And think it paftime. You mall foon hear more.
I lov'd your father, and we love ourself,
And that I hope, will teach you to imagine
How now ! what news!

H

Enter a Messenger. Mef. Letters, my Lord, from Hamlet. 'These to your Majesty : this to the Queen.

King. From Hamlet? who brought them?

Mej. Sailors, my Lord, they say; I saw them not: They were given me by Claudio, he receiv'd them. King. Laertes, you shall hear them: leave us, all

[Exit Mef. Igh and Mighty, you fall kmow, I am fet naked

on your Kingdom. To-morrow mall I beg leave to Jee your kingly eyes. When I hall

, (first asking your pare don thereunto, ) recount th* occasion of my sudden return.

Hamlet, What should this mean? are all the rest come back? Or is it some abuse and no such thing?

Laer. Know you the hand ?

King. 'Tis Hamlet's character;
Naked ; and (in a postscript here, he says)
Alone : can you advise me?

Laer. I'm lost in it, my Lord: but let him come;
It warms the very fickness in my heart,
That I shall live and tell him to his teeth,
Thus diddest thou.

King. If it be so, Laertes,
As how should it be fo? -how, otherwise ?
Will you be rul'd by me?

Laer. Ay, so you'll not o'er-rule me to a peace.

King. To thine own peace ; if he be now return'd, As liking not his voyage, and that he means No more to undertake it; I will work him To an exploit now ripe in my device, Under the which he shall not chufe but fall : And for his death no wind of blame fhall breathe ;

But

But ev'n his mother shall uncharge the practice,
And call it accident.

Laer. I will be rul'd,
The rather, if you could devise it so,
That I might be the organ.

King. It falls right:
You have been talkt of fince your travel much,
And that in Hamlet's hearing, for a quality
Wherein, they say, you shine ; your sum of parts
Did not together pluck fuch envy from him,
As did that one, and that in my regard
Of the unworthiest fiege.
Laer. What part is that, my Lord ?

King. A very feather in the cap of youth,
Yet needful too; for youth no less becomes
The light and careless livery that it wears,
Than settled age his fables, and his weeds
Importing health and graveness.-Two months finee,
Here was a gentleman of Normandy ;
I've seen myself, and serv'd against the French,
And they can well on horse-back; but this Gallant
Had witchcraft in't, he grew unto his seat;
And to such wondrous doing brought his horfe,
As he had been incorps'd and demy-natur'd
With the brave beast; so far he topp'd my thought,
That I in forgery of shapes and tricks
Come short of what he did,

Laer. A Norman, was't?
King. A Norman.
Laer. Upon my life, Lamond.
King. The fame.

Laer. I know him well; he is the brooch, indeed, And gem

of all the nation. King. He made confeffion of you, And gave you such a masterly report, For art and exercise in your defence; And for your rapier moft especial, That he cry'd out, ’twould be a fight indeed, If one could match you. The scrimers of their nation, He swore, had neither motion, guard, nor eye,

I 5

** If

If you oppos'd 'em.--Sir, this report of his
Did Hamlet fo envenom with his envy, .
That he could nothing do, but with and beg:
Your sudden coming o'er to play with him..
Now out of this.

Laer. What out of this, my Lord ?

King. Laertes, was your father dear to you?
Or are you like the painting of a sorrow,
A fáce without a heart?

Laer. Why ask you this?

King. Not that I think, you did not love your fathers, But that I know, love is begun by time; And that I fee in passages of proof, Time qualifies the spark and fire of it ; "There lives within the very flame of love A kind of wick, or snuff, that will abate it, And nothing is at a like good nefs ftill.; For goodness, growing to a pleurisy., Dies in his own too much; what we would do, We should do-when we would ; for this would changes And hath abatements and delays as many As there are tongues, are hands, are accidents ; And then this should is like a spend-thrift sigh That hurts by easing; but to th' quick o'th ulcerHamlet comes back; what would you undertake To shew yourself your father's son indeed More than in words.?

Laer. To cut his throat i’th' church..

King. No place, indeed, should murder fanctuarife: Revenge should have no bounds; but, good Laertes, Will you do this ? keep close within your chamber; Hamlet, return'd; Mall know you are come home: We'll pup on those shall praise your excellence, And set a double varnish on the fame The Frenchman gave you; bring you in fine together). And wager on your heads. He being remiss, Most generous, and free from all contriving, Will not peruse tire foils ; so that with ease, Or with a little shuffling, you may chufe A sword unbated, and in a pass of practice

Requite

Requite him for your father.

Laer. I will do't;
And for the purpose I'll anoint my sword :
I bought an unction of a Mountebank,
So mortal, that but dip a knife in it,
Where it draws blood, no Cataplasm fo rare,
Collected from all Simples that have virtue
Under the moon, can save the thing from death,

That is but scratch'd withal; I'll touch my point
With this contagion, that if I gall him flightly,
It may be death.

King. Let's farther think of this ;
Weigh, what convenience both of time and means
May fit us to our shape. If this should. fail,
And that our drift look through our bad performance,
"Twere better not affay'd; therefore this project
Should have a back, or second, that might hold,
If this should blast in proof.-Soft- let me see
We'll make a folemn wager on your cunnings;
I ha't-when in your motion you are hot,
(As make your Bouts more violent to that end)
And that he calls for drink, I'll have prepar'd himi
A chalice for the nonce; whereon but sipping,
If he by chance escape your venom'd tuck,
Our purpose may hold there.

Enter Queen.
How now, sweet Queen ?
Queen. One woe doth tread

upon

another's heef, So fast they follow ; your fiiter's drown'd, Laertes..

Laer. Drown'd! oh where? Queen. There is a willow grows aflant a brook, That hews his hoar leaves in the glassy stream: There with fantastick garlands did she come, Of crow-flowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples, (That liberal shepherds give a groffer name; But our cold maids do dead men's fingers call them ;) There on the pendant boughs, her coronet weeds Clambering to hang, an envious íliver broke;. When down her weedy trophies and herself

Fell

Fell in the weeping brook; her cloaths spread wide,
And mermaid-like, a while they bore her up;
Which time she chaunted snatches of old tunes,
As one incapable of her own distress ;
Or like a creature native, and indued
Unto that element: but long it could not be,
'Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.

Laer. Alas then, she is drown'd!
Queen. Drown'd, drown'd.

Laer. Too much of water haft thou, poor Ophelia,
And therefore I forbid my tears : but yet
It is our trick; Nature her custom holds,
Let Shame say what it will; when these are gone,
The woman will be out: adieu, my Lord !
I have a speech of fire, that fain would blaze,
But that this folly drowns it.

[Exit. King. Follow, Gertrude : How much had I to do to calm his rage ! Now fear I, this will give it itart again; Therefore, let's follow.

[Exeunt.

I CLOWN. S she to be buried in christian burial, that wilfully