Pol. And let him ply his music.

Rey.

Well, my lord. [Exit.

Enter OPHELIA.

Pol. Farewell!- How now, Ophelia? what's the matter?

Oph. Alas, my lord! I have been so affrighted!
Pol. With what, in the name of God?

Oph. My lord, as I was sewing in my chamber,
Lord Hamlet,—with his doublet all unbrac'd;
No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd,
Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle;

Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other;
And with a look so piteous in purport,

As if he had been loosed out of hell,

To speak of horrors, he comes before me.

Pol. Mad for thy love?

Oph.

But, truly, I do fear it.

Pol.

My lord, I do not know;

What said he?

Oph. He took me by the wrist, and held me hard;

Then goes he to the length of all his arm,

And, with his other hand thus o'er his brow,

He falls to such perusal of my face,

As he would draw it. Long stay'd he so:

At last, a little shaking of mine arm,

And thrice his head thus waving up and down,-
He rais'd a sigh so piteous and profound,
That it did seem to shatter all his bulk,
And end his being. That done, he lets me go,
And, with his head over his shoulder turn'd,
He seem'd to find his way without his eyes;
For out o' doors he went without their help,
And to the last bended their light on me.

10 Alas, my lord!] The quartos, "O my lord, my lord," and in the next line but one, closet for "chamber:" the quarto, 1603, has not the passage, but begins "O, my dear father! such a change in nature."

Pol. Come, go with me': I will go seek the king. This is the very ecstasy of love;

Whose violent property fordoes itself,

And leads the will to desperate undertakings,
As oft as any passion under heaven,

That does afflict our natures. I am sorry,

What! have you given him any hard words of late? Oph. No, my good lord; but, as you did command, I did repel his letters, and denied

His access to me.

Pol.

That hath made him mad.

I am sorry that with better heed and judgment
I had not quoted him2: I fear'd, he did but trifle,
And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my jealousy!
By heaven3, it is as proper to our age

To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions,
As it is common for the younger sort

To lack discretion. Come, go we to the king:

This must be known; which, being kept close, might

move

More grief to hide, than hate to utter love. [Exeunt.

SCENE II.

A Room in the Castle.

Enter King, Queen, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and Attendants.

King. Welcome, dear Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern:

1 COME, go with me:] The folio omits "Come," and in this part of the scene it is ill printed: for instance, in the next speech of Polonius, it has speed for "heed," and fear for " fear'd."

2 I had not QUOTED him :] i. e. noted or observed him. See Vol. iv. p. 74. Vol. vi. pp. 106, 393.

3 By heaven,] The Master of the Revels seems to have been especially scrupulous, and in the folio we find "It seems" substituted for " By heaven." 4 than hate to utter love.] After this couplet the quartos, 1604, &c. add "Come."

Moreover, that we much did long to see you,
The need we have to use you, did provoke
Our hasty sending. Something have you heard
Of Hamlet's transformation; so I call it,

Sith nor th' exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was. What it should be,
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from the understanding of himself,

I cannot dream of: I entreat you both,

That, being of so young days brought up with him,
And since so neighbour'd to his youth and humour,
That vouchsafe your
you
rest here in our court

Some little time; so by your companies

To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather,
So much as from occasion you may glean,

Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus,
That, open'd, lies within our remedy.

Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of you;

And, sure I am, two men there are not living,

To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
To show us so much gentry, and good will,

As to expend your time with us a while,
For the supply and profit of our hope,
Your visitation shall receive such thanks
As fits a king's remembrance.

Ros.

Put

Both your majesties

Might, by the sovereign power you have of us, your dread pleasures more into command Than to entreaty.

Guil.

But we both obey';

'I cannot DREAM of:] So the quartos, 1604, &c. The folio has deem for "dream." In the next line but one, the folio has "humour" for haviour of the quartos. "Humour seems preferable.

"

• Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus.] This line, absolutely necessary to the sense, and found in all the quartos subsequent to that of 1603, is omitted in the folio.

7 BUT we both obey-] "But," necessary to complete the preceding hemi

And here give up ourselves, in the full bent,
To lay our service freely at your feet,

To be commanded.

King. Thanks, Rosencrantz, and gentle Guildenstern. Queen. Thanks, Guildenstern, and gentle Rosen

crantz :

And I beseech you instantly to visit

My too much changed son.-Go, some of

you,

And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.

Guil. Heavens make our presence, and our practices, Pleasant and helpful to him!

Queen.

Ay, amens!

[Exeunt ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and some Attendants.

Enter POLONIUS.

Pol. Th' ambassadors from Norway, my good lord, Are joyfully return'd.

King. Thou still hast been the father of good news. Pol. Have I, my lord? Assure you, my good liege, I hold my duty, as I hold my soul,

Both to my God, one to my gracious king":

And I do think, (or else this brain of mine

Hunts not the trail of policy so sure

As it hath us'd to do) that I have found
The very cause of Hamlet's lunacy.

King. O! speak of that; that do I long to hear.
Pol. Give first admittance to th' ambassadors;

My news shall be the fruit to that great feast'.

stich, is only in the quartos. In the next line but one, the folio, to the injury of the metre, reads serrices for "service."

8 Ay, amen!] The folio omits " Ay," obviously required for the line.

9

ONE to my gracious king:] The folio prints one for "and" of the quartos, and probably rightly.

1 AS IT HATH Us'd to do,] So the quartos, 1604, &c. properly: the folio, “ As I have us'd to do."

2- the FRUIT to that great feast.] The folios, by a printer's error, "My news shall be the news to that great feast."

King. Thyself do grace to them, and bring them in. [Exit POLONIUS. He tells me, my dear Gertrude', he hath found The head and source of all your son's distemper.

Queen. I doubt, it is no other but the main ; His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage'.

Re-enter POLONIUS, with VOLTIMAND and CORNELIUS. King. Well, we shall sift him.-Welcome, my good friends.

Say, Voltimand, what from our brother Norway?
Volt. Most fair return of greetings, and desires.
Upon our first, he sent out to suppress
His nephew's levies; which to him appear'd
To be a preparation 'gainst the Polack,
But, better look'd into, he truly found

It was against your highness: whereat griev'd,-
That so his sickness, age, and impotence,
Was falsely borne in hand,-sends out arrests
On Fortinbras; which he in brief obeys,
Receives rebuke from Norway, and, in fine,
Makes vow before his uncle, never more
To give th' assay of arms against your majesty.
Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,
Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee;
And his commission to employ those soldiers,
So levied as before, against the Polack:
With an entreaty, herein farther shown,

[Giving a Paper.

That it might please you to give quiet pass
Through your dominions for this enterprize;
On such regards of safety, and allowance,
As therein are set down.

King.
It likes us well;
And, at our more consider'd time, we'll read,

3 my dear Gertrude,] The folios, "my sweet queen, that."

4 — our O'ERHASTY marriage.] The quartos have only "our hasty marriage.”