As level as the cannon to his blank, stright direct
Transports his poison'd shot-may miss our name,

And hit the woundless air. O, come away! that which cant be
My soul is full of discord and dismay.

SCENE II. Another Room in the Castle.

Enter HAMLET.

Hamlet. Safely stowed.

Rosencrantz.

Guildenstern.

[Exeunt. of. "officeless with"

} [Within] Hamlet! Lord Hamlet!

Hamlet. What noise? who calls on Hamlet? O, here

Enter ROSENCRANTZ and Guildenstern.
Rosencrantz. What have you done, my lord, with the dead
body?

Hamlet. Compounded it with dust, whereto 't is kin.
Rosencrantz. Tell us where 't is, that we may take it

thence

And bear it to the chapel.

Hamlet. Do not believe it.

Rosencrantz. Believe what?

IC

Hamlet. That I can keep your counsel and not mine secrets own. Besides, to be demanded of a sponge, what replication should be made by the son of a king? questioned by Rosencrantz. Take you me for a sponge, my lord? Hamlet. Ay, sir, that soaks up the king's countenance, his fatrage, fu rewards, his authorities. But such officers do the king best service in the end; he keeps them, as an ape doth nuts, in the corner of his jaw, first mouthed, to be last swallowed: when he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry again.

Rosencrantz. I understand you not, my lord.

20

Hamlet. I am glad of it; a knavish speech sleeps in a
foolish ear.
clever, malicious.

aat meng furt in the ind

Rosencrantz. My lord, you must tell us where the body is, and go with us to the king.

Hamlet. The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body. The king is a thing—

Guildenstern. A thing, my lord!

Hamlet. Of nothing; bring me to him. Hide fox, and

all after.

SCENE III. Another Room in the Castle.

Enter KING, attended.

[Exeunt, y

King. I have sent to seek him, and to find the body.
How dangerous is it that this man goes loose!
Yet must not we put the strong law on him:
He's lov'd of the distracted multitude,
Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes;
And where 't is so, the offender's scourge is weigh'd,
But never the offence. To bear all smooth and even,
This sudden sending him away must seem
Deliberate pause; diseases desperate grown
By desperate appliance are reliev'd,

air Deliberate

Or not at all.—

Enter ROSENCRANTZ.

How now! what hath befall'n?

funishment

carry through

have been

strangely true.

10

Rosencrantz. Where the dead body is bestow'd, my lord, stred We cannot get from him.

King.

But where is he?

Rosencrantz. Without, my lord; guarded, to know your

pleasure.

King. Bring him before us.

Rosencrantz. Ho, Guildenstern! bring in my lord.

Enter HAMLET and GUILDENSTERN.

King. Now, Hamlet, where 's Polonius?

Hamlet. At supper.

King. At supper! where?

19

a cer

Hamlet. Not where he eats, but where he is eaten ; tain convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. worm is your only emperor for diet; we fat all creatures else f to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat kingenting and your lean beggar is but variable service, two dishes, but to one table; that 's the end.

King. Alas, alas !

Hamlet. A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm. King. What dost thou mean by this?

Hamlet. Nothing but to show you how a king may go a progress through the guts of a beggar. King. Where is Polonius?

Hamlet. In heaven; send thither to see: if your messenger find him not there, seek him i' the other place yourself. But indeed, if you find him not within this month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby.

King. Go seek him there.

Hamlet. He will stay till ye come.

[To some Attendants.
[Exeunt Attendants.

King. Hamlet, this deed, for thine especial safety,—

Which we do tender, as we dearly grieve

cacefor

For that which thou hast done, must send thee hence
With fiery quickness; therefore prepare thyself.

The bark is ready, and the wind at help,
The associates tend, and every thing is bent

For England.

Hamlet.

King.

Hamlet.

For England!

४

་་

at

40

in state

friend".

wait,
wait, attende

Ay, Hamlet.

Good.

King. So is it, if thou knew'st our purposes.

Hamlet. I see a cherub that sees them.-But, come; for

England!-Farewell, dear mother.

King. Thy loving father, Hamlet.

net we

Hamlet. My mother: father and mother is man and wife;
man and wife is one flesh; and so, my mother.—Come, for
England!
[Exit.

King. Follow him at foot; tempt him with speed aboard;
Delay it not; I'll have him hence to-night.
Away! for every thing is seal'd and done

That else leans on the affair; pray you, make haste.

depends is heat

[Exeunt Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. A affai

sense, as

And, England, if my love thou hold'st at aught-
As my great power thereof may give thee
Since yet thy cicatrice looks raw and red
After the Danish sword, and thy free awe

fueling, offreciatio

and ant Pays homage to us-thou may'st not coldly set
Our sovereign process; which imports at full,
By letters conjuring to that effect,
The present death of Hamlet.
For like the hectic in my blood he rages,

in his

prescence

fever

[Exit.

Do it, England;

And thou must cure me: till I know 't is done,
Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun.

SCENE IV. A Plain in Denmark.

Enter FORTINBRAS, a Captain, and Soldiers, marching.
Fortinbras. Go, captain, from me greet the Danish king;

Tell him that by his license Fortinbras

Claims the conveyance of a promis'd march
Over his kingdom. You know the rendezvous.
If that his majesty would aught with us,
We shall express our duty in his eye;
And let him know so.

Captain.

Fortinbras. Go softly on.

dowly, gemily

lord..

I will do 't, my

[Exeunt Fortinbras and Soldiers.

Enter HAMLET, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and others.

Hamlet. Good sir, whose powers are these?

Captain. They are of Norway, sir.

What is your Hamlet. How purpos'd, sir, I pray you?
Captain. Against some part of Poland.

their destination

Hamlet. Who commands them, sir?

Captain. The nephew to old Norway, Fortinbras.

main fower Hamlet. Goes it against the main of Poland, sir,

Or for some frontier?

Captain. Truly to speak, and with no addition,

We go to gain a little patch of ground
That hath in it no profit but the name.

luten lease To pay five ducats, five, I would not farm it;

ΙΟ

main fart of the "Jesuitry.

"

20

Nor will it yield to Norway or the Poles in absolute forcession.
A ranker rate, should it be sold in fee. greater, greater free
Hamlet. Why, then the Polack never will defend it.
Captain. Yes, 't is already garrison'd.
Hamlet. Two thousand souls and twenty
Will not debate the question of this straw
This is the imposthume of much wealth and peace,
That inward breaks, and shows no cause without
Why the man dies.-I humbly thank you, sir.
Captain. God be wi' you, sir.

Rosencrantz.

thousand ducats quarrel, satele by ward sore or

[Exit.

Will 't please you go, my lord?
Hamlet. I'll be with you straight. Go a little before.

How all occasions do inform

And spur my dull revenge!

31

[Exeunt all except Hamlet.

against me,
What is a man,

If his chief good and market of his time that for which he sells his time. The fenchors. Be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more.

"

Sure, He that made us with such large discourse. fower & reason
Looking before and after, gave us not
dis couider of resor
That capability and godlike reason capacity of godlike reason
To fust in us unus'd. Now, whether it be

13