That I diftruft you; yet though I distrust,
Difcomfort you, my Lord, it nothing must.
For women fear too much, ev'n as they love,
And womens' fear and love hold quantity ;
'Tis either none, or in extremity.

Now what my love is, proof hath made you know;
And as my love is fiz'd, my fear is fo.

Where love is great, the smallesft doubts are fear: Where little fears grow great, great love grows there:

[too:

Duke 'Faith, I must leave thee, Love, and fhortly My operant powers their functions leave to do, And thou fhalt live in this fair world behind, Honour'd, belov'd; and haply one as kind For husband fhalt thou -

Duch. Oh, confound the rest!

Such love muft needs be treafon in my breast:
In fecond husband let me be accurs'd!

None wed the fecond, but who kill the first.

Ham. Wormwood, wormwood!

Duch. The inftances that fecond marriage move,
Are Base respects of thrift, but none of love.
A second time I kill my husband dead,

When fecond husband kiffes me in bed.

Duke. I do believe you think what now you fpeak:

But what we do determine oft we break ;

Purpole is but the flave to memory,

Of violent birth, but poor validity:

Which now, like fruits unripe, fticks on the tree;.
But fall unfhaken, when they mellow be.
Moft neceffary 'tis that we forget

To pay ourfelves what to ourselves is debt;
What to ourselves in paffion we propofe,
The paffion ending, doth the purpose lofe;
The violence of either grief or joy,
Their own enactors with themselves destroy.
Where joy moft revels, grief doth moft lament;
Grief joys, joy grieves, on flender accident.
This world is not for ay; ncr 'tis not strange,

That ev'n our loves thould with our fortunes change..
For 'tis a queftion lett us yet to prove,

Whether Love leads Fortune, or else Fortune Love..

The great man down, you mark. his fav'rite flies;
The poor advanc'd, makes friends of enemies.
And hitherto doth Love on Fortune tend,
For who not needs, fhall never lack a friend;
And who in want a hollow friend doth try,
Directly feafons him his enemy.

But orderly to end where I begun,
Our wills and fates do fo contrary run,

That our devices ftill are overthrown ;

Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own,
Think till, thou wilt no fecond husband wed;
But die thy thoughts when thy first lord is dead.
Duch. Nor earth to me give food, nor heaven light &
Sport and repofe lock from me day and night
To defperation turn my trust and hope!
An anchor's cheer in prifon be my scope* !
Each oppofite that blanks the face of joy,
Meet what I would have well, and it deftroy!
Both here, and hence, purfue me lasting strife!
If, once a widow, ever I be wife..

Ham. If the fhould break it now

Duke. 'Tis deeply fworn; fweet, leave me here a

while;

My fpirits grow dull, and fain I would beguile

The tedious day with fleep.

Duch. Sleep rock thy brain,

[Sleeps.

And never come mifchrance between us twain! [Exits Ham: Madam, how like you this play?

Queen. The lady protelts too much, methinks.

Ham. Oh, but she'll keep her word.

King. Have you heard the argument, is there no of

fence in't?

Ham, No, no, they do but jeft, poifon in jeft, no offence i' th' world.

King. What do you call the play? Ham. The Moufe trap; Marrry, how? tropi ally. This play is the image of a murther done in Vienna; Gonzago is the Duke's name, his wife's Baptifta; you fhall fee anon 'tis a knavifh piece of work: but what o' that? your Majesty, and we that have free: i. e. may I be as clofely and straitly confined as the most martified reclufe.

fouls, it touches us not; let the gall'd jade winch, our withers are unwrung.

Enter Lucianus.

This is one Lucianus, nephew to the Duke.
Oph. You are as good as a chorus, my Lord.
Ham. I could interpret between you and your love,
if I could fee the puppets dallying.

Oph. You are keen, my Lord, you are keen.

Ham. It would cost you a groaning to take off my

edge.

Oph. Still better and worfe.

Ham. So you mistake your husbands. Begin, murtherer.

begin.

Leave thy damnable faces, and

Come, the croaking raven doth bellow for revenge.
Luc. Thoughts black, hands apt, drugs fit, and time
Confederate season, and no creature feeing: [agreeing:
Thou mixture rank, of midnight-weeds collected,
With Hecate's bane thrice blafted, thrice infected,
Thy natural magic, and dire property,

On wholesome life ufurp immediately.

[Pours the poifon into his ears. Ham. He poisons him i' th' garden for's eftate; his name's Gonzago; the ftory is extant, and writ in choice Italian. You shall fee anon how the murtherer gets the love of Gonzago's wife,

Oph. The King rifes.

Ham, What, frighted with falfe fire!

Queen. How fares my Lord ?

Pol. Give o'er the play.

King. Give me fome light. Away !

All. Lights, lights, lights !

[Exeunt.

SCENE VII

Manent, Hamlet and Horatio

Ham. Why, let the ftrucken deer go weep,

The hart ungalled play;

For fome must watch, whilft fome must fleep;
So runs the world away.

Would not this, Sir, and a foreft of feathers, (if the fortunes turn Turk with me), with two pros

reft of

my.

vincial rofes on my rayed fhoes, get me a fellowship in

a cry of players *, Sir ?

Hor. Half a fhare..

Ham. A whole one; I.

For thou doft know, oh Damon dear,
"This realm difmantled was

"Of Jove himself, and now reigns here
“A very, very,——peacock †.

Ham, You might have rhim'd.

Hor. Oh, good Horatio, I'll take the ghost's word for a thousand pounds. Didft perceive?

Hor. Very well, my Lord.

Ham. Upon the talk of the poisoning?

Hor. I did very well note him.

Enter Rofincrantz and Guildenstern.

Ham. Oh, ha! come, fome mufic: come, the reFor if the King like not the comedy;

Why, then, belike, he likes it not, perdy.

Come, fome mufic.

[corders..

Guil. Good my Lord, vouchsafe me a word with you. Ham. Sir, a whole history.

Guil. The King, Sir

Ham. Ay, Sir, what of him?

Guil. Is, in his retirement, marvellous diftemper'dHam. With drink, Sir.?

Guil. No, my Lord, with choler.

Ham. Your wifdom fhould fhew itself more rich, to fignify this to his doctor: for, for me to put him to his purgation, would perhaps pluuge him into more choler. Guil Good my Lord, put your difcourfe into fome frame, and start not fo wildly from my affair.

Ham. I am tame, Sir ;

-pronounce.

Guil. The Queen your mother, in most great affliction of fpirit, hath sent me to you.

Ham. You are welcome.

Guil. Nay, good my Lord this courtefy is not of the right breed. If it fhall please you to make me a wholtome anfwer, I will do your mother's commandment ;*

• An allufion to a pack of hounds.

This alludes to a fable of the birds chufing a king,, instead of the eagle, a peacock...

if not, your pardon, and my return fhall be the end of

my

bufinefs.

Ham. Sir, I cannot.

Guil. What, my Lord?

fhall

Ham. Make you a wholfome answer: my wit's dif eas'd. But, Sir, fuch anfwer as I can make, you command; or rather, as you say, my mother-therefore no more but to the matter-my mother, you Lay

Ref. Then thus fhe fays: Your behaviour hath ftruck her into amazement, and admiration.

Ham. O wonderful fon, that can so aftonifh a mother! But is there no fequel at the heels of this mother's admiration?

Rof. She defires to fpeak with you in her clofet ere you go to bed.

Ham. We fhall obey, were the ten times our mother, Have you any further trade with us?

Rof. My Lord, you once did love me,

Ham. So I do ftill, by these pickers and stealers. Rof. Good my Lord, what is your cause of distemper ? you do furely bar the door of your own liberty, if you deny your griefs to your friend.

Ham. Sir, I lack advancement.

Rof. How can that be, when you have the voice of the King himself for your fucceffion in Denmark? Ham Ay, but while the grafs grows

is fomething mufty.

Enter one, with a Recorder.

the proverb

Oh, the recorders; let me fee one. To. withdraw with you why do you go about to recover the wind of me, as if you would drive me into a toil?

Guil, Oh, my Lord, if my duty be too bold, my love is too unmannerly,

Ham. I do not well understand that. Will you play upon this pipe?

Guil, My Lord, I cannot.

Ham. I pray you.

Guil. Believe me, I cannot.

Ham. I do beseech you.

Guil. I know no touch of it my Lord.