Ham. Hic & ubique? then we'll fhift our ground. Come hither, Gentlemen,

And lay your hands again upon my fword,

Never to speak of this which you have heard,
Swear by my fword.

Ghoft. Swear by his fword.

Ham. Well faid, old mole, can't work i' th' ground fo falt?

A worthy pioneer! Once more remove, good friends.
Hor. Oh day and night! but this is wondrous ftrange.
Ham. And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
There are more things in heav'n and earth, Horatio,
Than are dream'd of in your philofophy. But come,
Here, as before, never, (fo help you mercy!),
How ftrange or odd foc'er 1 bear myself,
(As I, perchance, hereafter fhall think meet
To put an antic difpofition on),

That you, at fuch time feeing me, never fhall,
With arms incumbred thus, or this head shake,
Or by pronouncing of fome doubtful phrafe,

As, Well we know ;--or, We could, and if we would;

Or, If we lift to speak;

there might

or, There be, and if

(Or fuch ambiguous givings out), denote

That you know aught of me; this do ye fwear,
So grace and mercy at your most need help you!
Swear.

Ghoft. Swear.

Ham. Reft, reft, perturbed fpirit. So, Gentlemen, With all my love do I commend me to you;

And what fo poor a man as Hamlet is

May do t' exprefs his love and friending to you,
God willing, fhall not lack; let us go in together,
And still your fingers on your lips, I pray:

The time is out of joint; oh, curfed fpight!
That ever I was born to fet it right.

Nay, come, let's go together.

[Exeunt.

ACT

ACT

II.

SCENE I.

An apartment in Polonius's house.

Enter Polonius and Reynoldo.

Pol.Rey. I will my Lord.

Ive him this money, and thefe notes,Reynoldo.

Pol. You fhall do marvellous wifely, good Reynoldo, Before you vifit him, to make inquiry

Of his behaviour.

Rey. My Lord, I did intend it.

Pol. Marry, well faid; very well faid. Look you, Inquire me first what Danskers arc in Paris;

| Sir, And how, and who, what means, and where they keep, What company, at what expence; and finding, By this encompaffiment and drift of question, That they do know my fon, come you more near; Then your particular demands will touch it; Take you, as 'twere fome diftant knowledge of him, As thus I know his father and his friends, And, in part, him---Do you mark this, Reynoldo ? Rey. Ay, very well, my Lord,

Pol. And in part him-but you may fay-not well; But if't be he I mean, he's very wild;

Addicted fo and fo-and there put on him
What forgeries you pleafe; marry, none fo rank,
As may difhonour him; take heed of that;
But, Sir, fuch wanton, wild, and ufual flips,
As are companions noted and most known
To youth and liberty.

Rey. As gaming, my Lord

Pol. Ay, or drinking, [fencing *], fwearing, Quarrelling, drabbing--You may go fo far. Rey. My Lord, that would difhonour him. Pol. 'Faith, no, as you may feafon it in the charge; You must not put an utter fcandal on him,

That he is open to incontinency,

That's not my meaning; but breathe his faults fo quaintly,

That they may feem the taints of liberty;
The flafh and outbreak of a fiery mind,

feci, an interp lation.

A

*

A favagenefs in unreclaim'd blood
Of general affault.

Rey. But, my good Lord

Pol. Wherefore fhould you do this?
Rey. Ay, my Lord, I would know that.
Pol. Marry, Sir, here's my drift;
And I believe it is a fetch of wit.

You laying thefe flight fullies on my fon,
As 'twere a thing a little foil'd i' th' working,
Mark you, your party in converse, he you would found,
Having ever feen, in the prenominate crimes,
The youth you breathe of, guilty, be affured,
He clofes with you in this confequence † ;
Good Sir, or Sire, or Friend, or Gentleman,
(According to the phrafe or the addition
Of man and country).

Rey. Very good, my Lord.

Pol. And then, Sir, does he this; He does-what was I about to fay?

I was about to fay fomething-where did I leaveRey. At clofes in the confequence.

Pol. At, clofes in the confequence-Ay marry. He clofes thus :- I know the gentleman;

I faw him yesterday, or t' other day,

Or then, with fuch and fuch; and, as you fay,
There was he gaming, there o'ertook in's rowfe,
There falling out at tennis; or, perchance,
I faw him enter fuch a house of fale,

Videlicet, a brothel, or fo forfooth.-See you now ;
Your bait of falfehood takes this carp of truth;
And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,

With windlaces, and with affays of bias,

By indirections find directions out:

So by my former lecture and advice

Shall you my foh. You have me, have you not?.
Rey. My Lord, I have.

Pol. God b' wi' you; fare you well.

Rey. Good my Lord

Pol. Obferve his inclination ev'n yourself.

Rey. I fhall, my Lord.

favagenefs, for i'd efs. tconfequence, for fequel.

K2

CA

Pol.

Pol. And let him ply his mufic.

[Exit.

SCENE II.

Enter Ophelia.

Rey. Well, my Lord.

Pol. Farewel. How now, Ophelia, what's the mat

ter?

Oph. Alas, my Lord, I have been fo affrighted!
Pol. With what, in the name of heav'n?

Oph. My Lord, as I was fewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbrace'd,
No hat upon his head, his ftockings loose,
Ungarter'd, and down-gyred to his ancle;
Fale as his fhirt, his knees knocking each other,
And with a look fo piteous in purport,
As if he had been loofed out of hell,

To fpeak of horrors; thus he comes before me,
Pol. Mad for thy love?

Oph. My Lord, I do not know:

But truly I do fear it.

Pol. What faid he?

Oph. He took me by the wrist, and held me hard;
Then goes he to the length of all his arm;
And with his other hand, thus o'er his brow,
He falls to fuch perufal of my face,

As he would draw it. Long time staid he so;
At laft, a little thaking of mine arm,

And thrice his head thus waving up and down
He rais'd a figh, fo piteous and profound,
That it did feem to shatter all his bulk,
And end his being. Then he lets me go,
And, with his head over his fhoulder turn'd,
He feem'd to find his way without his eyes;
For out o' doors he went without their help,
And, to the laft, bended their light on me.

Pol. Come, go with me, I will go feek the King. This is the very ecftafy of love;

Whofe violent property forgoes itself,

And leads the will to defp'rate undertakings,

As oft as any paffion under heav'n,

That does afflict our natures. I am forry;

What, have you giv'n him any hard words of late? Oph. No, my good Lord; but, as you did command,

I did repel his letters, and deny'd

His accefs to me.

Pol. That hath made him mad.

I'm forry, that with better speed and judgment
I had not noted him. I fear'd he trifled,

And meant to wreck thee; but beshrew my jealousy;
It feems it is as proper to our age

To caft beyond ourfelves in our opinions,

As it is common for the younger fort

To lack difcretion. Come; go we to the King.
This must be known; which, being kept clofe, might

move

More grief to hide, than hate to utter love. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Changes to the palace.

Enter King, Queen, Rofincrantz, Guildenftern, Lords, and other Attendants.

King. Welcome,dear Rofincrantz and Guildenstern!
Moreover that we much did long to fee you,
The need we have to ufe you, did provoke
Our hafty fending. Something you have heard.
Of Hamlet's transformation; fo I call it,
Since not th' exterior, nor the inward man
Refembles that it was. What it fhould be
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from th' understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of. I intreat you both,

That being of fo young days brought up with him,
And fince fo neighbour'd to his youth and 'haviour,
That you vouchfafe your reft here in our court
Some little time; fo by your companies
To draw him on to pleafures, and to gather,
So much as from occafions you may glean,
If aught, to us unknown, afflias him thus,
That open'd lies within our remedy.

Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of you;
And fure I am, two men there are not living
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
To fhew us fo much gentry* and good-will,
As to extend your time with us a while,

* gentry, for complaisance.

K 3

For