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Mar. Thus, twice before, and jump at this dead hour, With martial stalk hath he gone by our watch,

Hor. In what particular thought to work, I know not;

But, in the gross and scope of mine opinion,
This bodes some strange eruption to our state.

Mar. Good now, fit down, and tell me, he that

knows,

Why this same strict and most observant watch
So nightly toils the subject of the land;
And why fuch daily cast of brazen cannon,
And foreign mart for implements of war;
Why such impress of shipwrights, whose fore task
Does not divide the sunday from the week:
What might be toward, that this sweaty haste
Doth make the night joint-labourer with the day;
Who is't, that can inform me ?

Hor.

That can I;

At least, the whisper goes so. Our last king,
Whose image even but now appear'd to us,
Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,
Thereto prick'd on by a most emulate pride,
Dar'd to the combat: in which, our valiant Hamlet
(For fo this fide of our known world esteem'd him,)
Did flay this Fortinbras; who, by a feal'd com-

pact,

Well ratified by law, and heraldry,
Did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands,
Which he stood seiz'd of, to the conqueror :
Against the which, a moiety competent
Was gaged by our king; which had return'd
To the inheritance of Fortinbras,

Had he been vanquisher; as, by the fame co-mart,
And carriage of the article design'd,

His fell to Hamlet: Now, fir, young Fortinbras, Of unimproved mettle hot and full,

Hath in the skirts of Norway, here and there,
Shark'd up a list of landless resolutes,
For food and diet, to fome enterprize
That hath a fstomach in't: which is no other
(As it doth well appear unto our ftate,)
But to recover of us, by strong hand,
And terms compulfatory, those forefaid lands
So by his father loft: And this, I take it,
Is the main motive of our preparations;
The fource of this our watch; and the chief head
Of this poft-hafte and romage in the land.

[Ber. I think, it be no other, but even so:
Well may it fort, that this portentous figure
Comes armed through our watch; so like the king
That was, and is, the question of these wars.
Hor. A mote it is, to trouble the mind's eye.
In the most high and palmy state of Rome,
A little ere the mightieft Julius fell,
The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted dead
Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets.

As, stars with trains of fire and dews of blood,
Disasters in the fun; and the moist star,
Upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands,
Was fick almoft to doomsday with eclipse.
And even the like precurse of fierce events,
As harbingers preceding still the fates,
And prologue to the omen coming on, -
Have heaven and earth together démonstrated
Unto our climatures and countrymen.-]

Re-enter Ghost.

But, soft; behold! lo, where it comes again!
I'll cross it, though it blast me.--Stay, illufion!
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 ease, and grace to me,
Speak to me:

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

O, speak!

Or, if thou hast uphoarded in thy life
Extorted treasure in the womb of earth,

For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death, [Cock crows.

Speak of it:-stay, and speak.--Stop it, Marcellus. Mar. Shall I strike at it with my partizan?

Hor. Do, if it will not stand.

Ber.

Hor..

Mar. 'Tis gone!

'Tis here!

We do it wrong, being so majestical,
To offer it the show of violence;
For it is, as the air, invulnerable,

'Tis here!

[Exit Ghost,

And our vain blows malicious mockery.

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,
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 sea or fire, in earth or air,
The 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 fay, that ever 'gainst that feason comes
Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,
This bird of dawning fingeth all night long:
And then, they say, no spirit dares stir abroad;
The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,

Se hallow'd and fo gracious is the 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 eastern hill:
Break we our watch up; and, by my advice,
Let 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 weshall 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.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

The fame. A Room of State in the fame. Enter the King, 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
To be contracted in one brow of woe;
Yet fo far hath difcretion fought with nature,
That we with wisest forrow think on him,
Together with remembrance of ourselves.
Therefore our fometime sister, now our queen,
The imperial jointress of this warlike state,
Have we, as 'twere, with a defeated joy, -
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 pester 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 Of this his nephew's purpose, -to fuppress His further gait herein: in that the levies, The lifts, and full proportions, are all made Out of his fubject:-and we here defpatch 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 allow.

Farewell; and let your hafte commend your duty. Cor. Vol. In that, and all things, will we show

our duty.
King. We doubt it nothing; heartily farewell.
[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 speak of reason to the Dane,
And lose your voice: What would'st thou beg,

Laertes,

That shall not be my offer, not thy asking?
The head is not more native to the heart,
The hand more instrumental to the mouth,
Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father,
What would'it thou have, Laertes?

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