Hor. And then it started like a guilty thing (12) Upon a fearful summons. 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 hies To his confine: and of the truth herein This present object made probation.

Mar. It faded on the crowing of the cock. Some say, that ever 'gainst that season comes Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated, The bird of dawning singeth all night long: And then they say no spirit walks abroad; The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike, No fairy takes, no witch hath power to charm; So hallowed and so gracious is the time.

Hor. So have I heard, and do in part believe it. But look, the morn, in russet mantle clad, Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill; Break we our watch up; and, by my advice, Let us impart what we have seen to night

this, that the same appearance in the moon which constitutes the prototype of the ghost, (fig. 51,) is also, as seen in fig. 53, like a cock in the act of crowing.

(12) The terms start, tremble, and the like, refer to the libratory motion of the moon.

Unto young Hamlet: for upon my life
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? [know
Mar. Let's do't, I pray; and I this morning
Where we shall find him most conveniently. [Exe.

SCENE changes to the Palace.

Enter CLAUDIUS, King of Denmark, GERTRUDE the Queen, HAMLET, POLONIUS, LAERTES, VOLTIMAND, CORNELIUS, Lords and Attend

ants.

King. Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death (13)

Fig. 54.

(13) The person of Claudius the king, is referable to The memory be green, and that it fitted

To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom
To be contracted in one brow of woe: (14)
Yet so far hath Discretion fought with Nature,
That we with wisest sorrow think on him,
Together with remembrance of ourselves.
Therefore our sometime sister, now our Queen,
Th' imperial jointress of this warlike state,
Have we, as 'twere, with a defeated joy,
With one auspicious, and one 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 barred
Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone
With this affair along: (for all our thanks.)
Now follows, that you know, young Fortinbras,
Holding a weak supposal of our worth;

the same space in the moon as the bear in Hudibras, which space does not so much resemble a bear, but that it may be assimilated to the features of a human figure likewise, (or of a satyr, as presently mentioned). Claudius is drawn the upper one of the two figures, in No. 54, and he is represented there as pouring poison into the ear of the late king, situate in shadow, just below him. Both have their heads towards the northern margin of the moon, her north side being uppermost.

(14) This seems to be an allusion to the darkness of night, the time at which the moon reigns triumphant.

C2

Or thinking by our late dear brother's death
Our state to be disjointed and out of frame;
Colleagued with this dream of his advantage
He hath not failed to pester us with message,
Importing the surrender of those lands
Lost by his father, by all bands of law,

To our most valiant brother. So much for him.-
Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting:
Thus much the business is. We have here writ
To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
(Who, impotent and bed-rid, scarcely hears
Of this his nephew's 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 here dispatch
You, good Cornelius, and you Voltimand,
For bearers of this greeting to old Norway; (15)

Fig. 55.

(15) If the south side of the moon be placed upper

Giving to you no further personal power
To business with the King, more than the scope
Which these dilated articles allow.

Farewel, and let your haste commend your duty.
Vol. In that, and all things, will we shew our

duty. King. We doubt it nothing; heartily farewel. [Exeunt Voltimand and Cornelius.

And 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. (16)
What would'st thou have, Laertes?

most, Voltimand and Cornelius will be seen towards the north, on the left, in pale light; Voltimand is drawn in figure 55; his name is to be derived, perhaps, from volare, to fly, as his head occupies the same space as the bird drawn ante, in fig. 12. Cornelius, so named probably from his conical cap, has the same prototype as Whachum in Hudibras, (drawn ante, in fig. 34,) and is situate just before Voltimand.

(16) Polonius, the father of Laertes, (who is drawn in figure 56,) is the identical character in the moon which