accufe mee of fuch things, that it were better my mother had not borne mee: I am very proude, reuengefull, ambitious, with more offences at my becke, then I haue thoughts to put them in, imaginatiō to giue them fhape, or time to act them in: what should such fellowes as I do crauling betweene earth and heauen? we are arrant knaues, beleeue none of vs. Go thy waies to a nunry. Wher's your father.

Ophe. At home my lord.

Ham. Let the doers be shut vpon him,

That he may play the foole no where but in's owne house,
Farewell.

Ophe. O helpe him you fweet heauens.

Ham. If thou dooft marry, Ile giue thee this plage* for thy dowrie, be thou as chaft as yce, as pure as fnow, thou shalt not escape calumny get thee to a nunry, farewell. Or if thou wilt needs marry, marry a foole, for wife men know well enough what monfters you make of them: to a nunry goe, and quickly to, farwell.

Ophe. Heauenly powers restore him.

Ham. I haue heard of your paintings well enough, God hath giuen you one face, and you make your felfes another, you gig and amble, and you lift you nickname Gods creaturs, and make your wantonnes ignorance; goe to, Ile no more on't, it hath made me madde, I fay we will haue no mo marriage, thofe that are married already, all but one fhal liue, the reft shall keepe as they are: to a nunry go. Exit.

Ophe. O what a noble mind is heere othrowne !
The courtiers, fouldiers, fchollers, eye, tongue, fword,
Th' expectation, and rofe of the faire state,
The glaffe of fashion, and the mould of forme,
Th' obferu'd of all obferuers, quite, quite downe,
And I of ladies moft deiect and wretched,

That fuckt the huny of his mufickt ‡ vowes;

• plague.

mufick.

Now

Now fee what noble and moft foueraigne reason
Like fweete bells iangled out of time, and harsh,

*

That unmatcht forme, and ftature of blowne youth
Blafted with extacy. O wo is me

T'haue feene what I haue feene, fee what I fee.

Enter King and Polonius.

King. Loue his affections doe not that way tend,
Nor what he spake, though it lackt forme a little,
Was not like madnes; there's fomething in his foule
Ore which his melancholy fits on brood,

And I doe doubt, the hatch and the difclofe
Will be fome danger; which for to preuent,
I haue in quick determination

Thus fet downe: he fhall with speed to England,
For the demaund of our neglected tribute,

Haply the feas, and countries different,
With variable obiects, fhall expell

This fomething fetled matter in his hart,
Whereon his braines ftill beating

Puts him thus from fafhion of himfelfe.

What tinke you on't?

Pol. It fhall doe well.

Exit.

But yet doe I beleeue the origen and comencement of it +
Sprung from neglected loue: how now Ophelia ?

You neede not tell vs what lord Hamlet faid,
We heard it all my lord, doe as you please,
But if you hold it fit, after the play.
Let his queene-mother all alone intreate him,
To fhow his griefe, let her be round with him,
And Ile be plac'd (so please you) in the eare
Of all their conference: if fhe find him not,

* unmarch'd. + fet it.

bis griefe.

То

To England fend him or confine him where
Your wifedome best shall thinke.

King. It fhall be fo,

Madnes in great ones muft not vnmatcht goe.

Enter Hamlet and three of the players.

Exeunt.

Ham. Speake the fpeech I pray you as I pronoun'd it to you, trippingly on the tongue, but if you mouth it as many of our players do, I had as liue the towne cryer spoke my lines, nor doe not faw the aire too much with your hand thus, but vfe all gently, for in the very torrent tempeft, and as I may fay whirlwind of your paffion, you must acquire and beget a temperance, that may giue it fmoothneffe, O it offends me to the foule, to heare a robuftious perwig-patd fellowe tere a paffion to totters, to very rags, to fpleet the eares of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumbe fhewes, and noyfe: I would haue fuch a fellow whipt for ore-dooing Termagant, it out Herods Herod, pray you auoyde it.

Play. I warrant your honour.

Ham. Be not too tame neither, but let your owne difcretion bee your tutor, fute the action to the word, the word to the action, with this fpeciall obferuance, that you ore-steppe not the modefty of nature: for any thing fo ore-doone, is from the purpose of playing, whofe end both at the firft, and now, was and is, to hold as twere the mirrour vp to nature, to shew vertue her feature; fcorne her own image, and the very age and body of the time his forme and preffure : now this ouerdone, or come trady off, though it makes the vnfkilfull laugh, cannot but make the iudicious greeue, the cenfure of ,which one, muft in your allowance ore-weigh a whole theater of others. O there bee players that I haue feene play, and ↑ tardy.

VOL. IV.

heard

heard others prayfd, and that highly, not to fpeake it prophanely, that neither hauing th' accent of Chriftians, nor the gate of Chriftian, Pagan, nor man, haue so strutted and bellowed, that I haue thought fome of natures ionrnemen had made men, and not made them well, they imitated humanity fo abominably.

Play. I hope we haue reform'd that indifferently with vs.

Ha. O reforme it altogether, and let thofe that play your clownes fpeake no more then is fet downe for them, for there be of them that will themfelues laugh, to fet on fome quantity of barraine fpectators to laugh to, though in the meane time, fome neceffary queftion of the play be then to be confidered: that's villanous, and fhewes a moft pittifull ambition in the foole that vfes it goe make you ready. How now my lord, will the king heare this peece of worke?

Enter Polonius, Guyldenfterne, and Rofencraus.

Pol. And the queene to, and that presently.

Ham. Bid the plaiers make haft. Wil you two help to haften them.

Rof. I my lord.

Ham. What how, Horatio.

Enter Horatio.

Hora. Heere fwcete lord, at your feruice.
Ham. Horatio, thou art een as iuft a man

As ere my conuerfation copt withail.

Hora. O my deere lord.

Ham. Nay, do not thinke I flatter,

For what aduancement may I hope from thee

That no reuenew haft but thy good spirits

Exeunt thofe true.

To feede and cloathe thee, why should the poore be flattred? No, let the candied tongue lick obfurd pompe,

And crooke the pregnant hinges of the knee

Where thrift may follow fauning, doost thou heare,

Since my deere foule was miftris of her choyce,
And could of men distinguish her election

S'hath feald thee for her felfe, for thou haft beene
As one in fuffering all that fuffers nothing,
A man that fortunes buffets and rewards

Haft tane with equall thankes; and bleft are those
Whose bloud and iudgement are fo well comedled,
That they are not a pipe for fortunes finger

To found what stoppe fhee please: giue me that man
That is not paffions flaue, and I will weare him
In my hearts core, I in my heart of heart
As I do thee. Something too much of this,
There is a play to night before the king,
One scene of it comes neere the circumftance
Which I haue told thee of my fathers death,
I prethee when thou feeft that act a foote,
Euen with the very comment of thy foule
Obferue my vncle, if his occulted guilt
Doe not itselfe vnkennill in one fpeech,
It is a damned ghost that wee haue seene,
And my imaginations are as foule
As Vulcans ftithy; giue him heedfull note
For I mine eyes will riuet to his face,

And after wee will both our iudgements ioyne
In cenfure of his feeming.

Hora. Well my lord,

If a steale ought the whilft this play is playing

And fcape detected, I will pay the theft.

J.

Enter trumpets and kettle drummes, King, Queene, Polonius

Ophelia.

Ham. They are comming to the play. I must be idle,

Get you a place.

King. How fares our coufin Hamlet ?

Ham.