to a publick count I might not go Is the great love the people bear him Who dipping all his faults in their affection Work like the Spring that turneth wood to stone Convert his gyves to graces so that my arrows Too slightly umbered for so loved arms Would have reverted to my bow again But not where I have aim'd them Laer. And so I have a noble father lost A sister driven into desperate terms Whose worth if praises may go back again Stood challenger on the mount of all the age For her perfections but my revenge will come King Break not your sleeps for that you must not think That we are made of stuff so flat and dull That we can let our beards be shook with danger And think it pastime you shortly shall hear more I lov'd your father and we love our self And that I hope will teach you to imagine Enter a Messenger with Letters Mess These to your Majesty this to the Queen King From Hamlet who brought them Mess Saylors my Lord they say I saw them not They were given me by Claudio he received them Of him that brought them King Laertes you shall hear them leave us Exeunt High and mighty you shall know I am set naked on your Kingdom to morrow shall I beg leave to see your Kingly eyes when I shall first asking you pardon thereunto recount the occasion of my sudden return King What should this mean are all the rest come back Or is it some abuse and no such thing Laer. Know you the hand King 'T is Hamlet's character Naked And in a postscript here he says alone Can you advise me Laer. I am lost in it my Lord but let him come It warms the very sickness in my heart That I live and tell him to his teeth Thus didst thou King If it be so Laertes As how should it be so how otherwise Will you be rul'd by me Laer. I my Lord so you will not o're-rule me to a peace King To thine own peace if he be now returned As liking not his voyage and that he means No more to undertake it I will work him To an exploit now ripe in my device Under the which he shall not chuse but fall And for his death no wind of blame shall breath But even his mother shall uncharge the practice And call it accident Laer. My Lord I will be rul'd The rather if you could devise it so That I might be the instrument King It falls right You have been talkt 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 feather in the cap of youth Yet needful too for youth no less becomes The light and careless livery that it wears Than setled age his sables and his weeds Importing health and graveness ' ' two months since Here was a Gentleman of Normandy I have seen my self and serv'd against the French And they can well on horse-back but this Gallant Had witchcraft in 't he grew unto his fear And to such wondrous doing brought his horse As he had been incorps'd and demi-natur'd With the brave beast so far he topt my thought That I in forgery of shapes and tricks Come short of what he did Laer. A Norman was 't King A Norman Laer. Upon my life Lamord King The very same Laer. I know him well he is indeed The 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 especially That he cry'd out 't would be a sight indeed If one could match you the Fencers of their Nation He swore had neither motion guard nor eye If you oppos'd them Sir this report of his Did Hamlet so envenome with his envy That he could nothing do but wish and beg Your sudden coming o're 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 A face without a heart 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 pleurisie Dies in his own too much that we would do 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 spend-thrift sigh That hurts by easing ' ' but to the quick of th' ulcer Hamlet comes back what would you undertake To shew your self indeed your fathers son More than in words Laer. To cut his throat i' th' Church King No place indeed should protect a murderer Revenge should have no bounds but good Laertes 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're 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 chuse A sword unbated and in a pace 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 vertue Under the Moon can save the thing from death That is but scratcht withal Ill 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 conveyance both of time and means May fit us to our shape if this should fail And that our drift look through our bad performance 'T were better not assay'd Therefore this project Should have a back or second that might hold If this did blast in proof ' ' soft let me see Well make a solemn wager on your cunnings I hav '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 prepar'd him A Chalice for the purpose whereon but tasting If he by chance escape your venom'd tuck Our purpose may hold there But stay what noise Enter Queen Qu. One woe doth tread upon anothers heel So fast they follow your sister 's drown'd Laertes Laer. Drown'd O where Qu There is a willow growing
understand them Where is your son Qu. Bestow this place on us a little while Exeunt Ros and Guild Ah mine own Lord what have I seen to night King What Gertrard how does Hamlet Qu. Mad as the sea and wind when both contend Which is the mightier in his lawless fit Behind the Arras hearing something stir Whips out his Rapier cries a Rat a Rat And in this brainish apprehension kills The unseen good old man King O heavy deed It had been so with us had we been there His liberty is full of threats to all To you your self to us to every one Alas how shall this bloody deed be answered It will be laid to us whose providence Should have restrain'd This mad young man but so much was our love We would not understand what was most fit But like the owner of a foul disease To keep it from divulging let it feed Even on the pith of life where is he gone Qu. To draw apart the body he hath kill'd O're whom his very madness like some Ore Among a mineral of metal base Shews it self pure he weeps for what is done King Gertrard come away The Sun no sooner shall the mountains touch But we will ship him hence and this vile deed We must with all our Majesty and skill Enter Ros and Guild Both countenance and excuse Ho Guyldenstern Friends both go joyn with you some further aid Hamlet in madness hath Polonius slain And from his mothers closet hath he drag'd him Go seek him out speak fair and bring the body Into the Chappel I pray you haste in this Come Gertrard we 'll call up our wisest friends And let them know both what we mean to do And what 's untimely done Whose whisper o're the worlds Diameter As level as the Cannon to his blank Transports his poisoned shot may miss our name And hit the woundless air O come away My soul is full of discord and dismay Exeunt Enter Hamlet Rosencraus and others Ham. Safely stow'd what noise who calls Hamlet O here they come Ros What have you done my Lord with the dead body Ham. Compounded it with dust whereto it is a kin Ros Tell us where 't is that we may take it thence And bear it to the Chappel Ham. Do not believe it Ros Believe what Ham. That I can keep your counsel and not mine own besides to be demanded of a spunge what replication should be made by the son of a King Ros Take you me for a spunge my Lord Ham. I Sir that sokes up the Kings countenance his rewards his authorities but such Officers do the King best service in the end he keeps them like an apple in the corner of his jaw first mouth'd to be last swallowed when he needs what you have gleaned it is but squeesing you and spunge you shall be dry again Ros I understand you not my Lord. Ham. I am glad of it a knavish speech sleeps in a foolish ear Ros My Lord you must tell us where the body is and go with us to the King Ham. The body is with the King but the King is not with the body the King is a thing Guil. A thing my Lord Ham. Of nothing ' ' bring me to him Exeunt Enter King and two or three King I have sent to seek him and to find the body How dangerous is it that this man goes loose Yet must we not put the strong law on him He 's lov'd of the distracted multitude Who like not in their judgment but their eyes And where 't is so th' offenders scourge is weigh'd But never the offence to bear all smooth and even This sudden sending him away must seem Deliberate pause diseases desperate grown By desperate appliance are reliev'd Or not at all Enter Rosencraus and all the rest King How now what hath befallen Ros Where the dead body is bestow'd my Lord We cannot get from him King But where is he Ros Without my Lord guarded to know your pleasure King Bring him before us Ros Ho bring in the Lord Hamlet They enter King Now Hamlet where 's Polonius Ham. At supper King At supper where Ham. Not where he eats but where he is eaten a certain convocation of politick worms are e'en at him your worm is your only Emperour for diet We fat all creatures else to fat us and we fat our selves for maggots your fat King and your lean beggar is but variable service two dishes but to one table that 's the end King Alas alas Ham. A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a King eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm King What doest thou mean by this Ham. Nothing but to shew you how a King may go a progress through the guts of a beggar King Where is Polonius Ham. In heaven send thither to see if your messenger find him not there seek him i th' other place your self but indeed if you find him not within this month you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the Lobby King Go seek him there Ham. He will stay till you come King Hamlet this deed for thine especial safety Which we do tender as we dearly grieve For that which thou hast done must send thee hence Therefore prepare thy self The Bark is ready and the wind sits fair Th' associates tend and every thing is bent For England Ham. For England King I Hamlet Ham. Good King So is it if thou knew'st our purposes Ham. I see a Cherub that sees them but come for England Farewel dear mother King Thy loving father Hamlet Ham. My mother father and mother is man and wife Man and wife is one flesh and so my mother Come for England Exit King Follow him Tempt him with speed aboard Delay it not I 'll have him hence to night Away for every thing is seal'd and done That else leans on the affair pray you make haste And England if my present love thou holdst at ought As my great power thereof may give thee sense Since yet thy cicatrice looks raw and red After the Danish Sword and thy free a we Pays homage to us thou maist not coldly set Our Sovereign process which imports at full By Letters congâ—…ing to that effect The present death of Hamles do it England For like the Hectick in my blood he rages And thou must cure me till I know 't is done How e're my haps my joys will me'er begin Exit Enter Fortinbrass with his Army over the Stage Fort. Go Captain from me greet the Danish King Tell him that by his dicense Forlinbrass Craves the conveyance of a promis'd march Over his Kingdom you know the rendeavous If that his Majesty would ought with us We shall express our duty in his eye And let him know so Capt. I will do 't my Lord. Fort. Go softly on Enter Hamlet Rosencraus c. Ham. Good Sir whose powers are these Capt. They are of Norway Sir Ham. How propos'd Sir I pray
Have heaven and earth together demonstrated Unto our Climatures and Countrymen Enter Ghost But soft behold lo where it comes again I 'le cross it though it blast me Stay illusion He spreads his arms If thou hast any sound or use of voice Speak to me if there be any good thing to be done That may to thee do ease and grace to me Speak to me If thou art privy to thy Countries fate Which happily foreknowing may avoid O speak Or if thou hast uphoorded in thy life Extorted treasure in the womb of earth For which they say your spirits oft walk in death The Cock crows Speak of it stay and speak stop it Marcellus Mar. Shall I strike it with my Partisan Hor. Do if it will not stand Bar. 'T is here Hor. 'T is here Mar. 'T is gone Exit Ghost We do it wrong being so majestical To offer it the shew of violence It is ever as the air invulnerable And our vain blows malicious mockery Bar. It was about to speak when the Cock crew Hor. And then it started like a guilty thing Upon a fearful sâ—mmons I have heard The Cock that is the trumpet to the morn Doth with his lofty and shrill sounding throat Awake the god of day and at his warning Whether in sea or fire in earth or air Th' extravagant and erring spirit hyes To his confine and of the truth herein This present object made probation Mar. It faded at the crowing of the Cock Some say that ever ' gainst that season comes Wherein our Saviours birth is celebrated This bird of dawning singeth all night long And then they say no spirit dares stir abroad The nights are wholesome then no Planets strike No Fairy takes no Witch hath power to charm So hallowed and so gracious is that time Hor. ' So have I heard and do in part believe it But look the morn in russet mantle clad Walks o're the dew of you high Eastern hill Break we our watch up and by my advice Let us impart what we have seen to night Unto young Hamlet perhaps This spirit dumb to us will speak to him Do you consent we shall acquaint him with it As needful in our loves fitting our duty Mar. Le ts do 't I pray and I this morning know Where we shall find him most convenient Exeunt Flourish Enter Claudius King of Denmark Gertrad the Queen Council as Polonius and his Son Laertes Hamlet cum aliis King Though yet of Halmet our dear brothers death The memory be green and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief and our whole Kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature That we with wisest sorrow think on him Together with remembrance of our selves Therefore our sometime Sister now our Queen Th' Imperial Jointress to this warlike State Have we as 't were with a defeated joy With an auspicious and a dropping eye With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage In equal scale weighing delight and dole Taken to wife nor have we herein barr'd Your better wisdoms which have freely gone With this affair along for all our thanks Now follows that you know young Fortinbrass Holding a weak supposal of our worth Or thinking by our late dear brothers death Our state to be dis-joynt and out of frame Colleagued with this dream of his advantage He hath not fail'd to pester us with message Importing the surrender of those lands Lost by his father with all bands of Law To our most valiant brother So much for him Now for our self and for this time of meeting Thus much the business is we have here writ To Norway Uncle of young Fortinbrass Who impotent and bedrid scarcely hears Of this his Nephews purpose to suppress His further gate herein in that the levies The lists and full proportions are all made Out of his subjects and we now dispatch You good Cornelius and you Voltemand Ambassadors to old Norway Who have no further personal power Of Treaty with the King more than the scope Of these delated Articles allow Farewel and let your haste commend your duty Cor. Vo. In that and all things will we shew our duty King We doubt it nothing heartily farewel Now Laertes what 's the news with you You told us of some suit what is 't Laertes You cannot speak of reason to the Dane And lose your voice what would'st thou beg Laertes That shall not be my offer not thy asking The head is not more native to the heart The hand more instrumental to the mouth Than is the Throne of Denmark to thy Father What would'st thou have Laertes Laer. My dear Lord Your leave and favour to return to France From whence though willingly I came to Denmark To shew my duty in your Coronation Yet now I must confess that duty done My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon King Have you your fathers leave what says Polonius Polo He hath my Lord wrung from me my slow leave By laboursome petition and at last Upon his will I seal'd my hard consent I do beseech you give him leave to go King Take thy fair hour Laertes time be thine And thy best graces spend it at thy will But now my cousin Hamlet and my son Ham. A little more than kin and less than kin King How is it that the clouds still hang only Ham. Not so much my Lord I am too much iâ—… Queen Good Hamlet cast thy nighted colour â—… And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark Do not for ever with thy vailed lids Seek for thy noble father in the dust Thou know'st 't is common all that live must die Passing through nature to eternity Ham. I Madam it is common Queen If it be Why seems it so particular with thee Ham. Seems Madam nay it is I know not seeâ—… 'T is not alone this mourning cloke could smother Nor customary sutes of solemn black Nor windy suspiration of forc'd breath No nor the fruitful river in the eye Nor the dejected haviour of the visage Together with all forms moods shapes of grief That can denote me truly these indeed seem For they are actions that a man might play But I have that within which passes shew These but the trappings and the suits of woe King 'T is sweet and commendable in your natuâ—… 〈◊〉 To give these mourning duties to your father But you must know your father lost a father That father lost lost his and the surviver bound In filial obligation for some term To do obsequious sorrow but to persevere In obstinate condolement dares express An impious stubbornness 't is unmanly grief It shews a will most incorrect to heaven A heart unfortified or mind impatient An understanding simple and unschool'd For what we know must be and is as common As any the most vulgar thing to sense Why should we in our peevish opposition Take it to
the false tail they cry A noise within O this is counter you false Danish doggs Enter Laertes with others King The doors are broke Laer. Where is this King Sirs stand you all without All. No le ts come in Laer. I pray you give me leave All. We will we will Laer. I thank you keep the door O thou vile King Give me my father Qu. Calmly good Laertes Laer. That drop of blood that 's calm proclaims me bastard Cries Cuckold to my father brands the Harlot Even here between the chaste brows Of my true mother King What is the cause Laertes That thy rebellion looks so Giant-like Let him go Gertrard do not fear our person There 's such divinity doth hedge a King That treason dares not reach at what it would Acts little of his will tell me Laertes Why thou art thus incenst let him go Gertrard Speak man Laer Where is my father King Dead Qu. But not by him King Let him demand his fill Laer. How came he dead I 'll not be jugled with To hell allegeance vows to the blackest Devil Conscience and grace to the profoundest pit I dare damnation ' ' to this point I stand That both the worlds I give to negligence Let come what comes only I 'll be reveng'd Most throughly for my father King Who shall stay you Laer. My will not all the worlds And for my means I 'll husband them so well They shall go far with little King Will you in revenge of your Dear fathers death destroy both friend and foe Laer. None but his enemies King Will you know them then Laer. To this good friends thus wide I le one my arms And like the kind life-rendring Pelican Relieve them with my blood King Why now you speake Like a good childe and a true Gentlemen That I am guiltless of your fathers death And am most sensible in grief for it It shall as level to your judgement lye As day does to your eye A noise within Enter Ophelia Laer. Let her come in How now what noise is that O heat dry up my brains tears seven times falt Burn out the sense and vertue of mine eye By heaven ' ' thy madness shall be paid with weight Till our scale turn the beam O Rose of May Dear maid kind sister sweet Ophelia O heavens is 't possible a young maids wits Should be as mortal as a sick mans life Ophel They bore him bare fac'd on the Beer Song And in his grave rain'd many a tear Fare you well my Dove Laer. Hadst thou thy wits and didst perswade revenge It could not move thus Ophel You must sing a down a down And you call him a down a. O how the wheel becomes it It is the false steward that stole his Masters daughter Laer. This nothing is much more than matter Ophel There 's Rosemary that 's for remembrance pray you love remember and there 's Pancies that 's for thoughts Laer. A document in madness thoughts and remembrance fitted Ophel There 's Fennel for you and Columbines there 's Row for you and here 's some forms we may call it herb of Grace a Sundays you may wear your Bew with I difference there 's Dasie I would give you some violets but they withered all when my father died they say he made a good 〈…〉 For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy Laer. Thoughts and afflictions passion hell itself She turns to favour and to prettiness Ophel And will he not come again Song And will he not come again No no he is dead go to thy death bed He never will come again His beard was as white as snow Flaxen was his pole He is gone he is gone and we cast away moane And peace be with his soul and with all Lovers souls King Laertes I must share in your grief Or you deny me right go but a part Make â—hoice of whom your wisest friends you will And they shall hear and judge 'twixt you and me If by direct or by collateral hand They find us toucht we will our Kingdom give Our Crown our life and all that we call ours To you in satisfaction but if not Be you content to lend your patience to us And we shall jointly labour with your soul To give it due content Laer. Let this be so His means of death his obscure funeral No Trophey sword nor Hatchment ore his bones No noble right nor formal ostentation Cry to be heard as 't were from earth to heaven That I must call 't in question King So you shall And where th' offence is let the great axe fall I pray you go with me Exeunt Enter Horatio and others Hora. What are they that would speake with me Gen. Sea-fairing men Sir they say they have Letters for you Hora. Let them come in I do not know from what part of the world I should be greeted if not from Lord Hamlet Enter Saylers Say Save you Sir Say There 's a Letter for you Sir it came from the Embassador that was bound for England if your name be Horatio as I am let to know it is Hor. Horatio when thou shalt have over-look't this give these fellows some means to the King they have Letters for him Ere we were two days old at Sea a Pirat of very warlike appointment gave us chase Finding our selves too slow of sail we put on a compelled valor and in the grapple I boarded them on the instant they got cleer of our Ship so I alone became their prisoner They have dealt with me like Thieves of mercy but they knew what they did I am to do a turn for them Let the King have the Letters I have sent and repair thou to me with as much speed as thou wouldst fly death I have words to speak in thine Ear will make thee dumb yet are they much too light for the matter these good fellows will bring thee where I am Rosencraus and Guildenstern hold their course for England of them I have much to tell thee Farewel Hamlet Hora. Come I will make you way for these your Letters And do 't the speedier that you may direct me To him from whom yov brought them Exeunt Enter King and Laertes King Now must your conscience my acquittance seal And you must put me in your heart for friend Sith you have heard and with a knowing ear That he who hath your noble father slain Pursued my life Laer. It well appears but tell me Why you proceed not against these feats So criminal and so capital in nature As by your safety greatness wisdom all things else You mainly were stirr'd up King For two special reasons Which may perhaps to you seem weak But yet to me they 're strong the Queen his mother Lives almost by his looks and for my self My virtue or my plague be it either She is so precious to my life and soul That as the Star moves not but in his Sphere I could not but by her the other motive Why