But this eternal blazon must not be
To ears of flesh and blood ; list, lift, oh list!
If thou didst ever thy dear father love

Ham. Oh heav'n!
Ghoft. Revenge his foul and most unnatural murther.
Ham. Murther ?

Ghof. Murther moft foul, as in the best it is ;
But this most foul, ftrange, and unnatural.
Ham. Hafte me to know it, that I, with wings as

swift As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge.

Ghost. I find thee apt ; And duller shouldīt thou be, than the fat weed That roots it self in ease on Lethe's wharf, Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear : 'Tis given out, that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent ftung me. So the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death Rankly abus’d : but know, thou noble Youth, The serpent, that did fting thy father's life, Now wears his crown.

Ham. Oh, my prophetick foul ! my uncle ?

Ghof. Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate boaft,
With witchcraft of his wit, with trait'rous gifts,
(0 wicked wit, and gifts, that have the power
So to seduce!) won to his shameful luft
The will of my moft seeming-virtuous Queen.
Oh Hamlet, what a falling off was there !
From me, whose love was of that dignity,
That it went hand in hand ev'n with the vow
I made to her in marriage ; and to decline
Upon a wretch, whose natural gifts were poor
To those of mine!
But virtue, as it never will be mov'd,
Though lewdness court it in a shape of heav'n;
So luit, though to a radiant angel link’d,
Will sate it self in a celestial bed,
And prey on garbage-
But, soft! methinks, I fcent the morning air

Brief

F4

Brief let me be ; Sleeping within mine orchard,
My custom always of the afternoon,
Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole
With juice of cursed hebenon in a viol,
And in the porches of mine ears did pour
The leperous diftilment; whose effect
Holds such an enmity with blood of man,
That swift as quick-silver it courses through
The nat'ral gates and allies of the body ;
And, with a sudden vigour, it doth posset
And curd, like eager droppings into milk,
The thin and wholsome blood : so did it minc,
And a most instant tetter bark'd about,
Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome cruft
All my smooth body-
Thus was I sleeping, by a brother's hand,
Of life, of Crown, of Queen, at once dispatcht;
Cut off even in the blossoms of my fin,
Unhousel'd, unappointed, unaneald: (11)

No

(11) Vnhouzzled, "nanointed, unaneald;] The Ghoft, having secounted the Process of his Murther, proceeds to exaggerate the Inhumanity and Unnaturalness of the Falt, from the Cir. cumstances in which he was surpriz'd. But these, I find, have been stumbling Blocks to our Editors; and therefore I must amend and explain these 3 compound Adje&tives in their Order. Instead of unhouzzel'd, we must restore, unhouseid, i. e. without the Sacrament taken; from the old Saxon Word for the Sacrament, houfel. In the next place, nnanointed, is a Sophistication of the Text: the old Copies concur in reading, disappointed. I correa,

Unhousel'd, unappointed,i. e, no Confession of Sins made, no Reconciliation to Heaven, no Appointment of Penance by the Church. Vnaneald I agree to be the Poet's genuine Word; but I must take the Liberty to dispute Mr. Pope's Explication of it, viz. No Knell rung. The Adje&tive form'd from Knell, must have been unknelld, or unknolld. There is no Rule in Orthography for linking the k in the Defe&ion of any Verb or Compound form'd fiom Knell, and melting it into a Vowel. What Sense does une ancal'd then bcar SKINNER, in his Lexicon of old and obsolete

English

No reck’ning made, but sent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head.
Oh, horrible! oh, horrible! most horrible!
If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not ;
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But howsoever thou pursu'st this act,
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught; leave her to heav'n,
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge,
To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once!
The glow-worm hews the Matin to be near,
And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire.
Adieu, adieu, adieu ; remember me.

[Exit. Ham. Oh, all you host of heav'n! oh earth! what

else?
And shall I couple hell ? oh, hold my heart
And you, my finews, grow not instant old;
But bear me ftiffly up. Remember thee-
Ay, thou poor Ghost, while memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe.; remember thee-
Yea, from the table of my memory.
I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All faws of books, all forms, all preffures past,
That youth and observation copied there;
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of.

my

brain, Unmix'd with baser matter. Yes, by heav'n:

Englifs Terms, tells us, that Aneaľd is un&tüs; from the Temetonick Preposition an, and Ole, i. e. Oil: so that unancald muft consequently signify, wnanointed, not having the extream Un&tion, The Poet's Reading and Explication being ascertain'd, he very finely makes his Ghost complain of these four dreadful Hardhips; That he had been dispatch'd out of Life without recciving the Hojte, or Sacrament; without being reconcil'd to Heae ven and absolu'd; without the Benefit of extream Un&tion; or without so much as a Confession made of his Sins. The having no Knell rung, I think, is not a Point of equal Consequence to any of these; especially, if we consider, that the Romish Church . admits the: Efficacy of praying for the Dead.

Oh.

F 5

Oh moft pernicious woman!
Oh villain, villain, smiling damned villain !
My tables,

meet it is, I set it down,
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain ;
At least, I'm sure, it may be so in Denmark. [Writing.
So, uncle, there you are ; now to my word;
It is ; Adieu, adieu, remember me :
I've sworn it

Enter Horatio and Marcellus. Hor. My lord, my lord; Mar. Lord Hamlet,Hor. Heav'n secure him! Mar. So be it. Hor. Illo, ho, ho, my lord ! Ham. Hillo, ho, ho, boy ; come, bird, come. Mar. How is't, my noble lord ? Hor. What news, my lord ? Ham. Oh, wonderful ! Hor. Good my lord, tell it. Ham. No, you'll reveal it. Hor. Not I, my lord, by heav'n.' Mar. Nor I, my lord. Ham. How say you then, would heart of man once

think it ? But you'll be secret

Both. Ay, by heav'n, my lord.

Ham. There's ne'er a villain, dwelling in all Denmark, But he's an arrant knaye. Hor. There needs no Ghost, my lord, come from

the Grave To tell us this.

Ham. Why, right, you are i'th' right;
And so without more circumstance at all,
I hold it fit that we shake hands, and

part ; You, as your business and desires shall point you ; (For every man has business and desire, Šuch as it is) and, for my own poor part, Hor. These are but wild and whirling words, my lord.

Ham.

I will go pray.

Ham. I'm sorry they offend you, heartily ; Yes, heartily.

Hor. There's no offence, my lord.

Ham. Yes, by St. Patrick, but there is, my lord,
And much offence too. Touching this Vision here-
It is an honest Ghost, that let me tell you :
For your

defire 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.

Hor. What is’t, my lord ?
Ham. Never make known what you have seen to

night.
Both. My lord, we will not.
Ham. Nay, but swear't.
Hor. In faith, my lord, not I.,
Mar. Nor I, my lord, in faith..
Ham. Upon my sword.
Mar. We have sworn, my lord, already.
Ham. Indeed, upon my sword, indeed.
Ghoft. Swear.

(Ghoft cries under the Stage. Ham. Ah ha, boy, fay's thou fo ? art thou there,

true-penny ?
Come on, you hear this fellow in the cellaridge.
Consent to fwear.

Hor. Propose the oath, my lord.
Ham. Never to speak of this that you have seen,

sword. Ghoft. Swear.

Ham. Hic & ubique ? then we'll shift our ground.
Come hither, gentlemen,
And lay your hands again upon my

sword.. Never to speak of this which you have heard, Swear by my sword.

Ghof Swear by his fword.
Ham. Well said, old mole, can'It work i'th' ground

so faft?
A worthy pioneer ! Once more remove, good friends.

Hor. Oh day and night, but this is wondrous ftrange. Ham. And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.

There :

Swear by my