Ghost. I am thy father's spirit,

Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,

And for the day confin'd to fast in fires, penance
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purg'd away. But that I am forbid
To tell the secrets of my prison-house,

I could a tale unfold whose lightest word
Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,
Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,
Thy knotted and combined locks to part,
And each particular hair to stand an end,
Like quills upon the fretful porpentine ;
But this eternal blazon must not be the publication
To ears of flesh and blood. List, list, O, list!

on and
"rm bea"

•porengine

If thou didst ever thy dear father love—
Hamlet. O God!

See

४.

10

etercity.

Ghost. Revenge his foul and most unnatural murther.
Hamlet. Murther!

Ghost. Murther most foul, as in the best it is;

But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.

Hamlet. Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings as swift
As meditation or the thoughts of love, thungblo

May sweep to my revenge.

Ghost.

I find thee apt ;

ave.

made. And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf, Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear: 'T is given out that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death. a false are met of the water dered Rankly abus'd; but know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father's life

Now wears his crown.

Hamlet.
My uncle!

O my prophetic soul!

40

Ghost. Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,
With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts,-
O wicked wit and gifts, that have the power
So to seduce !-won to his shameful lust
The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen;
O Hamlet, what a falling-off was there!
From me, whose love was of that dignity
That it went hand in hand even with the vow

I made to her in marriage, and to decline stove wh
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 heaven,
So lust, though to a radiant angel link'd,
Will sate itself in a celestial bed,

And prey on garbage.

But, soft! methinks I scent the morning air;

Brief let me be. Sleeping within my orchard, fanden

My custom always in the afternoon,
Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole,

50

60

With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial, possibly ebny juice,
And in the porches of my ears did pour
The leperous distilment; whose effect
Holds such an enmity with blood of man
That swift as quicksilver it courses through
The natural gates and alleys of the body,

power weting And with a sudden vigour it doth posset

And curd, like eager droppings into milk, sur The thin and wholesome blood: so did it mine; instantanes And a most instant tetter bark'd about, ine a lefu Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust, Сери All my smooth body.

Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand

Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatch'd;
Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,

E

70

Disappointed is a general and

soperife words; and t
efault-
ault in style

with at the last mation. unpepared Unhousel'd, disappointed, unanel'd, arras No reckoning made, but sent to my accounting bed With all my imperfections on my head: O, horrible! O, horrible! most horrible! natura ding If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not; relied re- Let not the royal bed of Denmark be

Чивело

foolish

A couch for luxury and damned incest.
way But, howsoever thou pursuest this act,

Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught; leave her to heaven
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge,
To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once!
The glow-worm shows the matin to be near,
And gins to pale his uneffectual fire;
Adieu, adieu! Hamlet, remember me.
Hamlet. O all you host of heaven!

else?

80

90

[Exit.

O earth! what

And shall I couple hell? O, fie! Hold, hold, my heart:
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,

But bear me stiffly 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,

"wise at All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, "the" 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 heaven!
O most pernicious woman!

O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain !

end My tables,—meet it is I set it down,

all things
Trased and inpresses
there

[Writing.

That one may smile, and smile, and be a vilîain ;
At least I'm sure it may be so in Denmark.—
So, uncle, there you are.-Now to my word; watchand

Horatio. [Within] Hillo, ho, ho, my lord! a
Hamlet. Hillo, ho, ho, boy! come, bird, come.

Enter HORATIO and MARCELlus.

Hamlet. O, wonderful!

Marcellus. How is 't, my noble lord?
Horatio.

What news, my lord?

No; you will reveal it.

Nor I, my lord.

120

ever

Horatio. Good my lord, tell it.
Hamlet.

Horatio. Not I, my lord, by heaven.
Marcellus.

Hamlet. How say you, then; would heart of man once

Hamlet. There's ne'er a villain dwelling in all Denmark But he 's an arrant knave.

Horatio. There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the

grave

To tell us this.

Hamlet. Why, right: you are i' the right; And so, without more circumstance at all,

I hold it fit that we shake hands and part:

You, as your business and desire shall point you,—
For every man has business and desire,
Such as it is ;-and for mine own poor part,
Look you, I'll go pray.

130

Horatio. These are but wild and whirling words, my

lord.

Hamlet. I'm sorry they offend you, heartily;

Yes, faith, heartily.

Horatio.

There's no offence, my lord.

Hamlet. Yes, by Saint 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'ermaster 't as you may. And now, good friends, As you are friends, scholars, and soldiers,

Give me one poor request.

Horatio. What is 't, my lord? we will.

140

Hamlet. Never make known what you have seen to-night.

Hamlet. Ah, ha, boy! say'st thou so? art thou there, truehouest, starch fellow.

penny?—

150

Come on you hear this fellow in the cellarage place where

Consent to swear.

Horatio.

Rellars

Propose the oath, my lord.

are wake,

ground.

Hamlet. Never to speak of this that you have seen.

Swear by my sword.

Ghost. [Beneath] Swear.

Hamlet. Hic et ubique? then we 'll shift our ground.

Come hither, gentlemen,

And lay your hands again upon my sword,