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A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,

The Graves ftood tenantlefs; the fheeted Dead
Did fqueak and gibber in the Roman streets;
Stars fhone with trains of fire, Dews of blood fell;
Difafters veil'd the Sun; and the moift Star,
Upon whofe influence Neptune's Empire ftands,
Was fick almoft to dooms-day with eclipse.
And even the like precurse of fierce events,
As harbingers preceding ftill the fates,
And prologue to the omen'd Coming on, (1)
Have heav'n and earth together demonstrated
Unto our climatures and country-men.

Enter Ghoft again.

But foft, behold! lo, where it comes again!
I'll cross it, though it blast me. Stay, illufion!
[Spreading his Arms.
If thou haft any found, or ufe of voice,
Speak to me.

If there be any good thing to be done,
That may to thee do ease, and grace to me;
Speak to me.

If thou art privy to thy Country's fate,
Which, happily, Foreknowing may avoid,
Oh fpeak !

Or, if thou haft uphoorded in thy life
Extorted treasure in the womb of earth,

[Cock crowus.

For which, they fay, you Spirits oft walk in death,

Speak of it. Stay, and fpeak- Stop it, Marcellus.Mar. Shall I ftrike at it with my partizan ?

Hor. Do, if it will not ftand.

Ber. 'Tis here

Hor. 'Tis here

(1) And Prologue to the Omen coming on.] But Prologue and Omen are merely fynonomous here, and muft fignify one and the fame Thing. But the Poet means, that these strange Phanomena are Prologues, and Forerunners, of the Events prefag'd by them: And fuch Senfe the flight Alteration, which I have ventur'd to make by a fingle Letter added, very aptly gives,

Mar.

Mar. 'Tis gone.

We do it wrong, being fo majeftical,
To offer it the fhew of violence;

For it is as the air, invulnerable;

And our vain blows, malicious mockery.

[Exit Ghoft.

Ber. It was about to fpeak, when the cock crew.
Hor. And then it started like a guilty thing
Upon a fearful Summons. I have heard,

The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn,
Doth with his lofty and fhrill-founding throat
Awake the God of day; and, at his warning,
Whether in fea or fire, in earth or air,
Th' extravagant and erring Spirit hies
To his Confine: And of the truth herein
This prefent object made probation.

Mar. It faded on the crowing of the cock.
Some fay, that ever 'gainst that feafon comes
Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,
The bird of Dawning fingeth all night long :
And then, they fay, no Spirit walks abroad
The nights are wholefome, then no planets strike,
No Fairy takes, no witch hath power to charm;
So hallow'd and fo gracious is the time.

;

Hor. So have I heard, and do in part believe it.
But look, the morn, in ruffet mantle clad,
Walks o'er the dew of yon high eaftern hill;
Break we our watch up; and, by my advice,
Let us impart what we have seen to night
Unto young Hamlet. For, upon my life,
This Spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him:
Do you confent, we fhall acquaint him with it,
As needful in our loves, fitting our duty?

Mar. Let's do't, I pray; and I this morning know Where we shall find him moft conveniently.

[Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE changes to the Palace.

Enter Claudius King of Denmark, Gertrude the Queen, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, Voltimand, Cornelius, Lords and Attendants.

King. Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's

death

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;

Yet fo far hath Difcretion fought with Nature,
That we with wifeft forrow think on him,
Together with remembrance of our felves.
Therefore our fometime fifter, now our Queen,
Th' imperial Jointrefs of this warlike State,
Have we, as 'twere, with a defeated joy,
With one aufpicious, and one dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage,
In equal fcale weighing delight and dole,

Taken to wife.
Nor have we herein barr'd
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 fuppofal of our worth;
Or thinking by our late dear brother's death
Our State to be disjoint and out of frame;
Colleagued with this dream of his advantage,
He hath not fail'd to pefter us with meffage,
Importing the furrender of those Lands
Loft by his father, by all bands of law,
To our most valiant brother.

-So much for him.

Now for our self, and for this time of meeting:
Thus much the bufinefs is. We have here writ

To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
(Who, impotent and bed-rid, fcarcely hears
Of this his nephew's purpose,) to fupprefs
His further gate herein; in that the Levies,
The Lists, and full Proportions are all made

Out

Out of his Subjects: and we here dispatch
You, good Cornelius, and you Voltimand,
For bearers of this Greeting to old Norway;
Giving to you no further perfonal power
To bufinefs with the King, more than the scope
Which thefe dilated articles allow.

Farewel, and let your hafte commend your duty.
Vol. In that, and all things, will we fhew 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 fome fuit. What is't, Laertes ?
You cannot speak of Reason to the Dane,

And lofe your voice. What would'ft 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.
What wouldft thou have, Laertes ?

Laer. My dread lord,

Your leave and favour to return to France;
From whence, though willingly I came to Denmark
To fhew my duty in your Coronation;

Yet now I must confefs, that duty done,

My thoughts and wishes bend again tow'rd France: And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon. King. Have you your father's leave? what fays Polonius ?

Pol. He hath, my lord, by laboursome petition, Wrung from me my flow leave; and, at the last, Upon his will I seal'd my hard confent.

I do befeech you, give him leave to go.

King. Take thy fair hour, Laertes, time be thine; (2)

And

(2) Take thy fair hour, Laertes, time be thine, And thy fair Graces; Spend it at thy Will.] This is the Pointing in both Mr. Pope's Editions; but the Poet's Meaning is loft by it, and the Clofe of the Sentence miferably flatten'd. The Pointing, I have reftor'd, is that of the best Copies; and the Sense, this; “ You have my Leave to go, "Laertes;

And thy beft Graces fpend it at thy will.
But now, my coufin Hamlet, and my fon
Ham. A little more than kin, and less than kind.

[Afide
King. How is it, that the clouds ftill hang on you?
Ham. Not fo, my lord, I am too much i'th' Sun.
Queen. Good Hamlet, caft thy nighted colour off,
And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.
Do not, for ever, with thy veiled lids,
Seek for thy noble father in the duft ;

Thou know'ft, 'tis common; all, that live, muft die;' Paffing through nature to eternity.

Ham. Ay, Madam, it is common.

Queen. If it be,

Why feems it fo particular with thee?

Ham. Seems, Madam ? nay, it is; I know not seems: 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,

Nor cuftomary fuits of folemn Black,
Nor windy fufpiration of forc'd breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected 'haviour of the vifage,
Together with all forms, moods, fhews of grief,
That can denote me truly. These indeed feem,
For they are actions that a man might play;
But I have That within, which paffeth fhew:
Thefe, but the trappings, and the suits of woe.
King. 'Tis fweet and commendable in your nature,
Hamlet,

To give these mourning duties to your father:
But you must know, your father loft a father;
That father loft, loft, his; and the furviver bound
In filial obligation, for fome term,

To do obfequious forrow. But to persevere
In obftinate condolement, is a course
Of impious ftubbornnefs, unmanly grief.

It fhews a will most incorrect to heav'n,

"Laertes; make the fairest Ufe you please of your Time, and fpend it at your Will with the fairest Graces you are Maf

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