Ham. Why, then it is none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so to me it is a prison.

Ros. Why, then your ambition makes it one : 'tis too narrow for your mind.

Ham. Oh God, I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.

Guil. Which dreams, indeed, are ambition; for the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.

Ham. A dream itself is but a shadow.

Ros. Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and light a quality, that it is but a shadow's shadow. Ham. Then are our beggars, bodies; and our monarchs and out-stretched heroes, the beggars' shadows. Shall we to th' court? for, by my say, 1 cannot reason.

I will not sort you

Both. We'll wait upon you. Ham. No such matter. with the rest of my servants; for, to speak to you like an honest man, I am most dreadfully attended: but in the beaten way of friendship, what make you at Elsinoor?

Ros. To visit you, my Lord; no other occasion. Ham. Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks; but I thank you and sure, dear friends, my thanks are too dear of a half-penny. Were you not sent for? is it your own inclining? is it a

free visitation? come deal justly with me; come, come; nay, speak.

Guil. What should we say, my Lord?

Ham. Any thing, but to the purpose. You were sent for and there is a kind of confession in your looks, which your modesties have not craft enough to colour. I know, the good King and Queen have sent for you.

Ros. To what end, my Lord?

Ham. That you must teach me; but let me conjure you, by the rights of our fellowship, by the consonancy of our youth, by the obligation of our ever-preserved love, and by what more dear, a better proposer could charge you withal; be even and direct with me, whether you were sent for or no?

Ros. What say you?

[To Guilden. Ham. Nay, then I have an eye of you: if you love me, hold not off.

Guil. My Lord, we were sent for.

Ham. I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the King and Queen moult no feather. (49) I

(49) Moult no feather: this very singular phrase may be referable, to the circumstance that the prototypes of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear to be naked in the moon, and that there are small detached portions of shadow over their heads, resembling the feathers flying about birds in the state of moulting them.

have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, foregone all custom of exercise; and, indeed, it goes so heavily with my disposition, that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculties in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a God! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! and yet to me, what is the quintessence of dust? man delights not me, nor woman neither; though by your smiling you seem to say so.

Ros. My Lord, there was no such stuff in thoughts.

my

Ham. Why did you laugh, when I said, man delights not me?

Ros. To think, my Lord, if you delight not in man, what lenten entertainment the players shall receive from you; we accosted them on the way, and hither are they coming to offer you service.

Ham. He that plays the King shall be welcome; his Majesty shall have tribute of me; the advent❜rous knight shall use his foyle and target;

the lover shall not sigh gratis; the humorous man shall end his part in peace; and the lady shall say her mind freely, or the blank verse shall halt What players are they?

for't.

Ros. Even those you were wont to take delight in, the tragedians of the city.

Ham. How chances it they travel? their residence both in reputation and profit was better, both ways.

[Flourish for the Players.

Guil. There are the players.

Ham. Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elsinoor.

Enter POLONIUS.

Pol. Well be with you, gentlemen.

Ham. Hark you, Guildenstern, and you too, at each ear an hearer; (50) that great baby, you see there, is not yet out of his swathling-clouts.

Ros. Haply he's the second time come to them; for they say, an old man is twice a child.

Ham. I will prophesy, he comes to tell me of the players. Mark it ;-you say right, Sir; for on Monday morning 'twas so, indeed.

(50) At each ear a hearer: this phrase, no less strange than the one explained in the last note, points to the circumstance that the heads of both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are like human ears.

Pol. My Lord, I have news to tell you. Ham. My Lord, I have news to tell you. When Roscius was an actor in Rome—— Pol. The actors are come hither, my Lord. Ham. Buzze, buzze,

Pol. Upon mine honour.

Ham. Then came each actor on his ass

Pol. The best actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, scene undividable, or poem unlimited Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light. For the law of wit, and the liberty, these are the only men.

Ham. "Oh Jephtha, judge of Israel," what a treasure hadst thou!

Pol. What treasure had he, my Lord? Ham." Why, one fair daughter, and no more, "The which he loved passing well."

Pol. Still on my daughter.

Ham. Am I not i' th' right old Jephtha? Pol. If you call me Jephtha, my Lord; I have a daughter that I love passing well.

Ham. Nay, that follows not.

Pol. What follows then, my Lord?

Ham. Why, as "by lot, God wot"-and then you know," it came to pass, as most like it was:" the first row of the rubric will shew you more. For look where my abridgments come.