Put your your dread pleasures more into commaund
Then to intreaty.

Guyl. But we both obey,

And here giue vp our felues in the full bent,
To lay our feruice freely at your feete §.

King. Thankes Rofencraus, and gentle Guyldenfierne,

Quee. Thankes Guyldenfterne, and gentle Rofcencraus. And I beseech you inftantly to vifite

My too much changed fonne: goe fome of you-
And bring thefe gentlemen where Hamlet is.

Guyl. Heauens make our prefence and our practices
Pleafant and helpfull to him.

Quee. I amen.

Exeunt Rof. and Guyld.

Enter Polonius.

Pol. Th'embaffadors from Norway my good lord,

Are ioyfully returnd.

King. Thou still haft beene the father of good newes.
Pol. Haue I my lord? I affure my good liege

I hold my duty as I hold my foule.

Both to my God, and to my gracious king;
And I doe thinke, or elfe this braine of mine
Hunts not the trayle of policie so sure

As it hath vfd to doe, that I have found

The very cause of Hamlets lunacy,

King. O fpeake of that, that do I long to heare.
Polo. Giue firft admittance to th' embassadors,

My newes shall be the frute to that great feast,

King. Thy felfe doe grace to them, and bring them in. He tells me my decree +: Gertrud he hath found The head and fource of all your fonnes diftemper.

§ to be commanded. This is added from the first edition. † dear.

Quee

Quee. I doubt it is no other but the maine, His fathers death, and our hafty marriage.

Enter embajadors.

King. Well, we fhall fift him, welcome my good friends, Say Voltemand, what from our brother Norway? Volte. Moft faire returne of greetings and defires;

Vpon our first, he fent out to fuppreffe

His nephews leuies, which to him appeared
To be a preparation gainst the Pollacke,
But better lookt into, he truly found
It was against your highneffe, whereat greeu'd
That fo his fickneffe, age, and impotence
Was falfely borne in hand, fends out arrefts
On Fortenbraffe, which he in breefe obeyes,
Receiues rebuke from Norway, and in fine,
Makes vow before his vncle, neuer more

To giue th'affay of armes against your maiesty:
Whereon old Norway ouercome with ioy,

Giués him threescore thousand crownes in anuall fee,
And his commiffion to imploy thofe fouldiers,
So leuied (as before) against the Pollacke,
With an entreaty herein further fhone,
That it might please you to giue quiet passe
Through your dominions for this enterprise
On fuch regards of fafety and allowance
As therein are set downe.

King. It likes vs well,

And at our more confidered time, wee'le read,

Anfwer, and thinke vpon this bufines:

Meane time, we thanke you for your well tooke labour,

Goe to your reft, at night weele feaft together,

Moft welcome home.

Pol. This bufines is well ended, My liege and maddam, to expostulate

Exeunt embaladors,

What

What maiefty fhould be, what duety is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to wast night, day, and time,
Therefore breuity is the foule of wit,

And tedioufnes the limmes and outward florishes :
I will be breefe your noble fonne is mad :
Mad call I it, for to define true madnes,
What ift but to be nothing elfe but mad?
But let that goe.

Quee. More matter with leffe art.

Pol. Maddam, I fweare I vfe no art at all,
That hee's mad tis true, tis true, tis pitty,
And pitty tis, tis true, a foolish figure,
But farewell it, for I will vfe no art,

Mad let vs grant him then, and now remaines
That we find out the caufe of this effect,
Or rather fay the cause of this defect
For this effect defectiue comes by caufe:
Thus it remaines and the remainder thus
Perpend,

I haue a daughter, haue while fhe is mine,
Who in her duety and obedience, marke,
Hath giuen me this, now gather and furmife,

To the celestiall and * my foules idol, the most beautified Ophelia, that's an ill phrafe, a vile phrafe, beautified is a vile phrafe, but you shall heare: thus in her excellent white bofome, thefe &c.

Quee. Came this from Hamlet to her?

Pol. Good maddam ftay awhile, I will be faithfull.

and omitted.

LETTER.

LETTER.

Doubt that the ftarres are fire,

Doubt that the funne doth mooue,
Doubt truth to be a lyer,

But neuer doubt I loue.

O deere Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers, I haue not art to recken my groanes, but that I loue thee beft, oh most beft beleeue it! adew. Thine euermore moft deare lady, whilst this machine is to him. Hamlet.

Pol. This in obedience hath my daughter fhown me,

And more about hath * his folicitings

As they fell out by time, by meanes, and place,

All giuen to mine eare.

King. But how hath the receiu'd his loue?

Pol. What doe you thinke of me?

King. As of a man faithfull and honorable.

Pol. I would faine proue fo, but what might you thinke When I had feene this hot loue on the wing?

As I perceiu'd it (I must tell you that)

Before my daughter told me, what might you,
Or my deare maiefty your queene heere thinke,
If I had plaid the defke, or table booke,
Or giuen my heart a working mute and dumbe,
Or lookt vppon this loue with idle fight,

What might you thinke? no, I went round to worke,
And my yong miftreffe this + I did befpeake,

Lord Hamlet is a prince out of thy ftarre +

This must not bee: and then I prefcripts § gaue her.
That the fhould locke her felfe from his refort,

• baue. ttbus.

Sphere.

§ precepts.

Iber.

Admit no messengers, receiue no tokens.
Which done she tooke the fruites of my aduife,
And hee repel'd. A fhort tale to make,
Fell into a fadnes, then into a fast,

Thence to a watch, thence into a weakenesse,
Thence to lightnes, and by this declenfion,
Into the madnes wherein now he raues,
And all wee mourne for.

King. Doe you thinke this †?

Quee. It may bee very like ‡.

Pol. Hath there beene fuch a time, I would faine know that, That I haue pofitiuely faid, tis fo,

When it prou'd otherwise ?

King. Not that I know.

Pol. Take this, from this, if this be otherwise;

If circumftances leade mee, I will find

Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeede

Within the center.

King. How may wee try it forther?

Pol. You know fometimes hee walkes foure houres together

Heere in the lobby.

Quee. Soe he does indeede.

Pol. At fuch a time; Ile loofe my daughter to him,

Be you and I behind an arras then,

Marke the encounter, if he loue her not,

And bee not from his reafon falne thereon

Let me be no affiftant for a state

But keepe a farme and carters.

King. Wee will trye it.

Enter Hamlet.

Quee. But looke where fadly the poore wretch comes reading. Pol. Away, I doe befeech you both away.

Exit King and Quee.

§ to a. t'tis this.

likely.

the