first asking your pardon thereunto, recount the oc- A face without a heart? casion of my sudden and more strange return.

Hamlet.

King. 'Tis Hamlet's character. Naked,And, in a postscript here, he says, alone: Can you advise me?

Laer. Why ask you this?

King. Not that I think, you did not love your father ;
But that I know, love is begun by time;
And that I see, in passages of proof,
Time qualifies the spark and fire of it.
There lives within the very flame of love
A kind of wick, or snuff, that will abate it;
And nothing is at a like goodness still;
For goodness, growing to a pleurisy,

Laer. I am lost in it, my lord! But let him come; Dies in his own too-much. That we would do,

It warms the very sickness in my heart,

That I shall live and tell him to his teeth,

You have been talk'd of since your travel much,
And that in Hamlet's hearing, for a quality,
Wherein, they say, you shine: your sum of parts
Did not together pluck such envy from him,
As did that one; and that, in my regard,
Of the unworthiest siege.

Laer. What part is that, my lord?
King. A very ribband in the cap of youth,
Yet needful too; for youth no less becomes
The light and careless livery that it wears,
Than settled age his sables, and his weeds,
Importing health and graveness. -Two months since,
Here was a gentleman of Normandy, -
I have seen myself, and serv'd against, the French,
And they can well on horseback: but this gallant
Had witchcraft in't; he grew unto his seat;
And to such wond'rous doing brought his horse,
As he had been incorps'd and demi-natur'd
With the brave beast: so far he topp'd my thought,
That I, in forgery of shapes and tricks,
Come short of what he did.

King. The very same.

We should do when we would; for this would changes,
And hath abatements and delays as many,
As there are tongues, are hands, are accidents;
And then this should is like a spendthrift sigh,
That hurts by easing. But, to the quick o'the ulcer:
Hamlet comes back; what would you undertake,
To show yourself in deed your father's son,
More than in words?

Laer. To cut his throat i'the church.

King. No place, indeed, should murder sanctuarize;
Revenge should have no bounds. But, good Laertes,
Will you do this, keep close within your chamber:
Hamlet, return'd, shall know you are come home:
We'll put on those shall praise your excellence,

And set a double varnish on the fame
The Frenchman gave you ; bring you, in fine, together,
And wager o'er your heads: he, being remiss,
Most generous, and free from all contriving,
Will not peruse the foils; so that, with ease,
Or with a little shuffling, you may choose
A sword unbated, and, in a pass of practice,
Requite him for your father.

Laer. I will do't:

And, for the purpose, I'll anoint my sword.
I bought an unction of a mountebank,
So mortal, that, but dip a knife in it,
Where it draws blood, no cataplasm so rare,
Collected from all simples that have virtue
Under the moon, can save the thing from death,
That is but scratch'd withal; I'll touch my point
With this contagion; that, if I gall him slightly
It may be death.

King. Let's further think of this;
Weigh, what convenience, both of time and means,
May fit us to our shape: if this should fail,
And that our drift look through our bad perform-

ance,

'Twere better not assay'd; therefore this project
Should have a back, or second, that might hold,
If this should blast in proof. Soft;-let me see:-
We'll make a solemn wager on your cunnings,
I ha't:

When in your motion you are hot and dry,
(As make your bouts more violent to that end)
And that he calls for drink, I'll have preferr'd him

Laer. I know him well: he is the brooch, indeed, A chalice for the nonce; whereon but sipping,

And gem of all the nation.

King. He made confession of you;

And gave you such a masterly report,
For art and exercise in your defence,
And for your rapier most especial,

That he cried out, 'twould be a sight indeed,
If one could match you: the scrimers of their nation,
He swore, had neither motion, guard, nor eye,
If you oppos'd them. Sir, this report of his
Did Hamlet so envenom with his envy,
That he could nothing do, but wish and beg
Your sudden coming o'er, to play with you.
Now, out of this,

Laer. What out of this, my lord?

King. Laertes, was your father dear to you? Or are you like the painting of a sorrow.

If he by chance escape your venom'd stuck,
Our purpose may hold there. But stay, what noise?
Enter Queen.

How now, sweet queen?

Queen. One woe doth tread upon another's heel,
So fast they follow: - your sister's drown'd, Laertes,
Laer. Drown'd! O, where?

Queen. There is a willow grows ascaunt the brook,
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream;
Therewith fantastic garlands did she make
Of crow-flowers, netiles, daisies, and long purples,
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do dead men's fingers call them
There on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds
Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke;
When down her weedy trophies, and herself,

1

Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread
wide;

And, mermaid-like, a while they bore her up:
Which time, she chanted snatches of old tunes;
As one incapable of her own distress,

Or like a creature native and indu'd

Unto that element: but long it could not be,
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.

Laer. Alas then, she is drown'd?

Queen. Drown'd, drown'd!

Laer. Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophe- 2 Clo. Mass, I cannot tell. lia,

And therefore I forbid my tears. But yet

It is our trick; nature her custom holds,

Let shame say what it will: when these are gone,
Then woman will be out. Adieu, my lord!

1 Clo. Is she to be buried in Christian burial, that Ham. 'Tis e'en so: the hand of little employment
wilfully seeks her own salvation?
hath the daintier sense.

2 Clo. I tell thee, she is; therefore make her grave
straight: the crowner hath set on her, and finds it 1 Clo. But age, with his stealing steps,

Ham. There's another. Why may not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddits now, his 1 Clo. What, art a heathen? How dost thou un-quillets, his cases, his tenures, and his tricks? why derstand the scripture? The scripture says, Adam, does he suffer this rude knave now to knock him digged: could he dig without arms? I'll put another question to thee: if thou answerest me not to the purpose, confess thyself

about the sconce with a dirty shovel, and will not tell him of his action of battery? Humph! This fellow might be in's time a great buyer of land, with his statutes, his recognizances, his fiues, his double vouchers, his recoveries. Is this the fine of his fines, and the recovery of his recoveries, to have

his fine pate full of fine dirt? will his vouchers 1 Clo. A whoreson mad fellow's it was; whose do vouch him no more of his purchases, and double you think it was? ones too, than the length and breadth of a pair of indentures? The very conveyances of his lands will hardly lie in this box; and must the inheritor himself have no more? ha?

1 Clo. A pestilence on him for a mad rogue! he poured a flagon of Rhenish on my head once. This same scull, sir, was Yorick's scull, the king's jester. Ham, This? [Takes the scull.

Fall ten times treble on that cursed head
Whose wicked deed thy most ingenious sense
Depriv'd thee of!- Hold off the earth a while,
Till I have caught her once more in mine arms;
[Leaps into the grave.
Now pile your dust upon the quick and dead;
Till of this flat a mountain you have made,
To o'ertop old Pelion, or the skyish head
Of blue Olympus.

1

Ham. [Advancing.] What is he, whose grief
Bears such an emphasis? whose phrase of sorrow
Conjures the wand'ring stars, and makes them stand
Like wonder-wounded hearers? this is I,
Hamlet the Dane.

[Leaps into the grave. Laer. The devil take thy soul! [Grappling with him. Ham. Thou pray'st not well.

I pr'ythee, take thy fingers from my throat;
For, though I am not splenetive and rash,
Yet have I in me something dangerous,
Which let thy wisdom fear. Hold off thy hand!
King. Pluck them asunder.
Queen. Hamlet, Hamlet!
All. Gentlemen,

Hor. Good my lord, be quiet!

[The Attendants part them, and they
come out of the grave.

Ham. Why, I will fight with him upon this theme,
Until my eyelids will no longer wag.

Queen. O my son! what theme?

Ham. I lov'd Ophelia; forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their quantity of love,

Make up my sum.

- What wilt thou do for her?

King. O, he is mad, Laertes!

Queen. For love of God, forbear him!
Ham. 'Zounds, show me what thou'lt do:

Woul't weep? woul't fight? woul't fast? woul't tear
thyself?

Woul't drink up Esil? eat a crocodile?
I'll do't. Dost thou come here to whine?

To outface me with leaping in her grave?
Be buried quick with her, and so will I:
And, if thou prate of mountains, let them throw
"Millions of acres on us; till our ground,
Singeing his pate against the burning zone,
Make Ossa like a wart! Nay, an thoul't mouth,
I'll rant as well as thou.

Queen. This is mere madness:

And thus a while the fit will work on him;
Anon, as patient as the female dove,

When that her golden couplets are disclos'd,
His silence will sit drooping.

Ham. Hear you, sir!

What is the reason that you use me thus?
I lov'd you ever: but it is no matter;
Let Hercules himself do what he may,

The cat will mew, and dog will have his day. [Exit.
King. I pray thee, good Horatio, wait upon him!—
[Exit Horatio.
Strengthen your patience in our last night's speech;
[To Laertes.

We'll put the matter to the present push. -
Good Gretrude, set some watch over your son.-
This grave shall have a living monument:
An hour of quiet shortly shall we see;

Till then, in patience our proceeding be. [Exeunt.

Ham. Sir, in my heart there was a kind of fighting,
That would not let me sleep: methought, I lay
Worse than the mutines in the bilboes. Rashly,
And prais'd be rashness for it, let us know,
Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well,
When our deep plots do pall:and that should teach us,
There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will.

Hor. That is most certain.

Ham. Up from my cabin,

My sea-gown scarf'd about me, in the dark
Grop'd I to find out them: had my desire;
Finger'd their packet; and, in fine, withdrew
To mine own room again: making so bold,
My fears forgetting manners, to unseal
Their grand commission; where I found, Horatio,
A royal knavery: an exact command,
Larded with many several sorts of reasons,
Importing Denmark's health, and England's too,
With, ho! such bugs and goblins in my life, -
That, on the supervise, no leisure bated,
No, not to stay the grinding of the axe,
My head should be struck off.
Hor. Is't possible?

Ham. Here's the commission; read it at more lci

sure.

But wilt thou hear now how I did proceed?
Hor. Ay, 'beseech you!

Ham. Being thus benetted round with villanies,
Or I could make a prologue to my brains,
They had begun the play:—I sat me down;
Devis'd a new commission; wrote it fair:
I once did hold it, as our statists do,
A baseness to write fair, and labour'd much
How to forget that learning: but, sir, now
It did me yeoman's service. Wilt thou know
The effect of what I wrote?

Hor. Ay, good my lord!

Ham. An earnest conjuration from the king, -
As England was his faithful tributary;

As love between them like the palm might flourish;
As peace should still her wheaten garland wear,
And stand a comma 'tween their amities;
And many such like as's of great charge,
That, on the view and knowing of these contents,
Without debatement further, more, or less,
He should the bearers put to sudden death,
Not shriving-time allow'd.

Hor. How was this seal'd?

Ham. Why, even in that was heaven ordinant;

I had my father's' signet in my purse,

Which was the model of that Danish seal:
Folded the writ up in form of the other;
Subscrib'd it gave't the inpression; plac'd it

safely,

The changeling never known. Now, the next day
Was our sea-fight; and what to this was sequent
Thou know'st already.

Hor. So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to't.
Ham. Why, man, they did make love to this em-
ployment;

They are not near my conscience; their defeat
Does by their own insinuation grow:
'Tis dangerous, when the baser nature comes
Between the pass and fell incensed points
Of mighty opposites.

Hor. Why, what a king is this!

Ham. Does it not, think thee, stand me now upon? |
He, that hath kill'd my king, and whor'd my mother;
Popp'd in between the election and my hopes;
Thrown ont his angle for my proper life,

And with such cozenage; is't not perfect conscience,
To quit him with this arm? and is't not to be damn'd,
To let this canker of our nature come
In further evil?

Hor. It must be shortly known to him from England,
What is the issue of the business there.

Ham. It will be short: the interim is mine;
And a man's life no more to say, one.
But I am very sorry, good Horatio,
That to Laertes I forgot myself;
For by the image of my cause, I see

The portraiture of his: I'll count his favours:
But, sure, the bravery of his grief did put me
Into a towering passion.

Hor. Peace! who comes here?

Enter OSRIC.

Osr. Your lordship is right welcome back to Denmark. Ham. I humbly thank you, sir!-Dost know this water-fly?

Hor. No, my good lord!

Ham. Thy state is the more gracious; for 'tis a vice to know him. He hath much land, and fertile; let a beast be lord of beasts, and his crib shall stand at the king's mess: 'Tis a chough; but, as say, spacious in the possession of dirt.

Osr. I know, you are not ignorantHam. I would you did, sir; yet, in faith, if you did, it would not much approve me;- well, sir!

Osr. You are not ignorant of what excellence Laertes is-

Ham. dare not confess that, lest I should compare with him in excellence; but, to know a man well, were to know himself.

Osr. I mean, sir, for his weapon; but in the imputation laid on him by them, in his meed he's unfellowed.

Ham. What's his weapon?

Osr. Rapier and dagger.

Ham. That's two of his weapons: bat, well.

Osr. The king, sir, hath wagered with him sir Barbary horses: against the which he has impa ed, as I take it, six French rapiers and poniards, with their assigns, as girdle, hangers, and so: three of the carriages, in faith, are very dear to fancy, very responsive to the hilts, most delicate carriages, and of very liberal conceit.

Ham. What call you the carriages? Hor. I knew, you must be edified by the margest, ere you had done.

Osr. The carriages, sir, are the hangers, Ham. The phrase would be more german to the matter, if we could carry a cannon by our sides II would, it might be hangers till then. But, on! Six Barbary horses against six French swords, their assigns, and three liberal-conceited carriages; that's the French bet against the Danish. Why is this impawned, as you call it?

I

Osr. Sweet lord, if your lordship were at leisure, should impart a thing to you from his majesty. Ham. I will receive it, sir, with all diligence of spirit. Your bonnet to his right use; 'tis for the head. Osr. 1 thank your lordship, 'tis very hot. Ham. No, believe me, 'tis very cold; the wind is northerly.

Osr. It is indifferent cold, my lord, indeed! Ham. But yet, methinks, it is very sultry and hot; or my complexion

Osr. The king, sir, hath laid, that in a dozen passes between yourself and him, he shall not exceed you three hits: he hath laid, on twelve for nine; and would come to immediate trial, if your lordship would vouchsafe the answer.

Ham. How, if I answer, no?

Osr. I mean, my lord, the opposition of your per

Osr. Exceedingly, my lord; it is very sultry,- -as son in trial. 'twere, I cannot tell how. My lord, his majesty bade me signify to you, that he has laid a great wager on your head. Sir, this is the matter,Ham. I beseech you, remember

Ham. Sir, I will walk here in the hall: if it please his majesty, it is the breathing time of day withne let the foils be brought, the gentleman willing, and the king hold his purpose, I will win for him, if can; if not, I will gain nothing but my shame, and the odd hits.

Osr. Shall I deliver you so? Ham. To this effect, sir; after what flourish your nature will.

Osr. I commend my duty to your lordship! [Exit. Ham. Yours, yours!- He does well, to commend it himself; there are no tongues else for's turn. Hor. This lapwing runs away with the shell on his head.

[Hamlet moves him to put on his hat. Osr.Nay, good my lord; for my ease, in good faith. Sir, here is newly come to court, Laertes: believe me, an absolute gentleman, full of most excellent differences, of very soft society, and great showing: indeed, to speak feelingly of him, he is the card or calendar of gentry, for you shall find in him the continent of what part a gentleman would see. Ham. Sir, his definement suffers no perdition in you;-though, I know, to divide him inventorially, would dizzy the arithmetic of memory; and yet but Ham. He did comply with his dag, before he sucked raw neither, in respect of his quick sail. But, in the it. Thus has he (and many more of the same breed, verity of extolment, I take him to be a soul of great that, I know, the drossy age dotes on,) only got the article; and his infusion of such dearth and rareness, tune of the time, and outward habit of encounter as, to make true diction of him, his semblable is his kind of yesty collection, which carries them through mirror; and, who else would trace him, his umbrage, and through the most fond and winnowed opinions: nothing more. and do but blow them to their trial,the bubbles are out. Enter a Lord.

Osr. Your lordship speaks most infallibly of him. Ham. The concernancy, sir? why do we wrap the gentleman in our more rawer breath?

Osr. Sir?

Hor. Is't not possible to understand in another tongue? You will do't, sir, really.

Ham. What imports the nomination of this gentleman?

Osr. Of Laertes?

a

Lord. My lord, his majesty commanded him to you by young Osric, who brings back to him, that you attend him in the hall: he sends to know, if your pleasure hold to play with Laertes, or that you will take longer time.

Ham. I am constant to my purposes, they follow the king's pleasure: if his fitness speaks, mine is ready; now, or whensoever, provided I be so abic

Hor. His purse is empty already; all his golden as now. words are spent.

Ham. Of him, sir.

Lord. The king, and queen, and all are coming down.
Ham. In happy time.