"Stars fhone with trains of fire, dews of blood fell; "Difafters veil'd the fan; and the moift ftar,

Upon whofe influence Neptune's empire ftands,
"Was fick almoft to dooms-day with eclipfe.
And even the like precurfe of fierce * events,
As harbingers preceeding ftill the fates,
And prologue to the omen † coming on,
Have heav'n and earth together demonstrated
Unto our climatures and countrymen.

Enter Ghoft again.

But foft, behold! lo, where it comes again!
I'll cross it, though it blast me. Stay illufion!
[Spreading his arms.
If thou haft any found, or use of voice,

- Speak to me.

If there be any good thing to be done,
That may to thee do eafe, and grace to me;
Speak to me.

If thou art privy to thy country's fate,
Which, happily, foreknowing may avoid,
Oh speak!

Or, if thou haft uphoorded, in thy life

Extorted treasure, in the womb of earth, [Cock crows. For which, they fay, you fpirits oft walk in death, Speak of it. Stay, and fpeak-Stop it, Marcellus.Mar. Shall I ftrike at it with my partisan?

Hor. Do, if it will not stand.

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 Ghoft.

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,
he 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 contine: and of the truth herein
This prefent object made probation.

Mar. It faded on the crowing of the cock. "Some fay, that ever 'gainst that season comes "Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated, "The bird of dawning fingeth all night long; "And then they fay no fpirit walks abroad; "The nights are wholfome. then no planets strike, "No fairy takes, no witch hath power to charm; “So hallow'd and fo gracious is the time.

Hor. So have I heard, and do in part believe it.
"But look, the morn, in ruffet mantle clad,
"Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastward hill;
Break we our watch up; and, by my advice,
Jet us impart what we have feen to-night
Unto young Hamlet. For, upon my life,
This fpirit, dumb to us, will speak to him.
Do you confent, we 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 thall find him moft conveniently. [Exeunt.

SCENE II. Changes to the palace.

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

King Though y;t of Hamlet our dear brother's death The memory be green, and that it fitted

To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom
To be contracted in one brow of woe;

Yet fo far hath difcretion fought with nature,
That we with wifeft forrow think on him,
Together with remembrance of ourselves.
Therefore our fometime filler, now our Queen,
Th' imperial jointress of this warlike state,
Have we, as 'twere, with a defeated joy,

c. got out of its bounds.

With one aufpicious, and one 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 wisdoms, 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, by all bands of law,
To our most valiant brother

So much for him.
Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting :
This much the bufinefs is. We have here writ
To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
(Who, impotent and bed-rid, scarcely hears
Of this his nephew's purpofe), 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, Voltmand,
For bearers of this greeting to old Norway;
Giving to you no further perfonal power
To bufinefs with the King, more than the fcope
Which these dilated articles allow:
Farewel, and let your hafte commend your duty.
Vol. in that, and all things, will we fhew our duty..
King. We doubt it nothing; heartily farewel.
[Exeunt Voltimand and Cornelius,
And now, Laertes, what's the news with you?
You told us of fome fuit. What is't, Laertes ?
You cannot fpeak of reafon to the Dane,

And lofe your voice. What would't thou beg, Laertes,,
That fhall not be my offer, not thy afking?
The blood is not more native to the heart,
The hand more inftrumental to the mouth,
Than to the throne of Denmark is thy father..
What would't thou have, Laertes ?

Laer. My dread Lord,

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,

My thoughts and wifhes bend again tow'rd France : And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon. King. Have you your father's leave? what fays Polonius?

Pol. He hath, my Lord, by labourfome petition, Wrung from me my flow leave; and, at the laft, Upon his will I feal'd my hard content.

I do befeech you, give him leave to go.

King. Take thy fair hour, Laertes, time be thine ;
And thy belt graces spend it at thy will.
But now, my coufin Hamlet. Kind my fon-

Ham. A little more than kin, and less than kind *.

?

[Afide. 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, cat 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;

Thou know'it 'tis common; all that live, must die;
Pafling through nature to eternity.

Ham. Ay, Madam, it is cominon.

Queen. If it be,

Why feems it fo particular with thee?

Ham. Seems, Madam? nay, it is; I know not seems: 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,

Nor customary fuits of folemn black,

Nor windy tufpiration of forc'd breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected 'haviour of the vitage,
Together with all forms, moods, thews of grief,
That can denote me truly Thefe indeed Jeen,
For they are actions that a man might play;
But I have that within which paffeth thew:
Thele but the trappings and the tuits of woe.

• It is not unreasonable to suppose, that this was a proverbial expreffion, known in former times for a relation fo blended and confufed, that it was hard to define it.

King. 'Tis fweet and commendable in your nature,

Hamlet,

To give thefe mourning duties to your

father :

But you must know, your father loft a father; "That father, his; and the furviver bound. "In filial obligation, for fome term, "To do obfequious forrow. But to perfevere "In obftinate condolement *, is a course.

Of impious ftubbornnefs, unmanly grief.. "It fhews a will most incorrect to † heav'n, "A heart unfortify'd, a mind impatient, "An understanding fimple, and unfchool'd: "For what we know muft be, and is as common "As any the most vulgar thing to sense, "Why thould we, in our peevish oppofition, "Take it to heart? fie! 'tis a fault to heav'n, "A fault against the dead, a fault to nature, "To realon ‡ moft abfurd; whofe common theme "Is death of fathers, and who still hath cry'd, "From the firft corfe, till he that died to-day, "This must be so. We pray you throw to earth This unprevailing woe, and think of us

As of a father: for let the world take note,
You are the most immediate to our throne;
And with no lefs nobility ++ of love,
Than that which deareft father bears his fon,
Do I impart tow'rd you. For your intent
In going back to school to Wittenberg,

It is molt retrograde to our defire :

And we beseech you, bend you to remain
Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
Our chiefelt courtier coufin, and our fon.

Queen. Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamle
I. pr ythee ftay with us, go not to Wittenberg.
Ham. I thall in all my beft obey you, Madam.

condolement, for forrow; because sorrow is used to be condoled. + incorrect, for untutor'd,

reajon, for experience.

i. e. into the grave with your father.
unprevailing, for unavailing.

++ novility, tor magnitude,

#impart, for profess.