on. O wicked wicked speede, to make such Dexteritie to incestuous sheetes, Ere yet the shooes were olde, The which she followed my dead fathers corse Like
Nyobe, all teares: married, well it is not, Nor it cannot come to good: But breake my heart, for I must holde my tongue.
Enter Horatio
and Marcellus.
Hor. Health to your Lordship.
Ham. I am very glad to see you, (Horatio) or I much forget my selfe.
Hor. The same my Lord, and your poore seruant euer.
Ham. O my good friend, I change that name with you: but what make you from
Wittenberg H_oratio_?
Marcellus.
Marc. My good Lord.
Ham. I am very glad to see you, good euen sirs; But what is your affaire in
Elsenoure? Weele teach you to drinke deepe ere you depart.
Hor. A trowant disposition, my good Lord. [B4v]
Ham. Nor shall you make mee truster Of your owne report against your selfe: Sir, I know you are no trowant: But what is your affaire in
Elsenoure?
Hor. My good Lord, I came to see your fathers funerall.
Ham. O I pre thee do not mocke mee fellow studient, I thinke it was to see my mothers wedding.
Hor. Indeede my Lord, it followed hard vpon.
Ham. Thrift, thrift, H_oratio_, the funerall bak't meates Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables, Would I had met my deerest foe in heauen Ere euer I had seene that day
Horatio; O my father, my father, me thinks I see my father.
Hor. Where my Lord?
Ham. Why, in my mindes eye H_oratio_.
Hor. I saw him once, he was a gallant King.
Ham. He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not looke vpon his like againe.
Hor. My Lord, I thinke I saw him yesternight,
Ham. Saw, who?
Hor. My Lord, the King your father.
Ham. Ha, ha, the King my father ke you.
Hor. Ceasen your admiration for a while With an attentiue eare, till I may deliuer, Vpon the witnesse of these Gentlemen This wonder to you.
Ham. For Gods loue let me heare it.
Hor. Two nights together had these Gentlemen,
Marcellus and
Bernardo, on their watch In the dead vast and middle of the night. Beene thus incountered by a figure like your father, Armed to poynt, exactly
Capapea Appeeres before them thrise, he walkes Before their weake and feare oppressed eies Within his tronchions length, While they distilled almost to gelly. [C1] With the act of feare stands dumbe, And speake not to him: this to mee In dreadfull secresie impart they did. And I with them the third night kept the watch, Where as they had delivered forme of the thing. Each part made true and good, The Apparition comes: I knew your father, These handes are not more like.
Ham. Tis very strange.
Hor. As I do liue, my honord lord, tis true, And wee did thinke it right done, In our dutie to let you know it.
Ham. Where was this?
Mar. My Lord, vpon the platforme where we watched.
Ham. Did you not speake to it?
Hor. My Lord we did, but answere made it none, Yet once me thought it was about to speake, And lifted vp his head to motion, Like as he would speake, but euen then The morning cocke crew lowd, and in all haste, It shruncke in haste away, and vanished Our sight.
Ham. Indeed, indeed sirs, but this troubles me. Hold you the watch to night?
All We do my Lord.
Ham. Armed say ye?
All Armed my good Lord.
Ham. From top to toe?
All. My good Lord, from head to foote.
Ham. Why then saw you not his face?
Hor. O yes my Lord, he wore his beuer vp.
Ham. How look't he, frowningly?
Hor. A countenance more in sorrow than in anger.
Ham. Pale, or red?
Hor. Nay, verie pal
Ham. And fixt his eies vpon you. [C1v]
Hor. Most constantly.
Ham. I would I had beene there.
Hor. It would a much amazed you.
Ham. Yea very like, very like, staid it long?
Hor. While one with moderate pace Might tell a hundred.
Mar. O longer, longer.
Ham. His beard was grisleld, no.
Hor. It was as I haue seene it in his life, A sable siluer.
Ham. I wil watch to night, perchance t'wil walke againe.
Hor. I warrant it will.
Ham. If it assume my noble fathers person, Ile speake to it, if hell it selfe should gape, And bid me hold my peace, Gentlemen, If you haue hither consealed this sight, Let it be tenible in your silence still, And whatsoeuer else shall chance to night, Giue it an vnderstanding, but no tongue, I will requit your loues, so fare you well, Vpon the platforme, twixt eleuen and twelue, Ile visit you.
All. Our duties to your honor.
exeunt.
Ham. O your loues, your loues, as mine to you. Farewell, my fathers spirit in Armes, Well, all's not well. I doubt some foule play, Would the night were come, Till then, sit still my soule, foule deeds will rise Though all the world orewhelme them to mens eies.
Exit.
Enter Leartes and
Ofelia.
Leart. My necessaries are inbarkt, I must aboord, But ere I part, marke what I say to thee: I see Prince
Hamlet makes a shew of loue Beware
Ofelia, do not trust his vowes, Perhaps he loues you now, and now his tongue, Speakes from his heart, but yet take heed my sister, [C2] The Chariest maide is prodigall enough, If she vnmaske hir beautie to the Moone. Vertue it selfe scapes not calumnious thoughts, Belieu't
Ofelia, therefore keepe a loofe Lest that he trip thy honor and thy fame.
Ofel. Brother, to this I haue lent attentiue care, And doubt not but to keepe my honour firme, But my deere brother, do not you Like to a cunning Sophister, Teach me the path and ready way to heauen, While you forgetting what is said to me, Your selfe, like to a carelesse libertine Doth giue his heart, his appetite at ful, And little recks how that his honour dies.
Lear. No, feare it not my deere
Ofelia, Here comes my father, occasion smiles vpon a second leaue.
Enter Corambis. Cor. Yet here
Leartes? aboord, aboord, for shame, The winde sits in the shoulder of your saile, And you are staid for, there my blessing with thee And these few precepts in thy memory. "Be thou familiar, but by no meanes vulgare; "Those friends thou hast, and their adoptions tried, "Graple them to thee with a hoope of steele, "But do not dull the palme with entertaine, "Of euery new vnfleg'd courage, "Beware of entrance into a quarrell; but being in, "Beare it that the opposed may beware of thee, "Costly thy apparrell, as thy purse can buy. "But not exprest in fashion, "For the apparell oft proclaimes the man. And they of
France of the chiefe rancke and station Are of a most select and generall chiefe in that: "This aboue all, to thy owne selfe be true, And it must follow as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any one, [C2v] Farewel, my blessing with thee.
Lear. I humbly take my leaue, farewell
Ofelia, And remember well what I haue said to you.
exit. Ofel. It is already lock't within my hart, And you your selfe shall keepe the key of it.
Cor. What i'st
Ofelia he hath saide to you?
Ofel. Somthing touching the prince
Hamlet.
Cor. Mary wel thought on, t'is giuen me to vnderstand, That you haue bin too prodigall of your maiden presence Vnto Prince Hamlet, if it be so, As so tis giuen to mee, and that in waie of caution I must tell you; you do not vnderstand your selfe So well as befits my honor, and your credite.
Ofel. My lord, he hath made many tenders of his loue to me.
Cor. Tenders, I, I, tenders you may call them.
Ofel. And withall, such earnest vowes.
Cor. Springes to catch woodcocks, What, do not I know when the blood doth burne, How prodigall the tongue lends the heart vowes, In briefe, be more scanter of your maiden presence, Or tendring thus you'l tender mee a foole.
Ofel. I shall obay my lord in all I may.
Cor. Ofelia, receiue none of his letters, "For louers lines are snares to intrap the heart; "Refuse his tokens, both of them are keyes To vnlocke Chastitie vnto Desire; Come in
Ofelia, such men often proue, "Great in their wordes, but little in their loue.
Ofel. I will my lord.
exeunt. Enter Hamlet, Horatio,
and Marcellus.
Ham. The ayre bites shrewd; it is an eager and An nipping winde, what houre i'st?
Hor. I think it lacks of twelue,
Sound Trumpets. Mar. No, t'is strucke.
Hor. Indeed I heard it not, what doth this mean my lord? [C3]
Ham. O the king doth wake to night, & takes his rowse, Keepe wassel, and the swaggering vp-spring reeles, And as he dreames, big draughts of renish downe, The kettle, drumme, and trumpet, thus bray out, The triumphes of his pledge.
Hor. Is it a custome here?
Ham. I mary i'st and though I am Natiue here, and to the maner borne, It is a custome, more honourd in the breach, Then in the obseruance.
Enter the Ghost. Hor. Looke my Lord, it comes.
Ham. Angels and Ministers of grace defend vs, Be thou a spirite of health, or goblin damn'd, Bring with thee ayres from heanen, or blasts from hell: Be thy intents wicked or charitable, Thou commest in such questionable shape, That I will speake to thee, Ile call thee
Hamlet, King, Father, Royall Dane, O answere mee, let mee not burst in ignorance, But say why thy canonizd bones hearsed in death Haue burst their ceremonies: why thy Sepulcher, In which wee saw thee quietly interr'd, Hath burst his ponderous and marble Iawes, To cast thee vp againe: what may this meane, That thou, dead corse, againe in compleate steele, Reuissets thus the glimses of the Moone, Making night hideous, and we fooles of nature, So horridely to shake our disposition, With thoughts beyond the reaches of our soules? Say,
