Laer. A document in madness, thoughts and remembrance fitted.

Oph. There's fennel for you, and columbines; there's rue for you, and here's fome for me. We may call it herb of grace o' Sundays: you may wear your rue with a difference. There's a daifie; I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father dy'd: they fay, he made a good end;

For bonny fweet Robin is all my joy.

Laer. Thought, and affliction, paffion, hell it felf, She turns to favour, and to prettiness.

Oph. And will be not come again?
And will be 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,

All flaxen was his pole:

He is gone, he is gone, and we caft away mone,
Gramercy on his foul!

And of all chriftian fouls! God b'w'ye. [Exit Ophelia.
Laer. Do you fee this, you Gods!

King. Laertes, I must commune with your grief,
Or you deny me right: go but a-part,

Make choice of whom your wifest friends you will,
And they shall hear and judge 'twixt you and me ;
If by direct or by collateral hand

They find us touch'd, we will our Kingdom give,
Our Crown, our life, and all that we call ours,
To you in fatisfaction. But if not,

Be you content to lend your patience to us;
And we fhall jointly labour with your foul,
To give it due content.

Laer. Let this be fo.

His means of death, his obfcure funeral,

No trophy, fword, nor hatchment o'er his bones,

No noble rite, nor formal oftentation,

Cry to be heard, as 'twere from heav'n to earth,
That I must call't in queftion.

I 3

King

King. So you fhall :

And where th' offence is, let the great ax fall.
I pray you, go with me.

Enter Horatio, with an attendant.

[Exeunt.

Hor. What are they, that would speak with me?
Ser. Sailors, Sir; they fay, they have letters for you.
Hor. Let them come in.

I do not know from what part of the world
I fhould be greeted, if not from lord Hamlet.

Enter Sailors:

Sail. God bless you, Sir.

Hor. Let him blefs thee too.

Sail. He fhall, Sir, an't please him.There's a letter for you, Sir: It comes from 'th' ambaffador that was bound for England, if your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is.

Horatio reads the letter.

ORATIO, when thou shalt have overlook'd this,

H give these fellows fome means to the King: they

have letters for him. Ere we were two days old at fea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us chace. Finding our felves too flow of fail, we put on a compelled valour, and in the grapple I boarded them: on the inftant they got clear 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 good turn for them. Let the King have the latters I have fent, and repair thou to me with as much hafte as thou wouldeft fly death. I have words to speak in thy ear, will make thee dumb; yet are they much too light for the matter. Thefe good fellows will bring thee where I am. Rofincrantz and Guildenstern bold their courfe for England. Of them I have much to tell thee, farewel

He that thou knowest thine, Hamlet.

Come,

Come, I will make you way for these your letters;
And do't the speedier, that you may direct me
To him from whom you brought them.

Enter King, and Laertes.

[Exeunt.

King Now muft your confcience my acquittance feal, And you muft put me in your heart for friend; Sith you have heard, and with a knowing ear, That he, which hath your noble father flain, Pursued my life.

Laer. It well appears. But tell me,
Why you proceeded not against these feats,
So crimeful and fo capital in nature,

As by your fafety, wifdom, all things elfe,
You mainly were ftirr'd up?

King. Two fpecial reasons,

Which may to you, perhaps, feem much unfinew'd,
And yet to me are trong. The Queen, his mother,
Lives almoft by his looks; and for myself,
(My virtue or my plague, be't either which,)
She's fo conjunctive to my life and foul,
That, as the star moves not but in his sphere,
I could not but by her. The other motive,
Why to a publick count I might not go,
Is the great love the general gender bear him ;
Who, dipping all his faults in their affection,
Would, like the fpring that turneth wood to ftone,
Convert his gyves to graces. So that my arrows,
Too flightly timbred for fo loud a wind,
Would have reverted to my bow again,
And not where I had aim'd them.

Laer. And fo have I a noble father loft,

A fifter driven into defperate terms,

Whofe worth, if praifes may go back again,

Stood challenger on mount of all the age

For her perfections-But my revenge will come. King. Break not your fleeps for that; you must not think,

That we are made of ftuff fo flat and dull,

That we can let our beard be fhook with danger,

And

And think it paftime. You shall foon hear more.
I lov'd your father, and we love our self,
And that, I hope, will teach you to imagine-
How now? what news?

Enter Meffenger.

Mef. Letters, my lord, from Hamlet. These to your Majesty: this to the Queen. King. From Hamlet? who brought them? Mef. Sailors, my lord, they fay; I faw them not: They were given me by Claudio, he receiv'd them. King. Laertes, you shall hear them: leave us, all[Exit Mef.

H

IG H and Mighty, you shall know, I am fet naked on your Kingdom. To morrow shall I beg leave to fee your kingly eyes. When I fhall, first asking your pardon thereunto,) recount th' occafion of my fudden re

turn.

Hamlet.

What should this mean? are all the reft come back
Or is it fome abufe- -and no fuch thing?
Laer. Know you the hand?

King. 'Tis Hamlet's character;

Naked, and (in a poftfcript here, he fays)

Alone: can you advise me?

Laer. I'm loft in it, my lord: but let him come; It warms the very fickness in my heart,

That I fhall live and tell him to his teeth,

Thus diddeft thou.

King. If it be fo, Laertes,

As how fhould it be fo?

Will you be rul'd by me?

-how, otherwise ?

Laer. I, fo you'll not o'er-rule me to a peace.
King. To thine own peace: if he be now return'd,

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 chufe but fall:

And for his death no wind of Blame shall breathe ;

But

But ev❜n his mother fhall uncharge the practice,

And call it accident.

Laer. I will be rul'd,

The rather, if you could devise it so,
That I might be the organ.

King. It falls right :

You have been talkt of fince your travel much,
And that in Hamlet's Hearing, for a quality
Wherein, they fay, you fhine; your fum of parts
Did not together pluck fuch 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 fettled age his fables, and his weeds'
Importing health and graveness.-Two months fince,
Here was a gentleman of Normandy;

I've feen myself, and ferv'd against the French,
And they can well on horfe-back; but this Gallant
Had witchcraft in't, he grew unto his feat;
And to fuch wondrous doing brought his horse,
As he had been incorps'd and demy-natur'd
With the brave beaft; fo far he top'd my thought,
That I in forgery of shapes and tricks

Come fhort of what he did.

Laer. A Norman, was't?

King. A Norman.

Laer. Upon my life, Lamond.

King. The fame.

Laer. I know him well; he is the brooch, indeed, And gem of all the nation.

King. He made confeffion of you,

And gave you fuch a mafterly report,
For art and exercise in your defence;
And for your rapier moft efpecial,

That he cry'd out, 'twould be a Sight indeed,

If one could match you. The Scrimers of their nation, He fwore, had neither motion, guard, nor eye,