"Stars fhone with trains of fire, dews of blood fell; "Difafters veil'd the fun; and the moist star, "Upon whofe influence Neptune's empire ftands, Was fick almost to dooms-day with eclipfe. And even the like precurse of fierce * events, As harbingers preceeding ftill the fates, And prologue to the omen † coming on, Have heav'n and earth together demonstrated Unto our climatures and countrymen.

Enter Ghoft again.

But foft, behold! lo, where it comes again!
I'll crofs it, though it blast me. Stay illufion!
[Spreading his arms.
If thou haft any found, or use of voice,
Speak to me.

If there be any good thing to be done,

That may to thee do ease, and grace to me ;-
Speak to me.

If thou art privy to thy country's fate,
Which, happily, foreknowing may avoid,
Oh speak!

Or, if thou haft uphoorded, in thy life

Extorted treafure, in the womb of earth, [Cock crows. For which, they fay, you fpirits oft walk in death, Speak of it. Stay, and speak-Stop it. Marcellus.Mar. Shall I ftrike at it with my partifan ?

Her. Do, if it will not stand.

Ber. 'Tis here

Hor. 'Tis here

Mar. 'Tis gone.

We do it wrong, being so majestical,

To offer it the thew of violence;

For it is as the air, invulnerable;

And our vain blows, malicious mockery."

[Exit Ghoft.

Ber. It was about to speak when the cock crew. Hor. "And then it started like a guilty thing "Upon a fearful fummons I have heard, "The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn, *fierce, for terrible.

tsmen, for fate.

‡ i. e. unjustly extorted from thy subjects.

"Doth with his lofty and fhrill-founding throat
"Awake the god of day; and at his warning,
"Whether in fea or fire, in earth or air,
"Th' extravagant * and erring fpirit hies
"To his confine: and of the truth herein
This prefent object made probation.

Mar. It faded on the crowing of the cock. "Some fay, that ever 'gainst that season comes "Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated, "The bird of dawning fingeth all night long: "And then they fay no fpirit walks abroad; "The nights are wholfome, then no planets ftriko, "No fairy takes, no witch hath power to charm; "So hallow'd and fo gracious is the time.

Hor. So have I heard, and do in part believe it. "But look, the morn, in ruffet mantle clad, "Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastward hill; Break we our watch up; and, by my advice, Let us impart what we have seen to-night Unto young Hamlet. For, upon my life, This fpirit, dumb to us, will speak to him. Do you confent, we fhall acquaint him with it, As needful in our loves, fitting our duty?

Mar. Let's do't, I pray; and this morning know Where we shall find him moft conveniently. [Exeunt.

SCENE II. Changes to the palace.

Enter Claudius King of Denmark, Gertrude the Queen, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, Voltimand, Cornelius, Lords and Attendants.

King Tho' yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death The memory be green, and that it fitted

To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom
To be contracted in one brow of woe;

Yet fo far hath Difcretion fought with Nature,
That we with wifeft forrow think on him,
Together with remembrance of ourselves.
Therefore our fometime fifter, now our Queen,
Th' imperial jointrefs of this warlike ftate,
Have we, as 'twere, with a defeated joy,

i. e, go out of its bounds,

With one aufpicious, and one dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage,
In equal fcale weighing delight and dole,

Taken to wife. Nor have we herein barr'd
Your better wifdoms, which have freely gone
With this affair along (for all, our thanks).
Now follows, that you know, young Fortinbras,
Holding a weak fuppofal of our worth;

Or thinking by our late dear brother's death
Our state to be disjoint, and out of frame;
Colleagued with this dream of his advantage,
He hath not fail'd to pefter us with meffage,
Importing the surrender of those lands
Loft by his father, by all bands of law,

To our most valiant brother.-So much for him.-
Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting:
Thus much the bufinefs is. We have here writ
To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
(Who, impotent and bed-rid, fcarcely hears
Of this his nephew's purpose), to suppress
His further gate herein; in that the levies,
The lifts, and full proportions, are all made
Out of his fubjects: and we here dispatch
You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltimand,
For bearers of this greeting to old Norway;
Giving to you no farther perfonal power
To bufinefs with the King, more than the fcope
Which thefe dilated articles allow.

Farewel, and let your hafte commend your duty.
Vol In that and all things, will we fhew our duty.
King. We doubt it nothing; heartily farewel
[Exeunt Voltimand and Cornelius.
And now, Laertes, what's the news with you?
You told us of fome fuit. What is't, Laertes?
You cannot speak of reafon to the Dane,

And lofe your voice. What would'ft thou beg, Laertes,
That fhall not be my offer, not thy asking?
The blood is not more native to the heart,
The hand more inftrumental to the mouth,

Than to the throne of Denmark is thy father.
What would't thou have, Laertes?
Laer. My dread Lord,

Your

Your leave and favour to return to France;

From whence, though willingly, I came to Denmark To fhew my duty in your coronation;

Yet now I must confefs, that duty done,

My thoughts and wifhes bend again tow'rd France: And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon. King. Have you your father's leave? what fays Po

lonius!

Pol. He hath, my Lord, by laboursome petition, Wrung from me my flow leave; and, at the last, Upon his will I feal'd my hard confent.

I do befeech you, give him leave to go

King Take thy fair hour, Laertes, time be thine; And thy belt graces fpend it at thy will. But now, my coufin Hamlet. -Kind my fon

Ham. A little more than kin, and lefs than kind *.

[Afide. King How is it that the clouds ftill hang on you? Ham Not fo, my Lord, I am too much i'the fun. Queen. Good Hamlet, caft thy nighted colour off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. Do not, for ever, with thy veiled lids,

Seek for thy noble father in the duft;

Thou know'st 'tis common; all that live, must die;
Paffing through nature to eternity.

Ham. Ay, Madam, it is common.

Queen. If it be,

Why feems it fo particular with thee?

Ham. Seems, Madam nay. it is; I know not, feems: 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,

Nor customary fuits of folemn black,

Nor windy fufpiration of force'd breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected 'haviour of the vifage,
Together with all forms, moods, fhews of grief,
That can denote me truly. Thefe indeed feem,
For they are actions that a man might play;
But I have that within which paffes fhew:
Thefe but the trappings and the fuits of woe.

*It is not unreasonable to fuppofe, that this was a proverbial expreffion, known in former times for a relation fo blended and confused, that it was hard to define it..

King. 'Tis fweet and commendable in your nature,
Hamlet,

To give these mourning duties to your father:
"But you must know, your father loft a father;
"That father, his; and the furviver bound
"In filial obligation, for fome term,

"To do obfequious forrow. But to perfevere
"In obftinate condolement *, is a courfe
"Of impious ftubbornnefs, unmanly grief.
"It fhews a will most incorrect † to heav'n,
"A heart unfortify'd, a mind impatient,
"An understanding simple, and unschool'd:
"For what we know muft be, and is as common
"As any the most vulgar thing to fenfe,

66

Why should we, in our peevish oppofition, "Take it to heart? fie! 'tis a fault to heav'n, "A fault against the dead, a fault to nature, "To reafon moft abfurd; whose common theme "Is death of fathers, and who ftill hath cry'd, "From the first corfe, till he that died to-day, "This must be fo. We pray you throw to earth || This unprevailing ** woe, and think of us As of a father: for let the world take note, You are the most immediate to our throne; And with no lefs nobility ++ of love,

Than that which dearest father bears his fon,
Do I impart ‡‡ tow'rd you. For your intent
In going back to school to Wittenberg,
It is molt retrograde to our desire :
And we beseech you, bend you to remain
Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
Our chiefest courtier, coufin, and our fon.

Queen. Let not thy mother lose her pravers, Hamlet:
I pr'ythee ftay with us, go not to Wittemberg.
Ham. I fhall in all my best obey you, Madam.

condelement, for forrow; becaufe forrow is used to be condoled. † incorrect, for untutor'd.

reafon, for experience.

e. into the grave with your father. unprevailing, for unavailing.

++ nobility, for magnitude.

impart, for poffs.