Ber. 'Tis here

Hor. 'Tis here

Mar. 'Tis gone.

We do it wrong, being fo majeftical,

To offer it the fhew of violence;

For it is as the air, invulnerable,

And our vain blows, malicious mockery.

[" Exit Ghost.

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,
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 spirit hies
To his confine; and of the truth herein
This prefent object made probation.

Mar. It faded on the crowing of the cock.

x

Some fay, that ever 'gainst that feafon comes,
Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,

Ꮓ

a

> This bird of dawning fingeth all night long :
And then, they fay, no spirit dares stir abroad,
The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike,
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm;

b

с

u This direction is not marked in the qu's.

w The fo's and R. real day for morn. x The fo's read, fays.

a So the 3d q. and C. the 1st and 2d. No fpirit dare furre abroad; the fo's and J. No Spirit can walk abroad; R. No Spirit dares walk abroad; P. and the reft,

y So the qu's and C. the reft, The for No fpirit walks abroad. This.

* The three last fo's omit then.

b The fo's read talks for takes. eSo the 1st and 2d qu's, and the If, 2d and 3d fo's; the reft, no for nor.

So

d

So hallow'd and fo gracious is that time.

Hor. So have I heard, and do in part believe it. But look, the morn, in ruffet mantle clad,

с

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 f fhall acquaint him with it,
As needful in our loves, fitting our duty?

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

convenient.

[Exeunt.

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

King. Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death
The memory be green, and that it us befitted
To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom

So the qu's; the reft, the for that. e So the qu's, and W. and C. the reft caftern.

f R. reads do for fall.

So the qu's and C, the reft, conveniently.

The qu's direct, Flourish. Enter Claudius king of Denmarke, Gertrad the queene, councell, as Polonius, and bis jenn Laertes, Hamlet, cum aliis.

The fo's, Enter Claudius king of Denmark, Gertrude the queen, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, and bis fifter Ophelia, lords, affiftants.

Rowe, Enter the king, queen, Ophelia, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, Voitimand, Cormelius, lords and attendants.

iSo the qu's, fo's, R, J, and C. P. reads, and that it fitted; followed by the reft. To

To be contracted in one brow of woe;
Yet fo far hath discretion fought with nature,
That we with wifeft forrow think on him,
Together with remembrance of ourselves:
Therefore our fometime fifter, now our queen,
The imperial jointrefs' to this warlike state,
Have we, as 'twere, with a defeated joy,
m With an aufpicious, and a dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale 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 furrender of those lands
Loft by his father, P with all bands of law

To our moft 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

*The fu's and R. fometimes,

1 So the qu's; the reft, of for to. m So the qu's; the reft, With ONE aufpicious, and ONI dropping eye, A very burlefque picture!

n_H, reads Collogued,

• The fo's read the for this.

P So the qu's and C. the fo's and R. with all bonds; P, and the reft, by all bands.

9 Here the fo's direct, Enter Voltimand and Cornelius.

Of

Of this his nephew's purpose, to fupprefs
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 further perfonal power
"To business with the king, more than the scope
Of thefe dilated articles allows.

Farewel, and let your hafte commend your duty.

y Vol. In that, and all things, will we fhew our duty.
King. We doubt it nothing; heartily farewel.

[Exeunt Vol. and Cor, ?

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 Danes,

And lose your voice; What wouldft thou beg, Laertes ?
That shall not be my offer, not thy asking?
The head is not more native to the heart,
The hand more inftrumental to the mouth,
Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father,
What wouldst thou have, Laertes?

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,

с

My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France;
And bow them to your gracious love and pardon.

King. Have you your Father's leave? what fays Polonius? Pol. He hath, my lord, wrung from me my flow leave, By labour fome petition, and at last

Upon his will I feal'd my hard confent.

I do beseech you, give him leave to go.

King. Take thy fair hour, Laertes, time be thine, 1 And thy beft graces fpend it at thy will. But now, my coufin Hamlet, and my fon

1

n

Ham. A little more than kin, and less than kind *.
King. How is it that the clouds ftill hang on you?
Ham. Not fo, my lord, I am too much "i' th' 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;