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Was falsely borne in hand, sends out arrests

On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys,
Receives rebuke from Norway, and, in fine,

Makes vow before his uncle never more
To give th' assay of arms against your Majesty.

Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,
Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee

And his commission to employ those soldiers,
So levied as before, against the Polack;

With an entreaty, herein further shown,
[Gives a paper.]

That it might please you to give quiet pass
Through your dominions for this enterprise,

On such regards of safety and allowance
As therein are set down.

King. It likes us well;
And at our more consider'd time we'll read,

Answer, and think upon this business.
Meantime we thank you for your well-took labour.

Go to your rest; at night we'll feast together.
Most welcome home! Exeunt Ambassadors.

Pol. This business is well ended.
My liege, and madam, to expostulate

What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night is night, and time is time.

Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,

And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief. Your noble son is mad.

Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?

But let that go.
Queen. More matter, with less art.

Pol. Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
That he is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true 'tis pity;

And pity 'tis 'tis true. A foolish figure!
But farewell it, for I will use no art.

Mad let us grant him then. And now remains
That we find out the cause of this effect-

Or rather say, the cause of this defect,
For this effect defective comes by cause.

Thus it remains, and the remainder thus.
Perpend.

I have a daughter (have while she is mine),
Who in her duty and obedience, mark,

Hath given me this. Now gather, and surmise.
[Reads] the letter.

'To the celestial, and my soul's idol, the most beautified
Ophelia,'-

That's an ill phrase, a vile phrase; 'beautified' is a vile
phrase.

But you shall hear. Thus:
[Reads.]

'In her excellent white bosom, these, &c.'
Queen. Came this from Hamlet to her?

Pol. Good madam, stay awhile. I will be faithful. [Reads.]
'Doubt thou the stars are fire;

Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt I love.
'O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers; I have not art to

reckon my groans; but that I love thee best, O most best, believe
it. Adieu.

'Thine evermore, most dear lady, whilst this machine is to him,
HAMLET.'

This, in obedience, hath my daughter shown me;
And more above, hath his solicitings,

As they fell out by time, by means, and place,
All given to mine ear.

King. But how hath she
Receiv'd his love?

Pol. What do you think of me?
King. As of a man faithful and honourable.

Pol. I would fain prove so. But what might you think,
When I had seen this hot love on the wing

(As I perceiv'd it, I must tell you that,
Before my daughter told me), what might you,

Or my dear Majesty your queen here, think,
If I had play'd the desk or table book,

Or given my heart a winking, mute and dumb,
Or look'd upon this love with idle sight?

What might you think? No, I went round to work
And my young mistress thus I did bespeak:

'Lord Hamlet is a prince, out of thy star.
This must not be.' And then I prescripts gave her,

That she should lock herself from his resort,
Admit no messengers, receive no tokens.

Which done, she took the fruits of my advice,
And he, repulsed, a short tale to make,

Fell into a sadness, then into a fast,
Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness,

Thence to a lightness, and, by this declension,
Into the madness wherein now he raves,

And all we mourn for.
King. Do you think 'tis this?

Queen. it may be, very like.
Pol. Hath there been such a time- I would fain know that-

That I have Positively said ''Tis so,'
When it prov'd otherwise.?

King. Not that I know.
Pol. [points to his head and shoulder] Take this from this, if this

be otherwise.
If circumstances lead me, I will find

Where truth is hid, though it were hid indeed
Within the centre.

King. How may we try it further?
Pol. You know sometimes he walks four hours together

Here in the lobby.
Queen. So he does indeed.

Pol. At such a time I'll loose my daughter to him.
Be you and I behind an arras then.

Mark the encounter. If he love her not,
And he not from his reason fall'n thereon

Let me be no assistant for a state,
But keep a farm and carters.

King. We will try it.
Enter Hamlet, reading on a book.

Queen. But look where sadly the poor wretch comes reading.
Pol. Away, I do beseech you, both away

I'll board him presently. O, give me leave.
Exeunt King and Queen, [with Attendants].

How does my good Lord Hamlet?
Ham. Well, God-a-mercy.

Pol. Do you know me, my lord?
Ham. Excellent well. You are a fishmonger.

Pol. Not I, my lord.
Ham. Then I would you were so honest a man.

Pol. Honest, my lord?
Ham. Ay, sir. To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man

pick'd out of ten thousand.
Pol. That's very true, my lord.

Ham. For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a god
kissing carrion- Have you a daughter?

Pol. I have, my lord.
Ham. Let her not walk i' th' sun. Conception is a blessing, but not

as your daughter may conceive. Friend, look to't.
Pol. [aside] How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter. Yet

he knew me not at first. He said I was a fishmonger. He is far
gone, far gone! And truly in my youth I suff'red much extremity

for love- very near this. I'll speak to him again.- What do you
read, my lord?

Ham. Words, words, words.
Pol. What is the matter, my lord?

Ham. Between who?
Pol. I mean, the matter that you read, my lord.

Ham. Slanders, sir; for the satirical rogue says here that old men
have grey beards; that their faces are wrinkled; their eyes

purging thick amber and plum-tree gum; and that they have a
plentiful lack of wit, together with most weak hams. All which,

sir, though I most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it
not honesty to have it thus set down; for you yourself, sir,

should be old as I am if, like a crab, you could go backward.
Pol. [aside] Though this be madness, yet there is a method in't.-

Will You walk out of the air, my lord?
Ham. Into my grave?

Pol. Indeed, that is out o' th' air. [Aside] How pregnant sometimes
his replies are! a happiness that often madness hits on, which

reason and sanity could not so prosperously be delivered of. I
will leave him and suddenly contrive the means of meeting between

him and my daughter.- My honourable lord, I will most humbly take
my leave of you.

Ham. You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more
willingly part withal- except my life, except my life, except my

life,
Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Pol. Fare you well, my lord.
Ham. These tedious old fools!

Pol. You go to seek the Lord Hamlet. There he is.
Ros. [to Polonius] God save you, sir!

Exit [Polonius].
Guil. My honour'd lord!

Ros. My most dear lord!
Ham. My excellent good friends! How dost thou, Guildenstern? Ah,

Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do ye both?
Ros. As the indifferent children of the earth.

Guil. Happy in that we are not over-happy.
On Fortune's cap we are not the very button.

Ham. Nor the soles of her shoe?
Ros. Neither, my lord.

Ham. Then you live about her waist, or in the middle of her
favours?

Guil. Faith, her privates we.
Ham. In the secret parts of Fortune? O! most true! she is a

strumpet. What news ?
Ros. None, my lord, but that the world's grown honest.

Ham. Then is doomsday near! But your news is not true. Let me
question more in particular. What have you, my good friends,

deserved at the hands of Fortune that she sends you to prison
hither?

Guil. Prison, my lord?
Ham. Denmark's a prison.

Ros. Then is the world one.
Ham. A goodly one; in which there are many confines, wards, and

dungeons, Denmark being one o' th' worst.
Ros. We think not so, my lord.

Ham. Why, then 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good
or bad but thinking makes it so. To me it is a prison.

Ros. Why, then your ambition makes it one. 'Tis too narrow for your
mind.

Ham. O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a
king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.



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