Ham. Nev er to speak of this that you have seen, Swear by my sword. Ghost. [beneath.] Swear. Ham. Hic & ubique? then we'll shift our ground :Come hither, gentlemen, And lay your hands again upon my sword: Never to speak of this that you have heard. Ham. Well said, old mole! canst work i'the earth so fast? A worthy pioneer !-Once more remove, good friends. Hor. O day and night, but this is wondrous strange. Ham. And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. But come ;· Here, as before, never, so help you mercy! That you, at such times seeing me, never shall, Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase, As, Well, well, we know;-or, We could,an if we would ; -or. If we list to speak;-or, There be,an if they mighOr such ambiguous giving out, to note That you know aught of me: This do you swear, Ham. Rest, rest, perturbed spirit !-So, gentlemen,. With all my love I do commend me to you: And what so poor a man as Hamlet is May do, to express his love and friending to you, God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together; And still your fingers on your lips, I pray. The time is out of joint ;-O cursed spite! That ever I was born to set it right! Nay, come, let's go together. [Exeunt. ACT II. SCENE 1-A Room in POLONIUS's House. Enter POLONIUS and REYNALDO. Pol. Give him this money, and these notes, Rey naldo. Rey. I will, my lord. Pol. You shall do marvellous wisely, good Reynaldo, Before you visit him, to make inquiry Of his behaviour. Rey. My lord, I did intend it. Pol. Marry, well said: very well said. Look you, sir, Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris; And how, and who, what means, and where they keep, Take you, as 'twere, some distant knowledge of him; Pol. And, in part, him ;—but, you may say, not well = But, if't be he I mean, he's very wild; Addicted so and so ;-and there put on him What forgeries you please: marry, none so rank But, sir, such wanton, wild, and usual slips, Rey. As gaming, my lord. Pol. Ay, or drinking, fencing, swearing, quarrelling, Drabbing:-You may go so far. Rey. My lord, that would dishonour him. Pol. 'Faith, no; as you may season it in the charge. You must not put another scandal on him, That he is open to incontinency; That's not my meaning: but breathe his faults so quaintly, That they may seem the taints of liberty: The flash and out-break of a fiery mind; A savageness in unreclaimed blood, [5] Danske (in Warner's Albion's England) is the ancient name of Denmark. STEEVENS. [6] Savageness for wildness. WARBURTON. Of general assault. 7 Rey. But, my good lord, Pol. Wherefore should you do this? I would know that. Pol. Marry, sir, here's my drift; And, I believe, it is a fetch of warrant : 8 Your party in converse, him you would sound, Rey. Very good, my lord. Pol. And then, sir, does he this,-He does What was I about to say?-By the mass, I was about to say something :-Where did I leave? Rey. At, closes in the consequence. Pol. At, closes in the consequence,—Ay, marry ; He closes with you thus :-I know the gentleman; I saw him yesterday, or t'other day, Or then, or then; with such, or such; and, as you say, There was he gaming; there o'ertook in his rouse; There falling out at tennis: or, perchance, I saw him enter such a house of sale, (Videlicet, a brothel,) or so forth. See you now; Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth : And thus do we of wisdom and of reach, With windlaces, and with assays of bias, By indirections find directions out; So, by former lecture and advice, Shall you my son. You have me, have you not? Pol. God be wi' you fare you well. Rey. Good my lord, Pol. Observe his inclination in yourself.9 Rey. I shall, my lord. [7] i. e. Such as youth in general is liable to. WARBURTON. JOHNSON. [8] Crimes already named. STEEVENS. [9] In your own person, not by spies. Pol. And let him ply his music. Enter OPHELIA. [Exit. Pol.Farewell!-How now, Ophelia? what's the matter? Oph. My lord, as I was sewing in my closet, As if he had been loosed out of hell, To speak of horrors,-he comes before me. Pol. Mad for thy love? Oph. My lord, I do not know; But, truly, I do fear it. Pol. What said he? Oph. He took me by the wrist, and held me hard; Then goes he to the length of all his arm; And, with his other hand thus o'er his brow, He falls to such perusal of my face, As he would draw it. Long staid he so ; At last, a little shaking of mine arm, And thrice his head thus waving up and down,- As it did seem to shatter all his bulk, And end his being: That done, he lets me go : Pol. Come, go with me; I will go seek the king. Whose violent property foredoes itself, That does afflict our natures. I am sorry, What, have you given him any hard words of late? Oph. No, my good lord; but, as you did command, I did repel his letters, and denied His access to me. [1] Down-gyved means, hanging down like the loose cincture which con fines the fetters round the ancles. STEEVENS, Pol. That hath made him mad. I am sorry, that with better heed and judgment, I had not quoted him.2 I fear'd, he did but trifle, And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my jealousy It seems, it is as proper to our age To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions, As it is common for the younger sort To lack discretion.3 Come, go we to the king: This must be known; which, being kept close, might move More grief to hide, than hate to utter love.* Come. SCENE II. [Exeunt. A Room in the Castle. Enter King, Queen, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and Attendants. King. Welcome, dear Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern! Moreover that we much did long to see you, The need, we have to use you, did provoke Our hasty sending. Something have you heard Of Hamlet's transformation; so I call it, Since not the exterior nor the inward man Resembles that it was: What it should be, More than his father's death, that thus hath put him So much from the understanding of himself, I cannot dream of: I entreat you both, That,-being of so young days brought up with him: To draw him on to pleasures; and to gather, Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus, Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of you; And, sure I am, two men there are not living, [2] To quote, is I believe, to reckon, to take an account of, to take the quotient or result of a computation. JOHNSON. [3] This is not the remark of a weak man. The vice of age is too much suspicion. Men long accustomed to the wiles of life cast commonly beyond themselves, let their cunning go farther than reason can attend it. This is always the fault of a little mind, made artful by long commerce with the world. JOHNSON. [4] This must be made known to the king, for (being kept secret) the hiding Hamlet's love might occasion more mischief to us from him and the queen, than the uttering or revealing of it will occasion hate and resentment from Hamlet. JOHNSON. |