HAMLET

Prince of DENMARK. (1)

ACT
A C T I.

SCENE, A Platform before the Palace.

Enter Bernardo and Francifco, two Centinels.

W

BERNARDO.

HO's there?

Fran. Nay, anfwer me: ftand, and unfold yourself.

Ber. Long live the King!

Fran. Bernardo ?

Ber. He.

Fran.

(1) Honeft Langbaine (in his account of Dramatic Poets) having told us, that he knew not whether this ftory were true or falfe, not finding in the lift given by Doctor Heylin fuch a King of Denmark as Claudius; Mr. Pope comes and tells us, that this story was not in vented by our Author, tho', from whence he took it, he knows not.

Fran. You come moft carefully upon your hour. Ber. 'Tis now ftruck twelve; get thee to bed, Francifco: Fran. For this relief, much thanks: 'tis bitter cold, And I am fick at heart.

Ber. Have you had quiet guard?
Fran. Not a mouse ftirring.

Ber. Well, good night.

If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus,

The rivals of my watch, bid them make hafte.

Enter Horatio and Marcellus.

Fran. I think, I hear them. Stand, ho! who is there!
Hor. Friends to this ground.

Mar. And liege-men to the Dane.
Fran. Give you good night.

[you? Mar. Oh, farewel, honeft foldier; who hath reliev'd

Langbaine gives us a fenfible reafon for his ignorance in this point; what to make of Mr. Pope's affertion upon the grounds he gives us for it, I confefs, I know not. But we'll allow this gentleman, for once, a prophet in his declaration : for the ftory is taken from Saxo Grammaticus in his Danish hiftory. I'll fubjoin a fhort extract of the material circumftances, on which the ground work of the plot is built : and how happily the Poet has adapted his incidents, I fhall leave to the obfervation of every reader. The hiftorian calls our Poet's here, Amletbus; his father, Horwendillus; his uncle, Fengo; and his mother, Gerutha. The old King in fingle combat flew Colierus, king of Norway; Fengo makes away with his brother Horwendillus, and mar ries his widow Gerutha. Amletbus, to avoid being fufpected by his uncle of defigns, affumes a form of utter madness. A fine woman is planted upon him, to try if he would yield to the impreffions of love. Fengo contrives, that Amletbus, in order to found him, fhould be clo feted by his mother. A man is conceal'd in the rushes to overhear their difcourfe; whom Amletbus difcovers and kills. When the Queen is frighted at this behaviour of his, he tasks her about her criminal courfe of life, and incestuous converfation with her former hufban.t's murtherer: confeffes, his madness is but counterfeited, to preferve himself and secure his revenge for his father; to which he injoins the Queen's filence. Fengo fends Amletbus to Britain: two of the King's fervants attend him, with letters to the Britif King, ftri&ly preffing the death of Amletkus, who, in the night-time, coming at their commision, o'er-reads it, forms a new one, and turns the de ftruction, defign'd towards himself, on the bearers of the letters. Amletbus, returning home, by a wile furprizes and kills his uncle.

Fran.

Fran.. Bernardo has my place; give you good night.

Mar. Holla! Bernardo,

Ber. Say, what, is Horatio there ?

Hor. A piece of him.

[Exit Francifco..

Ber. Welcome, Horatio; welcome, good Marcellus. Mar..What, has this thing appear'd again to-night ?. Ber: I have feen nothing.

Mar. Horatio fays, 'tis but our phantafy;
And will not let belief take hold of him,
Touching this dreadful fight, twice feen of us;.
Therefore I have intreated him along

With us, to watch the minutes of this night;
That if again this apparition come,
He may approve our eyes, and speak to it..
Hor. Tufh! tufh! 'twill not appear.
Ber. Sit down a while.

And let us once again affail your ears,
That are fo fortified against our story,
What we have two nights feen.
Hor. Well, fit we down,

And let us hear Bernardo fpeak of this..
Ber. Laft night of all;

When yon fame ftar, that's weftward from the pole,,
Had made his courfe t'illume that part of heav'n.
Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself,

The bell then beating one,

Mar. Peace, break thee off;

Enter the Ghofti

Look, where it comes again..

Ber. In the fame figure, like the King that's dead.
Mar. Thou art a fcholar, fpeak to it, Horatio.
Ber. Looks it not like the King? mark it, Horatio
Hor. Moft like: it harrows me with fear and.wonder.
Ber. It would be spoke to.

Mar. Speak to it, Horatio.

Hor. What art thou, that ufurp'ft this time of night, Together with that fair and warlike form,

In which the majesty of buried Denmark

E 5

Did:

Did fometime march? by heav'n, I charge thee, fpeak. Mar. It is offended.

Ber. See! it ftalks away.

Hor. Stay; fpeak: I charge thee, fpeak. [Exit Ghoft. Mar. 'Tis gone and will not answer.

Ber. How now, Horatio, you tremble and look pale. Is not this fomething more than phantasy ?

What think you of it?

Hor. Before my God, I might not this believe, Without the fenfible and true avouch

Of mine own eyes.

Mar. Is it not like the King?

Hor. As thou art to thyself.

Such was the very armour he had on,

When he th' ambitious Norway combated:

So frown'd he once, when, in an angry parle,
He fmote the fleaded Polack on the ice.

'Tis ftrange

Mar. Thus twice before, and juft at this dead hour, With martial stalk, he hath gone by our watch.

Hor. In what particular thought to work, I know not: But, in the grofs and scope of my opinion, This bodes fome ftrange eruption to our state.

Mar. Good now fit down, and tell me, he that knows, Why this fame ftrict and moft obfervant watch. So nightly toils the fubjects of the land? And why fuch daily caft of brazen cannon, And foreign mart for implements of war? Why fuch imprefs of fhipwrights, whofe fore tak Does not divide the Sunday from the week? What might be toward, that this fweaty hafte Doth make the night joint labourer with the day : Who is't, that can inform me ?

Hor. That can I;

At least, the whifper goes fo. Our last King, Whose image even but now appear'd to us, Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway, (Thereto prickt on by a moft emulate pride) Dar'd to the fight: In which our valiant Hamlet, (For fo this fide of our known world esteem'd him)

Did flay this Fortinbras: who by feal'd compact,
Well ratified by. law and heraldry,

Did forfeit (with his life) all thofe his lands,
Which he stood feiz'd of, to the conqueror:
Against the which, a moiety competent
Was gaged by our King: which had return'd
To the inheritance of Fortinbras,

Had he been vanquisher: As by that cov❜nant,
And carriage of the articles defign'd,
His fell to Hamlet. Now young Fortinbras,
Of unimproved mettle hot and full,
Hath in the skirts of Norway, here and there,
Shark'd up a lift of landless refolutes,
For food and diet, to fome enterprize
That hath a ftomach in't: which is no other,
As it doth well appear unto our ftare,
But to recover of us by ftrong hand,
And terms compulfative, thofe forefaid lands
So by his father loft: and this, I take it,
Is the main motive of our preparations,
The fource of this our watch, and the chief head
Of this poft hafte and romage in the land.
Ber. I think it be no other, but even fo:
Well may it fort, that this portentous figure
Comes armed through our watch fo like the King,
That was, and is, the question of these wars.
Hor. A mote it is to trouble the mind's eye.
In the most high and palmy ftate of Rome,
A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,
The grave ftood tenantlefs; the sheeted dead
Did fqueak and gibber in the Roman freets;
Stars Thone with trains of fire, dews of blood fell;
Difafters veil'd the fun; and the moift ftar,
Upon whofe influence Neptune's empire ftands,
Was fick almoft to dooms-day with eclipse.
And even the like precurfe of fierce events,
As harbingers preceding ftill the fates,
And prologue to the omen'd coming on, (2)

Have

(2) And prologue to the omen coming on.] But prologue and omen are merely fynonymous here, and muft fignify one and the fame thing. E 6

But