In the most high and a palmy state of Rome,
A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,
The graves stood tenantlefs, the fheeted dead
Did fqueak and gibber in the Roman ftreets,
Stars thone with trains of fire, dews of blood fell,
Difafters veil'd the fun, and the moift ftar,
Upon whofe influence Neptune's empire ftands,
Was fick almost to doom's-day with eclipfe.
And even the like precurfe of fierce events,
As harbingers preceding ftill the fates,
And prologue to the omen'd' coming on,
Have heav'n and earth together demonstrated
Unto our climatures and country-men.
But foft, behold! lo, where it comes again!
I'll cross it, though it blaft me. Stay, illufion!
[Spreading his arms..
If thou haft any found, or ufe of voice,
Speak to me.
If there be any good thing to be done,
That may to thee do eafe, and grace to me;
Speak to me.
If thou art privy to thy country's fate,
Which happily fore-knowing may avoid,
Oh fpeak!
Or, if thou haft uphoorded in thy life
Extorted treasure in the womb of earth,
For which, they fay, you fpirits oft walk in death,
Speak of it. Stay, and fpeak-Stop it, Marcellus
Mar. Shall I ftrike at it with my partizan?
Hor. Do, if it will not ftand.
To offer it the fhew of violence;
For it is as the air, invulnerable,
And our vain blows malicious mockery.
Ber. It was about to fpeak, when the cock crew.
Hor. And then it started like a guilty thing
Upon a fearful fummons. I have heard,
The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn,
Doth with his lofty and thrill-founding throat
Awake the God of day; and at his warning,
Whether in fea or fire, in earth or air,
Th' extravagant and erring spirit hies
To his confine: and of the truth herein
This prefent object made probation.
Mar. It faded on the crowing of the cock.
Some fay, that ever 'gainst that season comes
Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,
The bird of dawning fingeth all night long:
And then, they fay, no fpirit walks abroad,
The nights are wholfome, then no planets ftrike,
No fairy takes, no witch hath power to charm;
So hallow'd and fo gracious is the time.
Hor. So have I heard, and do in part believe it.
But look, the morn in ruffet mantle clad
Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill;
Break we our watch up, and by my advice
Let us impart what we have feen to-night
Unto young Hamlet. For upon my life,
This fpirit, dumb to us, will fpeak to him:
Do you confent we fhall acquaint him with it,
As needful in our loves, fitting our duty?
Mar. Let's do't, I pray; and I this morning know Where we shall find him moft conveniently.
Enter Claudius King of Denmark, Gertrude the Queen, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, Voltimand, Cornelius,
Hough yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death
The memory be green, and that it fitted
To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom
To be contracted in one brow of woe;
Yet fo far hath difcretion fought with nature,
That we with wifeft forrow think on him,
Together with remembrance of our felves.
Therefore our fometime fifter, now our Queen,
Th' imperial jointrefs of this warlike ftate,
Have we, as 'twere, with a defeated joy,
With one aufpicious, and one dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale weighing delight and dole,
Taken to wife. Nor have we herein barr'd
Your better wifdoms, which have freely gone
With this affair along; (for all, our thanks!)
Now follows, that you know, young Fortinbras
Holding a weak fuppofal of our worth,
Or thinking by our late dear brother's death
Our state to be disjoint and out of frame;
Collogued with this dream of his advantage,
He hath not fail'd to pefter us with meffage,
Importing the furrender of thofe lands
Loft by his father, by all bands of law,
To our most valiant brother. So much for him.
Now for our felf, and for this time of meeting:
Thus much the bufinefs is. We have here writ
To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
Who, impotent and bed-rid, fcarcely hears
Of this his nephew's purpose, to fupprefs
His further gate herein; in that the levies,
The lifts, and full proportions, are all made
Out of his fubjects; and we here dispatch
You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltimand,
For bearers of this greeting to old Norway;
Giving to you no further perfonal power
Of treaty with the King, more than the scope
Which thefe dilated articles allow.
Farewel, and let your hafte commend your duty.
Vol. In that, and all things, will we fhew our duty.
King. We doubt it nothing, heartily farewel.
[Exeunt Voltimand and Cornelius.
And now, Laertes, what's the news with you?
You told us of fome fuit. What is't, Laertes?
You cannot speak of reason to the Dane,
And lofe your voice. What would'ft thou beg, Laertes, That shall not be my offer, not thy asking?
The 'blood is not more native to the heart,
The hand more inftrumental to the mouth,
Than to the Throne of Denmark 5 is thy father.
What would't thou have, Laertes?
Your leave and favour to return to France;
From whence though willingly I came to Denmark
To fhew my duty in your coronation;
Yet now I must confefs, that duty done,
My thoughts and wifhes bend again tow'rd France:
And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon.
King. Have you your father's leave? what fays Polonius ?`
Pol. He hath, my Lord, by labourfome petition,
Wrung from me my flow leave; and at the laft
Upon his will I feal'd my hard confent.
I do befeech you give him leave to go.
King, Take thy fair hour, Laertes, time be thine,
old edit. Warb. emend. 5 to... ald edit. Warb. emend.
And thy best graces fpend it at thy will.
But now, my coufin Hamlet, and my fon
Ham. A little more than kin, and lefs than kind.
King. How is it that the clouds ftill hang on you?
Ham. Not fo, my Lord, I am too much i'th' fun.
Queen. Good Hamlet, caft thy nighted colour off,
And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.
Do not, for ever, with thy veiled lids,
Seek for thy noble father in the duft;
Thou know't 'tis common, all that live muft die,
Paffing thro' nature to eternity.
Ham. Ay, Madam, it is common.
Why feems it fo particular with thee?
Ham. Seems, Madam? nay, it is; I know not feems: 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor cuftomary fuits of folemn black,
Nor windy fufpiration of forc'd breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected 'haviour of the vifage,
Together with all forms, moods, fhews of grief,
That can denote me truly. These indeed feem,
For they are actions that a man might play;
But I have that within, which paffeth fhow:
Thefe, but the trappings, and the fuits of woe.
King. 'Tis fweet and commendable in your nature,
To give these mourning duties to your father;
But you must know, your father loft a father,
That father his, and the furviver bound
In filial obligation, for fome term
To do obfequious forrow. But to perfevere
In obftinate condolement, is a course
Of impious ftubbornnefs, unmanly grief.
It fhews a will moft incorrect to heaven,
A heart unfortify'd, a mind impatient,
(a) It is not unreasonable to fuppofe that this was a proverbial expreffion known in former times for a Relation fo blended and confused that it was hard to define it.
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