1648King. And can you by no drift of circumstance

1649Get from him why he puts on this Confusion:

1650Grating so harshly all his dayes of quiet

The Tragedie of Hamlet. 265

1651With turbulent and dangerous Lunacy.

1652Rosin. He does confesse he feeles himselfe distracted,

1653But from what cause he will by no meanes speake.

1654Guil. Nor do we finde him forward to be sounded,

1655But with a crafty Madnesse keepes aloofe:

1656When we would bring him on to some Confession

1657Of his true state.

1658Qu. Did he receiue you well?

1659Rosin. Most like a Gentleman.

1660Guild. But with much forcing of his disposition.

1661Rosin. Niggard of question, but of our demands

1662Most free in his reply.

1663Qu. Did you assay him to any pastime?

1664Rosin. Madam, it so fell out, that certaine Players

1665We ore-wrought on the way: of these we told him,

1666And there did seeme in him a kinde of ioy

1667To heare of it: They are about the Court,

1668And (as I thinke) they haue already order

1669This night to play before him.

1670Pol. 'Tis most true:

1671And he beseech'd me to intreate your Maiesties

1672To heare, and see the matter.

1673King. With all my heart, and it doth much content me

1674To heare him so inclin'd. Good Gentlemen,

1675Giue him a further edge, and driue his purpose on

1676To these delights.

1677Rosin. We shall my Lord. Exeunt.

1678King. Sweet Gertrude leaue vs too,

1679For we haue closely sent for Hamlet hither,

1680That he, as 'twere by accident, may there

1681Affront Ophelia. Her Father, and my selfe (lawful espials)

1682Will so bestow our selues, that seeing vnseene

1683We may of their encounter frankely iudge,

1684And gather by him, as he is behaued,

1685If't be th'affliction of his loue, or no.

1686That thus he suffers for.

1687Qu. I shall obey you,

1688And for your part Ophelia, I do wish

1689That your good Beauties be the happy cause

1690Of Hamlets wildenesse: so shall I hope your Vertues

1691Will bring him to his wonted way againe,

1692To both your Honors.

1693Ophe. Madam, I wish it may.

1694Pol. Ophelia, walke you heere. Gracious so please ye

1695We will bestow our selues: Reade on this booke,

1696That shew of such an exercise may colour

1697Your lonelinesse. We are oft too blame in this,

1698'Tis too much prou'd, that with Deuotions visage,

1699And pious Action, we do surge o're

1700The diuell himselfe.

1701King. Oh 'tis true:

1702How smart a lash that speech doth giue my Conscience?

1703The Harlots Cheeke beautied with plaist'ring Art

1704Is not more vgly to the thing that helpes it,

1705Then is my deede, to my most painted word.

1706Oh heauie burthen!

1707Pol. I heare him comming, let's withdraw my Lord.

1710Ham. To be, or not to be, that is the Question:

1711Whether 'tis Nobler in the minde to suffer

1712The Slings and Arrowes of outragious Fortune,

1713Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles,

1714And by opposing end them: to dye, to sleepe

1715No more; and by a sleepe, to say we end

1716The Heart-ake, and the thousand Naturall shockes

1717That Flesh is heyre too? 'Tis a consummation

1718Deuoutly to be wish'd. To dye to sleepe,

1719To sleepe, perchance to Dreame; I, there's the rub,

1720For in that sleepe of death, what dreames may come,

1721When we haue shufflel'd off this mortall coile,

1722Must giue vs pawse. There's the respect

1723That makes Calamity of so long life:

1724For who would beare the Whips and Scornes of time,

1725The Oppressors wrong, the poore mans Contumely,

1726The pangs of dispriz'd Loue, the Lawes delay,

1727The insolence of Office, and the Spurnes

1728That patient merit of the vnworthy takes,

1729When he himselfe might his Quietus make

1730With a bare Bodkin? Who would these Fardles beare

1731To grunt and sweat vnder a weary life,

1732But that the dread of something after death,

1733The vndiscouered Countrey, from whose Borne

1734No Traueller returnes, Puzels the will,

1735And makes vs rather beare those illes we haue,

1736Then flye to others that we know not of.

1737Thus Conscience does make Cowards of vs all,

1738And thus the Natiue hew of Resolution

1739Is sicklied o're, with the pale cast of Thought,

1740And enterprizes of great pith and moment,

1741With this regard their Currants turne away,

1742And loose the name of Action. Soft you now,

1743The faire Ophelia? Nimph, in thy Orizons

1744Be all my sinnes remembred.

1745Ophe. Good my Lord,

1746How does your Honor for this many a day?

1747Ham. I humbly thanke you: well, well, well.

1748Ophe. My Lord, I haue Remembrances of yours,

1749That I haue longed long to re-deliuer.

1750I pray you now, receiue them.

1751Ham. No, no, I neuer gaue you ought.

1752Ophe. My honor'd Lord, I know right well you did,

1753And with them words of so sweet breath compos'd,

1754As made the things more rich, then perfume left:

1755Take these againe, for to the Noble minde

1756Rich gifts wax poore, when giuers proue vnkinde.

1757There my Lord.

1758Ham. Ha, ha: Are you honest?

1759Ophe. My Lord.

1760Ham. Are you faire?

1761Ophe. What meanes your Lordship?

1762Ham. That if you be honest and faire, your Honesty

1763should admit no discourse to your Beautie.

1764Ophe. Could Beautie my Lord, haue better Comerce

1765then your Honestie?

1766Ham. I trulie: for the power of Beautie, will sooner

1767transforme Honestie from what it is, to a Bawd, then the

1768force of Honestie can translate Beautie into his likenesse.

1769This was sometime a Paradox, but now the time giues it

1770proofe. I did loue you once.

1771Ophe. Indeed my Lord, you made me beleeue so.

1772Ham. You should not haue beleeued me. For vertue

1773cannot so innocculate our old stocke, but we shall rellish

1774of it. I loued you not.

1775Ophe. I was the more deceiued.

1776Ham. Get thee to a Nunnerie. Why would'st thou

1777be a breeder of Sinners? I am my selfe indifferent honest,

1778but yet I could accuse me of such things, that it were bet-

1779ter my Mother had not borne me. I am very prowd, re-

1780uengefull, Ambitious, with more offences at my becke,

1781then I haue thoughts to put them in imagination, to giue

1782them shape, or time to acte them in. What should such

266 The Tragedie of Hamlet.

1783Fellowes as I do, crawling betweene Heauen and Earth.

1784We are arrant Knaues all, beleeue none of vs. Goe thy

1785wayes to a Nunnery. Where's your Father?

1786Ophe. At home, my Lord.

1787Ham. Let the doores be shut vpon him, that he may

1788play the Foole no way, but in's owne house. Farewell.

1789Ophe. O helpe him, you sweet Heauens.

1790Ham. If thou doest Marry, Ile giue thee this Plague

1791for thy Dowrie. Be thou as chast as Ice, as pure as Snow,

1792thou shalt not escape Calumny. Get thee to a Nunnery.

1793Go, Farewell. Or if thou wilt needs Marry, marry a fool:

1794for Wise men know well enough, what monsters you

1795make of them. To a Nunnery go, and quickly too. Far-

1796well.

1797Ophe. O heauenly Powers, restore him.

1798Ham. I haue heard of your pratlings too wel enough.

1799God has giuen you one pace, and you make your selfe an-

1800other: you gidge, you amble, and you lispe, and nickname

1801Gods creatures, and make your Wantonnesse, your Ig-

1802norance. Go too, Ile no more on't, it hath made me mad.

1803I say, we will haue no more Marriages. Those that are

1804married already, all but one shall liue, the rest shall keep

1805as they are. To a Nunnery, go. Exit Hamlet.

1806Ophe. O what a Noble minde is heere o're-throwne?

1807The Courtiers, Soldiers, Schollers: Eye, tongue, sword,

1808Th'expectansie and Rose of the faire State,

1809The glasse of Fashion, and the mould of Forme,

1810Th'obseru'd of all Obseruers, quite, quite downe.

1811Haue I of Ladies most deiect and wretched,

1812That suck'd the Honie of his Musicke Vowes:

1813Now see that Noble, and most Soueraigne Reason,

1814Like sweet Bels iangled out of tune, and harsh,

1815That vnmatch'd Forme and Feature of blowne youth,

1816Blasted with extasie. Oh woe is me,

1817T'haue seene what I haue seene: see what I see.

1819King. Loue? His affections do not that way tend,

1820Nor what he spake, though it lack'd Forme a little,

1821Was not like Madnesse. There's something in his soule?

1822O're which his Melancholly sits on brood,

1823And I do doubt the hatch, and the disclose

1824Will be some danger, which to preuent

1825I haue in quicke determination

1826Thus set it downe. He shall with speed to England

1827For the demand of our neglected Tribute:

1828Haply the Seas and Countries different

1829With variable Obiects, shall expell

1830This something setled matter in his heart:

1831Whereon his Braines still beating, puts him thus

1832From fashion of himselfe. What thinke you on't?

1833Pol. It shall do well. But yet do I beleeue

1834The Origin and Commencement of this greefe

1835Sprung from neglected loue. How now Ophelia?

1836You neede not tell vs, what Lord Hamlet saide,

1837We heard it all. My Lord, do as you please,

1838But if you hold it fit after the Play,

1839Let his Queene Mother all alone intreat him

1840To shew his Greefes: let her be round with him,

1841And Ile be plac'd so, please you in the eare

1842Of all their Conference. If she finde him not,

1843To England send him: Or confine him where

1844Your wisedome best shall thinke.

1845King. It shall be so:

1846Madnesse in great Ones, must not vnwatch'd go.