HAM. Saw! who?

HOR. My lord, the king your father.

HAM.

The king my father!

HOR. Season your admiration for a while
With an attent ear; till I may deliver,
Upon the witness of these gentlemen,
This marvel to you.

HAM.

For God's love, let me hear.

HOR. Two nights together had these gentlemen, Marcellus and Barnardo, on their watch,

In the dead waste (54) and middle of the night,
Been thus encounter'd. A figure like your father,
Arm'd at all points (55) exactly, cap-à-pé,

Appears before them, and, with solemn march,
Goes slow and stately by them: thrice he walk'd,
By their oppress'd and fear-surprized eyes,
Within his truncheon's length; whilst they, be-
still'd

Almost to jelly with the act of fear,(56)

Stand dumb, and speak not to him. This to me
In dreadful secrecy impart they did;

And I with them, the third night kept the watch :
Where, as they had deliver'd, both in time,
Form of the thing, each word made true and good,
The apparition comes: I knew your father;
These hands are not more like.

HAM.

But where was this?

MAR. My lord, upon the platform where we

watch'd.

HAM. Did you not speak to it? (57)

HOR.

My lord, I did;

But answer made it none: yet once, methought, It lifted up its head, and did address

Season your admiration for a while

With an attent ear] By close attention qualify or restrain

the expression of your astonishment.

b

address] Make ready. See M. N. Dr. V. 1. Phil.

Itself to motion, like as it would speak:

But, even then, the morning cock crew loud;
And at the sound it shrunk in haste away,
And vanish'd from our sight.

HAM.

(58)

'Tis very strange.

HOR. As I do live, my honour'd lord, 'tis true; And we did think it writ down in our duty,

To let you know of it.

HAM. Indeed, indeed, sirs, but this troubles me. Hold you the watch to-night?

(59)

ALL. My lord, from head to foot.

HOR. O, yes, my lord; he wore his beaver up.

HAM. What, look'd he frowningly?

Very like Stay'd it long?

HOR. While one with moderate haste might

tell a hundred.

MAR. BER. Longer, longer.

writ down] Prescribed by.

C

HOR. Not when I saw it.

• grissl'd,

НАМ.

4to.

His beard was grizly?* no.

HOR. It was, as I have seen it in his life,
A sable silver'd. (60)

HAM.

I will watch to-night;

Perchance, 'twill walk again.

HOR.

I warrant, it will. HAM. If it assume my noble father's person, I'll speak to it, though hell itself should gape, And bid me hold my peace. I pray you all, If you have hitherto conceal'd this sight, tenable, Let it be treble* in your silence still; (61) And whatsoever else shall hap to-night, Give it an understanding, but no tongue; I will requite your loves: So, fare you well: Upon the platform, 'twixt eleven and twelve, I'll visit you.

4to.

ALL.

Our duty to your honour.

HAM. Your loves, as mine to you: Farewell.
[Exeunt HORATIO, MARCELLUS, and BER-

NARDO.

My father's spirit in arms! all is not well;
I doubt some foul play: 'would, the night were

come!

Till then sit still, my soul: Foul deeds will rise,
Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's

eyes.

SCENE III.

[Exit.

A Room in Polonius' House.

Enter LAERTES and OPHELIA.

LAER. My necessaries are embark'd; farewell: And, sister, as the winds give benefit,"

benefit] Favourable means.

And convoy is assistant, do not sleep,
But let me hear from you.

ОРН.

Do you doubt that?

LAER. For Hamlet, and the trifling of his fa

vours,

Hold it a fashion, and a toy in blood;

A violet in the youth of primy nature,

с

* Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, The [pérfume and] suppliance of a minute; d No more.

ОРН. No more but so?

LAER.

Think it no more:

For nature, crescent, does not grow alone

e

In thews, and bulk; but, as this temple waxes,
The inward service of the mind and soul
Grows wide withal. (62) Perhaps, he loves you now;
And now no soil, nor cautel, doth besmirch
The virtue of his will: (63) but, you must fear,
His greatness weigh'd, his will is not his own;
For he himself is subject to his birth :
He may not, as unvalued persons do,
Carve for himself; for on his choice depends
The sanctity and health of the whole state;
And therefore must his choice be circumscrib'd
Unto the voice and yielding' of that body,

b

*

trifling of his favours] Gay and thoughtless intimation.

primy] Springtide, youthy.

Forward, not permanent] Early, ripe before due season, and thence having in it the principles of premature decay. This is so plainly the sense, that we have not hesitated to adopt the reading of the quartos, forward.

a suppliance] The means of filling up the vacancy. Mr. Steevens finds the word in Chapman's Iliad, IX. "By my suppliance given."

thews] Sinews, muscular strength. II. H. IV. Falst. III. 2. ' circumscrib'd unto the voice and yielding] Confined to the sense expressed, and limited to the inclination.

• Froward.

1623, 32.

fear.

1623, 32.

* Safety and health of this. 4tos.

Whereof he is the head: Then if he says he loves

you,

It fits your wisdom so far to believe it,
As he in his particular sect and force

May give his saying deed; which is no further, Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal. Then weigh what loss your honour may sustain, If with too credent ear you list his songs;

Or lose your heart; or your chaste treasure open
To his unmaster'd importunity.

Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister;
And keep you in the rear of your affection,
Out of the shot and danger of desire.
The chariest maid (4) is prodigal enough,
If she unmask her beauty to the moon:
Virtue itself scapes not calumnious strokes:
The canker galls the infants of the spring,
Too oft before their buttons be disclos'd;
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth'
Contagious blastments are most imminent.
Be wary then: best safety lies in fear;
Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.

(65)

OPH. I shall the effect of this good lesson keep, As watchman to my heart: But, good my brother, Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,

Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven;
Whilst, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,d

As he in his particular sect and force

May give his saying deed] As he in that peculiar rank and class that he fills in the state, and the power and means thereto annexed, may enable him to give his professions effect. "The deed of saying." Tim. V. 1. Painter. "Speaking in deeds." Tr. & Cr. IV. 5. Ulyss. For sect and force the quartos have act and place.

bunmaster'd importunity] Unruly, unrestrained.

с

keep you in the rear of your affection] Front not the peril: withdraw or check every warm emotion: advance not, as Johnson says, so far as your affection would lead you.

66

d puff'd and reckless libertine] Bloated and swoln, the effect of excess; and heedless and indifferent to consequences. navus, inefficax, rechelesse." Ortus Vocab. 4to. 1514.

Ig