وم Ecstacy! Is very cunning in Queen. O Hamlet! thou hast cleft my heart in twain. And live the purer with the other half. That monster, custom, who all sense doth eat Of habit's devil, is angel yet in this; To the next abstinence: the next more easy; [Pointing to Polonius. Ham. Not this, by no means, that I bid you do: Or paddling in your neck with his damn'd fingers, But mad in craft. "Twere good, you let him know: Let the birds fly; and, like the famous ape, Queen. Be thou assur'd, if words be made of breath And breath of life, I have no life to breathe What thou hast said to me. Ham. I must to England; you know that? I had forgot; 'tis so concluded on. Alack, Ham. There's letters seal'd: and my two schoolfellows. Whom I will trust, as I will adders fang'd,- They bear the mandate; they must sweep my way, I'll lug the guts into the neighbour room: [Exeunt severally; Hamlet dragging in Polonius. w ACT IV. SCENE I-The same. Enter King, Queen, Rosen crantz, and Guildenstern. King. THERE'S matter in these sighs; these profound heaves; You must translate: 'tis fit we understand them: Queen. Bestow this place on us a little while.- Ah, my good lord, what have I seen to-night! To you yourself, to us, to every one. Alas! how shall this bloody deed be answer'd? It will be laid to us, whose providence Should have kept short, restrain'd, and out of haunt Shows itself pure; he weeps for what is done. King. O, Gertrude, come away! The sun no sooner shall the mountains touch, Transports his poison'd shot.-may miss our nature, 874 And hit the woundless air.-O come away! My soul is full of discord, and dismay. [Exeunt. SCENE IL-Another Room in the same. Enter Hamlet. Ham-Safely stowed,-[Ros. &c. within. Hamlet! lord Hamlet !] But soft,-what noise? who calls on Hamlet? O, here they come. Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Ham. A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king; and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm. King. What dost thou mean by this? Ham. Nothing, but to show you how a king may ge a progress through the guts of a beggar. King. Where is Polonius? Ham. In heaven; send thither to see: if your mes senger find him not there, seek him i'the other place Ros. What have you done, my lord, with the dead yourself. But, indeed, if you find him not within this body? Ham. Compounded it with dust, whereto 'tis kip. Ros. Tell us where 'tis; that we may take it thence, And bear it to the chapel. Ham. Do not believe it. Ros. Believe what? Ham. That I can keep your counsel, and not mine own. Besides, to be demanded of a sponge !-what replication should be made by the son of a king? Ros. Take you me for a sponge, my lord? Ham. Ay, sir; that soaks up the king's countenance, his rewards, his authorities. But such officers do the king best service in the end: he keeps them, like an ape, in the corner of his jaw; first mouthed, to be last swallowed: When he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry again. Ros. I understand you not, my lord. Ham. I am glad of it: A knavish speech sleeps in a foolish ear. Ros. My lord, you must tell us where the body is, and with us to the king. go month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs inte the lobby. [To some Attendants. King. Go seek him there. [Exeunt Attendants. The associates tend, and every thing is bent Ham. King. Ham. For England? King. So is it, if thou knew'st our purposes. King. Thy loving father, Hamlet. Ham. My mother: Father and mother is man and wife; man and wife is one flesh; and so, my mother. Ham. The body is with the king, but the king is Come, for England. not with the body. The king is a thing King. I have sent to seek him, and to find the body. Who like not in their judgement, but their eyes; Ros. Without, my lord; guarded, to know your pleasure. King. Bring him before us. Ros. Ho, Guildenstern! bring in my lord. King. Now, Hamlet, where's Polonius ? King. At supper? Where? Ham. Not where he eats, but where he is eaten : a certain convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all creatures else, to fat us; and we fat ourselves for maggots: Your fat king, and your lean beggar, is but variable service; two dishes, but to one table; that's the end. King. Alas, als L [Exi King. Follow him at foot; tempt him with speed aboard; Delay it not; I'll have him hence to-night: The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England; Cap. The nephew to old Norway, Fortinbras. Cap. Truly to speak, sir, and with no addition, Ham. Why, then the Polack never will defend it. Ham. Two thousand souls, and twenty thousand Will not debate the question of this straw: Ros. [Exit Captain. Sure, he, that made us with such large discourse, To fust in us unus'd. Now, whether it be Of thinking too precisely on the event, A thought, which, quarter'd, hath but one part wisdom, Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means, 875 O, bo! He is dead and gone; At his head a grass-green turf, At his heels a stone. Queen. Nay, but. Ophelia, Oph. [Sings Pray you, mark. Queen. Alas, look here, my lord. King. How do you, pretty lady? Oph. Well, God 'ield you? They say, the owl was a baker's daughter. Lord, we know what we are, but know not what we may be. God be at your table! King. Conceit upon her father. Oph. Pray, let us have no words of this; but when they ask you, what it means, say you this: Good morrow, 'tis Saint Valentine's day, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine: Then up he rose, and don'd his clothes, And dupp'd the chamber-door; Let in the maid, that out a maid Never departed more. King. Pretty Ophelia ! Oph. Indeed, without an oath, I'll make an end on't By Gis, and by Saint Charity, Alack, and fie for shame! Young men will do't, if they come to'l; By cock, they are to blame. Quoth she, before you tumbled me, [He answers.] So would I ha' done, by yonder sun, King. How long hath she been thus ? Oph. I hope, all will be well. We must be patient but I cannot choose but weep, to think, they should lay bim i'the cold ground: My brother shall know of it, and so I thank you for your good counsel, Come, my coach! Good night, ladies; good night, sweet ladies: When sorrows come, they come not single spies, For good Polonius' death; and we have done but greenly, In hugger-mugger to inter him: Poor Ophelia, King. Attend. [A noise within. Alack! what noise is this? Enter a Gentleman. Where are my Switzers? Let them guard the door: What is the matter? Gent. Save yourself, my lord; The ocean, overpeering of his list, Eats not the flats with more impetuous haste, O'erbears your officers! The rabble call him, lord; Queen. How cheerfully on the false trail they cry! [Noise within. Enter Laertes, armed: Danes following. Laer, Where is this king?-Sirs, stand you all with arms; And, like the kind life-rend'ring pelican, King. Danes. [Within.] Let her come in O heat, dry up my brains! tears seven times salt, Oph. They bore him barefac'd on the bier; Hey no nonny, nonny hey nonny: And in his grave rain'd many a tear ;Fare you well, my dove! Laer. Hadst thou thy wits, and didst persuade ir venge, It could not move thus. Oph. You must sing, Down a-down, an you call kn a-down-a. O how the wheel becomes it! it is the fis steward, that stole his master's daughter. Laer. This nothing's more than matter. Oph. There's rosemary, that's for remembam pray you, love, remember: And there is pansies, that for thoughts. Laer. A document in madness; thoughts and membrance fitted. Oph. There's fennel for you, and columbines ~ there's rue for you; and here's some for me may call it herb of grace o’Sunday's :—you may w your rue with a difference.-There's a daisy :—I would give you some violets; but they withered all, whe my father died:-They say, he made a good end, For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy,- [Sings. Laer. Thought and affliction, passion, hell itself, She turns to favour, and to prettiness. Oph. And will he not come again? And will he not come again? No, no, he's dead, Go to thy death-bed, He never will come again. His beard was as white as snoto, All flaxen was his poll : He is gone, he is gone, And we cast away moan; God'a mercy on his soul! [Sings. And of all Christian souls! I pray God. God be wi you! [Exit Ophelia. Laer. Do you see this, O God? King. Laertes, I must commune with your grief, They find us touch'd, we will our kingdom give, Laer. So you shall; King. And, where the offence is, let the great axe fall. = I pray you, go with me. [Exeunt. 1 Sail. God bless you, sir. Hor. Let him bless thee too. 1 Sail. He shall sir, an't please him. There's a letter for you, sir; it comes from the ambassador that was bound for England; if your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is. Hor. [Reads.] Horatio, when thou shalt have overlooked this, give these fellows some means to the king; they have letters for him. Ere we were two days old at sea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us chace: Finding ourselves too slow of sail, we put on a compelled valour; and in the grapple I boarded them: on the instant, they got clear of our ship; so I alone became their prisoner. They have dealt with me, like thieves of mercy; but they knew what they did; I am to do a good turn for them. Let the king have the letters I have sent; and repair thou to me with as much haste as thou wouldst fly death. I have words to speak in thine ear will make thee dumb; yet are they And you must put me in your heart for friend; Laer. As by your safety, greatness, wisdom, all things else, King. O, for two special reasons; Which may to you, perhaps, seem much unsinew'd, But yet to me they are strong. The queen his mother, Lives almost by his looks; and for myself, (My virtue, or my plague, be it either which,) She is so conjunctive to my life and soul, That, as the star moves not but in his sphere, I could not but by her. The other motive, Why to a public count I might not go, Is, the great love the general gender bear him: Who, dipping all his faults in their affection, Work like the spring that turneth wood to stone, Convert his gyves to graces; so that my arrows, Too slightly timber'd for so loud a wind, Would have reverted to my bow again, And not where I had aim'd them. Laer. And so have I noble father lost; That we are made of stuff so flat and dull, And that, I hope, will teach you to imagine,— Mes. Enter a Messenger. Letters, my lord, from Hamlet: queen. This to your majesty; this to the King. Laertes, you shall hear them :-- [Exit Messenger. [Reads.] High and mighty, you shall know, I am set naked on your kingdom. To-morrow shall I beg leave to see your kingly eyes: when I shall, first asking your pardon thereunto, recount the occasion of my sudden and more strange return. Hamlet, What should this mean? Are all the rest come back? "Tis Hamlet's character. Naked |