Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

There are more things in heav'n and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philofophy. But come,
Here, as before, never, (fo help you mercy!)
How ftrange or odd foe'er I bear my felf,
(As I, perchance, hereafter fhall think meet
To put an antick difpofition on ;)

That you, at fuch time feeing me, never fhall,
With arms encumbred thus, or this head-fhake,
Or by pronouncing of fome doubtful phrase,
As, well.

would.

we know

Or, if we lift to speak

might

or, we could, and if we

or, there be, and if there

(Or fuch ambiguous giving out) denote

That you know aught of me; This do ye fwear,
So grace and mercy at your most need help you!
Swear.

Ghaft. Swear.

Ham. Reft, reft, perturbed Spirit. So, Gentlemen,
With all my love do I commend me to you;
And what fo poor a man as Hamlet is

May do t' exprefs his love and friending to you,
God willing, fhall not lack; let us go in together,
And ftill your fingers on your lips, I pray :

The Time is out of joint; oh, curfed fpight!
That ever I was born to fet it right.
Nay, come, let's go together.

[Exeunt.

ACT

A CT II.

SCENE, An Apartment in Polonius's House.

G

Enter Polonius, and Reynoldo.

POLONIU S.

IVE him this mony, and these notes, Reynoldo.
Rey. I will, my lord,

Pol. You fhall do marvellous wifely, good Rey-
noldo,

Before you vifit him, to make inquiry.

Of his behaviour.

Rey. My lord, I did intend it.

Pol. Marry, well faid; very well faid. Look you,. Sir,

Enquire me first what Danskers are in Paris;

And how, and who, what means, and where they keep,.
What company, at what expence; and finding,
By this encompaffment and drift of question,
That they do know my fon, come you more near;
Then your particular demands will touch it;
Take you, as 'twere fome diftant knowledge of him,.
As thus I know, his father and his friends,
And in part him-Do you mark this, Reynoldo?
Rey. Ay, very well, my lord.

Pol. And in part him-but you may fay-not well;, But if't be he, I mean, he's very wild;

Addicted fo and fo- and there put on him
What forgeries you please; marry, none fo rank,.
As may dishonour him; take heed of that;
But, Sir, fuch wanton, wild, and ufual flips,.
As are companions noted and most known
To youth and liberty.

Rey.

Rey. As gaming, my lord

Pol. Ay, or drinking, fencing, fwearing, Quarrelling, drabbing You may go fo far. Rey. My lord, that would difhonour him.

Pol. Faith, no, as you may feafon it in the Charge; You must not put another fcandal on him,

That he is open to incontinency,

That's not my meaning; but breathe his faults fo quaintly,

That they may feem the taints of liberty;
The flash and out-break of a fiery mind,
A favageness in unreclaimed blood
Of general affault.

Rey. But, my good lord

Pol. Wherefore fhould you do this?
Rey. Ay, my lord, I would know that.
Pol. Marry, Sir, here's my drift;
And, I believe, it is a fetch of wit.
You, laying these flight fullies on my fon,
As 'twere a thing a little foil'd i'th' working,

Mark you, your party in converfe, he you would found,
Having ever feen, in the prenominate crimes,

The youth, you breathe of, guilty, be affur'd,,
He closes with you in this confequence;
Good fir, or fo, or friend, or gentleman,
(According to the phrase or the addition
Of man and country.)

Rey. Very good, my lord.

Pol. And then, Sir, does he this;
He does what was I about to say?

I was about to fay fomething-where did I leave -
Rey. At, clofes in the confequence.

Pol. At, clofes in the confequence-Ay; marry..
He closes thus; - I know the gentleman,

I saw him yesterday, or t'other day,

Or then, with fuch and fuch; and, as you fay,
There was he gaming, there o'ertook in's rowse,
There falling out at tennis; or, perchance,

I faw him enter fuch a house of fale,
Videlicet, a Brothel, or fo forth.-

See you now;

Your

Your bait of Falfhood takes this carp of Truth;
And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
With windlaces, and with affays of Byas,
By indirections find directions out:
So by my former lecture and advice

Shall you my fon; you have me, have you not?
Rey. My lord, I have.

Pol. God b'w' you; fare you well.

Rey. Good my lord

Pol. Obferve his inclination in yourself.

Rey. I fhall, my lord.

Pol. And let him ply his mufick.

Rey. Well, my lord.

Enter Ophelia.

[Exit.

Pol. Farewel. How now, Ophelia, what's the mat

ter?

Oph. Alas, my lord, I have been fo affrighted!
Pol. With what, in the name of heav'n?

Oph. My lord, as I was fewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet, with his Doublet all unbrac'd,
No hat upon his head, his ftockings loose, (12).

-his Stockings foul'd,

(12) Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his Ancle.] I have reftor'd the Reading of the Elder Quarto's his Stockings loose. -The Change, I suspect, was first from the Players, who faw a Contradiction in his Stockings being loose, and yet Shackled down at Ancle. But they, in their Ignorance, blunder'd away our Author's Word, because they did not underftand it;

Ungarter'd, and down-gyred,

i. e. turn'd down. So, the oldeft Copies; and, fo his Stockings were properly loofe, as they were ungarter'd and rowl'd down to the Ancle. The Latins borrow'd Gyrus from the Greeks, to fignify, a Circle; as we may find in their best Poets and Profe-Writers: and the Spaniards and Italians have from thence adopted both the Verb and Subftantive into their Tongues: fo that Shakespeare could not be at a Lofs for the Ufe of the Term.

Un

Ungarter'd, and down-gyred to his ancle;
Pale as his fhirt, his knees knocking each other,
And with a look fo piteous in purport,

As if he had been loofed out of hell,

To speak of horrors; thus he comes before me.
Pol. Mad for thy love?

Oph. My lord, I do not know:
But, truly, I do fear it.

Pol. What faid he?

Oph. He took me by the wrift, and held me hard;
Then goes he to the length of all his arm;
And with his other hand, thus o'er his brow,.
He falls to fuch perufal of my face,

As he would draw it. Long time staid he so;
At last, a little fhaking of mine arm,
And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
He rais'd a figh, fo piteous and profound,
That it did feem to fhatter all his bulk,
And end his Being. Then he lets me go,
And, with his head over his fhoulder turn'd,
He feem'd to find his way without his eyes;
For out o' doors he went without their help,
And, to the last, bended their light on me.

Pol. Come, go with me, I will go seek the King. This is the very ecftafie of love;

Whofe violent property foredoes it felf,

And leads the will to defp'rate undertakings,
As oft as any paffion under heav'n,

That does afflict our natures. I am forry;

What, have you giv'n him any hard words of late? Oph. No, my good lord; but, as you did command,

I did repel his letters, and deny'd

His accefs to me.

Pol. That hath made him mad.

I'm forry, that with better speed and judgment
I had not quoted him. I fear'd, he triff'd,

And meant to wreck thee; but befhrew my jealousy;
It feems, it is as proper to our age

To caft beyond our felves in our opinions,

As it is common for the younger ført

To

« ZurückWeiter »