"And hears it roar beneath.

Ham. It waves me ftill: go on, I'll follow thee.

Mar. You fhall not go, my Lord.

Ham. Hold off your hands.

Mar. Be rul'd, you

fhall not go.

Ham. My fate cries out,

And makes each petty artery in this body
As hardy as the Nemean lion's nerve.
Still am I call'd : unhand me Gentlemen.

[Breaking from them.

By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me
I fay, away go on- I'll follow thee.

[Exeunt Ghoft and Hamlet.

Hor. He waxes defp'rate with imagination.

Mar. Let's follow, 'tis not fit thus to obey him. Hor. Have after.-To what iffue will this come! Mar. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Hor. Heav'n will direct it.

Mar. Nay, let's follow him.

[Exeunt.

Changes to a more remote part of the platform.

Re-enter Ghoft and Hamlet.

Ham. Where wilt thou lead me? fpeak; I'll go n❤ further.

Ghoft. Mark me.

Ham. I will.

Ghof. My hour is almost come,

When I to fulphurous and tormenting flames

Muft render up myself.

Ham. Alas, poor Ghost?

Ghoft. Pity me not, but lend thy ferious hearing

To what I fhall unfold.

Fam. Speak, I am bound to hear,

Gheft. So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear. Ham. What?

Ghoft. I am thy father's fpirit;

Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,
And, for the day, confin'd too fat in fires;

i. e. very close confined. The particle too is used frequently for

the fuperlative moft, or very.

Till the foul crines done in my days of nature,
Are burnt and purge'd away,

But that I am forbid

To tell the fecrets of my prifon-house,

I could a tale unfold, whofe lightest word

Would harrow up thy foul, freeze thy young blood,
Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,
Thy knotty and combined locks to part,
And each particular hair to ftand on end
Like quills upon the fretful porcupine:
But this eternal blazon must not be

To ears of flesh and blood; lift, lift, oh lift!
If thou didst ever thy dear father love-

Ham. O heav'n!

Ghoft. Revenge his foul and moft unnatural murther. Ham. Murther?

Ghoft. Murther moft foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.

[fwift

Ham. 66 Hafte me to know it, that I, with wings as "As meditation or the thoughts of love, May fweep to my revenge.

Ghoft. I find thee apt;

"And duller shouldst thou be, than the fat weed "That roots itself in eafe on Lethe's wharf,

Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear: 'Tis given out, that, fleeping in my orchard,

A ferpent ftung me. So, the whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forged procefs of my death

Rankly abus'd: but know, thou noble youth,
The ferpent that did fting thy father's life,

Now wears his crown.

Ham. Oh, my prophetic foul! my uncle?

Ghoft. Ay, that inceftuous, that adulterate beaft, With witchcraft of his wit, with trait'rous gifts, (O wicked wit, and gifts that have the power So to feduce !), won to his fhameful luft The will of my moft feeming-virtuous Queen. Oh Hamlet, what a falling off was there! From me, whofe love was of that dignity, That it went hand in hand ev'n with the vow I made to her in marriage, and to decline Upon a wretch, whofe natural gifts were poor To thofe of mine!

But

But Virtue, as it never will be mov'd,

Though Lewdnefs court it in a fhape of heav'n;
So Luft, though to a radiant angel link'd,
Will fate itself in a celestial bed,

And prey on garbage

But, foft! methinks I fcent the morning-air

Brief let me be: Sleeping within mine orchard,

My cuftom always of the afternoon,

Upon my fecure hour thy uncle ftole
With juice of curfed hebenon in a phial,
And in the porches of mine ears did pour
The leperous diflilment; whofe effect
Holds fuch an enmity with blood of man,
That fwift as quick-filver it courfes through
The natʼral gates and allays of the body;
And with a fudden vigour, it doth poflet
And curd, like eager droppings into milk,
The thin and wholfome blood: fo did it mine,
And a most inftant tetter bark'd about,
Moft lazar-like, with vile and lothfome crust
All my fimooth body.

Thus was I, fleeping, by a brother's hand,
Of life, of crown, of Queen, at once difpatch'd *;
Cut off even in the bloffoms of my fin,
Unhoufel'd + unanointed ‡, unanel'd ||:
No reck'ning made, but fent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head,
Oh horrible! oh horrible! most horrible!
If thou haft nature in thee, bear it not;
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But howfoever thou purlu'ft this act,

Taint not thy mind, nor let thy foul contrive
Against thy mother aught; leave her to heav'n,
And to thofe thorns that in her bofom lodge,
To prick and fting her. Fare thee well at once!
The glow-worm fhews the matin to be near,
And 'gins to pale his uneffectual ** fire.

dilpatch'd, for bereft.

i. e. without the facrament being taken.
i. e. without extreme union.

i. e. no kneli rung.

** i. c. fhining without heat;

Adieu, adieu, adieu: remember me.

[Exit.

Ham. Oh, all you hoft of heav'n! oh earth! what

And thall I couple hell? oh fie! hold my heart! [elfe?
And you, my finews, grow not inftant old;
But bear me ftiffly up. Remember thee !

Ay, thou poor Ghost, while memory holds a feat
In this distracted globe; "remember thee!
"Yea, from the table of my memory

"I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,
"All faws of books, all forms, all preffures past,
"That youth and observation copied there e;
"And thy commandment all alone fhall live
"Within the book and volume of my brain,
"Unmix'd with bafer matter. Yes, by heav'n;
Oh most pernicious woman!

Oh villain, villain, smiling damned villain;
My tables,

meet it is I set it down,

That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain;
At least, I'm fure it may be so in Denmark.

So, uncle, there you are; now to my word;
It is; Adieu, adieu, remember me :

I've fworn it

[Writing

SCENE IX.

Enter Horatio and Marcellus.

Hor. My Lord, my Lord,

Mar. Lord Hamlet,

Hor. Heav'n fecure him!

Mar. So be it.

Hor. Illo, ho, ho, my Lord!

Ham. Hillo, ho, ho, boy; come, bird, come *.

Mar. How is't, my Noble Lord!

Hor. What news, my Lord?

Ham. Oh, wonderful!

Hor. Good my Lord, tell it.

Ham. No, you'll reveal it.

Hor. Not I, my Lord, by heav'n.

Mar. Nor I, my Lord.

Ham. How fay you then, would heart of man once

But you'll be fecret

[think it?

Both. Ay, by heav'n, my Lord.

*This is the call which falconers ufe to their hawk in the air,

when they would have them come down to them,

Ham.

Ham. There's ne'er a villain dwelling in all Denmark But he's an arrant knave.

Hor. There needs no ghoft, my Lord, come from To tell us this.

Ham. Why, right, you are i' th' right; And fo without more circumftance at all,

I hold it fit that we fhake hands, and part;

[the grave

You, as your business and defires fhall point you; (For every man has business and desire,

Such as it is) and, for my own poor part,

I will go pray.

Hor. Thefe are but wild and whurling words, my Lord.

Ham. I'm forry they offend you, heartily;

Yes, heartily.

Hor. There's no offence, my Lord.

Ham. Yes, by St. Patrick, but there is, my Lord, And much offence too. Touching this vision hereIt is an honeft ghoft, that let me tell you:

For you defire to know what is between us,
O'er-master it as you may. And now, good friends,
As you are friends, fcholars, and foldiers,

Give me one poor request.

Hor. What is't, my Lord?

Ham. Never make known what you have seen tonight.

Both. My Lord, we will not.

Ham. Nay, but fwear't.

Hor. In faith, my Lord, not I.

Mar. Nor I, my Lord, in faith.

Ham. Upon my fword.

Mar. We have fworn, my Lord, already.

Ham. Indeed, upon my fword, indeed.

Gheft. Swear.

[Ghoft cries under the flage.

Ham. Ah ha, boy, fay'ft thou fo? art thou there,

true-penny?

Come on, you hear this fellow in the cellaridge.
Confent to fwear.

Hor. Propofe the oath, my Lord.

Ham. Never to fpeak of this that you have seen, Swear by my fword.

Ghaft. Swear.