The frontiers of Denmark.

Enter Fortinbras with an army.

For. Go, captain, from me greet the Danish king; Tell him, that, by his licence, Fortinbras Claims the conveyance of a promis'd march Over his kingdom. You know the rendezvous. If that his majefty would aught with us, We fhall exprefs our duty in his eye,

And let him know fo.

Capt. I will do't, my lord.

For. Go foftly on.

[Exit Fortinbras, &c.

Enter Hamlet, Rofencrantz, Guildenstern, &c.
Ham. [Good Sir, whofe powers are these?
Capt. They are of Norway, Sir.

Ham. How purpos'd, Sir, I pray you ?
Capt. Against fome part of Poland.

Ham. Who commands them, Sir?

Capt. The nephew of old Norway, Fortinbras. Ham. Goes it against the main of Poland, Sir, Or for fome frontier?

Capt. Truly to speak, and with no addition, We go to gain to gain a little patch of ground,

That hath in it no profit but the name.

Το pay five ducats, five, I would not farm it;
Nor will it yield to Norway, or the Pole,

A ranker rate, fhould it be fold in fee.

Ham. Why, then the Polack never will defend it. Capt. Yes, 'tis already garrifon'd.

Ham. Two thoufand fouls, and twenty thousand ducats,

Will not debate the queftion of this ftraw:
This is the impofthume of much wealth and peace;
That inward breaks, and fhews no caufe without
Why the man dies. I humbly thank you, Sir.

Capt.

Capt. God b'wi'ye, Sir.

Rof. Will't please you go, my lord?

Ham. I'll be with you ftrait. Go a little before.

Manet Hamlet.

[Exeunt.

How all occafions do inform against me,
And spur my dull revenge! What is a man,
If his chief good and market of his time
Be but to fleep and feed? a beaft, no more.
Sure, he that made us with fuch 5 large discourse,
Looking before and after, gave us not
That capability and god-like reafon

To fuft in us unus'd. Now whether it be
Beftial oblivion, or fome craven scruple

Of thinking too precifely on the event,

(A thought, which, quarter'd, hath but one part wisdom,

And ever three parts coward) I do not know
Why yet I live to fay, this thing's to do;

Sith I have caufe, and will, and strength, and means
To do't. Examples, grofs as earth, exhort me:
Witness, this army of fuch mafs and charge,

Led by a delicate and tender prince,
Whofe fpirit, with divine ambition puft,
Makes mouths at the invifible event;
Expofing what is mortal and unfure,

To all that fortune, death, and danger dare,
Even for an egg-fhell. Rightly to be great,

5

6

Is

-chief good and market-] If his highest good, and that for which he fells his time, be to fleep and feed. JOHNSON. large difcourfe,] Such latitude of comprehenfion, fuch power of reviewing the paft, and anticipating the future. JOHNSON.

6

-Rightly to be great,

Is not to stir without, &c.] This paffage I have printed according to the copy. Mr. THEOBALD had regulated it thus = -Tis not to be great,

Never to fir without great argument ;
But greatly, &c.

The

Is not to ftir without great argument;
But greatly to find quarrel in a straw,

When honour's at the ftake. How ftand I then,
That have a father kill'd, a mother ftain'd,
7 Excitements of my reafon and my blood,
And let all fleep? while, to my fhame, I fee
The imminent death of twenty thousand men,
That for a fantasy, and trick of fame,
Go to their graves like beds; fight for a plot,
Whereon the numbers cannot try the caufe;
Which is not tomb enough and continent

To hide the flain ?-O, from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth. [Exit.

Elfinour. A room in the palace.

Enter Queen, Horatio, and a Gentleman.

Queen. I will not speak with her.

Gen. She is importunate; indeed, diftract. Her mood will needs be pitied.

Queen. What would fhe have?

Gen. She fpeaks much of her father; fays, fhe hears,

The fentiment of Shakespeare is partly juft, and partly ro

mantic.

Rightly to be great,

Is not to flir without great argument;

is exactly philofophical.

But greatly to find quarrel in a ftraw,
When honour is at stake,

is the idea of a modern hero. But then, fays he, honour is an argument, or fubject of debate, fufficiently great, and when honour is at ftake, we must find cause of quarrel in a straw.

JOHNSON.

7 Excitements of my reafon and my blood,] Provocations which excite both my reafon and my paffions to vengeance.

JOHNSON.

There's

There's tricks i' the world; and hems, and beats her

heart;

Spurns enviously at ftraws; fpeaks things in doubt,

That carry but half fenfe. Her fpeech is nothing,
Yet the unfhaped use of it doth move
The hearers to collection; they aim at it,
And botch the words up fit to their own thoughts;
Which as her winks, and nods, and geftures

them,

yield

thought,

9 Though nothing fure, yet much unhappily.

Hor. 'Twere good fhe were fpoken with; for fhe may ftrow

Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds.

Let her come in.

To my fick foul, as fin's true nature is,

[Exit Gent.

Each toy feems prologue to fome great amifs:
So full of artlefs jealoufy is guilt,

It fpills itself, in fearing to be fpilt.

Enter Ophelia.

Oph. Where is the beauteous majesty of Denmark? Queen. How now, Ophelia?

8 Spurns enviously at firaws;] Envy is much oftener put by our poet (and thofe of his time) for direct hatred, than strictly for the particular paffion fo called.

So Hen. VIII. A&t 1.

"You turn the good we offer into envy." STEEVENS. 9 Though nothing fure, yet much unhappily.] i. e. though her meaning cannot be certainly collected, yet there is enough to put a mischievous interpretation to it. WARBURTON.

1 'Twere good she were spoken with;] Thefe lines are given to the Queen in the folio, and to Horatio in the quarto. JOHNSON.

Oph.

Oph. 2 How Should I your true love know,
From another one?

3 By his cockle hat and staff,

And by his fandal fboon.

[Singing.

Queen. Alas, fweet lady; what imports this fong?

Oph. Say you? Nay, pray you, mark.

Queen. Nay, but Ophelia
Oph. Pray you, mark.

White his fhroud as the mountain fnow.

Queen. Alas, look here, my lord.

Oph. 4 Larded all with fweet flowers:

grave

Which bewept to the
With true love fhowers.

did go,

2 How fhould I your true love, &c.] There is no part of this play, in its reprefentation on the ftage, is more pathetic than this fcene, which I fuppofe proceeds from the utter infenfibility she has to her own misfortunes.

A great fenfibility, or none at all, feem to produce the fame effect. In the latter the audience fupply what she wants, and with the former they fympathize. Sir J. REYNOLDS.

3 By his cockle hat and staff,

And by his fandal fhoon.] This is the defcription of a pilgrim. While this kind of devotion was in favour, love-intrigues were carried on under that mafk. Hence the old ballads and novels made pilgrimages the fubjects of their plots. The cockle-fhell hat was one of the effential badges of this vocation : for the chief places of devotion being beyond fea, or on the coafts, the pilgrims were accustomed to put cockle-fhells upon their hats, to denote the intention or performance of their devotion. WARBURTON.

+ Larded all with fweet flowers:] The expreffion is taken from cookery. JOHNSON.

VOL. X.

T

King.