And oft 'tis seen, the wicked prize itself
Buys out the law; but 'tis not fo above :
There, is no shuffling; there, the action lies
In his true naturé, 2 and we ourselves compell’d,
Ev'n to the teeth and forehead of our faults,
To give in evidence. What then? what rests ?
Try what repentance can.

What can it not?
a Yet what can it, when one cannot repent ?
O wretched ftate ! oh bolom, black as death!
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 finews of the new-born babe !
All may be well.

The king retires and kneels,

b

A villain kills my father, and for that
I, his 8-fole fon, do this same villain send
To heav'n. Oh this is ' hire and salary, not revenge.
* He took my father grofly, full of bread,
With all his crimes broad blown, las m flush as May;
And how his audit stands, who knows, save heav'n?
But in our circumstance and course of thought,
'Tis heavy with him. n And am I then reveng’d,
To take him in the purging of his soul,
When he is fit and feason'd for his paffage ? ---° No.
Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid P hent;
When he is a drunk, asleep, or in his rage,
Or in th' inceftuous pleasure of his bed,
• At game, a swearing, or about fome act
That has no relish of salvation in 't;
Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heav'n;
And that his soul may be as damn'd and black
As hell, whereto it goes. My mother stays :
This physic but prolongs thy fickly days.

[Exit.
The king rises and comes forward.
King. My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;
Words, without thoughts, never to heaven go. [Exit.

& The fo's read foul, which W. alters him but C. so faľn.

P Hent, i. c. hold, seizure. So the Qu's and C. Wły for Ob.

qu's and fo's, (except the last f. which i Instead of bire and salary the qu’s which reads bent, followed by T. H. and read base and felly.

W.) R. and P. read time. c. bine. * Qu's, a for be.

97. reads drunk-afkep. 1 Instead of as, W. reads and.

C. pleasures. m The fo's and R. read frefs.

s So the qu’s. The rest read, Agar D P. and all after him, but C, omit ming, swearing, &c. soda

The 2d and 3d qu's read beele. * No is omitted by P, and all after u This direction first put in by T,

SCENE

WSCENE XI.

* The Queen's Apartment.

Enter Queen and Polonius. Pol. y He will come strait; look, you lay home to hiin; Tell him, his pranks have been too broad to bear with; And that your Grace hath screen'd, and stood between Much heat and him. I'll z silence me even here; Pray you, be round - with him,

* Ham. [within] Mother, mother, mother.--

Queen. I'll o warrant you, fear me not. d Withdraw, I hear him coming:

• [Polonius hides himself behind the arras,

Enter Hamlet,
Ham. Now, mother, what's the matter?
Queen. Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended.
Ham. Mother, you

have
my

father much offended. Queen. Come, coine, you ansver with an idle tongue. Ham. ' Go, go, you question with a 5 wicked tongue.

w This is Scene X. in IV, and 7. of the 3d g, warrant. * The scene first described by R. d H. reads you before wirbdraw; y Qu's, A for H.

and divides the verse in the following 2 H. reads 'Sconce, i.e. cover or secure; manner ;. followed by W.

Queen. I'll warrant you. a The words with kim are omitted by Fear me not : you witburaw, I bear bim the qu's, P. and C.

coming. • This speech of Hamist's is omitted e This direction art given hy R, by the qu's, P. H. and C.

^ The 3d and qih fo's read, Come, gos The ift and 2d qu's read wail : so &c. does S. but neglects giving the reading & The fo's and R. read, idle for mill

6.

QUEET,

of you.

Queen. Why, how now, Hamlet ?
Ham. What's the matter now?
Queen. Have you forgot me ?

Ham. No, by the rood, not so:
5 You are the queen, your husband's brother's wife;
And, would it were not so, you are my mother.

Queen. Nay, then I'll set those to you that can speak.
· Ham. Come, coine, and fit you down; you shall not budge.
You go not, till I set you up a glass
Where you may see the * inmost

part
Queer. What wilt thou do? thou wilt not murther me?
Help, mho!
Pol. What m ho, help!

• [Behind the arras.
Ham. How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead.
Pol. Oh, I am flain,

(Hamlet kills Polonius.
Queen. Oh me, "what haft thou done?
Ham. Nay, I know not: is it the king ?
Queen, Oh, what a rash and bloody deed is this !

Ham. A bloody deed; almost as bad, good mother,
As kill a king and marry with his brother.

Queen. As P kill a king ?

Ham. Ay, lady, it was my word.
Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewel; [To Polon.

h The fo's, R. T. W. and . read, 1 The fo's and R. read, Help, belp, bo.
You are the queen, your busband's brother's Pol. II"bat bo, belp, belp, belp.
wife,

in First and 2d qu's, bow.
But would you were not so. You are my n Firft put in by R.
motber.

• The 3d f. omits wbar.
i The 2d, 3d and 4th fo's omit you, P The 2d, 3d and 4th fo's and R. read

k The qu's read most intead of in. killed. profl.

I took thee for thy ? better; take thy fortune;
Thou find'ft, to be too busy, is fome danger.
Leave wringing of your hands; peace ;

fit
you

down,
And let me wring your heart, for so I hall,
If it be made of penetrable stuff:
If damned cuftoin have not braz'd it so,
That it be proof and bulwark against sense.

Queen, What have I done, that thou dar'ft wag thy tongue Io noise so rude against me ?

Ham. Such an act,
That blurs the grace and blush of modesty;
Calls virtue hypocrite; takes off the rose
From the fair forehead of an innocent love,
And sets a blister there; makes inarriage vows
As false as dicers' paths. Oh such a deed,
As from the body of contraction plucks
The very soul, and sweet religion makes
A rhapsody of words. Heav'n's face doth glow

O'er this folidity and compound mass,
With * heated visage, * as against the doom;
y Is thought-fick, at the act.

Queen. Ay me! what act,

9 So the qu's, P. and C. All the rest read betters.

I So the qu's and C; the rest, is.
s 'The fo's, R. and T. mukes for feis.
• i. e. contrafi, solemn obligation.

u The fo's, R. T. H. J. and C. read yea instead of o'er.

So the qu's; all the reft sifful.

x. 1. reads ard as 'ga'n4, &c.

y P. reads "Tis. Here seems no need of a'tcring the old qu's : they are sense already if rightly pointed. Heav'n glowus upon

ibe carib with beated (angry) vifog', as against the doom; (beaven) is obeugbre fick at ibe cei.

2. That