with the prevailing Humour of the Times, which ran into false Wit, and
a constant endeavour to produce affected Moral Sentences.

He was very capable of drawing _Hamlet_ in Madness with much more
Dignity, and without any Thing of the Comick; although it is difficult,
as I said, to describe a feign'd Madness in a Tragedy, which is not to
touch on the real Cause of Grief.

Page 277.

The Scene of the Players is conducive to the whole Scheme of this
Tragedy, and is managed with great Beauty. We are to observe, that the
Speeches spoken by the Prince, and one of the Players, are dismal
Bombast, and intended, no doubt, to ridicule some Tragedy of those Days.

The Poet's stepping out of his Subject to lash the Custom of Plays being
acted by the Children of the Chapel, is not allowable in Tragedy, which
is never to be a Satire upon any modern particular _Foible_ or Vice that
prevails, but is to be severe upon Crimes and Immoralities of all Ages,
and of all Countries.

Hamlet's Speech, (p. 281.) after his Conversation with the Players, is
good; and by it we see that the Poet himself seems sensible of the Fault
in his Plot. But that avails not, unless he had found Means to help it,
which certainly might have been.

The Prince's Design of confirming by the Play, the Truth of what the
Ghost told him, is certainly well imagin'd; but as the coming of these
Players is supposed to be accidental, it could not be a Reason for his
Delay.