Antiquity forgot, custome not knownę,
The ratifiers and props of euery word,
The cry choose we, Laertes shall be king,
Caps, hands and tongues applau'd it to the clouds,
Laertes fhall be king, Laertes king.

Que. How cheerefully on the falfe traile they cry.

O this is counter, you falfe Danish dogges.

Enter Laertes with others.

King. The doores are broke.

A noife within.

Laer. Where is this king? firs ftand you all without.
All. No lets come in.

Laer. I pray you giue mee leaue.

All. We will, we will.

Laer. I thanke you: keepe the doore, O thou vile king, Giue me my father.

Quee. Calmely good Laertes.

Laer. That drop of blood thats calme proclaimes me bastard,

Cries cuckold to my father, brands the harlot

Euen heere betweene the chaft vnfmerched browe

Of my true mother.

King. What is the caufe Laertes

That thy rebellion lookes fo giant-like ?

Let him goe Gertrard, do not feare our perfon,
There's fuch diuinity doth hedge a king,

That treafon cannot peepe to what it would,

Act's little of his will, tell me Laertes

Why thou art thus incenft, let him goe Gertrard,
Speake man.

Laer. Where is my father?

King. Dead.

Quee. But not by him.

King. Let him demaund his fill.

Laer. How came he dead? Ile not be iugled with,
To hell alegiance, vowes to the blackeft diuell,
Confcience and grace, to the profoundest pit
I dare damnation, to this poynt I ftand,
That both the worlds I giue to negligence,
Let come what comes, onely I'le be reuengd
Moft throughly for my father.

King. Who fhall stay you ?

Laer. My will, not all the worlds:

And for my meanes Ile hufband them fo well,

The fhall go farre with little.

King. Good Laertes, if you defire to know the the certainty Of your deere father, i'ft writ in your reuenge,

That foope-ftake, you will draw both friend and foe

Winner and loofer.

Laer. None but his enemies.

King. Will you know them then?

Laer. To his good friends thus wide I'le ope my armes, And like the kind life-rendering pelican,

Repast them with my blood.

King. Why now you speake

Like a good child and a true gentleman.
That I am guiltleffe of your fathers death,
And am moft fencible in griefe for it,
It fhall as leuell to your iudgement peare
As day dooes to your eye.

A noyfe within.

Enter Ophelia.

Laer. Let her come in.

How now what noyfe is that?

O heate, dry vp my braines, tearcs feauentimes falt
Burne out the fence and vertue of mine eye.

By heauen thy madnes fhall be payd with weight
Till our scale turne the beame. O rofe of May,
Deere mayd, kind fifter, fweet Ophelia,

O heauens, ift poffible a young maids wits
Should be as mortall as a poore mans life!

SONG.

Ophe. They bore him bare-fac'd on the beere,

And in his graue rain'd many a teare,

Fare you well my doue.

Laer. Hadft thou thy wits, and did'ft perfwade reuenge It could not mooue thus.

Ophe. You must fing a downe a downe,

And you call him a downe a. O how the wheele becomes it, It is the falle steward that ftole his maifters daughter,

Laer. This nothing's more then matter.

Ophe. There's rofemary, that for remembrance, pray you loue remember, and there is pancies, thats for thoughts. Laer. A document in madnes, thoughts and remembrance fitted.

Ophe. There's fennill for you, and colembines, there's rewe for you, and heere's fome for me, we may call it herbe of grace a Sondaies, you may weare your rewe with a difference, there's a dafie, I would giue you fome violets, but they witherd all when my father dyed, they say a made a good end. For bonny fweet Robin is all my ioy.

Laer. Thought and afflictions, paffion, hell it felfe She turnes to fauour and to prettineffe.

SONG.

Ophe. And will a not come againe,

And will a not come againe,

No, no, he is dead, goe to thy death bed,
He neuer will come againe.

His beard was as white as fnow,

Flaxen was his pole,

He is gone, he is gone, and we caft away mone,
God a mercy on his foule, and all chriftians foules,
God buy your

Laer. Doe you this O God.

King. Laertes, I must commune with your griefe,
Or you deney me right, goe but a part,

Make choice of whome your wifest friends you will,
And they shall heare and iudge twixt you and me,
If by direct or by colaturall hand

They find vs toucht, we will our kindome giue,
Our crowne, our life, and all that we call ours
To you in fatisfaction; but if not,

Be you content to lend your patience to vs,
And we shall ioyntly labour with your foule
To giue it due content.

Laer. Let this be fo.

His meanes of death, his obscure funerall,
No trophæ, fword, nor hachment ore his bones,
No noble right, nor formall oftentation,

Cry to be heard as twere from heauen to earth,
That I must call't in question.

Kin. So you fhall,

And where th' offence is, let the great axe fall.

I pray you goe with me.

Enter Horatio and others.

Exeunt.

Hora. What are they that would speake with me?
Gen. Sea-faring men fir, they say they haue letters for you.
Hora. Let them come in.

I doe not know from what part of the world

I should be greeted. If not from lord Hamlet.

Enter Saylers.

Say. God bleffe you fir.

Hora. Let him bleffe thee to.

Say. A fhall fir and pleafe him, there's a letter for you fir, it came from th' embaffador that was bound for England, if your name bee Horatio, as I am let to know it is.

:

Hor. Horatio, when thou fhalt haue over-look't this, giue thefe fellowes fome meanes to the king, they haue letters for him ere wee were two daies old at fea, a pyrat of very warlike appointment gave vs chafe, finding our felues too flow of faile, we put on a compeiled valour, and in the grapple I boorded them, on the inftant they got cleere of our fhip, fo I alone became their prifoner, they haue dealt with me like theeues of mercy, but they knew what they did: I am to doe a turne for them, let the king haue the letters I haue fent, and repayre thou to mee with as much speed as thou wouldft fly death. I haue words to fpeake in thine eare wil make thee dumbe, yet are they much too light for the bord of the matter, thefe good fellowes will bring thee where I am, Rofencraus and Guilderfterne hold their courfe for England, of them I haue much to tell thee, farwell.

So that thou knoweft thine Hamlet.

Hora. Come I will make you way for thefe your letters, And doo't the fpeedier that you may direct me

To him from whome you brought them.

Enter King and Laertes.

Exeunt.

King. Now muft your confcience my acquittance feale,

And you must put me in your heart for friend,
Sith you haue heard and with a knowing eare,
That he which hath your noble father flaine
Purfued my life.

Laer.