_"There's ne'er a villain," &c._ (Vol. v., p. 242.).--In support of A.
E. B., with whose view I entirely concur, it may be added that _villain_
and _knave_ do not make the proposition such a truism as Horatio (who is
not intended for a conjuror, much less a verbal critic) admits it to be.
Alexander the Great has been called a _villain_ and a _robber_, but
never a _knave_ or a _thief_. By the Rule of Three, villain: robber::
knave: thief. As a truism, intended by Hamlet before the first line was
spoken, it is not good enough for Hamlet's wit. But, supposing the
second line invented, _pro re natâ_, to cover the retreat of the
disclosure which was advancing in the first line, it is just what might
have suggested itself--for Hamlet's uncle was both villain and knave.