes that the older one
'suggests association with "piteous."' It seems best to
retain SL's sp. MSH. pp. 287-88.
105. The ratifiers.. .word This has puzzled all,
because they have not seen that 'word' (v. G.), as often
elsewhere in SL, means 'promise, pledge, undertaking.'
118-19. brands.. .brows Cf. note 3. 4. 43.
brows (Grant White) Q2, F i 'browe.' MSH.
pp. 299-300.
124.* can but peep.. .would i.e. dare not openly
show its true aims.
125. his will= its will.
137. world's (Pope) £>2 'worlds,' F i 'world.'
Clar. suggests that 'worlds' refers back to 'both the
worlds' (1. 134), but while 'both the worlds' conforms
well enough with Eliz. cosmology, 'all the worlds'
would strike too modern a note.
141. father (Q2) F i 'Fathers death'—which most
edd. follow, unnecessarily. MSH. p. 254.
142. sweepstake (Johnson) Q2, F i 'soopstake/
Q i 'Swoop-stake-like.' Most edd. read 'swoopstake.'
MSH. pp. 287-88.
151. 'pear (Johnson) Q 2 'peare,'Fi 'pierce.' Day
does not pierce the eye; it reveals everything to its gaze,
as the K. offers to do with Laer. v. G. 'level/ MSH.
pp.275-76.