And thus a while the fit will work on him; Ham. Hear you, sir; [Exit. King. I pray thee, good Horatio, wait upon him.[Exit Horatio. Strengthen your patience in our last night's speech; [To Laertes. We'll put the matter to the present push.Good Gertrude, set some watch over your son.This grave shall have a living monument : An hour of quiet shortly shall we see ; Till then, in patience our proceeding be. [Exeunt. SCENE II-A hall in the castle. let and Horatio. Enter Ham Ham. So much for this, sir: now shall you see the other; You do remember all the circumstance? Hor. Remember it, my lord! Ham. Sir, in my heart there was a kind of That would not let me sleep: methought, I lay There's a divinity that shapes our ends, (1) Hatched. (2) Mutineers. (3) Fetters and hand-cuffs, brought from Bilboa in Spain. (4) Fail. Rough-hew them how we will. Ham. Up from my cabin, That is most certain. My sea-gown scarf'd about me, in the dark No, not to stay the grinding of the axe, Hor. Is't possible? Ham. Here's the commission; read it at more But wilt thou hear now how I did proceed? Ham. Being thus benetted round with villanies, A baseness to write fair, and labour'd much Hor. Ay, good my lord. Ham. An earnest conjuration from the king,As England was his faithful tributary; As love between them, like the palm, might flourish; As peace should still her wheaten garland wear, And stand a comma6 'tween their amities; (1) Garnished. (3) Looking over. (5) Statesmen. VOL. VIII. (2) Bugbears. (4) Before. (6) A note of connection. And many such like as's of great charge,- He should the bearers put to sudden death, Hor. How was this seal'd? Ham. Why, even in that was heaven ordinant; I had my father's signet in my purse, Which was the model2 of that Danish seal: Folded the writ up in form of the other; Subscrib'd it; gave't the impression; plac'd it safely, The changeling never known: Now, the next day Was our sea-fight; and what to this was sequents Thou know'st already. Hor. So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to't. Ham. Why, man, they did make love to this employment; They are not near my conscience; their defeat 'Tis dangerous, when the baser nature comes Hor. Why, what a king is this! Ham. Does it not, think thee, stand me now upon? He that hath kill'd my king, and whor'd my mother; Popp'd in between the election and my hopes; Thrown out his angle for my proper life, And with such cozenage; is't not perfect conscience, To quit him with this arm? and is't not to be damn'd, To let this canker of our nature come In further evil? Hor. It must be shortly known to him from England, What is the issue of the business there. Ham. It will be short: the interim is mine; (1) Confessing. (3) Following. (2) Copy. (4) Requite. And a man's life no more than to say, one. That to Laertes I forgot myself; For by the image of my cause, I see The portraiture of his: I'll count! his favours: Hor. Peace; who comes here? Enter Osric. Osr. Your lordship is right welcome back to Denmark. Ham. I humbly thank you, sir.-Dost know this water-fly ?2 Hor. No, my good lord. Ham. Thy state is the more gracious; for 'tis a vice to know him: He hath much land, and fertile: let a beast be lord of beasts, and his crib shall stand at the king's mess: 'Tis a chough;3 but, as I say, spacious in the possession of dirt. Osr. Sweet lord, if your lordship were at leisure, I should impart a thing to you from his majesty. Ham. I will receive it, sir, with all diligence of spirit: Your bonnet to his right use; 'tis for the head. Osr. I thank your lordship, 'tis very hot. Ham. No, believe me, tis very cold; the wind is northerly. Osr. It is indifferent cold, my lord, indeed. Ham. But yet, methinks it is very sultry and hot; or my complexion Osr. Exceedingly, my lord; it is very sultry,-as 'twere,-I cannot tell how-My lord, his majesty bade me signify to you, that he has laid a great wager on your head: Sir, this is the matter, Ham. I beseech you, remember [Hamlet moves him to put on his hat. Osr. Nay, good my lord; for my ease, in good (1) For count some editors read court. (2) Water-flies are gnats. (3) A bird like a jackdaw. faith. Sir, here is newly come to court, Laertes: believe me, an absolute gentleman, full of most excellent differences,2 of very soft society, and great showing: Indeed, to speak feelingly of him, he is the cards or calendar of gentry, for you shall find in him the continents of what part a gentleman would see. Ham. Sir, this definement suffers no perdition in you;-though, I know, to divide him inventorially, would dizzy the arithmetic of memory; and yet but raw neither, in respect of his quick sail. But, in the verity of extolment, I take him to be a soul of great article; and his infusion of such dearth and rareness, as, to make true diction of him, his semblable is his mirror; and, who else would trace him, his umbrage, nothing more.5 Osr. Your lordship speaks most infallibly of him. Ham. The concernancy, sir? why do we wrap the gentleman in our more rawer breath? Osr. Sir? Hor. Is't not possible to understand in another tongue? You will do't, sir, really. Ham. What imports the nomination of this gentleman? Osr Of Laertes? Hor. His purse is empty already; all his golden words are spent. Ham. Of him, sir. Osr. I know, you are not ignorant Ham. I would you did, sir; yet, in faith, if you did, it would not much approve me ;-Well, sir. Osr. You are not ignorant of what excellence Laertes is (1) The affected phrase of the time. (2) Distinguishing excellencies. (3) Compass or chart. (4) The country and pattern for imitation. of that time. (6) Mentioning. (7) Recommend. A |