SCENE III.

A Room in the same.

Enter King, ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN.

KING. I like him not; nor stands it safe with us,' To let his madness range. Therefore prepare you; I your commission will forthwith despatch,

And he to England shall along with you:

The terms of our estate may not endure near us. Hazard so dangerous,* as doth hourly grow Out of his lunacies.(76)

4tos.

+ weal.

4tos.

✰or it. 4tos.

GUIL.

We will ourselves provide :
Most holy and religious fear it is,

To keep those many many bodies safe,
That live, and feed, upon your majesty.

Ros. The single and peculiar life is bound,
With all the strength and armour of the mind,
To keep itself from 'noyance; but much more
That spirit, upon whose spirit + depends and rests
The lives of many. The cease of majesty'
Dies not alone; but, like a gulf, doth draw
What's near it, with it: itt is a massy wheel,
Fix'd on the summit § of the highest mount,
somnet. To whose huge spokes ten thousand lesser things
Are mortis'd and adjoined; which, when it falls,
Each small annexment, petty consequence,
Attends the boist'rous ruin. Never alone
Did the king sigh, but with a general groan.

4tos.

KING. Arm you, I pray you, to this speedy

voyage;

a stands it safe with us]

i. e.

is it consistent with our security.

b the cease of majesty] i. e. demise, fall. Throughout our author a strong sense is attached to the verb cease. See" fall and cease," Lear, last sc. Alb. The quartos give cesse.

* about. 4tos.

For we will fetters put upon* this fear,*
Which now goes too free-footed.

Ros. GUIL.

We will haste us.

[Exeunt ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN.

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,

And tell you what I know.

KING.

Thanks, dear my lord.
[Exit POLONIUS.

O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven;"
It hath the primal eldest curse upon 't,
A brother's murder!-Pray can I not,
Though inclination be as sharp as will;d
My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent;

a

this fear] i. e. bugbear. See Ant. & Cl. II. 3. Sooths. bo'erhear the speech of vantage] If conveying any thing distinctly; "that gives the means of availing itself of occur

rences."

O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven] Even there, where the odour of sacrifice only should rise, to the seat of the gods, its offensive steam reaches.

Though inclination be as sharp as will] i. e. resolve, not used in the sense of willingness, but much in that of another of its derivatives, wilful; and as when the mind, no longer in a state of balance or suspense, is determined. The use of the word intent in the next line, without the aid of its adjunct, strong, does not reach the sense of resolve or full determination above assigned to will, and thereby creates at first sight embarrassment and confusion in the construction of the sentence.

And, like a man to double business bound,
I stand in pause where I shall first begin,
And both neglect. What if this cursed hand
Were thicker than itself with brother's blood?
Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens,
To wash it white as snow? Whereto serves mercy,
But to confront the visage of offence?"
And what's in prayer, but this two-fold force,
To be forestalled, ere we come to fall,

Or pardon'd, being down? Then I'll look up;
My fault is past. But, O, what form of prayer
Can serve my turn? Forgive me my foul murder?
That cannot be; since I am still possess'd
Of those effects for which I did the murder,
My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.
May one be pardon'd, and retain the offence? (77)
In the corrupted currents of this world,
Offence's gilded hand may shove by justice;
And oft 'tis seen, the wicked prize itself
Buys out the law: But 'tis not so above:
There is no shuffling, there the action lies
In his true nature, and we ourselves compell'd,"
Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults,
To give in evidence. What then? what rests?
Try what repentance can: What can it not?
Yet what can it, when one can not repent?*
O wretched state! O bosom, black as death!

a Like a man to double business bound] As Angelo, when he finds himself going, "where prayers cross." M. for M. II. 2.

b

Whereto serves mercy,

But to confront the visage of offence?] i. e. with a benign and softened aspect to meet or encounter the harsh features of crime.

To be forestalled ere we come to fall] Prevented from falling.

there the action lies

In his true nature, and we ourselves compell'd] The transaction shews, or presents itself; the suit, stripped of all chicane, is entertained and prosecuted simply as it is; and there it is that we are compelled, &c. For the use of the personal pronoun here, see "his own scandal." I. 4. Haml.

e Yet what can it, when one can not repent] What can that course, though it can do all, do, if I cannot pursue it?

O limed soul; that struggling to be free,

Art more engaged! Help, angels, make assay!
Bow, stubborn knees! and, heart, with strings of

steel,

Be soft as sinews of the new-born babe;

All may be well!

[Retires, and kneels.

Enter HAMLET.

a

*

4tos.

HAM. Now might I do it, pat,* now he is praying; but now.
And now I'll do't; and so he goes to heaven:
And so am I revenged? That would be scann'd :a
A villain kills my father; and, for that,
I, his sole son, do this same villain send
To heaven.

O, this is hire and salary, not revenge.
He took my father grossly,(78) full of bread;

+ So 4tos. foul, foule. 1623, 32.

+ Why. 4tos.

For

With all his crimes & broad blown, as flush || as May; & crimes
And, how his audit stands, who knows, save heaven? broad
But, in our circumstance" and course of thought,
'Tis heavy with him: And am I then reveng'd,
To take him in the purging of his soul,
When he is fit and season'd for his passage?
No.

Up, sword; and know thou a more horrid hent:

That would be scann'd] i. e. requires to be fully weighed and considered.

b I, his sole son] Such is the reading of the quartos: but foule may be offending, degenerate; though most probably a misprint.

e hire and salary] i. e. a thing, for which from him I might claim a recompense. The quartos read "base, and silly." 4to. 1603, a benefit."

d our circumstance] i. e. measure or estimate of what may have reached us.

⚫ know-a more horrid hent] i. e. have a more fierce, rash or headlong grasp or purpose. Hyntyn or henten, rapio, arripio." Prompt. Parvul. Hent, Henten, Hende, arripere: hendan, A. S. Prehendere. from Hand, Manus. Junii Etymolog. Fo. 1743. In the sense of "seise or occupy," the verb occurs in M. for M." Have hent the gates." IV. 6. Friar Pet. Drunk asleep, is in a drunken sleep.

H

blown"
O. C. 4to.
1603 reads
"sins brim
full."

|| So, 4tos.
fresh.1623,
32.

When he is drunk asleep; or in his rage;

Or in the incestuous pleasures of his bed; * at game, At gaming,* swearing; or about some act a swearing, That has no relish of salvation in't:a

at game

4tos.

swearing. Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven; And that his soul may be as damn'd, and black, As hell, whereto it goes. (79) My mother stays: + weary. This physick but prolongs thy sickly† days. [Exit.

1603.

The King rises, and advances.

KING. My words fly up, my thoughts remain below:

Words, without thoughts, never to heaven go.

SCENE IV.

[Exit.

Another Room in the same.

Enter Queen and POLONIUS.

POL. He will come straight. Look, you lay home to him :"

с

Tell him, his pranks have been too broad to bear

with;

And that your grace hath screen'd and stood be

tween

Much heat and him. I'll silence me e'en here."

Pray you, be round with him.

HAM. [Within] Mother, mother, mother!

a relish of salvation in't] i. e. smack or savour.

blay home to him] i. e. pointedly and closely charge.

pranks too broad] i. e. open and bold.

i. e. without a word more said, here For "round &c." See II. 2. Pol.

d silence me e'en here] snugly stow myself.