Note XIV

II. 2. 169. The Quartos have 'Enter Hamlet' after 'try it,' line 166, and 'Exit King and Queene' after the words 'both away,' line 168. The Folios have 'Enter Hamlet, reading on a Booke' after 'try it,' line 166, and 'Exit King & Queen' after 'presently,' line 169. The Quartos put commas at 'presently,' and 'leave,' reading 'Ile ... leave' as one line; the Folios put full stops, reading 'Oh give me leave. How does my good Lord Hamlet?' as one line.

The earlier editors down to Johnson inclusive made no change.

Capell supposed the words 'O, give me leave' to be addressed, not to Hamlet, but to the King and Queen, whose Exeunt he placed after these words. His arrangement has been followed by all subsequent editors, till we ventured, in the Globe edition, to recur to the old order. It appears to us that the words 'O, give me leave,' commencing with an exclamation, are more naturally addressed to Hamlet than to the King and Queen, with whom Polonius had been previously conversing.

Mr Dyce transferred the entrance of Hamlet to follow the Exeunt of the King and Queen, line 169. As in the first Quarto he is made to enter earlier, it is possible that he was in sight of the audience, though so intent on his book as not to observe the presence of the others.