for whatever reason, it seems that lately wherever i turn i'm running into the same perplexing phrase:

"Here! Here!"

~or~

"Hear! Hear!"

I've always thought the latter was 'correct' (as in "listen, listen, these are words of truth"), but three times in a row now i've seen it as "Here! Here!", which could also make sense, as if the speaker were raising a hand saying "I agree, I agree".

Are they both the same? Both correct? Somehow it sounds Shakespearean in origin... does the OED give an earliest citation? are you there, joe?