Lar. It well appeares: but tell me As by your fafety, greatnes, wifdome, all things els, King. O for two speciall reasons Which may to you perhaps feeme much vnfinnow'd, Laer. And fo haue It a noble father loft, For her perfections, but my reuenge will come. King. Breake not your fleepes for that, you must not thinke That we are made of stuffe fo flat and dull, Thatwe can let our berd be shooke with danger, And thinke it pastime, you shortly shall heare more, I lou'd I lou'd your father, and we loue our felfe, Enter a meffenger with letters. Meffe. Thefe to your maiefty, this to the queene. Meffe. Saylers my lord they fay, I faw them not, King. Laertes you fhall heare them: leaue vs. High and mighty, you shall know I am fet naked on your kingdome, to morrow fhall I begge leaue to fee your kingly eyes, when I shall, first asking your pardon, there-vnto recount the occafion of my fuddaine returne. King. What fhould this meane, are all the rest come backe, Or is it fome abufe, and no fuch thing? Laer. Know you the hand? King. Tis Hamlets caracter. Naked, And in a poftfcript here he faies alone, Can you deuife me? Laer. I am loft in it my lord, but let him come, It warmes the very ficknes in my heart That I liue and tell him to his teeth, Thus didft thou. King. If it be fo Laertes, As how should it be fo, how otherwife, Will you be rul'd by me? Laer. I my lord, fo you will not ore-rule me to a peace. King. To thine owne peace, if he be now returned, As liking not his voyage, and that he meanes, No more to vnder take it, I will worke him To an exployt, now ripe in my deuise, Vnder the which he shall not choose but fall: Laer. My lord I will be rul'd, The rather if you could deuife it fo That I might be the organ. King. It falls right, You haue beene talkt of fince your trauaile much, Laer. What part is that my lord? King. A very riband* in the cap of youth, I haue feene my felfe, and feru'd against the French, Come short of what he did. Laer. A Norman wast? King. A Norman. Laer. Vpon my life Lamord. King. The very fame. ❤ribaud. Laer. Laer. I know him, well he is the brooch indeed And iem of all the nation. King. He made confeffion of you, And gaue you fuch a maifterly report For art and exercise in your defence, And for your rapier most especiall, That he cryd out t'would be a fight indeed If one could match you; the fcrimers * of their nation He fwore had neither motion, guard, nor eye, If you oppos'd them; fir this report of his That he could nothing do, but wish and beg Laer. What out of this my lord? King. Laertes was your father, deere to you? Or are you like the painting of a forrowe, A face without a heart? Laer. Why afke you this? King. Not that I thinke you did not loue your father, But that I know, loue is begunne by time, And that I fee in paffages of proofe, Time qualifies the fparke and fire of it, A kind of weeke or fnuffe that will abate it, For goodnes growing to a plurifie, Dies in his owne too much, that we would doe We should doe when wee would: for this would changes, And hath abatements and delayes as many, As there are tongues, are hands, are accedents, Hamlet comes back what would you vndertake Laer. To cut his throat i'th church. King. No place indeede fhould murther fanctuarize, The Frenchman gaue you bring you in in fine together Laer. I will doo't, And for the purpofe, Ile annoynt my fword. With this contagion, that if I gall him flightly, it may be death. King. Lets further thinke of this. Wey what conueiance both of time and meanes May fit vs to our fhape if this should fayle, And that our drift looke through our bad performance, If this did blaft in proofe; foft let me fee, Wee'le |