Laer. I pray you, give me leave. All. We will, we will. Laer. I thank you; keep the door. O thou vile King, give me my father. Queen. Calmly, good Laertes. [Exeunt. Laer. That drop of blood that's calm, proclaims me baftard; Cries cuckold to my father; brands the harlot King. What is the caufe, Laertes, That thy Rebellion looks fo giant-like? Why are you thus incens'd? Let him go, Gertrude. Laer. Where is my father? Queen. But not by him. King. Let him demand his fill. Laer. How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with: To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackeft devil! Confcience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation; to this point I ftand, That both the worlds I give to negligence, Let come, what comes; only I'll be reveng'd Moft throughly for my father. King. Who fhall stay you ? Laer. My will, not all the world; And for my means, I'll husband them fo well, King Good Laertes, If you defire to know the certainty Of your dear father, is't writ in your revenge, (That fweep-ftake) you will draw both friend and foe, Winner and lofer ? Laer. None but his enemies. King. Will you know them then? I & Latr. Laer. To his good friends thus wide I'll ope my arms, Like a good child, and a true gentleman. Laer. How now, what noife is that? "Let her Enter Ophelia, fantastically dreft with ftraws and flowers. O heat, dry up my brains! tears, feven times falt, By heav'n, thy madnefs fhall be paid with weight, O heav'ns, is't poffible a young maid's wits Oph. They bore him bare-fac'd on the bier, Laer. Hadft thou thy wits, and didst persuade revenge, It could not move thus. Oph. You must fing, down a-down, and you call him a-down-a. O how the wheel becomes it! it is the falfe fteward that stole his mafter's daughter. Laer. This nothing's more than matter. Oph. There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember; and there's panfies, that's for thoughts. Laer. A document.in madnefs, thoughts and remembrance fitted. Oph. Oph. There's fennel for you, and columbines; there's rue for you, and here's fome for me. We may call it herb of grace o' Sundays: you may wear your rue with a difference. There's a daify; I would give you fome violets, but they withered all when my father dy'd: they say, he made a good end; For bonny fweet Robin is all my joy. Laer. Thought, and Affliction, paffion, hell itself, She turns to favour, and to prettiness. Oph. And will be not come again? And will be not come again? No, no, he is dead, go to thy death-bed, He never will come again. His beard was as white as fnow, All flaxen was his pole: He is gone, he is gone, and we caft away mone And of all chriftian fouls! God b'w'ye. [Exit Ophelia, King. Laertes, I muft commune with your grief, Make choice of whom your wifeft friends you will, "They find us touch'd, we will our Kingdom give, Be you content to lend your patience to us; Laer. Let this be fo. His means of death, his obfcure funeral, No trophy, fword, nor hatchment o'er his bones, Cry to be heard, as 'twere from heav'n to earth, King. So you fhall: And where th' offence is, let the great ax fall. pray you, go with me. I Enter Horatio, with an attendant. [Exeunt. Hor. What are they, that would speak with me? Serv. Sailors, Sir; they fay, they have letters for you Hor. Let them come in. I do not know from what part of the world I should be greeted, if not from Lord Hamlet. Enter Sailors. Sail. God blefs you, Sir. Hor. Let him blefs thee too. Sail. He fhall, Sir, an't please him.-There's a letter for you, Sir: It comes from th' ambaffador that was. bound for England, if your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is. Horatio reads the letter. Oratio, when thou shalt have overlook'd this, give letters for him. Ere we were two days old at fea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us chace. Finding ourJelves too flow of fail, we put on a compelled valour, and in the grapple I boarded them: on the inftant they got clear of our fhip, fo I alone became their prisoner. They have deals with me, like thieves of mercy; but they know what they did: I am to do a good turn for them. Let the King have the letters I have fent, and repair thou to me with as much hafte as thou wouldeft fly death. I have words to speak in thy ear, will make thee dumb; yet are they much too light for the matter. Thefe good fellows will bring thee where I Rofincrantz and Guildenftern hold their courfe for England. Of them I have much to tell thee, farewel. He that thou knowest thine, Hamlet. Come, am. Come, I will make you way for these your letters; Enter King, and Laertes. [Exeunt. King. Now muft your confcience my acquittance feal, And you must put me in your heart for friend; Sith you have heard, and with a knowing ear, That he, which hath your noble father flain, Pursued my life. Laer. It well appears. But tell me, Why you proceeded not against these feats, As by your fafety, wisdom, all things else, King. Two fpecial reafons, Which may to you, perhaps, feem much unfinew'd, (My virtue or my plague, be't either which,) Too lightly timbred for fo loud a wind, Laer. And fo have I a nobler father lost, Whofe worth, if praifes may go back again, For her perfections-But my revenge will come. King. Break not your fleeps for that; you must not think, That we are made of stuff so flat and dull, That we can let our beard be shook with danger, I 4 And |