Ham. Heare you fir,

What is the reafon that you vse me thus ?
I lou'd you euer, but it is no matter,

Let Hercules himfelfe doe what he may

The cat will mew, a* dogge will haue his day.

Exit Hamlet, and Horatio.

King. I pray thee good Horatio waite vpon him.
Strengthen your patience in our last nights speech,
Weele put the matter to the prefent push:
Good Gertrard fet fome watch ouer your fonne,
This graue fhall haue a liuing monument,
An houre of quiet thereby fhall we fee
Tell then in patience our proceeding be.

Enter Hamlet and Horatio.

Exeunt.

Ham. So much for this fir, now fhall you fee the other, You doe remember all the circumftance.

Hor. Remember it my lord.

Ham. Sir in my heart there was a kind of fighting

That would not let me fleepe, me thought I lay
Worfe then the mutines in the bilbo's, rafhly,

And prayfd be rafhnes for it: let vs know,

Our indifcretion fometime ferues vs well

When our deepe plots doe fall, and that should learne vs
Ther's a diuinity that fhapes our ends,

Rough hew them how we will.

Hora. That is moft certaine.

Ham. Vp from my cabin,

My fea-gowne fcarft about me in the darke
Gropt I to find out them, had my defire,
Fingard their packet, and in fine with drew
To mine owne roome againe, making fo bold

* and.

My

My feares forgetting manners to vnfold
Their graund commiffion; where I found Horatio
A royall knauery, an exact command

Larded with many feuerall forts of reafons,
Importing Denmarkes health, and Englands to,
With hoe fuch bugges and goblins in my life,
That on the fuperuife no leafure bated,
No not to stay the grinding of the axe,
My head fhould be ftrooke off.

Hora. I'ft poffible?

Ham, Heeres the commiffion, read it at more leafure,

But wilt thou heare now how I did proceed.

Hora. I befeech you.

Ham. Being thus be-netted round with villaines,

Or I could make a prologue to my braines,
They had begunne the play, I fat me downe,
Deuifd a new commiffion, wrote it faire,

I once did hold it as our statists doe

A basenesse to write faire, and labourd much
How to forget that learning, but fir now
It did me yemans feruice, wilt thou know
Th'effect of what I wrote ?

Hora. I good my lord.

Ham. An earneft coniuration from the king,

As England was his faithful tributary,

As loue betweene them like the palme might florish,
As peace should still her wheaten garland weare,
And ftand a comma tweene their amities,
And many fuch like, as fir of great charge,
That on the view, and knowing of thefe contents,
Without debatement further more or leffe,

He should thofe bearers put to fuddaine death,
Not fhriuing time alow'd.

Hera. How was this feald?

Ham. Why euen in that was heauen ordinant, I had my fathers fignet in my purse

Which was the model of that Danifb feale,

Folded the writ vp in the forme of th' other,
Subfcrib'd it, gau't th' impreffion, plac'd it fafely,
The changling neuer knowne: now the next day
Was our fea-fight, and what to this was fequent
Thou knowest already.

Hora. So Guyldenfterne and Rofencraus goe too't.
Ham. They are not neere my confcience; their defeat
Dooes by their owne infinution growe,

Tis dangerous when the bafer nature comes
Betweene the paffe and fell incenced poynts
Of mighty oppofits.

Hora. Why what a king is this!

Ham. Dooes it not thinke thee ftand me now vppon?
Hee that hath kild my king, and whor'd my mother,
Pop't in betweene the election and my hopes,
Throwne out his angle for my proper life,

And with fuch cofnage, i'ft not perfect confcience?

Enter a courtier.

Cour. Your lord hippe is right welcome backe to Denmarke. Ham. I humbly thanke you fir.

Doo'ft know this water-fly?

Hora. No my good lord.

Ham. Thy ftate is the more gratious, for tis a vice to know him. He hath much land and fertill: let a beaft be lord of beafts, and his crib fhall ftand at the kings melle, tis a chough, but as I fay, fpacious in the poffeffion of durt.

Cour. Sweet lord, if your lordshippe were at leasure, I should impart a thing to you from his maicfty.

• fubfcribe

Ham.

Ham. I will receiue it fir with all dilligence of fpirrit, your bonnet to his right vfe, tis for the head.

Cour. I thanke your lordship, it is very hot.

Ham. No beleeue me, tis very cold, the wind is northerly.
Cour. It is indifferent cold my lord indeed.

Ham. But yet me thinkes it is very foultry* and hot, or my complexion.

Cour. Exceedingly my lord, it is very foultry, as t'were I cannot tell how my lord his maiefty bad me fignifie to you, that a has layed a great wager on your head, fir this is the

matter.

Ham. I beseech you remember.

Cou. Nay good my lord for my ease in good faith, fir here is newly come to court Laertes, beleeue me an absolute gentlema, full of moft excellent differences, of very foft fociety, and great showing: indeede to fpeake feelingly ‡ of him, he is the card or kalendar of gentry: for you shall finde in him the continent of what part a gentleman would fee.

Ham. Sir, his definement fuffers no perdition in you, though I know to devide him inuentorially, would dizzie th' arithmeticke of memory, and yet but raw neither, in respect of his quick faile, but in the verity of extolment, I take him to be a foule of greate article, and his infufion of fuch dearth and rareneffe, ns to make true dixion of him, his femblable is his mirrour, and who els would trace him, his vmbrage, nothing

more.

Cour. Your lordship speakes most infallibly of him.

Ham. The concernancy fir, why do wee wrap the gentleman in our more rawer breath?

Cour. Sir.

Hora. Ift not poffible to vnderstand in another tongue, you will doo't fir really.

Ham. What imports the nomination of this gentleman ?

fully, fellingly. tas

Cour.

Cour. Of Laertes.

Hora. His purfe is empty already, all's golden words are fpent.

Ham. Of him fir.

Cour. I know you are not ignorant.

Ham. I would you did fir, yet in fayth if you did, it would not much approoue me, well fir.

Cour. You are + ignorant of what excellence Laertes is.

Ham. I dare not confeffe that, leaft I fhould compare with him in excellence, but to know a man well, were to know himselfe.

Cour. I meane fir for this weapon, but in the imputation layd on him by them in his meed, hee's vnfellowed.

Ham. What's his weapon?

Cour. Rapiar and dagger.

Ham. That's two of his weapons, but well.

Cour. The king fir hath wagerd with him fix Barbary horfes against the which he has impaund as I take it fix French rapiers and poynards, with their affignes, as girdle, hanger and fo. Three of the cariages in faith, are very deare to fancy, very refponfiue to the hilts, moft dilicate carriages, and of very liberall conceit.

Ham. What call you the carriages?

Hora. I knew you must be edified by the margent ere you had done.

Cour. The carriage fir are the hangers.

Ham. The phrafe would be more german to the matter if wee could carry a cannon by our fides, I would it might be hangers till then, but on, fix Barbary horses against six French fwords their affignes, and three liberall conceited carriages, that's the French bet against the Danish, why is this all you call it ?

Cour. The king fir, hath laid fir, that in a dozen paffes be

+ are not.

tweene