2375Pol. He will come straight:

2376Looke you lay home to him,

2377Tell him his prankes haue been too broad to beare with,

2378And that your Grace hath scree'nd, and stoode betweene

2379Much heate, and him. Ile silence me e'ene heere:

2380Pray you be round with him.

2381Ham. within. Mother, mother, mother.

2382Qu. Ile warrant you, feare me not.

2383Withdraw, I heare him comming.

2385Ham. Now Mother, what's the matter?

2386Qu. Hamlet, thou hast thy Father much offended.

2387Ham. Mother, you haue my Father much offended.

2388Qu. Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue.

2389Ham. Go, go, you question with an idle tongue.

2390Qu. Why how now Hamlet?

2391Ham. Whats the matter now?

2392Qu. Haue you forgot me?

2393Ham. No by the Rood, not so:

2394You are the Queene, your Husbands Brothers wife,

2395But would you were not so. You are my Mother.

2396Qu. Nay, then Ile set those to you that can speake.

2397Ham. Come, come, and sit you downe, you shall not

2398boudge:

2399You go not till I set you vp a glasse,

2400Where you may see the inmost part of you?

2401Qu. What wilt thou do? thou wilt not murther me?

2402Helpe, helpe, hoa.

2403Pol. What hoa, helpe, helpe, helpe.

2404Ham. How now, a Rat? dead for a Ducate, dead.

2405Pol. Oh I am slaine. Killes Polonius.

2406Qu. Oh me, what hast thou done?

2407Ham. Nay I know not, is it the King?

2408Qu. Oh what a rash, and bloody deed is this?

2409Ham. A bloody deed, almost as bad good Mother,

2410As kill a King, and marrie with his Brother.

2411Qu. As kill a King?

2412Ham. I Lady, 'twas my word.

2413Thou wretched, rash, intruding foole farewell,

2414I tooke thee for thy Betters, take thy Fortune,

2415Thou find'st to be too busie, is some danger.

2416Leaue wringing of your hands, peace, sit you downe,

2417And let me wring your heart, for so I shall

2418If it be made of penetrable stuffe;

2419If damned Custome haue not braz'd it so,

2420That it is proofe and bulwarke against Sense.

2421Qu. What haue I done, that thou dar'st wag thy tong,

2422In noise so rude against me?

2423Ham. Such an Act

2424That blurres the grace and blush of Modestie,

2425Cals Vertue Hypocrite, takes off the Rose

2426From the faire forehead of an innocent loue,

2427And makes a blister there. Makes marriage vowes

2428As false as Dicers Oathes. Oh such a deed,

The Tragedie of Hamlet. 271

2429As from the body of Contraction pluckes

2430The very soule, and sweete Religion makes

2431A rapsidie of words. Heauens face doth glow,

2432Yea this solidity and compound masse,

2433With tristfull visage as against the doome,

2434Is thought-sicke at the act.

2435Qu. Aye me; what act, that roares so lowd, & thun-

2436ders in the Index.

2437Ham. Looke heere vpon this Picture, and on this,

2438The counterfet presentment of two Brothers:

2439See what a grace was seated on his Brow,

2440Hyperions curles, the front of Ioue himselfe,

2441An eye like Mars, to threaten or command

2442A Station, like the Herald Mercurie

2443New lighted on a heauen-kissing hill:

2444A Combination, and a forme indeed,

2445Where euery God did seeme to set his Seale,

2446To giue the world assurance of a man.

2447This was your Husband. Looke you now what followes.

2448Heere is your Husband, like a Mildew'd eare

2449Blasting his wholsom breath. Haue you eyes?

2450Could you on this faire Mountaine leaue to feed,

2451And batten on this Moore? Ha? Haue you eyes?

2452You cannot call it Loue: For at your age,

2453The hey-day in the blood is tame, it's humble,

2454And waites vpon the Iudgement: and what Iudgement

2455Would step from this, to this? What diuell was't,

2456That thus hath cousend you at hoodman-blinde?

2457O Shame! where is thy Blush? Rebellious Hell,

2458If thou canst mutine in a Matrons bones,

2459To flaming youth, let Vertue be as waxe,

2460And melt in her owne fire. Proclaime no shame,

2461When the compulsiue Ardure giues the charge,

2462Since Frost it selfe, as actiuely doth burne,

2463As Reason panders Will.

2464Qu. O Hamlet, speake no more.

2465Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soule,

2466And there I see such blacke and grained spots,

2467As will not leaue their Tinct.

2468Ham. Nay, but to liue

2469In the ranke sweat of an enseamed bed,

2470Stew'd in Corruption; honying and making loue

2471Ouer the nasty Stye.

2472Qu. Oh speake to me, no more,

2473These words like Daggers enter in mine eares.

2474No more sweet Hamlet.

2475Ham. A Murderer, and a Villaine:

2476A Slaue, that is not twentieth patt the tythe

2477Of your precedent Lord. A vice of Kings,

2478A Cutpurse of the Empire and the Rule.

2479That from a shelfe, the precious Diadem stole,

2480And put it in his Pocket.

2481Qu. No more.

2483Ham. A King of shreds and patches.

2484Saue me; and houer o're me with your wings

2485You heauenly Guards. What would you gracious figure?

2486Qu. Alas he's mad.

2487Ham. Do you not come your tardy Sonne to chide,

2488That laps't in Time and Passion, lets go by

2489Th'important acting of your dread command? Oh say.

2490Ghost. Do not forget: this Visitation

2491Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose.

2492But looke, Amazement on thy Mother sits;

2493O step betweene her, and her fighting Soule,

2494Conceit in weakest bodies, strongest workes.

2495Speake to her Hamlet.

2496Ham. How is it with you Lady?

2497Qu. Alas, how is't with you?

2498That you bend your eye on vacancie,

2499And with their corporall ayre do hold discourse.

2500Forth at your eyes, your spirits wildely peepe,

2501And as the sleeping Soldiours in th'Alarme,

2502Your bedded haire, like life in excrements,

2503Start vp, and stand an end. Oh gentle Sonne,

2504Vpon the heate and flame of thy distemper

2505Sprinkle coole patience. Whereon do you looke?

2506Ham. On him, on him: look you how pale he glares,

2507His forme and cause conioyn'd, preaching to stones,

2508Would make them capeable. Do not looke vpon me,

2509Least with this pitteous action you conuert

2510My sterne effects: then what I haue to do,

2511Will want true colour; teares perchance for blood.

2512Qu. To who do you speake this?

2513Ham. Do you see nothing there?

2514Qu. Nothing at all, yet all that is I see.

2515Ham. Nor did you nothing heare?

2516Qu. No, nothing but our selues.

2517Ham. Why look you there: looke how it steals away:

2518My Father in his habite, as he liued,

2519Looke where he goes euen now out at the Portall. Exit.

2520Qu. This is the very coynage of your Braine,

2521This bodilesse Creation extasie is very cunning in.

2522Ham. Extasie?

2523My Pulse as yours doth temperately keepe time,

2524And makes as healthfull Musicke. It is not madnesse

2525That I haue vttered; bring me to the Test

2526And I the matter will re-word: which madnesse

2527Would gamboll from. Mother, for loue of Grace,

2528Lay not a flattering Vnction to your soule,

2529That not your trespasse, but my madnesse speakes:

2530It will but skin and filme the Vlcerous place,

2531Whil'st ranke Corruption mining all within,

2532Infects vnseene. Confesse your selfe to Heauen,

2533Repent what's past, auoyd what is to come,

2534And do not spred the Compost or the Weedes,

2535To make them ranke. Forgiue me this my Vertue,

2536For in the fatnesse of this pursie times,

2537Vertue it selfe, of Vice must pardon begge,

2538Yea courb, and woe, for leaue to do him good.

2539Qu. Oh Hamlet,

2540Thou hast cleft my heart in twaine.

2541Ham. O throw away the worser part of it,

2542And liue the purer with the other halfe.

2543Good night, but go not to mine Vnkles bed,

2544Assume a Vertue, if you haue it not, refraine to night,

2545And that shall lend a kinde of easinesse

2546To the next abstinence. Once more goodnight,

2547And when you are desirous to be blest,

2548Ile blessing begge of you. For this same Lord,

2549I do repent: but heauen hath pleas'd it so,

2550To punish me with this, and this with me,

2551That I must be their Scourge and Minister.

2552I will bestow him, and will answer well

2553The death I gaue him: so againe, good night.

2554I must be cruell, onely to be kinde;

2555Thus bad begins, and worse remaines behinde.

2556Qu. What shall I do?

2557Ham. Not this by no meanes that I bid you do:

2558Let the blunt King tempt you againe to bed,

2559Pinch Wanton on your cheeke, call you his Mouse,

2560And let him for a paire of reechie kisses,

pp2 Or

272 The Tragedie of Hamlet.

2561Or padling in your necke with his damn'd Fingers,

2562Make you to rauell all this matter out,

2563That I essentially am not in madnesse,

2564But made in craft. 'Twere good you let him know,

2565For who that's but a Queene, faire, sober, wise,

2566Would from a Paddocke, from a Bat, a Gibbe,

2567Such deere concernings hide, Who would do so,

2568No in despight of Sense and Secrecie,

2569Vnpegge the Basket on the houses top:

2570Let the Birds flye, and like the famous Ape

2571To try Conclusions in the Basket, creepe

2572And breake your owne necke downe.

2573Qu. Be thou assur'd, if words be made of breath,

2574And breath of life: I haue no life to breath

2575What thou hast saide to me.

2576Ham. I must to England, you know that?

2577Qu. Alacke I had forgot: 'Tis so concluded on.

2578Ham. This man shall set me packing:

2579Ile lugge the Guts into the Neighbor roome,

2580Mother goodnight. Indeede this Counsellor

2581Is now most still, most secret, and most graue,

2582Who was in life, a foolish prating Knaue.

2583Come sir, to draw toward an end with you.

2584Good night Mother.