Nor cuftomary futes of folemne black,
Nor windie fufpiration of forst breath,
No, nor the fruitfull riuer in the eye,
Nor the deiected hauior of the vifage,

Together with all formes, moodes, fhapes of griefe
That can deuote + me truely, these indeed feeme,
For they are actions that a man might play,
But I haue that within which paffes fhowe,
Thefe but the trappings and the fuites of woe.

King. Tis fweete and commendable in your nature
Hamlet,

To giue thefe mourning duties to your father,
But you must know your father loft a father,
That father loft, loft his, and the furuiuer bound
In filliall obligation for fome tearme
To doe obfequious forrowes, but to perfeuer
In obftinate condolement, is a course

Of impious ftubborneffe, tis vnmanly griefe,
It showes a will most incorrect to heauen,
A hart vnfortified, or minde impatient.
An vnderstanding fimple and vnfchoold,
For what we know must be, and is as common
As any the most vulgar thing to fence,
Why should we in our peeuith oppofition
Take it to hart, fie, tis a fault to heauen,
A fault against the dead, a fault to nature,
To reafon moft abfurd, whofe common theame
Is death of fathers, and who ftill hath cryed
From the first courfe t, till he that dyed to day
This must be fo: we pray you throw to earth
This vnpreuailing woe, and thinke of vs
As of a father, for let the world take note
You are the most imediate to our throne,

And with no leffe nobility of loue

Then that which dearest father beares his fonne,
Doe I impart toward you for your intent,
In going back to schoole to Wittenberg,
It is most retrogard* to our defire,
And we beseech you bend you to remaine
Heere in the cheare and comfort of our eye,
Our chiefest courtier, cofin, and our fonne.

Quee. Let not thy mother loose her prayers Hamlet,
I pray thee stay with vs, goe not to Wittenberg.
Ham. I fhall in all my best obay you madam.
King. Why tis a louing and a faire reply,
Be as our felfe in Denmarke, madam come,
This gentle and vnforc'd accord of Hamlet
Sits fmiling to my heart, in grace whereof,
No iocond health that Denmarke drinkes to day,
But the great cannon to the clowdes shall tell.
And the kings rowfe the heauen fhall brute againe,
Refpeaking earthly thunder; come away.

Florib. Exeunt all but Hamleti

Ham. O that this too too fallied flesh would melt,

Thaw and refolue it felfe into a dew,

Or that the euerlafting had not fixt

His cannon gainst seale + flaughter, ô God, God,
How wary, ftale, flat, and vnprofitable

Seeme to me all the vses of this world?

Fie on't, ah fie, tis an vnweeded garden,

That growes to feed, things ranck and grose in nature,

Poffeffe it meerely that it fhould come thus

But two months dead, nay not fo much, not two,

So excellent a king, that was to this

Hyperion to a fatire, fo louing to my mother,

That he might not beteeme

the winds of heauen

• retrograde.

tfelf.

§ let c'en.

N 2

Vifit

Vifit her face too roughly: heauen and earth.
Muft I remember, why the fhould hang on him
As if increase of appetite had growne

By what it fed on, and yet within a month,
Let me not thinke on't; frailty thy name is woman

A little month. On ere thofe fhooes were old
With which the followed my poore fathers body
Like Niobe all teares, why fhe

O God! a beast that wants discourse of reafon
Would haue mourn'd longer, married with my vncle,
My fathers brother, but no more like my father
Then I to Hercules, within a month,

Ere yet the falt of most vnrighteous teares
Had left the flushing in her gauled eyes
She married oh! most wicked speed; to post
With fuch dexterity to incestious sheetes,
It is not, nor it cannot come to good,

But breake my heart for I must hold my tongue.

Enter Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo.

Hora. Haile to your lordshippe.

Ham. I am glad to fee you well; Horatio, or I do forget my felfe.

Hora. The fame my lord, and your poore feruant euer. Ham. Sir my good friend, Ile change that name with you, And what make you from Wittenberg Horatio?

Marcellus.

Mar. My good lord.

Ham. I am very glad to see you, (good euen fir)
But what in faith make you from Wittenberg?
Hora. A truant difpofition good my lord.
Ham. I would not heare your enemie fay fo,
Nor fhall you do my eare that violence

Το

To make it truster of your owne report
Against your selfe, I know you are no truant,
But what is your affaire in Elfonoure?

Weele teach you for to drinke ere you depart.

Hora. My lord, I came to fee your fathers funerall.
Ham. I prethee doe not mocke me fellow ftudent,
I thinke it was to my mothers wedding.

Hora. Indeed my lord it followed hard vpon.

Ham. Thrift, thrift, Horatio, the funerall bak't meates
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables,
Would I had met my dearest foe in heauen
Or euer I had feene that day Horatio.

Ham. In my mindes eye Horatio.

Hora. I faw him once, a was a goodly king.
Ham. A was a man take him for all in all

I fhall not looke vpon his like againe.

Hora. My lord I thinke I faw him yesternight.
Ham. Saw, who?

Hora. My lord the king your father.

Ham. The king my father?

Hora. Seafon your admiration for a while

With an attentiue eare till I may deliuer
Vpon the witneffe of these gentlemen

This maruaile to you.

Ham. For Gods loue let me heare?

Hora. Two nights together had thefe gentlemen
Marcellus, and Barnardo, on their watch,

In the dead waft † and middle of the night
Beene thus incountred, a figure like your father
Armed at poynt, exactly Cap apea

Appeares before them, and with folemne march,

Goes flowe and stately by them; thrice he walkt
By their oppreft and feare furprised eyes,

Within this tronchions length, whilft they diftil'd
Almost to gelly, with the act of feare

Stand dumbe and fpeake not to him; this to me,
In dreadfull fecrecy impart they did,

And I with them the third night kept the watch,
Whereas they had deliuered both in time,

Forme of the thing, each word made true and good,
The apparifion comes: I knew your father,

Thefe hands are not more like,

Ham. But where was this?

Mar. My lord vpon the platforme where wee watcht,
Ham. Did you not fpeake to it?

Nora. My lord I did,

But answer made it none, yet once mee thought
It lifted
vp it *head and did addreffe

It felfe to motion, like as it would fpeake:

But euen then the morning cock crew loude,
And at the found it fhruncke in hast away
And vanisht from our fight.

Ham. Tis very strange.

Hora. As I doe liue my honor'd lord tis true And wee did thinke it writ downe in our duety To let you know of it.

Ham. Indeede firs but this troubles me, Hold you the watch to night?

All. Wee doe my lord.

Ham. Arm'd fay you?

All. Arm'd my lord.

Ham. From top to toe?

All. My lord from head to foote.
Haw. Then faw you not his face ?

bis.

its.

Hcra.