Queen. Guil. But with much forcing of his disposition. Ros. Niggard of question; but, of our demands, Most free in his reply. Queen. Did you assay him to any pastime? Ros. Madam, it so fell out, that certain players We o'er-raught on the way: of these we told him; And there did seem in him a kind of joy Pol. King. With all my heart; and it doth much content me To hear him so inclined. Good gentlemen, give him a further edge, King. [Exeunt ROSEN. and GUILD. Sweet Gertrude, leave us too: For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither; Her father, and myself (lawful espials), Will so bestow ourselves, that, seeing, unseen, That thus he suffers for. Queen. I shall obey you: And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish, That your good beauties be the happy cause Of Hamlet's wildness; so shall I hope your virtues Will bring him to his wonted way again, Oph. Madam, I wish it may. [Exit QUEEN. Pol. Ophelia, walk you here.-Gracious, so please you, We will bestow ourselves.-[To OPHELIA.] Read on this book; That show of such an exercise may colour Your loneliness. We are oft to blame in this, 'Tis too much proved, that, with devotion's visage, And pious action, we do sugar o'er The devil himself. King. [aside.] O, 'tis true! How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience! The harlot's cheek, beautied with plastering art, Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it, Than my deed to my most painted word: O heavy burden! Pol. I hear him coming; let's withdraw, my lord. [Exeunt KING and POLONIUS. Enter HAMLET. Ham. To be, or not to be, that is the question: No more; and, by a sleep, to say we end Devoutly to be wish'd. To die,-to sleep ; To sleep! perchance to dream;-ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay, And makes us rather bear those ills we have, Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought; Oph. I pray you, now receive them. Ham. No, no. I never gave you aught. Oph. My honour'd lord, I know right well you did; And, with them, words of so sweet breath com posed As made the things more rich: their perfume lost, Take these, again; for to the noble mind, Rich gifts wax poor, when givers prove unkind. Ham. Ha, ha! are you honest ? Ham. Are you fair? Oph. What means your lordship? Ham. That if you be honest, and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty. Oph. Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty? Ham. Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd, than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness: this was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once. Oph. Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so. Ham. You should not have believed me: for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock, but we shall relish of it: I loved you not. Oph. I was the more deceived. Ham. Get thee to a nunnery; why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest; but yet I could accuse me of such things, that it were better my mother had not borne me; I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious; with more offences at my beck, than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling between heaven and earth? We are arrant knaves, all; believe none of us. Go thy ways to a nunnery. Where's your father? Oph. At home, my lord. Ham. Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool no where but in 's own house. Farewell. Oph. O, help him, you sweet heavens ! Ham. If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go; farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go; and quickly too. Farewell. Oph. O heavenly powers, restore him! Ham. I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another; you jig, you amble, and you lisp, and nick-name God's creatures, and make your wantonness your ignorance: go to, I'll no more on 't; it hath made me mad. I say, we will have no more marriages: those that are married already, all but one, shall live; the rest shall keep as they are. To a nunnery, go. [Exit. Oph. O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown! The courtier's, scholar's, soldier's, eye, tongue, sword: The expectancy and rose of the fair state, down! And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, L |