O, horrible! O, horrible! most horrible! [Exit. Ham. O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else? And shall I couple hell? O fye! - Hold, hold, my heart; And you, my sinews, grow not instant old, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain ! My tables, -meet it is, I set it down, A So be it! Ham. I am sorry they offend you, heartily; yes, 'Faith, heartily. Hor. There's no offence, my lord. Ham. Yes, by St. Patrick, but there is, Horatio. And much offence too. Touching this vision here,— It is an honest ghost, that let me tell you; For your desire to know what is between us, O'er-master it as you may. And now, good friends, As you are friends, scholars, and soldiers, Give me one poor request. Come hither, gentlemen, And lay your hands again upon my sword: Never to speak of this that you have heard. Ham. Well said, old mole! can'st work i'the earth so fast? A worthy pioneer! Once more remove, good friends. - Hor. O day and night, but this is wondrous strange! Ham. And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. 1) But come; A Here, as before, never, so help you mercy! That you, at such times seeing me, never shall Or such ambiguous giving out, to note That you know aught of me : — So This do you swear, grace and mercy at your most need help you! Ghost. [Beneath.] Swear. Ham. Rest, rest, perturbed spirit! So, gentlemen, With all my love I do commend me to you: And what so poor a man as Hamlet is You, as your business, and desire, shall point you ;- May do, to express his love and friending to you, For every man hath business, and desire, Such as it is, and for my own poor part, Look you, I will go pray. Hor. These are but wild and whirling words, my lord. God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together; [Exeunt. ACT II. Rey. SCENE I. A Room in Polonius' House. Enter POLONIUS and REYNALDO. Very good, my lord. Pol. And then, sir, does he this, - He does- Pol. Give him this money, and these notes, Rey- to say some something: naldo. Rey. I will, my lord. Pol. You shall do marvellous wisely, good Rey- He closes with you thus: — naldo, Before you visit him, to make inquiry Of his behaviour. Rey. Look Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris; What company, at what expence; and finding, As thus, I know his father, and his friends, well: -but, you may say, not Rey. My lord, that would dishonour him. · Ay, marry ; - I know the gentleman; I saw him yesterday, or t'other day, Or then, or then; with such, or such; and, as you say, I saw him enter such a house of sale, Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth: Pol. God be wi' you; fare you well. Pol. Observe his inclination in yourself. Pol. And let him ply his musick. Enter OPHELIA. Well, my lord. [Exit. Pol. With what, in the name of heaven? Oph. My lord, as I was sewing in my closet, Lord Hamlet, - with his doublet all unbrac'd; No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd, Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle ; Pol. 'Faith, no; as you may season it in the Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other; Oph. He took me by the wrist, and held me hard; Ay, my lord, As he would draw it. Long stay'd he so; Pol. That hath made him mad. I am sorry, that with better heed, and judgment, To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions, To lack discretion. Come, go we to the king: This must be known; which, being kept close, might move More grief to hide, than hate to utter love. [Exeunt. Enter KING, QUEEN, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and Attendants. King. Welcome, dear Rosencrantz, and GuilWris denstern! Moreover that we much did long to see you, So much from the understanding of himself, being of so young days brought up with And, since, so neighbour'd to his youth and hu mour, That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of you; And, sure I am, two men there are not living, Both your majesties Ros. Might, by the sovereign power you have of us, Put your dread pleasures more into command Than to entreaty. Guil. But we both obey; And here give up ourselves, in the full bent, King. Thanks, Rosencrantz, and gentle Guildenstern. Queen. Thanks, Guildenstern, and gentle Ro sencrantz : And I beseech you instantly to visit My too much changed son. - Go, some of you, And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is. Pol. Have I, my lord? Assure you, my good liege, I hold my duty, as I hold my soul, Both to my God, and to my gracious king: And I do think, (or else this brain of mine Hunts not the trail of policy so sure As it hath us'd to do,) that I have found The very cause of Hamlet's lunacy. in. King. O, speak of that; that do I long to hear. Pol. Give first admittance to the embassadors; My news shall be the fruit to that great feast. King. Thyself do grace to them, and bring them [Exit POLONIUS. He tells me, my dear Gertrude, he hath found The head and source of all your son's distemper. Queen. I doubt, it is no other but the main ; His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage. Re-enter POLONIUS, with VOLTIMAND and CORNElius. King. Well, we shall sift him. Welcome, my good friends! Say, Voltimand, what from our brother Norway? It was against your highness: Whereat griev'd, — [Gives a paper. That it might please you to give quiet pass King. Mean time, we thank you for your well-took labour: I will be brief: Your noble son is mad: Queen. Mad let us grant him then and now remains, I have a daughter; have, while she is mine; To the celestial, and my soul's idol, the most beautified Ophelia, That's an ill phrase, a vile phrase; beautified is a vile phrase; but you shall hear. Thus : Pol. When I had seen this hot love on the wing, Fell into a sadness; then into a fast; And all we mourn for. King. Queen. But, look, where sadly the poor wretch comes reading. Pol. Away, I do beseech you, both away; I'll board him presently : — - O, give me leave. [Exeunt KING, QUEEN, and Attendant. How does my good lord Hamlet? Ham. Well, god-'a-mercy. Pol. Do you know me, my lord? Ham. Excellent well; you are a fishmonger. Ham. Then I would you were so honest a man. Ham. Ay, sir; to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand. Pol. That's very true, my lord. Ham. For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a god, kissing carrion, Have you a daughter? Pol. I have, my lord. Ham. Let her not walk i' the sun : conception is a blessing; but as your daughter may conceive, friend, look to't. Pol. I mean, the matter that you read, my lord. Ham. Slanders, sir: for the satirical rogue says here, that old men have grey beards; that their faces are wrinkled; their eyes purging thick amber, and plum-tree gum; and that they have a plentiful lack of wit, together with most weak hams: All of which, sir, though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not honesty to have it thus set down; for yourself, sir, shall be as old as I am, if, like a crab, you could go backward. Pol. Though this be madness, yet there's method in it. [Aside.] Will you walk out of the air, my lord? Ham. Into my grave? -- Pol. Indeed, that is out o'the air. How pregnant sometimes his replies are! a happiness that often madness hits on, which reason and sanity could not se prosperously be delivered of. I will leave him, and suddenly contrive the means of meeting | Come, come; deal justly with me: come, come; between him and my daughter. My honourable lord, I will most humbly take my leave of you. Ham. You cannot, sir, take from me any thing that I will more willingly part withal; except my life, except my life, except my life. Pol. Fare you well, my lord. Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN. Pol. You go to seek the lord Hamlet; there he is. Ros. God save you, sir! [TO POLONIUS. [Exit POLONIUS. Guil. My honour'd lord! Ham. My excellent good friends! How dost thou, Guildenstern? Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do ye both? Ros. As the indifferent children of the earth. Guil. Happy, in that we are not overhappy; On fortune's cap we are not the very button. Ham. Nor the soles of her shoe? Ros. Neither, my lord. 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 GUILDENSTERN. Ham. Nay, then I have an eye of you; [Aside.] 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. I have of late, (but, wherefore, I know not,) lost all my mirth, Ham. Then you live about her waist, or in the forgone all custom of exercises: and, indeed, it goes middle of her favours? Guil. 'Faith, her privates we. Ham. In the secret parts of fortune? O, most true; she is a strumpet. What news? Ros. None, my lord; but that the world's grown honest. Ham. Then is dooms-day near: But your news is not true. Let me question more in particular: What have you, my good friends, deserved at the hands of fortune, that she sends you to prison hither? Guil. Prison, my lord? Ham. A goodly one; in which there are many confines, wards, and dungeons; Denmark being one of the worst. Ros. We think not so, my lord. Ham. Why, then 'tis none to you for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so to me it is a prison. Ro3. Why, then your ambition makes it one; 'tis too narrow for your mind. Ham. O God! I could be bounded in a nut-shell, 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 outstretch'd heroes, the beggars' shadows: Shall we to the court? for, by my fay, I cannot reason. Ros. Guil. We'll wait upon you. Ham. No such matter: I will not sort you 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 Elsinore? 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, a half-penny. Were you not sent for? Is it your own inclining? Is it a free visitation? so heavily with my disposition, that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a steril 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 this quintessence of dust? man delights not me, nor woman neither; though, by your smiling, you seem to say so. Ross. My lord, there is no such stuff in my thoughts. Ham. Why did you laugh then, 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 coted 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 adventurous knight shall use his foil, and target: the lover shall not sigh gratis; the humerous man shall end his part in peace: the clown shall make those laugh, whose lungs are tickled o'the sereg and the lady shall say her mind freely, or the blank verse shall halt for't. What players are they? Ros. Even those you were wont to take such delight in, the tragedians of the city. Ham. How chances it, they travel? their residence, both in reputation and profit, was better both ways. Ros. I think, their inhibition comes by the means of the late innovation. Ham. Do they hold the same estimation they did when I was in the city? Are they so followed? Ros. No, indeed, they are not. Ham. How comes it? Do they grow rusty? Ros. Nay, their endeavour keeps in the wonted pace: But there is, sir, an aiery of children, little eyases, that cry out on the top of question, and are most tyranically clapped for't: these are now the fashion; and so berattle the common stages, (so |