Ber. 'Tis here

Hor. 'Tis here

Mar. 'Tis gone.

We do it wrong, being so majestical,
To offer it the shew 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 summons. I have heard,
The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn,
Doth with his lofty and shrill-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 present object made probation.

Mar. It faded on the crowing of the cock.
Some x fay, that ever 'gainst that season comes,
Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,

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

qu's.

This direction is not marked in the

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

:

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

y So the qu's and C. the rest, The for No Spirit walks abroad.

This.

The three last fo's omit then.

b The fo's read talks for takes.

e So the ist and ad qu's, and the ift,

2d and 3d fo's; the rest, no for nor.

So

So hallow'd and so gracious is that a time.
Hor. So have I heard, and do in part believe it.
But look, the morn, in russet mantle clad,
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 spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him:
Do you' consent we shall 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 most & convenient..

[Exeunt.

SCENE

II.

The Palace.

Enter Claudius King of Denmark, Gertrude the Queen, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, Voltimand, Cornelius, Lords 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 rest, the for that. e So the qu's, and W. and C. the rest caftern.

f R. reads do for shall.

g So the qu's and C. the rest, conveniently.

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

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

Rowe, Enter the king, queen, Opbelia, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, Voitimand, Cornelius, lords and attendants.

i So 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 so far hath discretion fought with nature,
That we with wifest forrow think on him,

Together with remembrance of ourselves:
Therefore our * sometime fifter, now our queen,

:

The imperial jointress to this warlike state,
Have we, as 'twere, with a defeated joy,

■ 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 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 message,
Importing the furrender of those lands
Loft by his father, with all bands of law
To our most valiant brother, So much for him,
Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting;
Thus much the business is. We have here writ
To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
Who, impotent and bed-rid, scarcely hears

The fu's and R. Sometimes,
1 So the qu's; the rest, of for to.
m So the qu's; the rest, With ONE
aufpicious, and ONE dropping eye. A very
burlesque picture!

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 rest, 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 personal power
"To business with the king, more than the scope
Of these dilated articles * allows.

Farewel, and let your hafte commend your duty.

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

[a 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 reason to the Danes,

And lose your voice; What wouldst 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?

Laer. d My dread Lord,

The 3d and 4th fo's read be for the.

z The 4th f. R. and P.'s quarto read

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

King. Have you your Father's leave? what says Polonius? Pol. He hath, my lord, & wrung from me my flow leave, By laboursome 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,
And thy best graces spend it at thy will.
But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my fon
Ham. A little more than kin, and less than kind k.
King. How is it that the clouds still 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;

The fo's and R. torvards.

f The first q. omits He.

& So the qu's; R. alters it.

by labour some petition

What is printed in italic is omitted

in the fo's.

h J. conjectures, And my best graces; Spend, &c. But there is no need of alteration.