Hor. W

for you.

Enter Horatio, with an Attendant.

7Hat are they that would speak with me?
Ser. Sailors, Sir; they say they have letters

Hor. Let them come in.

I do not know from what part of the world
I fhould be greeted, if not from Lord Hamlet.

Enter Sailors.

Sail. God bless you, Sir.

Hor. Let him blefs thee too.

[Exit Ser.

Sail. He fhall, Sir, an't please him. There's a letter for you, Sir: It comes from th' Ambaffador that was bound for England, if your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is.

Horatio reads the letter.

HORATIO, when thou shalt have over-look'd this, give thefe fellows fome means to the King: they have letters for him. Ere we were two days old at fea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us chace. Finding our felves too flow of jail, we put on a compelled valour, and in the grapple I boarded them: on the inftant they got clear of our fhip, fo I alone became their prisoner. They bave dealt with me like thieves of mercy, but they knew what they did. I am to do a good turn for them. Let the King have the letters I have fent, and repair thou to me with as much baste as thou wouldeft fly death. I have words to Speak in thy ear, will make thee dumb, yet are they much too light for the matter. Thefe good fellows will bring thee where I am. Rofincroffe and Guildenftern bold their courfe for England. Of them I bave much to tell thee, farewel.

He that thou knowest thine, Hamlet.

Come,

Come, I will make you way for these your letters,
And do't the fpeedier, that you may direct me
To him, from whom you brought them.

[Exeunt:

King. NOW muft your confcience my acquittance feal, you must put me in your heart for friend,

Sith you have heard, and with a knowing ear,

That he which hath your noble father flain,
Pursued my life.

Laer. It well appears. But tell me,
Why you proceeded not against these feats,
So crimeful and fo capital in nature,
As by your fafety, wifdom, all things elfe,
You mainly were stirr'd up.

King. Two fpecial reasons,

Which may to you, perhaps, feem much unfinew'd,
And yet to me are ftrong. The Queen, his mother,
Lives almoft by his looks; and for my felf,
(My virtue or my plague, be't either which)
She's fo conjunctive to my life and foul,
That as the ftar moves not but in his sphere,
I could not but by her. The other motive.
Why to a publick count I might not go,
Is the great love the general gender bear him;
Who dipping all his faults in their affection,
Would, like the spring that turneth wood to ftone,
Convert his gyves to graces. So my arrows
Too flightly timber'd for fo loud a wind,
Would have reverted to my bow again,
And not where I had aim'd them.

Laer. And fo have I a noble father loft,
A fifter driven into defperate terms,
Whofe worth, if praifes may go back again,

Stood

Stood challenger on mount of all the age

For her perfections-But revenge will come.

King. Break not your fleeps for that; you must not think That we are made of ftuff fo flat and dull, That we can let our beard be fhook with danger, And think it paftime. You fhall foon hear more. I lov'd your father, and we love our self, And that I hope will teach you to imagine

Enter a Meffenger.

Mef. Thefe to your Majefty: this to the Queen. King. From Hamlet? who brought them? Mef. Sailors, my Lord, they fay, I faw them not : They were giv'n me by Claudio, he receiv'd them. King. Laertes, you fhall hear them: leave us, all[Exit Meffenger.

High and mighty, you shall know I am fet naked on your kingdom. To-morrow fhall I beg leave to fee your kingly eyes; when I fhall, first asking your pardon thereunto, recount th' occafion of my fudden return.

Hamlet.

What fhould this mean? are all the reft come back?
Or is it fome abufe-and no fuch thing?

Laer. Know you the hand?

King. 'Tis Hamlet's character;

Naked, and in a poftfcript here, he fays

Alone can you advife me?

Laer. I'm loft in it, my Lord: but let him come;

It warms the very ficknefs in my heart,

That I fhall live 5 to tell him to his teeth,

Thus diddeft thou.

King. If it be fo, Laertes,

As how fhould it be fo?-how otherwife?-
Will you be ful'd by me?

Laer. I, fo you'll not o'er-rule me to a peace.
King. To thine own peace: if he be now return'd,
As liking not his voyage, and that he means

No

No more to undertake it; I will work him
To an exploit now ripe in my device,

Under the which he fhall not chufe but fall:
And for his death no wind of blame fhall breathe,
But ev'n his mother fhall uncharge the practice,
And call it accident.

Laer. I will be rul'd,

The rather if you could devife it fo
That I might be the organ.

King. It falls right :

You have been talkt of fince your travel much,
And that in Hamlet's hearing, for a quality
Wherein they fay you fhine; your fum of parts
Did not together pluck fuch envy from him,
As did that one, and that in my regard
Of the unworthieft fiege.

Laer. What part is that, my Lord?
King. A very feather in the cap of youth,
Yet needful too, for youth no lefs becomes
The light and carelefs livery that it wears,
Than fettled age his fables, and his weeds,
Importing health and gravenefs. Two months fince,
Here was a gentleman of Normandy;

I've seen my self, and ferv'd againft, the French,
And they can well on horfe-back; but this gallant
Had witchcraft in't, he grew unto his feat;
And to fuch wondrous doing brought his horse,
As he had been incorps'd and demy-natur'd
With the brave beaft; fo far he paft my thought,
That I in forgery of fhapes and tricks

Come fhort of what he did.

Laer. A Norman was't?

King. A Norman.

Laer. Upon my life, Lamond.

King. The very fame.

Laer. I know him well, he is the brooch indeed,

And gem of all the nation.

King. He made confeflion of you,

And

And gave you fuch a masterly report,
For art and exercife in your defence,
And for your rapier most efpecial,

That he cry'd out, 'twould be a fight indeed,
If one could match you. This report of his
Did Hamlet fo envenom with his envy,
That he could nothing do, but wish and beg
Your fudden coming o'er to play with him.
Now out of this-

Laer. What out of this, my Lord?

King. Laertes, was your father dear to you?
Or are you like the painting of a forrow,
A face without a heart?

Laer. Why ask you this?

King. Not that I think you did not love your father,
But that I know love is begun by time;
And that I fee in paffages of proof,
Time qualifies the fpark and fire of it:
There lives within the very flame of love
A kind of wick or fnuff that will abate it,
And nothing is at a like goodness still;
For goodness growing to a plethory,

Dies in his own too much; what we would do,
We should do when we would; for this would changes,
And hath abatements and delays as many

As there are tongues, are hands, are accidents,
And then this should is like a fpend-thrift figh
That hurts by eafing; but to th' quick o'th' ulcer-
Hamlet comes back; what would you undertake
To fhew your felf your father's fon indeed,
More than in words?

Laer. To cut his throat i'th' church.

King. No place indeed fhould murther sanctuarise; Revenge fhould have no bounds; but, good Laertes, Will you do this? keep clofe within your chamber; Hamlet return'd shall know you are come home: We'll put on those shall praise your excellence,

6 pleurifie,...old edit. Warb. emend.

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