Line 3653, etc. - Commentary Note (CN) 
Commentary notes (CN):
1. SMALL CAPS Indicate editions. Notes for each commentator are divided into three parts:
In the 1st two lines of a record, when the name of the source text (the siglum) is printed in SMALL CAPS, the comment comes from an EDITION; when it is in normal font, it is derived from a book, article, ms. record or other source. We occasionally use small caps for ms. sources and for works related to editions. See bibliographies for complete information (in process).
2. How comments are related to predecessors' comments. In the second line of a record, a label "without attribution" indicates that a prior writer made the same or a similar point; such similarities do not usually indicate plagiarism because many writers do not, as a practice, indicate the sources of their glosses. We provide the designation ("standard") to indicate a gloss in common use. We use ≈ for "equivalent to" and = for "exactly alike."
3. Original comment. When the second line is blank after the writer's siglum, we are signaling that we have not seen that writer's gloss prior to that date. We welcome correction on this point.
4. Words from the play under discussion (lemmata). In the third line or lines of a record, the lemmata after the TLN (Through Line Number] are from Q2. When the difference between Q2 and the authors' lemma(ta) is significant, we include the writer's lemma(ta). When the gloss is for a whole line or lines, only the line number(s) appear. Through Line Numbers are numbers straight through a play and include stage directions. Most modern editions still use the system of starting line numbers afresh for every scene and do not assign line numbers to stage directions.
5. Bibliographic information. In the third line of the record, where we record the gloss, we provide concise bibliographic information, expanded in the bibliographies, several of which are in process.
6. References to other lines or other works. For a writer's reference to a passage elsewhere in Ham. we provide, in brackets, Through Line Numbers (TLN) from the Norton F1 (used by permission); we call these xref, i.e., cross references. We call references to Shakespearean plays other than Ham. “parallels” (//) and indicate Riverside act, scene and line number as well as TLN. We call references to non-Shakespearean works “analogues.”
7. Further information: See the Introduction for explanations of other abbreviations.
Click
here for more information about browsing the entries
and
here for more information about the special symbols
used in Hamletworks. Click the question mark icon above to remove this help message.
Notes for lines 2951-end ed. Hardin A. Aasand
| 3653-4 only got the tune of | the time, and {out of an} <outward> habit of incounter, a | |
|---|
1787 ann
ann
3654 out of an habit of incounter]
Henley (
apud Annotations, 1787, 6: 188) : <p. 188>“Outward habit of encounter , is exterior politeness of address; in allusion to Osrick’s last speech. HENLEY” </p. 188>
1790 mal
mal
3654 out of an habit of incounter] Malone (ed. 1790) : “We should, I think, read— an outward habit, &c. MALONE”
1793 v1793
1793 = mal ; ann
3654 out of an habit of incounter]
1803 v1803
v1803 = v1793
3654 out of an habit of incounter]
1813 v1813
v1813 = v1803
3654 out of an habit of incounter]
1821 v1821
v1821 = v1813
3654 out of an habit of incounter]
1826 sing1
sing1 = v1821 without attribution
3654 out of an habit of incounter]
1833 valpy
valpy ≈ standard
3654 out of an habit of incounter] Valpy (ed. 1833): “External politeness.”
1856 hud1 (1851-6)
hud1= sing1 without attribution
3654 out of an habit of incounter]
1856 sing2
sing2 = sing1
3654 out of an habit of incounter]
1866c Bailey
Bailey
3654-6 tune . . .
opinions]
Bailey (1866, II:15-18): <p. 15>“I now come to one of the most difficult but fortunately not one of the most important textual corruptions.
“Hamlet, speaking of Osric to Horatio, says: [cites 3651-57] </p. 15><p. 16>
“It is certainly not easy to extract any consistent meaning from the middle and latter part of this speech.
“The first thing that strikes me here is, the impropriety of referring to ‘the tune of the time and outward habit of encounter’ as ‘a kind of yesty collection.’ How, or in what sense, can a tune and a habit be a collection? Further, the epithet outward, applied to habit of encounter (which could not well be inward), is inappropriate, or at best redundant.”
“The latter part of the sentence is equally unsatisfactory. What sense is there in saying that a yesty collection carried them through winnowed opinions? Collection of what? And what meaning are we to attach to the phrase ‘a collection carries them through opinions?’
Dr. Johnson makes sense of the passage by assuming it to mean that their ‘airy facility of talk imposes upon wise men,’ an interpretation not borne out by the words.
“According to the best judgment I can form, the reading of the quarto is a better guide to the genuine text than that of the folio. Ins tead of
outward habit, it has
out of the habit, which I be-</p. 16><p. 17>lieve to be right; and instead of
fond and
winnowed (a most strange conjunction of epithets), it has
prophane and
trenowed opinions—phrases which, while they are manifestly incorrect, point to the genuine reading. I would replace these two latter epithets by
profound and
renowned; and, as the word
collection conveys no definite idea, I would substitute
diction for it. With the alterations here suggested, the disputed passage would stand as follows: ‘Thus has he and many more of the same breed that I know the drossy age dotes on, only got the tune of the time, and
out of the habit of encounter [got] a kind of yesty
diction, which carries them through and through the most
profound and
renowned opinions: and do but blow them to the trial, their bubbles are out.’
“In support of these changes, I have to remark (1), that the verb
got governs both ‘the tune of the time’ and ‘a kind of yesty diction,’ the latter of which the persons concerned got ‘out of the habit of encounter;’† (2), that
diction, although it </p. 17> <p. 18>may appear to be scarcely a Shakespearian word, has in fact been used by Hamlet just before in the phrase ‘to make true diction of him;’
i.e. to make true speech about him; and (3), that ‘most profound and renowned’ comes much nearer the old reading than ‘most fond and winnowed.’ Besides,
most winnowed is not English. We should not say of one sack of wheat amongst several that it was the
most winnowed, but that it was the
best winnowed.
“The sense of the passage thus corrected may be summed up in a few words: ‘Thus he and many more of the same breed have only got the tune of the time, and from constant intercourse with society acquired a kind of inflated phraseology, which enables them to talk plausibly about the most profound and celebrated doctrines.’”</p. 18>
<n>*”Marlowe spells the word ‘renowmed.’ See Tamburlaine. Perhaps the t prefixed in the quarto is a relic of most, which was probably repeated before the second epithet, ‘most renowned,’ and this would be an improvement, ‘most profound and most renowned opinions.’”</n>
<n>†”Every one will probably recollect the expression in [R3 1.2.115 (301)], which is so often used without even the formality of quotation marks: ‘But, gentle lady Anne,—To leave this keen encounter of our wits, And fall somewhat into a slower method.’”</n>
1872 cln1
cln1 : standard
3654 out of an habit] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “outward habit]] The quartos read ‘and out of an habit. The ‘outward habit of encounter’ is the external address appropriate to an interview.”
1877 v1877
v1877
3654 the time]
Furness (ed. 1877): “The present age. See [
Mac. 1.5.61 (418); 1.7.81 (563); 5.8.24 (2465)].
v1877 : ≈ ann (Henley)
3654 out of an habit]
1885 macd
macd
3653 tune] MacDonald (ed. 1885): “‘the mere mode.’”
macd
3654 out of an habit of incounter] MacDonald (ed. 1885): “‘and external custom of intercourse.’ But here too I rather take the Q to be right: ‘They have only got the fashion of the time; and, out of a habit of wordy conflict, (they have got) a collection of tricks of speech,—a yesty, frothy mass, with nothing in it, which carries them in triumph through the most foolish and fastidious (nice, choice, punctilious, whimsical) judgments.’ Yesty I take to be right, and prophane (vulgar) to have been altered by the Poet to fond (foolish); of trennowed I can make nothing beyond a misprint.”
1899 ard1
ard1 ≈ cln1 w/o attribution
3654 out of an habit]
1906 nlsn
nlsn
3654 incounter] Neilson (ed. 1906, Glossary): “encounterer, LLL 5.2.82 (1973).”
1931 crg1
crg1
3654 habit of incounter] Craig (ed. 1931): “demeanor of social intercourse.”
1934 Wilson
Wilson
3654 out of an habit] Wilson (1934, 2:272): Wilson feels that Q2 offers the more “attractive reading” than F1. He observes that JEN follows Q2 and “all the rest” follow F1
3654 out of an habit]
Wilson (1934, 2:277): <p. 277>“This particular variant [F1 ‘outward habite’] is closely connected with a problem of corruption in both texts, and will be more conveniently considered along with that on a later page ((p. 329)). Enough here to note that once again Q2 offers the easier reading, though
Jennens alone has perceived it.” </p. 277>
3654 out of an habit] Also see n. 3656
1934 cam3
cam3
3654 out of an habit] Wilson (ed. 1934): “In Q2 the ‘yeasty collection’ is got ‘out of an habit of encounter,’ i.e. is the fruit of encounters and exchange of compliments with other gallants as absurd as himself. v.G[lossary]. ‘encounter.’”
cam3 : standard +
3654 incounter] Wilson (ed. 1934, Glossary): “cf. [AYL 2.5.24 ‘that they call compliment is like the encounter of two dog-apes.’”
1939 kit2
kit2 ≈ standard
3654 out of an habit]
kit2 ≈ standard
3654 incounter]
kit2 ≈ standard
3654 incounter] Kittredge (ed. 1939, Glossary):
1947 cln2
cln2
3653-54 the tune of the time] Rylands (ed. 1947): “fashionable jargon.”
cln2 ≈ standard
3654 incounter]
1951 crg2
crg2=crg1
3654 habit of incounter]
1954 sis
sis ≈ standard
3654 out of an] Sisson (ed. 1954, Glossary, outward): “outward appearance.”
1956 Sisson
Sisson
3654 out of an habit of incounter]
Sisson (1956, 2:227-8): <p. 227>“Folio reads
and outward habit, followed by most editors, which certainly fits precisely into the train of </p. 227> <p. 228>thought—popular tune, outward fashion, surface tricks.
New Cambridge follows Quarto, with an interpretation that seems very forced.”
1974 evns1
evns1 ≈ standard
3653-54 the tune of the time]
evns1 ≈ standard
3654 habit of incounter]
pen2 ≈ standard
3653-54 the tune of the time]
pen2
3654 habit of incounter] Spencer (ed. 1980): “by practice in having constant conversational contact with other gallants. F reads ‘outward habite of encounter’ ((‘exterior manner of address’)), which is parallel to the tune of the time.”
1982 ard2
Ard2 : john1 (see n. 3654-5)
3653-54 the tune of the time] Johnson apud (Jenkins, ed. 1982): “the cant of the day’ ((Johnson)).”
ard2
3653 out of an habit of incounter] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “from habitual intercourse. ((Cf. OED habit sb. 10)). F outward, though much followed and superficially attractive in reinforcing habit ((=dress)) and providing a parallel metaphor for tune, would imply a contrast with some inner worth, which a drossy age must lack. Cf. MSH, p. 329.”
1984 chal
chal : standard
3653-54 the tune of the time]
chal : standard
3653 out of an habit of incounter] Wilkes (ed. 1984): "a))manner of meeting; b)) style of address."
1985 cam4
cam4 ≈ standard
3653-54 the tune of the time]
1987 oxf4
oxf4 : OED (encounter sb. 3)
3653 out of an habit of incounter]
1988 bev2
bev2: standard
3653-54 the tune of the time]
bev2 : crg1
3653 out of an habit of incounter]
1992 fol2
fol2≈ standard
3653-6 out . . . opinions] Mowat & Werstine (ed. 1992): “perhaps, out of repeated social encounters, they have got a collection of frothy social encounters, they have got a collection of frothy language that wins acceptance from refined persons.”
1993 dent
dent
3652 out of an habit of incounter] Andrews (ed. 1989): “an outward manner of social interaction with no understanding of what society’s customs really signify. Here Habit probably refers to a fashionable mode of dress that serves as a kind of uniform for members of the group.”
2008 OED
oed ≈ standard
3653 out of an habit of incounter]OED n 3. Manner of meeting another; style of address, behaviour. Obs.
1596 SHAKES. Tam. Shr. IV. v. 54 That with your strange encounter much amazed me. 1602 Ham. V. ii. 197 The tune of the time, and outward habite of encounter. 1611 Wint. T. III. ii. 50 With what encounter so uncurrent I have strained to appear thus.
3653 3654