And now no soil, nor cautel, doth besmirch It fits your wisdom so far to believe it, As he in his particular act and place 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 Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister; 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, Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads, And recks not his own rede. Laer. O fear me not. I stay too long;-but here my father comes. Enter POLONIUS. A double blessing is a double grace; Pol. Yet here, Laertes! aboard, aboard, for shame; The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail, Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar. ware Of entrance to a quarrel: but, being in, ment. Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy: And they in France of the best rank and station For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. Pol. The time invites you; go, your servants tend. Laer. Farewell, Ophelia; and remember well What I have said to you. Oph. 'Tis in my memory lock'd, And you yourself shall keep the key of it. Laer. Farewell. [Exit. Pol. What is't, Ophelia, he hath said to you? Oph. So please you, something touching the lord Hamlet. Pol. Marry, well bethought: 'Tis told me, he hath very oft of late Given private time to you and you yourself Have of your audience been most free and bounteous: If it be so, (as so 'tis put on me, And that in way of caution,) I must tell you, Of his affection to me. Pol. Affection? puh! you speak like a green girl, Unsifted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his tenders, as you call them? Oph. I do not know, my lord, what I should think. Pol. Marry, I'll teach you: think yourself a baby; That you have ta'en his tenders for true pay, Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly; Or, (not to crack the wind of the poor phrase, In honourable fashion. Pol. Ay, fashion you may call it; go to, go to. Oph. And hath given countenance to his speech, my lord, With all the vows of heaven. Pol. Ay, springes to catch woodcocks. I do know, When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul daughter, From this time, Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence; I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, As to give words or talk with the lord Hamlet. SCENE IV.-The Platform. [Exeunt. Enter HAMLET, HORATIO, and MARCELLUS. Ham. The air bites shrewdly. It is very cold. Hor. It is a nipping and an eager air. Ham. What hour now? Hor. I think, it lacks of twelve. Mar. No, it is struck. Hor. Indeed? I heard it not; then it draws near the season, Wherein the spirit held his wont to walk. [A flourish of trumpets, and ordnance shot off, within. What does this mean, my lord? Ham. The king doth wake to-night, and takes his rouse, Keeps wassail, and the swaggering up-spring reels; And, as he drains his draughts of Rhenish down, Hor. Ham. Ay, marry, is't: Is it a custom? And to my mind, though I am native here, More honour'd in the breach than the observance. Makes us traduced and tax'd of other nations: They clepe us drunkards, and with swinish phrase |