Winner and lofer? Laer. None but his enemies. King. Will you know them then? Laer. To his good friends thus wide I'll ope my arms, And like the kind life-rend'ring pelican, Repaft them with my blood. King. Why, now you speak Like a good child, and a true gentleman. It fhall as level to your judgment pierce, As day does to your eye. [A noife within, "Let her come in."] Laer. How now, what noife is that? SCEN E VII. Enter Ophelia, fantastically drefs'd with ftraws and flowers. O heat, dry up my brains! tears, feven times falt, By heav'n, thy madness fhall be paid with weight, O heav'ns, is't poffible a young maid's wits Oph. They bore him bare-face'd on the bier, Fare you well, my dove! Laer. Hadft thou thy wits, and didft perfuade reIt could not move thus. [venge, Oph. You must fing, down a-down, and you call him a-down-a. O how the wheel becomes it! it is the falfe fteward that ftole his master's daughter. Laer. This nothing's more than matter. Oph. There's rofemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember; and there's pancies, that's for thoughts. Laer. Laer. A document in madness, thoughts and remembrance fitted. Oph. There's fennel for you, and columbines; there's rue for you, and here's fome for me. We may call it herb of grace o' Sundays: you may wear your rue with a difference. There's a daify; I would give you fome violets, but they withered all when my father dy'd: they fay, he made a good end; For bonny fweet Robin is all my joy. Laer. Thought and affliction, paffion, hell itself, She turns to favour, and to prettiness. Oph. And will he not come again? And will be not come again? No, no, he is dead, go to thy death-bed, He never will come again. His beard was as white as fnow, All flaxen was his pole: He is gone, he is gone, and we caft away moan, And of all Christian fouls! God b' w' ye. [Exit Ophelia. King. Laertes, I must commune with your grief, Or you deny me right: go but apart, Make choice of whom your wifeft friends you will, They find us touch'd, we will our kingdom give, Be you content to lend your patience to us, Laer. Let this be fo. His means of death, his obfcure funeral, No trophy, fword, nor hatchment o'er his bones, *No noble rite, nor formal oftentation, Cry to be heard, as 'twere from heav'n to earth, King. So you fhall: And [Exeunt. And where th' offence is, let the great tax fall. I pray you go with me. Hor. What are they that would fpeak with me? Ser. Sailors, Sir; they fay, they have letters for you. : Hor. Let them come in. [Exit Servant. I do not know from what part of the world I should be greeted, if not from Lord Hamlet. Sail. He fhall, Sir, an't please him. There's a letter for you, Sir: it comes from th' ambaffador that was bound for England, if your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is. Horatio reads the letter. Horatio, when thou shalt have overlook'd this, give thefe fellows fome means to the King: they have letters for him. Ere we were two days old at fea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us chace. Finding ourfelves too flow of fail, we put on a compelled valour, and in the grapple I boarded them: on the inftant they got clear of our ship, fo I alone became their prifoner. They have dealt with me like thieves of mercy; but they knew what they did I am to do a good turn for them. the King have the letters I have fent, and repair thou to me with as much hafte as thou wouldeft fly death. I have words to fpeak in thy ear will make thee dumb, yet are they much too light for the matter. Thefe good fellows will bring thee where I am. Refinerantz and Guildenstern hold their courfe for England. Of them I have much to tell thee. Farewel. Let He that thou knoweft thine, HAMLET. Come, I will make you way for thefe your letters; [Excunt. SCENE SCENE V. Enter King and Laertes. King. Now muft your confcience my acquittance feal, And you must put me in your heart for friend; Sith you have heard, and with a knowing ear, That he which hath your noble father flain, Purfued my life. Laer. It well appears. But tell me Why you proceeded not against these feats, As by your fafety, wifdom, all things elfe, King Two fpecial reafons, Which may to you perhaps feem much unfinew'd, Laert. And fo have I a noble father loft, Whofe worth, if praifes may go back again, Enter Enter Meffenger. Me. Letters, my Lord, from Hamlet." Thefe to your Majefty: this to the Queen. King From Hamlet? who brought them? Me Sailors, my Lord, they fay; I faw them not: They were given me by Claudio, he receiv'd them. King. Laertes, you fhall hear them: leave us, all[Exit Meff. High and Mighty, You shall know I am fet naked on your kingdom. To-morrow fall I beg leave to fee your kingly eyes. When I fhall, (first asking your pardon thereunto), recount th' occafion of my fudden return. HAMLET. What fhould this mean? are all the reft come back? Or is it fome abuse--and no such thing? Laer. Know you the hand? King. 'Tis Hamlet's character; Naked, and (in a poftfcript here, he fays), : Laer. I'm loft in it, my Lord: but let him come; It warms the very sickness in my heart, That I fhall live and tell him to his teeth. Thus diddeft thou. King. If it be fo, Laertes, As how fhould it be fo?. Will you be rul'd by me? -how otherwife? Leer. I, fo you'll not o'er-rule me to a peace. King. To thine own peace: if he be now return'd, As liking not his voyage, and that he means No more to undertake it; I will work him To an exploit now ripe in my device, Under the which he fhall not chufe but fall: And for his death no wind of blame fhall breathe; But ev'n his mother fhall uncharge the practice, And call it accident, Laer. I. will be rul'd, The rather, if you could devise it so, That I might be the organ. King. It falls right. You have been talk'd of fince your travel much, 2 Wherein |