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"And hears it roar beneath.

Ham. It waves me ftill
Mar. You fhall not go,

my

go on, I'll follow thee.
Lord.

Ham. Hold off your hands.
Mar. Be rul'd, you fhall not go.

Ham. My fate cries out,

And makes each petty artery in this body
As hardy as the Nemean lion's nerve.

Still am I call'd: unhand me, Gentlemen

[Breaking from them By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me▬▬▬▬▬▬

I fay, away

go on

-I'll follow thee

[Exeunt Ghoft and Hamlet.

Hor. He waxes defp'rate with imagination,
Mar. Let's follow, 'tis not fit thus to obey him.
To what iffue will this come?

Hor. Have after.

Mar, Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
Hor. Heav'n will direct it.

Mar. Nay, let's follow him.

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[Exeunt

Changes to a more remote part of the platform.

Re-enter Ghoft and Hamlet..

Ham. Where wilt thou lead me? fpeak; I'll go no

further.

Ghoft. Mark me.

Ham. I will.

Ghoft. My hour is almost come,

When I to fulphurous and tormenting flames

Muft render up myself.

Ham. Alas, poor Ghost!

Ghoft. Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing

To what I fhall untold.

Ham. Speak, I am bound to hear.

Ghoft. So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear.
Ham. What?

Gheft. I am thy father's fpirit;

Doom d for a certain term to walk the night,

And, for the day, confin'd too * faft in fires ;

i. e. very clofely confined. The particle too is ufed frequently for the superlative most, or very,

Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature,
Are burnt and purg'd away. But that I am forbid
To tell the fecrets of my prifon-houfe,

I could a tale unfold, whofe lightest word

Would harrow up thy foul, freeze thy young blood,
Make thy two eyes, like ftars, start from their spheres,
Thy knotty and combined locks to part,
And each particular hair to ftand on end
Like quills upon the fretful porcupine:
But this eternal blazon must not be

To ears of flesh and blood; lift, lift, oh lift!
If thou didst ever thy dear father love-

Ham. O heav'n !

Ghost. Revenge his foul and most unnatural murther. Ham. Murther?

Ghoft. Murther most foul, as in the best it is;

But this most foul, ftrange, and unnatural.

Ham, "Hafte me to know it, that I, with wings as

"As meditation or the thoughts of love,

"May sweep to my revenge.

Ghoft. I find thee apt;

[fwift

"And duller fhouldst thou be, than the fat weed "That roots itself in cafe on Lethe's wharf,

Wouldst thou not ftir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear: 'Tis given out, that, fleeping in my orchard,

A ferpent ftung me. So, the whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forged procefs of my death

Rankly abus'd: but know, thou noble youth,
The ferpent that did fting thy father's life,
Now wears his crown.

Ham, Oh, my prophetic foul! my uncle?

Ghoft. Ay, that inceftuous, that adulterate beast,
With witchcraft of his wit, with trait'rous gifts,
(O wicked wit, and gifts, that have the power
So to feduce!), won to his fhameful luft
The will of my most feeming-virtuous Queen.
Oh Hamlet, what a falling off was there!
From me, whofe love was of that dignity,
That it went hand in hand ev'n with the vow
I made to her in marriage; and to decline
Upon a wretch, whole natural gifts were poor
To thofe of mine!

But virtue, as it never will be mov'd,

Though Lewdness court it in a shape of heav'n ;
So Luft, though to a radiant angel link'd,
Will fate itfelf in a celeftial bed,

And prey on garbage

But, foft! methinks I fcent the morning-air-
Brief let me be: Sleeping within mine orchard,
My custom always of the afternoon,
Upon my fecure hour thy uncle ftole
With juice of curfed hebenon in a phial,
And in the porches of mine ears did pour
The leperous diftilment; whofe effect
Holds fuch an enmity with blood of man,
That fwift as quick-filver it courses through
The nat❜ral gates and alleys of the body;
And, with a fudden vigour, it doth poffet
And curd, like eager droppings into milk,
The thin and wholfome blood fo did it mine,
And a most instant tetter bark'd about,
Moft lazar-like, with vile and lothsome cruft -
All my finooth body-

Thus was 1, fleeping, by a brother's hand,
Of life, of crown, of Queen, at once difpatch'd
Cut off even in the bloffoms of my fin,
Unhoufel'd t, unanointed ‡, unanel'd || :
No-reck'ning made, but fent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head.
Oh horrible! oh horrible! most horrible!
If thou haft nature in thee, bear it not ;
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But howsoever thou purfu'ft this act,
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy foul contrive
Against thy mother aught; leave her to heav'n,
And to those thorns that in her bofom lodge,
To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once!!
The glow-worm thews the matin to be near,
And 'gins to pale his uneffectual ** fire.

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Adieu, adieu, adieu : remember me,

[Exit.

Ham. Oh, all you holt of heav'n! oh earth! what.
And fhall I couple hell? oh fie! hold my heart! [elfe?
And you, my finews, grow not inftant old;
But bear me stiffly up. Remember thee!

Ay, thou poor ghoft, while memory holds a feat
In this distracted globe; "remember thee!
"Yea, from the table of my memory

"I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,
"All faws of books, all forms, all preffures past,
"That youth and obfervation copied there;
"And thy commandment all alone fhall live
"Within the book and volume of my brain,
"Unmix'd with bafer matter. Yes, by heav'n:
Oh moft pernicious woman!

Oh villain, villain, fmiling damned villain!
My tables,

meet it is I fet it down,

That one may fmile, and fmile, and be a villain;
At leaft, I'm fure it may be fo in Denmark. [Writing.
So, uncle, there you are; now to my word;

It is; Adieu, adieu, remember me :

I've fworn it.

SCENE IX. Enter Horatio and Marcellus.

Hor. My Lord, my Lord,

Mar. Lord Hamlet,

Hor. Heav'n fecure him!

Mar. So be it.

Hor. Illo, ho, ho, my Lord!

Ham. Hillo, ho, ho, boy; come, bird, come *.

Mar. How is't, my Noble Lord?

Hor. What news, my Lord!

Ham. Oh, wonderful!

Her. Good my Lord, tell it.

Ham. No, you'll reveal it.

Hor. Not I, my Lord, by heav'n.

Mar. Nor 1, my

Lord.

Ham. How fay you then, would heart of man once

But you'll be secret

Both. Ay, by heav'n, my Lord.

[think it?

This is the call which falconers ufe to their hawk in the air

when they would have him come down to them.

Ham. There's ne'er a villain dwelling in all Denmark, But he's an arrant knave.

Hor. There needs no ghoft, my Lord, come from To tell us this. [the grave Ham. Why, right, you are i' th' right; And fo without more circumstance at all, I hold it fit that we fhake hands, and part;

You, as your bufinefs and defires fhall point you; (For every man has business and defire,

Such as it is); and, for my own poor part,

I will go pray.

Hor. Thefe are but wild and whurling words, my Lord

Ham. I'm forry they offend you, heartily;

Yes, heartily.

Hor. There's no offence, my Lord.

Ham. Yes, by St Patrick, but there is, my Lord, And much offence too. Touching this vision hereIt is an honest ghoft, that let me tell you: For your defire to know what is between us, O'er-mafter it as you may. And now, good friends, As you are friends, fcholars, and foldiers,

Give me one poor request.

Hor. What is't, my Lord?

Ham. Never make known what you have feen tonight.

Both. My Lord, we will not..

Ham. Nay, but swear't,

Hor. In faith, my Lord, not I.

Mar. Nor 1, my Lord, in faith.

Ham. Upon my fword.

Mar, We have fworn, my Lord, already.

Ham. Indeed, upon my fword, indeed.

Ghoft, Swear.

[Ghost cries under the ftage.

Ham. Ah, ha, boy, fay'lt thou fo? art thou there,

true-penny?

Come on, you hear this fellow in the cellaridge.
Confent to fwear.

Hor. Propofe the oath, my Lord.

Ham. Never to fpeak of this that you have feen2. Swear by my fword.

Ghost, Swear.

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