King. What is the cause, Laertes,

That thy rebellion looks fo giant-like ?

Let him go, Gertrude; do not fear our person:
There's fuch divinity doth hedge a King
That treason can but peep to what it would,
Acts little of its will. Tell me, Laertes,

Why are you thus incenft? Let him go, Gertrude.
Speak man.

Laer. Where is my father?
King. Dead.

Queen. But not by him.

King. Let him demand his fill.

Laer. How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with.
To hell, allegiance! vows, to the black devil!
Confcience and grace, to the profoundest pit;
I dare damnation; to this point I stand,
That both the worlds I give to negligence,
Let come what comes; only I'll be reveng'd
Most throughly for my father.

King. Who fhall stay you?

Laer. My will, not all the world's.

And for my means, I'll husband them fo well,,
They fhall go far with little.

King. Good Laertes:

If you defire to know the certainty

Of your dear father's death, in your revenge,

(That sweep-stake,) you will draw both friend and foe, Winner and lofer.

Laer. None but his enemies.

King. Will you know them then?

Laer. To his good friends thus wide I'll ope my arms, And like the kind life-rendring pelican,

Repast them with my blood.

King,

King. Why now you speak

Like a good child, and a true gentleman.
That I am guiltless of your father's death,
And am most sensibly in grief for it,

It shall as level to your judgment pierce,
As day does to your eye.

SCENE

[A Noife within.

VII.

Enter Ophelia fantastically dreft with ftraws and flowers.

Laer. Let her come in. How now? what noife is that?

O heat dry up my brains, tears seven times falt

Burn on the sense and vertue of mine eye.

By heav'n, thy madness shall be paid with weight,
'Till our scale turn the beam. O rose of May!
Dear maid, kind fifter, fweet Ophelia !

O heav'ns, is't poffible a young maid's wits
Should be as mortal as an old man's life?
* Nature is fine in love, and where 'tis fine,
It fends fome precious inftance of it self
After the thing it loves.

Oph. They bore him bare-fac'd on the bier,
And on his grave rains many a tear,

Fare you well, my dove.

Laer. Hadft thou thy wits, and didft perfwade revenge, it

could not move thus.

Oph. You must fing, down a-down, and you call him a-downO how the wheel becomes it? it is the false steward that ftole his master's daughter.

a.

e. Or, perhaps,

Nature is fire in love, and where 'tis fire
It fends fome precious incenfe of it felf
After the thing it loves.

Laer.

Laer. This nothing's more than matter.

Oph. There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray love remember; and there's pancies, that's for thoughts.

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 call it herb of grace a may Sundays: you may wear your rue with a difference. There's a dafie; I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father dy'd: they say, he made a good end;

For bonny Sweet Robin is all my joy.

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

Oph. And will he 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 as white as snow,

All flaxen was his pole:
He is gone, he is
Gramercy on his foul.

gone,

and we caft away mone,

And of all christian fouls! God b'w'ye.

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 wifeft 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,

[Exit Ophelia.

VOL. VI.

Kkk

And

And we shall jointly labour with your soul,
To give it due content.

Laer. Let this be fo.

His means of death, his obscure 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 in question.

King. So you fhall:

And where th' offence is, let the great ax fall.

I pray you go with me.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

VIII.

Enter Horatio, with an attendant.

Hor. WHASr. Sailors, Sir,they fay they have letters for you.

are they that would speak with me?

Hor. Let them come in.

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

Sail. God bless you, Sir.

Enter Sailors.

Hor. Let him bless thee too.

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

Hor. reads the letter.

ORATIO, when thou shalt have overlook'd this, 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 appoint

ment

ment 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 prifoner. 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 letters 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. These good fellows will bring thee where I am. Rofincroffe and Guildenstern hold their course for England. Of them I have much to tell thee, farewel.

[He that thou knoweft thine, Hamlet.

[Exeunt.

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.

SCENE IX.

Enter King and Laertes.

King. N And you must put me in your heart for friend,

OW must your conscience my acquittance seal,

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, wisdom, all things else,
You mainly were stirr'd up?

King. Two fpecial reasons,

Which may to you, perhaps, feem much unfinew'd,

And yet to me are strong. The Queen, his mother,