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American Shakespeare Center, The Duchess of Malfi. To Jun. 15, 2013.
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Hamlet (Quarto 2, 1604)

Author: William Shakespeare
Not Peer Reviewed
Enter Laertes, and Ophelia his Sister.
Laer. My necessaries are inbarckt, farwell,
And sister, as the winds giue benefit
And conuay, in assistant doe not sleepe
465But let me heere from you.
Ophe. Doe you doubt that?
Laer. For Hamlet, and the trifling of his fauour,
Hold it a fashion, and a toy in blood
A Violet in the youth of primy nature,
470Forward, not permanent, sweete, not lasting,
The perfume and suppliance of a minute
No more.
Ophe. No more but so.
Laer. Thinke it no more.
For nature cressant does not growe alone
475In thewes and bulkes, but as this temple waxes
The inward seruice of the minde and soule
Growes wide withall, perhapes he loues you now,
And now no soyle nor cautell doth besmirch
The vertue of his will, but you must feare,
His greatnes wayd, his will is not his owne,
He may not as vnualewed persons doe,
Carue for himselfe, for on his choise depends
The safty and health of this whole state,
485And therefore must his choise be circumscribd
Vnto the voyce and yeelding of that body
Whereof he is the head, then if he saies he loues you,
It fits your wisdome so farre to belieue it
As he in his particuler act and place
490May giue his saying deede, which is no further
Then the maine voyce of Denmarke goes withall.
Then way what losse your honor may sustaine
If with too credent eare you list his songs
Or loose your hart, or your chast treasure open
495To his vnmastred importunity.
Feare it Ophelia, feare it my deare sister,
And keepe you in the reare of your affection
Out of the shot and danger of desire,
"The chariest maide is prodigall inough
500If she vnmaske her butie to the Moone
"Vertue it selfe scapes not calumnious strokes
"The canker gaules the infants of the spring
Too oft before their buttons be disclos'd,
And in the morne and liquid dewe of youth
505Contagious blastments are most iminent,
Be wary then, best safety lies in feare,
Youth to it selfe rebels, though non els neare.
Ophe. I shall the effect of this good lesson keepe
As watchman to my hart, but good my brother
510Doe not as some vngracious pastors doe,
Showe me the stepe and thorny way to heauen
Whiles a puft, and reckles libertine
Himselfe the primrose path of dalience treads.
And reakes not his owne reed.
Enter Polonius.
515Laer. O feare me not,
I stay too long, but heere my father comes
A double blessing, is a double grace,
Occasion smiles vpon a second leaue.
520Pol. Yet heere Laertes? a bord, a bord for shame,
The wind sits in the shoulder of your saile,
And you are stayed for, there my blessing with thee,
And these fewe precepts in thy memory
Looke thou character, giue thy thoughts no tongue,
525Nor any vnproportion'd thought his act,
Be thou familier, but by no meanes vulgar,
Those friends thou hast, and their a doption tried,
Grapple them vnto thy soule with hoopes of steele,
But doe not dull thy palme with entertainment
530Of each new hatcht vnfledgd courage, beware
Of entrance to a quarrell, but being in,
Bear't that th'opposed may beware of thee,
Giue euery man thy eare, but fewe thy voyce,
Take each mans censure, but reserue thy iudgement,
535Costly thy habite as thy purse can by,
But not exprest in fancy; rich not gaudy,
For the apparrell oft proclaimes the man
And they in Fraunce of the best ranck and station,
Or of a most select and generous, chiefe in that:
540Neither a borrower nor a lender boy,
For loue oft looses both it selfe, and friend,
And borrowing dulleth edge of husbandry;
This aboue all, to thine owne selfe be true
And it must followe as the night the day
545Thou canst not then be false to any man:
Farwell, my blessing season this in thee.
Laer. Most humbly doe I take my leaue my Lord.
Pol. The time inuests you goe, your seruants tend.
Laer. Farwell Ophelia, and remember well
550What I haue sayd to you.
Ophe. Tis in my memory lockt
And you your selfe shall keepe the key of it.
Laer. Farwell.
Exit Laertes.
Pol. What ist Ophelia he hath sayd to you?
555Ophe. So please you, something touching the Lord Hamlet.
Pol. Marry well bethought
Tis tolde me he hath very oft of late
Giuen priuate time to you, and you your selfe
Haue of your audience beene most free and bountious,
560If it be so, as so tis put on me,
And that in way of caution, I must tell you,
You doe not vnderstand your selfe so cleerely
As it behooues my daughter, and your honor,
What is betweene you giue me vp the truth,
565Ophe. He hath my Lord of late made many tenders
Of his affection to me.
Pol. Affection, puh, you speake like a greene girle
Vnsifted in such perrilous circumstance,
Doe you belieue his tenders as you call them?
570Ophe. I doe not knowe my Lord what I should thinke.
Pol. Marry I will teach you, thinke your selfe a babie
That you haue tane these tenders for true pay
Which are not sterling, tender your selfe more dearely
Or (not to crack the winde of the poore phrase
575Wrong it thus) you'l tender me a foole.
Ophe. My Lord he hath importun'd me with loue
In honorable fashion.
Pol. I, fashion you may call it, go to, go to.
Ophe. And hath giuen countenance to his speech
580My Lord, with almost all the holy vowes of heauen.
Pol. I, springs to catch wood-cockes, I doe knowe
When the blood burnes, how prodigall the soule
Lends the tongue vowes, these blazes daughter
Giuing more light then heate, extinct in both
585Euen in their promise, as it is a making
You must not take for fire, from this time
Be something scanter of your maiden presence
Set your intreatments at a higher rate
Then a commaund to parle; for Lord Hamlet,
590Belieue so much in him that he is young,
And with a larger tider may he walke
Then may be giuen you: in fewe Ophelia,
Doe not belieue his vowes, for they are brokers
Not of that die which their inuestments showe
595But meere imploratotors of vnholy suites
Breathing like sanctified and pious bonds
The better to beguide: this is for all,
I would not in plaine tearmes from this time foorth
Haue you so slaunder any moment leasure
600As to giue words or talke with the Lord Hamlet,
Looke too't I charge you, come your wayes.
Ophe. I shall obey my Lord.
Exeunt.