i

Laer. For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favour; Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood,

A violet in the youth of * primy nature,

'Forward, not permanent; m fweet, not lafting; The perfume, and fuppliance of a minute;

n

No more.

Oph. No more but fo?

Laer. Think it no more;

For nature crefcent does not grow alone

In thews and P bulk; but as 9 this temple waxes,
The inward fervice of the mind and foul
Grows wide withal. Perhaps he loves you now,
And now no foil nor cautel doth befmerch
The virtue of his " will; but you must fear,
His greatnefs weigh'd, his will is not his own;
For he himself is fubject to his birth,
He may not, as unvalued perfons do,

* Carve for himself; for on his choice depends
The fafety and the health of the whole ftate:
And therefore muft his choice be circumfcrib'd

Unto the voice and yielding of that body

Whereof he is the head.

Then if he fays he loves you,

It fits your wisdom fo far to believe it

с

As he in his particular act and place

May give his faying deed; which is no further,
Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal.

d

Then weigh what lofs your honour may

If with too credent ear you lift his fongs,

fuftain

Or lofe your heart, or your chafte treasure open
To his unmafter'd opportunity,

Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister,

And keep you in the rear of your affection,

Out of the shot, and danger of defire.
The charieft maid is prodigal enough
If the unmask her beauty to the moon :
Virtue itself scapes not calumnious ftrokes,
The canker galls the infants of the spring,
Too oft before their buttons be disclos'd;
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blaftments are most imminent.
Be wary then, best safety lies in fear,

Youth to itself rebels, though none elfe near.
Oph. I fhall th' effect of this good leffon keep,

i

k

As watchmen to my heart. But good my brother,

Do not as fome ungracious pastors do,

Shew me the fteep and thorny way to heaven;

n

While, like a puft and reckless libertine, Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads, And recks not his own reed.

Laer, O fear me not,

SCENE VI.

Enter Polonius,

I ftay too long; but here my father comes:
A double bleffing is a double grace;

Occafion fimiles upon a fecond leave.

Pol. Yet here, Laertes? aboard, aboard for fhame! The wind fits in the fhoulder of your fail,

And you are staid for: there, my bleffings with thee;

Elaying bis hand on Laertes's head,

And these few precepts in thy memory

Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportion'd thought his act :

k The 2d and 3d q. the fo's, and R. read watchmen.

1 The 3d 9. reads of for to.

P P. alters this to, get aboard for shame.
H. follows him.

9 This line is ftopped according to the

m The qu's read, Whiles a puft, &c. qu's. The fo's, R. and P. ftop thus, W. Whilft be, a puft, &c.

n P. alters reckless to careless, followed by all after but W. and C.

o-reeks not bis own read, that is, beeds not bis own leffons. P. The qu's, Teakes. See the paffage murdered in Johnföri`s Dictionary, under the word Reck,

And you are faid for there: my bleffing

with you.

r So the qu's. The fo's, and all fuçceeding editions, read, you

s This direction first put in by T.

So the qu's and C. The fo's, and all the reft, read, See for Look,

Be

Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar;

"Those friends thou haft, and their adoption try'd,
Grapple them to thy foul with hoops of fteel,
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg'd comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel; but being in,

Bear 't that th'a oppofer may beware of thee.
Give ev'ry man thine ear, but few thy voice.
Take each man's cenfure, but referve thy judgment,
Coftly thy habit as thy purse can buy,

But not expreft in fancy; rich, not gaudy;

For the apparel oft proclaims the man ;

And they in France of the beft rank and ftation

▸ Are most select and generous,

chief in that,

d

Neither a borrower, nor a lender & be;
For loan oft lofes both itself and friend,
' And borrowing & dulls the edge of husbandry,
This above all; to thine own felf be true;
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewel; my bleffing season this in thee,

So the qu's. The fo's, and all the reft, read, The friends.

w The qu's read unto.

x All the editions before P. read boops, who alters it to books, and is followed by the fucceeding editors. Hooks better continues the metaphor of grappling; but Shakespeare frequently changes his metaphor even in the middle of a sentence.

y Fo's and R, unbatch'd.

2 The qu's read courage for comrade. a Firft q. the fo's, and all the editions after, except . read, opposeda

b The first q. reads, Or of a moft, &c. The 2d and 3d qu's, and the fo's, Are of a moft, &c.

• Fo's, cheff.

d The qu's read bey for be.

The qu's read love for loan:

f The 2d, 3d and 4th fo's, R, and P. read a for and.

8 Firit and 2d qu's, dulletb.

h Firft q. omits the.

i W. reads light for night.
The 3d q. reads to for the.

Laer.

Laer. Moft humbly do I take my leave, my lord.

Pol. The time invests you; go, your fervants tend,
Laer. Farewel, Ophelia, and remember well
What I have faid " to you,

Oph. 'Tis in my memory lock'd,

And you yourself shall keep the key of it.

Laer. Farewel.

[Exit Laertes.

Pol. What is 't, Ophelia, he hath said to you?

Oph. So please you, fomething touching the lord Hamlet,

Pol. Marry, well bethought!

'Tis told me, he hath very oft of late

Given private time to you; and you yourself

Have of your audience been moft free and bounteous,

If it be fo, as fo 'tis put on me,

And that in way of caution, I muft tell you,
You do not understand yourself so clearly,
As it behoves my daughter, and your honour.
What is between you? Give me up the truth.

Oph. He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders
Of his affection to me.

Pol. Affection! puh! you speak like a green girl, Unfifted in fuch perilous circumftance,

Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?

Oph. I do not know, my lord, what I fhould think. Pol. Marry I'll teach you think yourself a baby; That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay,

The fo's, R. P. H. and J. read invites for invefts.

m So all before P. who omits to you ; followed by the reft, except C. n Third f, omits in.

• The 3d and 4th fo's, R. P. and H. omit bath.

P The qu's, I will.

9 So the qu's and C. The fo's, and all the other editions, read bis for these.