SCENE I. Elsinore. A room in Polonius'

house.

Enter POLONIUS and REYNALDO.

Pol. Give him this money and these notes, Reynaldo.

Rey. I will, my lord.

Pol. You shall do marvell's wisely, good
Reynaldo,

Before you visit him, to make inquiry
Of his behaviour.

Rey.
My lord, I did intend it.
[Pol. Marry, well said; very well said. Look
you, sir,

Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris; And how, and who, what means, and where they keep,

What company, at what expense; and finding, By this encompassment and drift of question, That they do know my son, come you more

Rey. Ay, very well, my lord.

Pol. "And in part him; but," you may say, "not well:

But, if 't be he I mean, he 's very wild;
Addicted so and so;" and there put on him
What forgeries you please; marry, none so rank
As may dishonour him; take heed of that; 21
But, sir, such wanton, wild and usual slips
As are companions noted and most known
To youth and liberty.
Rey.
As gaming, my lord.
Pol. Ay, or drinking, fencing, swearing,
Quarrelling, drabbing: you may go so far.
Rey. My lord, that would dishonour him.
Pol. Faith, no; as you may season it in the
charge.

You must not put another scandal on him,
That he is open to incontinency;

30

Having ever seen in the prenominate crimes
The youth you breathe of guilty, be assur'd
He closes with you in this consequence;
"Good sir," or so, or "friend," or "gentleman,"
According to the phrase or the addition2
Of man and country.

Rey.
Very good, my lord.
Pol. And then, sir, does he this, he does-
What was I about to say? By the mass, I
I was about to say something: where did I leave?
Rey. At "closes in the consequence," at
"friend or so," and "gentleman."

53

Pol. At "closes in the consequence,"―ay, marry;

1 Fetch of warrant, warranted device. 2 Addition, title.

not?

How now, Ophelia! what's the matter? Oph. O my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted!

Pol. With what, i' the name of God? Oph. My lord, as I was sewing in my chamber,

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 shirt, his knees knocking each
other,

And with a look so piteous in purpórt
As if he had been loosed out of hell
To speak of horrors, he comes before me.
Pol. Mad for thy love?
Oph.

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My lord, I do not know;

To cast1 beyond ourselves in our opinions, As it is common for the younger sort

To lack discretion.] Come, go we to the king: This must be known; which, being kept close, might move

More grief to hide than hate to utter love. Come. [Exeunt.

SCENE II. The same. A room in the castle.

Enter KING, QUEEN, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and Attendants.

King. Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern!

Moreover that we much did long to see you,
The need we have to use you did provoke
Our hasty sending. Something have you heard
Of Hamlet's transformation; so I call it,
Sith nor the exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was. What it should be,
More than his father's death, that thus hath
put him

10

So much from the understanding of himself,
I cannot dream of: I entreat you both,
That, being of so young days brought up with
him,

And sith so neighbour'd to his youth and humour,

That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court
Some little time: so by your companies
To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather,
So much as from occasion 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

them in.

My news shall be the fruit to that great feast King. Thyself do grace to them, and bring [Exit Polonius. He tells me, my dear Gertrude, he hath found The head and source of all your son's distemper.

Queen. I doubt it is no other but the main;5 His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage. King. Well, we shall sift him.

Re-enter POLONIUS, with VOLTIMAND and
CORNELIUS.

Welcome, my good friends! ́ Say, Voltimand, what from our brother Norway?

Upon our first, he sent out to suppress
His nephew's levies, which to him appear'd
To be a preparation 'gainst the Polack,
But, better look'd into, he truly found
It was against your highness: whereat griev'd,
That so his sickness, age, and impotence,
Was falsely borne in hand,1 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 the 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,

70

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 Voltimand and Cornelius. Pol. This business is well ended.] My liege, and madam,-to expostulate2 What majesty should be, what duty is, Why day is day, night night, and time is time, Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.

Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,3 And tediousness the limbs and outward flour

101

And pity 't is 't is 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.1

I have a daughter,-have whilst she is mine,-
Who, in her duty and obedience, mark,
Hath given me this: now gather, and surmise.
[Reads.
"To the celestial and my soul's idol, the most beau-
tified Ophelia,"-

110

Pol.

But how hath she

131

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;

4 Perpend, consider.