Ps. Wherefore fhould you do this?
Rey. Aye, my lord,

I would know that.

Pol. Marry, fir, here's my drift;

And, I believe, it is a fetch of warrant :
You laying thefe light fullies on my fon,
As 'twere a thing a little foil'd i'the working,
Mark you, your party in converfe, him you would
found.

Having ever seen, in the prenominate crimes,
The youth, you breathe of, guilty, be affur'd,
He clofes with you in this confequence;
Good fir, or fo; or friend, or gentleman,-
According to the phrafe, or the addition,
Of man, and country.

Rey. Very good, my lord.

Pol. And then,fir,does he this,-He does-What

About to fay? I was about to say

Something: Where did I leave?

Rey. At, clofes in the confequence.

At, friend or fo, or gentleman.

[was

Pol. At, clofes in the confequence,-Ay, marry He closes with you thus :—I know the gentleman I faw him yesterday, or t'other day,

Or then, or then ; with fuch, or fuch; and, as you fay,
There was he gaming; there o'ertook in his roufe;
There falling out at tennis: or, perchance,
I faw him enter fuch a boufe of fale,

(Videlicet, a brothel) or fo forth.-See you now :
Your bait of falfehood takes this carp of truth:
And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
With windlaffes, and with affays of bias,
By indirections find directions out;
So, by my former lecture and advice,

Shall

Pol. God be wi’

Shall you my
Rey. My lord, I have.

fon: You have me, have

you not?

you; fare you

well.

Rey. Good my lord

Pol. Obferve his inclination in yourself.

Rey. I fhall, my lord.

Pol. And let him play his mufick.

Rey. Well, my lord.

Enter OPHELIA.

[Exit.

Pol. Farewell.-How now, Ophelia ? what's the matter?

Oph. O, my lord, my lord, I have been fo affrighted!

Pol. With what, in the name of heaven?
Oph. My lord, as I was fewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbrac'd;
No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd,
Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle;
Pale as his fhirt; his knees knocking each other;
And with a look fo pitecus in purport,

As if he had been loofed out of hell,
To fpeak of horrors, he comes before me.
Pol. Mad for thy love?

Oph. My lord, I do not know;

But, truly, I do fear it.

Pol. What faid he?

Opb. He took me by the wrist, and held me hard:
Then goes he to the length of all his arm;
And, with his other hand thus o'er his brow,
He falls to fuch perufal of my face,

As he would draw it. Long ftaid he fo;
At laft, a little shaking of mine arm,

And thrice his head thus waving up and down,

He

He rais'd a figh fo piteous and profound,
As it did feem to fhatter all his hulk,

And end his being: That done, he let's me go;
And, with his head over his fhoulder turn'd,
He feem'd to find his way without his eyes;
For out o'doors he went without their helps,
And, to the last, bended their light on me.
Pol. Come, go with me; I will go feek the king
This is the very ecstasy of love;

Whofe violent property foredoes itself,
And leads the will to defperate undertakings,
As oft as any paffion under heaven,

That does afflict our natures. I am forry,-
What, have you given him any hard words of late?
Oph. No, my good lord; but, as you did command,
I did repel his letters, and deny'd

His access to me.

Pol. That hath made him mad.

I am forry, that with better head and judgment,
I had not quoted him; I fear'd he did but trifle,
And meant to wreck thee; but, befhrew my jea-
It seems it is as proper to our age

To caft beyond ourselves in our opinions,
As it is common for the younger fort

[loufy!

To lack discretion. Come, go we to the king:
This must be known; which, being kept close, might
More grief to hide, than hate to utter love. [move
Come.
[Exeunt.

SCENE II. The Palace.

Enter the King, Queen, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and Attendants.

King. Welcome, dear Rofencrantz, and Guil

denftern!

Moreover

Moreover that we much did long to fee you,
The need, we have to use you, did provoke
Our hafty fending. Something have you heard
Of Hamlet's transformation; fo I call it,
Since nor the exterior nor the inward man
Refembles that it was: What it should be,
More than his father's death, that thus hath put him
So much from the understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of: I entreat you both,

That,-being of fo young days brought up with him;
And, fince, fo neighbour'd to his youth and hu-

mour,

That you vouchsafe your reft here in our court
Some little time: fo by your companies
To draw him on to pleasures; and to gather,
So much as from occafion you may glean,
Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus,
That, open'd, lies within our remedy,

Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of

you;

And fure I am, two men there are not living
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
To fhew us fo much gentry and good-will,
As to expend your time with us a while,
For the fupply and profit of our hope,
Your vifitation fhall receive fuch thanks
As fits a king's remembrance.

Rof. Both your majesties

Might, by the fovereign power you have of us,

Put

your

dread pleasures more into command

Than to entreaty.

Guil. But we both obey;

And here give up ourselves, in the full bent,
To lay our fervice freely at your feet,

D

To

To be commanded.

King. Thanks, Rozencrantz, and gentle Guildenftern.

Queen. Thanks, Guildenstern, and gentle Rofen

crantz :

And I beseech you inftantly to visit

My too much changed fon.-Go, fome of you,
And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.
Guil. Heavens make our presence, and our prac-
tices,

Pleafant and helpful to him!

Queen. Ay, amen!

[Exeunt Ros. and GUIL.

Enter POLONIUS.

Pol. The embaffadors from Norway, my good Are joyfully returned.

[lord, King. Thou ftill haft been the father of good news. Pol. Have I, my lord? Affure you, my good liege, I hold my duty, as I hold my foul,

Both to my God, and to my gracious king:
And I do think, (or elfe this brain of mine
Hunts not the trail of policy fo fure

As it hath us'd to do), that I have found
The caufe of Hamlet's lunacy.

very

King. O, fpeak of that; that I do long to hear. Pol. Give first admittance to the embassadors; My news fhall be the fruit of that great feaft. King. Thyfelf do grace to them, and bring them in. [Exit POLONIUS. He tells me, my dear Gertrude, he hath found The head and fource of all your fon's distemper. Queen. I doubt, it is no other but the main ; His father's death, and our o'er-hafty marriage.

Re-enter