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Line 860 - 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 0-1017 ed. Bernice W. Kliman

For explanation of sigla, such as jen, see the editions bib.

860 A worthy Pioner, once more remooue good friends.	1.5.163

1589 Eliz. statutes

Pulton’s statutes

860 Pioner] Pulton’s Statutes 1636 (apud Nicholson, 1822, p. 31) “‘Be it enacted by the authority of this present Parliament, That is any person or persons, hauing at any time hereafter the charge or custody of any Armour, Ordnance, Munition, Shot, Powder, or habillements of warre [R2 1.3.28], of the Queens Maiesties, her heires or successors, or of any victuals prouided for the victualling of any Souldiers, Gunners, Mariners, or Pioners, shall, for any lucre or gaine, or wittingly, aduisedly, and of purpose, to hinder or impeach her Maiesties seruice, imbesill, purloyne, or conuey away any the same Armour, Ordnance, Munition, Shot, or Powder, habillements of warre or victualls, to the value of twenty shillings at one or seuerall times: that then euery such offence shall be iudged felony, and the offender and offendors therein to be tryed, proceeded on, and suffer as in case of felony.’ 1589. A° 31 Eliz. cap. iv. Pulton’s Statutes, 1636, p. 1173.”

1805 Seymour

Seymour

860 good friends] Seymour (1805, 2:163): “The ‘good friends,’ indeed, ought to be removed from the verse.”

1822 Nares

Nares

860 Pioner] Nares (1822?, apud Furness, ed. 1877): “A pioneer; an attendant on an army, whose office it is to dig, level, remove obstruction, form trenches, and do all works executed with unwarlike tools, as spades, &c.”

Nares has not pioners but “Pyonings, Works of Pioneers; military works of strength.”

1854 del2

del2

860 Pioner] Delius (ed. 1854): “pioner ‘Schanzgräber’ mit dem Ton auf der ersten Sylbe, von dem veralteten Verbum to pion = graben, ist Sh.’s Wort, das die Herausgeber willkührlich in das anderes betonte moderne pioneer umändern.”[pioner ‘trench digger’ with the accent on the 1st syllable, from the obsolete verb to pion meaning to dig, is Sh.’s word, which the editors unjustifiably emend to the otherwise accented, modern word pioneer.]

1854 Walker

Walker ≈ del2 without attribution

860 Pioner] Walker (1854, p. 217): “Pioneer, en´gineer (generally at least), muleteer, and many other (perhaps most) words of the same class, ought to be written pioner, enginer, &c. This is evident, were there no other indication of it, from the flow of the verses in which these words occur.”

Walker

860 Pioner] Walker (1854, p. 218): “[re Oth. 3.3.346 (1989)] Palpably (auribus postulantibus) Pioners. Folio Pyoners. So in [860], the Folio has [quotes lines]. And so the Hamlet of 1603. Pioneer is not only inharmonious ([Greek]), but unlike the Shakespearian rhythm.”

1860 Walker

Walker ≈ Walker 1854

860 Pioner] Walker (1860, 3: 263): “so spell, not pioneer . . . .”

1867 dyce

dyce

860 Pioner] Dyce (ed. 1867, Glossary, apud Furness, ed. 1877): “Pioneers were generally soldiers, who, on account of misconduct, had been degraded to the office of pioneer (As to the old form of the word, Milton writes ‘pioners’ in Paradise Lost, B. I.676, and in Paradise Regained, B. iii. 330; see the first eds. of these poems; but in the eds. of Todd, Keightley, &c. we find ‘pioneers’) .”

1870 Abbott

Abbott § 492

860 Pioner] Abbott (§ 462): “The double accent seems to have been disliked by the Elizabethans. They wrote and pronounced ‘muleters’ for ‘muleteers,’ enginer’ [2577+5] for ‘engineer,’ ‘pioners’ for ‘pioneers.’ This explains: Pioners.—‘A wórth | y píoner. | Once móre | remóve, | good friends.’—[860]. . . .”

1870 Abbott

Abbott § 443

860 Pioner] Abbott (§ 443): “-Er is sometimes appended to a noun for the purpose of signifying an agent.”

1872 cln1

cln1 contra Walker 1860 without attribution

860 Pioner] Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “So the old copies. It is generally altered by editors to ‘pioneer,’ which means the same thing. So we have ‘pioner,’ [H5 3.2.87 (1205)], and [Oth. 3.3.346 (1989). Compare ‘enginer,’ [Tro. 2.3.8 (1212)], and [Ham. 2577+5]; ‘mutiner,’ [Cor. 1.1.250 (277)]; and ‘muleter,’ [Ant. 3.7.35 (1902)].

cln1

803-60 Clark & Wright (ed. 1872): “The levity displayed by Hamlet is at once the natural expression of a mind oppressed with horror (like the jests of dying men and hysterical laughter), and is also a cunning device to deceive his friends as to the purport of his communication with the Ghost.”

1877 v1877

v1877: Nares; DyceG; Walker 217 & 3: 263, Abbott § 492; xref 1.2.172 [360]; 3.4.206 [2577+5].

860 Pioner] Furness (ed. 1877): “For the spelling, see Walker, Vers. 217; Crit. iii, 263; Abbott, § 492. Also [360 truster and enginer 2577+5, Abbott § 443]. Ed.”

at 360, Furness notes that Sh. uses —er suffix “for the purpose of signifying the agent, with a ref. to Abbott § 443. xref back to pioner and Walker, Abbott at 2577+5.

1878 rlf1

rlf1: //s; Abbott +

860 Pioner] Rolfe (ed. 1878): “In [Luc.] 1380 it rhymes with ‘appear.’”

1881 hud3

hud3

860 Pioner] Hudson (ed. 1881): “Alluding to one of the offices of military engineers, which is to pioneer an army; that is, to go before and clear the road.”

hud3 does not indicate that the work is lowly.

1882 Nicholson

Nicholson

860 Pioner] Nicholson (1882, p. 31): Pulton’s Statutes, 1636, p. 1173:

1885 mull

mull see n. 803-60

1904 ver

ver on accent contra Abbott without attribution

860 Pioner] Verity (ed. 1904): “digger, miner; so in [H5 3.2.87 (1205)]. Elizabethans often have er as a suffix, equivalent to the modern eer; cf. “enginer’ [2577+5]; [Cor. 1.1.250 (277)]; ‘charioter,’ [PL 6: 390]. The er as pronounced like ere in there and bore a strong accent.

ver

860 remooue] Verity (ed. 1904): “let us ‘shift our ground.’”

1929 trav

trav

860 once more] Travers (ed. 1929): “to make up the mystic number three.”

1938 parc

parc

860 Pioner] Parrott & Craig (ed. 1938): “pioneer, sapper.”

1939 kit2

kit2: standard + quotation

860 pioner] Kittredge (ed. 1939): "miner, digger. Pioners or pioneers were footsoldiers who dug trenches and mines. Cf. [H5 3.2.87ff (1205)]: ’How now, Captain Macmorris? Have you quit the mines? Have the pioners given o’er?’ "

1947 cln2

cln2: standard

860 pioner] Rylands (ed. 1947): "digger (cf. the pioneer corps)."

1957 pel1

pel1: standard

860 Pioner] Farnham (ed. 1957): “pioneer, miner.”

1970 pel2

pel2pel2 = pel1

860 Pioner] Farnham (ed. 1970): “pioneer, miner”

1980 pen2

pen2: standard

860 Pioner] Spencer (ed. 1980): “miner.”

1982 ard2

ard2: xref; //; standard gloss

860 Pioner] Jenkins (ed. 1982): “This QF spelling was usual and indicates the stress. A pioneer was originally a foot-soldier who preceded the main army with spade or pickaxe, hence a digger, and so, as here, a miner. Cf. H5 3.2.81. See 846 CN.”

1985 cam4

cam4: standard

860 Pioner] Edwards (ed. 1985): "soldier responsible for excavations and tunnelling."

1987 oxf4

oxf4: kit2 without attribution

860 Pioner] Hibbard (ed. 1987): "military miner, sapper. Compare [H5 3.2.87 (1205)], ‘have you quit the mines? Have the pioneers given o’er?’ "

oxf4 ≈ ver without attribution

860 remooue] Hibbard (ed. 1987): "move again, move to another place."

1988 bev2

bev2: standard

860 Pioner] Bevington (ed. 1988): “foot soldier assigned to dig tunnels and excavations.”

1992 fol2

fol2: standard

860 Pioner] Mowat & Werstine (ed. 1992): “a foot soldier who marches in advance of the army to dig trenches and clear the way; a digger or miner”

fol2 ≈ oxf4 without attribution

860 remooue] Mowat & Werstine (ed. 1992): “move to another spot”

1995 OED 2nd edition on Internet

OED

860 pioner] While OED has no headword pioner it clearly does use the word in the sense Delius mentions. Pioneer, meaning forerunners, as the American Pioneers, is a later development. Pioner has a military connotation. Golding (1563) used the work for workers of ground. Barret, Theor. warres (1598: “Pioners to make Trenches, Ramparts, Minings.” F. Markham, Bk. War. IV. iii. 130 (1622): “ . . . Pioners . . . are not reckoned Souldiers, neither come neere by many degrees either to that list or reputation.”

2000 Kliman

Kliman

860 pioner] Kliman (2000): In performance, directors have to decide whether Hamlet moves away from or towards the ghost’s voice: If Hamlet means by pioner the military advance, who dig for the main army, then the ghost precedes him, goes where he means to go or shows him the way to go. If he just means a digger, then the ghost might be following or chasing him.

2006 ard3q2

ard3q2: xref

860 Pioner] Thompson & Taylor (ed. 2006): “We preserve this Q2 spelling to distinguish the military sense (see [859-60 CN]) from the modern ’pioneer’ (see also enginer at [2577+5]).”