er!-But there is no sequel at the heels of this mother's admiration? impart. Ros. She desires to speak with you in her closet, ere you go to bed. Ham. We shall obey, were she ten times our mother. Have you any further trade with us? Ros. My lord, you once did love me. Ham. And do still, by these pickers and stealers.1 Ros. Good my lord, what is your cause of distemper ? You do, surely, but bar the door upon your own liberty, if you deny your griefs to your friend. Ham. Sir, I lack advancement. Ros. How can that be, when you have the voice of the king himself for your succession in Denmark? Ham. Ay, sir, but, While the grass grows, 2-the proverb is something musty. Enter the Players with Recorders. 3 O, the recorders :-let me see one.-To withdraw with you :-Why do you go about to recover the wind of me, as if you would drive me into a toil? Guil. O, my lord, if my duty be too bold, my love is too unmannerly. Ham. I do not well understand that. Will you play upon this pipe ? Guil. My lord, I cannot. Ham. I pray you. Guil. Believe me, I cannot. Ham. I do beseech you. Guil. I know no touch of it, my lord. Ham. 'Tis as easy as lying: govern these ventages with your fingers and thumb, give it breath with your mouth, and it will discourse most eloquent music. Look you, these are the stops. Guil. But these cannot I command to any utterance of harmony; I have not the skill. Ham. Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me? You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass: and there is much music, ex [1] By these hands. The phrase is taken from our church catechism, where the catechumen in his duty to his neighbour is taught to keep hiss hands from picking and stealing. WHALLEY. [2] While the grass grows the horse starves. [3] A large kind of flute. STEEVENS. cellent voice, in this little organ; yet cannot you make it speak. 'Sblood, do you think, I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me. Enter POLONIUS. God bless you, sir! Pol. My lord, the queen would speak with you, and presently. Ham. Do you see yonder cloud, that's almost in shape of a camel? Pol. By the mass, and 'tis like a camel, indeed. Pol. It is backed like a weasel. Ham. Or, like a whale? Pol. Very like a whale. Ham. Then will I come to my mother by and by.➡ They fool me to the top of my bent.4-I will come by and by. Pol. I will say so. [Exit POL. Ham. By and by is easily said.--Leave me, friends. [Exeunt Ros. GUIL. HOR. &c. 'Tis now the very witching time of night; When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out Would quake to look on. Soft; now to my mother.- Let me be cruel, not unnatural : I will speak daggers to her, but use none : To give them seals? never, my soul, consent! [Exit. SCENE III. A Room in the same. Enter King, ROSENCRANTZ, and GUIL DENSTERN. King. I like him not; nor stands it safe with us, To let his madness range. Therefore, prepare you; [4] Perhaps a term in archery; as far as the bow will admit of being bent without breaking. DOUCE. [5] The day rendered hateful or bitter by the commission of some act of mischief. STEEVENS. [6] To reprove harshly, to treat with rough language. STEEVENS, [71 Give them seals-put them in execution. WARBURTON I your commission will forth with despatch, Guil. We will ourselves provide : To keep those many many bodies safe, Ros. The single and peculiar life is bound, King. Arm you, I pray you, to this speedy voyage; For we will fetters put upon this fear, Which now goes too free-footed. Ros. Guil. We will haste us. [Exeunt Ros. and GUIL, Enter POLONIUS. Pol. My lord, he's going to his mother's closet :. Behind the arras I'll convey myself, To hear the process; I'll warrant, she'll tax him home: And, as you said, and wisely was it said, 'Tis meet, that some more audience, than a mother, Since nature makes them partial, should o'erhear The speech, of vantage. Fare you well, my liege :. I'll call upon you ere you go to bed, 8 And tell you what I know. King, Thanks, dear my lord. O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven ; 18] By some opportunity of secret observation. 22* VOL. VIII. [Exit POL. JOHNSON. And both neglect. What if this cursed hand And what's in prayer, but this two-fold force,— Or pardon'd being down? Then I'll look up; Bow, stubborn knees! and, heart, with strings of steel, All may be well! [Retires and kneels. Enter HAMLET. Ham. Now might I do it, pat, now he is praying ; I, his sole son, do this same villain send To heaven. Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge. He took my father grossly, full of bread; With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May; [9] He that does not amend what can be amended, retains his offence. The king kept the crown from the right heir. JOHNSON. [1] What can repentance do for a man that cannot be penitent, for a man who has only a part of penitence, distress of conscience, without the other part, resolution of amendment? JOHNSON. And, how his audit stands, who knows, save heaven ? When he is fit and season'd for his passage No. e? Up, sword; and know thou a more horrid hent :* Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven : The King rises, and advances. [Exit. King. My words fly up, my thoughts remain below : Words, without thoughts, never to heaven go. [Exit. SCENE IV. Another Room in the same. Enter Queen and POLONIUS. Pol. He will come straight. Look, you lay home to him: Tell him, his pranks have been too broad to bear with; And that your grace hath screen'd and stood between Much heat and him. I'll silence me e'en here : Pray you, be round with him. Queen. I'll warrant you; Fear me not-withdraw, I hear him coming. [POLONIUS hides himself. Enter HAMLET. Ham. Now, mother; what's the matter? Queen. Hamlet. thou hast thy father much offended. Ham. Mother, you have my father much offended. Queen. Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue. Ham. Go, go, you question with a wicked tongue. [2] To hent is used by Shakspeare for to seize, to catch, to lay hold on. Hent is, therefore, hold, seizure. Lay hold on him, sword, at a more horrid time. JOHNSON. [3] This speech, in which Hamlet, represented as a virtuous character, is not content with taking blood for blood, but contrives damnation for the man that he would punish, is too horrible to be read or to be uttered. JOHNSON. This speech of Hamlet, as Dr. Johnson observes, is horrible indeed; yet some moral may be extracted from it, as all his subsequent calamities were owing to this savage refinement of revenge. M. MASON. |