A piece of him. Hor. Ber. Welcome, Horatio; welcome, good Marcellus. Mar. What, has this thing appear'd again to-night? Ber. I have seen nothing. Mar. Horatio says, 't is but our fantasy; And will not let belief take hold of him, Touching this dreaded sight, twice seen of us : With us to watch the minutes of this night; b He may approve our eyes, and speak to it. Sit down awhile; And let us once again assail your ears, Hor. Well, sit we down, And let us hear Bernardo speak of this. Ber. Last night of all, When yon same star, that 's westward from the pole, Had made his course to illume that part of heaven Where now it burns, Marcellus, and myself, The bell then beating one,— may God This form of expression is an abbreviation of " give you good night;" and our "good night" is an abbre viation abbreviated. b Confirm what we have seen. Mar. Peace, break thee off; look, where it comes again! Enter GHOST. Ber. In the same figure, like the king that 's dead. Ber. It would be spoke to. Mar. Question it, Horatio. Hor. What art thou, that usurp'st this time of night, Together with that fair and warlike form In which the majesty of buried Denmark Did sometimes march? by heaven I charge thee, speak. Mar. It is offended. Ber. See! it stalks away. Hor. Stay; speak: speak I charge thee, speak. Mar. "T is gone, and will not answer. [Exit GHOST Ber. How now, Horatio? you tremble, and look pale: Is not this something more than fantasy? What think you on 't? Hor. Before my God, I might not this believe, Without the sensible and true avouch Of mine own eyes. Mar. Is it not like the king? Hor. As thou art to thyself: Such was the very armour he had on, When he the ambitious Norway combated; So frown'd he once, when, in an angry parle, He smote the sledded Polacks on the ice. 'Tis strange. Exorcisms were usually performed in Latin-the language of the church-service. b Polacks-Poles. Mar. Thus, twice before, and just at this dead hour, With martial stalk hath he gone by our watch. Hor. In what particular thought to work, I know not; But, in the gross and scope of my opinion, This bodes some strange eruption to our state. Mar. Good now, sit down, and tell me, he that knows, Why this same strict and most observant watch Hor. That can I; At least, the whisper goes so. Did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands, Had he been vanquisher; as, by the same cov'nant His fell to Hamlet: Now, sir, young Fortinbras, a What might be in preparation. To weard, to-ward, is the Anglo-Saxon participle, equivalent to coming, about to come. Of unimproved mettle hot and full, That hath a stomach in 't: which is no other The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted dead Re-enter GHOST. But, soft; behold! lo, where it comes again! a Unimproved. Improve was originally used for reprove. b Romage. The stowing of a ship is the roomage; the stower is the romager. c The moist star is the moon.. d Omen is here put for "portentous event." I'll cross it, though it blast me.-Stay, illusion! Speak to me: If there be any good thing to be done, If thou art privy to thy country's fate, Or, if thou hast uphoarded in thy life For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death, [Cock crows. Speak of it :-stay, and speak.--Stop it, Marcellus. Mar. Shall I strike at it with my partizan? Hor. Do, if it will not stand. Ber. Hor. Mar. T is gone! "T is here! We do it wrong, being so majestical, For it is, as the air, invulnerable, And our vain blows malicious mockery. "T is here! [Exit GHOST, Ber. It was about to speak, when the cock crew. The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn, Mar. It faded on the crowing of the cock. |