speake, wherefore, what may this meane?
Hor. It beckons you, as though it had something To impart to you alone.
Mar. Looke with what courteous action It waues you to a more remoued ground, But do not go with it. [C3v]
Hor. No, by no meanes my Lord.
Ham. It will not speake, then will I follow it.
Hor. What if it tempt you toward the flood my Lord. That beckles ore his bace, into the sea, And there assume some other horrible shape, Which might depriue your soueraigntie of reason, And driue you into madnesse: thinke of it.
Ham. Still am I called, go on, ile follow thee.
Hor. My Lord, you shall not go.
Ham. Why what should be the feare? I do not set my life at a pinnes fee, And for my soule, what can it do to that? Being a thing immortall, like it selfe, Go on, ile follow thee.
Mar. My Lord be rulde, you shall not goe.
Ham. My fate cries out, and makes each pety Artiue As hardy as the Nemeon Lyons nerue, Still am I cald, vnhand me gentlemen; By heauen ile make a ghost of him that lets me, Away I say, go on, ile follow thee.
Hor. He waxeth desperate with imagination.
Mar. Something is rotten in the state of
Denmarke.
Hor. Haue after; to what issue will this sort?
Mar. Lets follow, tis not fit thus to obey him.
exit. Enter Ghost and Hamlet. Ham. Ile go no farther, whither wilt thou leade me?
Ghost Marke me.
Ham. I will.
Ghost I am thy fathers spirit, doomd for a time To walke the night, and all the day Confinde in flaming fire, Till the foule crimes done in my dayes of Nature Are purged and burnt away.
Ham. Alas poore Ghost.
Ghost Nay pitty me not, but to my vnfolding Lend thy listning eare, but that I am forbid [C4] To tell the secrets of my prison house I would a tale vnfold, whose lightest word Would harrow vp thy soule, freeze thy yong blood, Make thy two eyes like stars start from their spheres, Thy knotted and combined locks to part, And each particular haire to stand on end Like quils vpon the fretfull Porpentine, But this same blazon must not be, to eares of flesh and blood Hamlet, if euer thou didst thy deere father loue.
Ham. O God.
Gho. Reuenge his foule, and most vnnaturall murder:
Ham. Murder.
Ghost Yea, murder in the highest degree, As in the least tis bad, But mine most foule, beastly, and vnnaturall.
Ham. Haste me to knowe it, that with wings as swift as meditation, or the thought of it, may sweepe to my reuenge.
Ghost O I finde thee apt, and duller shouldst thou be Then the fat weede which rootes it selfe in ease On
Lethe wharffe: briefe let me be. Tis giuen out, that sleeping in my orchard, A Serpent stung me; so the whole eare of
Denmarke Is with a forged Prosses of my death rankely abusde: But know thou noble Youth: he that did sting Thy fathers heart, now weares his Crowne.
Ham. O my prophetike soule, my vncle! my vncle!
Ghost Yea he, that incestuous wretch, wonne to his will O wicked will, and gifts! that haue the power (with gifts, So to seduce my most seeming vertuous Queene, But vertne, as it neuer will be moued, Though Lewdnesse court it in a shape of heauen, So Lust, though to a radiant angle linckt, Would fate it selfe from a celestiall bedde, And prey on garbage: but soft, me thinkes I sent the mornings ayre, briefe let me be, Sleeping within my Orchard, my custome alwayes [C4v] In the after noone, vpon my secure houre Thy vncle came, with iuyce of Hebona In a viall, and through the porches of my eares Did powre the leaprous distilment, whose effect Hold such an enmitie with blood of man, That swift as quickesilner, it posteth through The naturall gates and allies of the body, And turnes the thinne and wholesome blood Like eager dropings into milke. And all my smoothe body, barked, and tetterd ouer. Thus was I sleeping by a brothers hand Of Crowne, of Queene, of life, of dignitie At once depriued, no reckoning made of, But sent vnto my graue, With all my accompts and sinnes vpon my head, O horrible, most horrible!
Ham. O God!
ghost If thou hast nature in thee, beare it not, But howsoeuer, let not thy heart Conspire against thy mother aught, Leaue her to heauen, And to the burthen that her conscience beares. I must be gone, the Glo-worme shewes the Martin To be neere, and gin's to pale his vneffectuall fire: Hamlet adue, adue, adue: remember me.
Exit Ham. O all you hoste of heauen! O earth, what else? And shall I couple hell; remember thee? Yes thou poore Ghost; from the tables Of my memorie, ile wipe away all sawes of Bookes, All triuiall fond conceites That euer youth, or else obseruance noted, And thy remembrance, all alone shall sit. Yes, yes, by heauen, a damnd pernitious villaine, Murderons, bawdy, smiling damned villaine, (My tables) meet it is I set it downe, That one may smile, and smile, and be a villayne; [D1] At least I am sure, it may be so in
Denmarke. So vncle, there you are, there you are. Now to the words; it is adue adue: remember me, Soe t'is enough I haue sworne.
Hor. My lord, my lord.
Enter. Horatio, Mar. Lord Hamlet.
and Marcellus. Hor. Ill, lo, lo, ho, ho.
Mar. Ill, lo, lo, so, ho, so, come boy, come.
Hor. Heauens secure him.
Mar. How i'st my noble lord?
Hor. What news my lord?
Ham. O wonderfull, wonderful.
Hor. Good my lord tel it.
Ham. No not I, you'l reueale it.
Hor. Not I my Lord by heauen.
Mar. Nor I my Lord.
Ham. How say you then? would hart of man Once thinke it? but you'l be secret.
Both. I by heauen, my lord.
Ham. There's neuer a villaine dwelling in all
Denmarke, But hee's an arrant knaue.
Hor. There need no Ghost come from the graue to tell you this.
Ham. Right, you are in the right, and therefore I holde it meet without more circumstance at all, Wee shake hands and part; you as your busines And desiers shall leade you: for looke you, Euery man hath busines, and desires, such As it is; and for my owne poore parte, ile go pray.
Hor. These are but wild and wherling words, my Lord.
Ham.. I am sory they offend you; hartely, yes faith hartily.
Hor. Ther's no offence my Lord.
Ham. Yes by Saint
Patrike but there is H_oratio_, And much offence too, touching this vision, It is an honest ghost, that let mee tell you, For your desires to know what is betweene vs, [D1v] Or emaister it as you may: And now kind frends, as yon are frends, Schollers and gentlmen, Grant mee one poore request.
Both. What i'st my Lord?
Ham. Neuer make known what you haue seene to night.
Both. My lord, we will not.
Ham. Nay but sweare.
Hor. In faith my Lord not I.
Mar. Nor I my Lord in faith.
Ham. Nay vpon my sword, indeed vpon my sword.
Gho. Sweare.
The Gost under the stage.
Ham. Ha, ha, come you here, this fellow in the sellerige, Here consent to sweare.
Hor. Propose the oth my Lord.
Ham. Neuer to speake what you haue seene to night, Sweare by my sword.
Gost. Sweare.
Ham. Hic & vbique; nay then weele shift our ground: Come hither Gentlemen, and lay your handes Againe vpon this sword, neuer to speake Of that which you haue seene, sweare by my sword.
Ghost Sweare.
Ham. Well said old Mole, can'st worke in the earth? so fast, a worthy Pioner, once more remoue.
Hor. Day and night, but this is wondrous strange.
Ham. And therefore as a stranger giue it welcome, There are more things in heauen and earth
Horatio, Then are Dream't of, in your philosophie, But come here, as before you neuer shall How strange or odde soere I beare my selfe, As I perchance hereafter shall thinke meet, To put an Anticke disposition on, That you at such times seeing me, neuer shall With Armes; incombred thus, or this head shake, [D2] Or by pronouncing some vndoubtfull phrase, As well well, wee know, or wee could and if we would, Or there be, and if they might, or such ambiguous. Giuing out to note, that you know aught of mee, This not to doe, so grace, and mercie At your most need helpe you, sweare.
Ghost. sweare.
Ham. Rest, rest, perturbed spirit: so gentlemen, In all my loue I do commend mee to you, And what so poore a man as
Hamlet may, To pleasure you, God willing shall not want, Nay come lett's go together, But stil your fingers on your lippes I pray, The time is out of ioynt, O cursed spite, That euer I was borne to set it right, Nay come lett's go together.
Exeunt. Enter Corambis, and Montano. Cor. Montano, here, these letters to my sonne, And this same mony with my blessing to him, And bid him ply his learning good
Montano.
Mon. I will my lord.
Cor. You shall do very well
Montano, to say thus, I knew the gentleman, or know his father, To inquire the manner of his life, As thus; being amongst his acquaintance, You may say, you saw him at such a time, marke you mee, At game, or drincking, swearing, or drabbing, You may go so farre.
Mon. My lord, that will impeach his reputation.
Cor. I faith not a whit, no not a whit, Now happely hee closeth with you in the consequence, As you may bridle it not disparage him a iote. What was I a bout to say,
Mon. He closeth with him in the consequence.
Cor. I, you say right, he closeth with him thus, This will hee say, let mee see what hee will say, [D2v] Mary this, I saw him yesterday, or tother day, Or then, or at such a time, a dicing, Or at Tennis, I or drincking drunke, or entring Of a howse of lightnes viz. brothell, Thus sir do wee that know the world, being men of reach, By indirections, finde directions forth, And so shall you my sonne; you ha me, ha you not?
Mon. I haue my lord.
Cor.
