Hor. Let Him bless thee too. 1 Sail. He shall, sir, an't please Him. There's a letter for you, sir; it comes from the ambassador that was bound for England; if your name be Horatio, as I am led to know it is. II Hor. [reads.] Horatio, when thou shalt have overlooked this, give these fellows some means to the king: they have letters for him. Ere we were two days old at sea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us chase. Finding ourselves too slow of sail, we put on a compelled valour; and in the grapple I boarded them: on the instant they got clear of our ship; so I alone became their prisoner. They have dealt with me like thieves of mercy: but they knew what they did; I am to do a good turn for them. Let the king have the letters I have sent; and repair thou to me with as much haste as thou wouldst fly death. I have words to speak in thine ear will make thee dumb; yet are they much too light for the bore of the matter. These good fellows will bring thee where I am. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern hold their course for England: of them I have much to tell thee. Farewell. He that thou knowest thine, HAMLET. 27 Come, I will give you way for these your letters; [Exeunt. SCENE VII.-Another Room in the Castle. Enter KING and LAERTES. King. Now must your conscience my acquittance seal, Laer. As by your safety, wisdom, all things else, King. 5 10 She's so conjunctive to my life and soul, Is the great love the general gender bear him; Laer. And so have I a noble father lost; 15 20 25 Whose worth, if praises may go back again, Stood challenger on mount of all the age For her perfections:-but my revenge will come. King. Break not your sleeps for that: you must not think That we are made of stuff so flat and dull 31 That we can let our beard be shook with danger, And think it pastime. You shortly shall hear more: I lov'd your father, and we love ourself; And that, I hope, will teach you to imagine, 35 Enter a Messenger. Letters, my lord, from Hamlet: How now! what news? Mess. This to your majesty; this to the queen. King. From Hamlet! Who brought them? King. Leave us. 40 Laertes, you shall hear them.—[Exit Messenger. [Reads.] High and mighty,-You shall know I am set naked on your kingdom. To-morrow shall I beg leave to see your kingly eyes: when I shall, first asking your pardon thereunto, recount the occasions of my sudden and more strange return. HAMLET. What should this mean? Are all the rest come back? King. 'Tis Hamlet's character:-Naked, 51 And in a postscript here, he says, alone. Laer. I am lost in it, my lord. But let him come; It warms the very sickness in my heart, Thus didest thou. That I shall live, and tell him to his teeth, As how should it be so? how otherwise?— Laer. Ay, my lord; So you will not o'errule me to a peace. 55 King. To thine own peace. If he be now return'd,- 60 As checking at his voyage, and that he means No more to undertake it, I will work him To an exploit, now ripe in my device, Under the which he shall not choose but fall: And for his death no wind of blame shall breathe; Laer. My lord, I will be rul'd; It falls right. The rather if you could devise it so King. 65 70 Laer. 75 Importing health and graveness.-Two months since, 80 Here was a gentleman of Normandy,— I've seen myself, and serv'd against, the French, And they can well on horseback: but this gallant Had witchcraft in't; he grew unto his seat; 85 And to such wondrous doing brought his horse, Come short of what he did. Laer. King. A Norman. A Norman was't? 90 Laer. Upon my life, Lamond. King. The very same. Laer. I know him well: he is the brooch, indeed, And gem of all the nation. King. He made confession of you; And gave you such a masterly report That he cried out, 'twould be a sight indeed If one could match you: the scrimers of their nation, If you oppos'd them. Sir, this report of his Laer. A face without a heart? Laer. Why ask you this? King. Not that I think you did not love your father; Time qualifies the spark and fire of it. For goodness, growing to a plurisy, Dies in his own too much that we would do We should do when we would; for this would changes, And hath abatements and delays as many As there are tongues, are hands, are accidents; And then this should is like a spendthrift sigh That hurts by easing. But to the quick o' the ulcer:- To show yourself your father's son in deed More than in words? 125 130 The Frenchman gave you; bring you, in fine, together, And wager on your heads: he, being remiss, Laer. King. Let's further think of this; 135 140 145 'Twere better not assay'd: therefore this project Should have a back or second, that might hold And that our drift look through our bad performance, 150 If this should blast in proof. Soft!--let me see :- When in your motion you are hot and dry,- Enter QUEEN. How now, sweet queen! Queen. One woe doth tread upon another's heel, So fast they follow:-your sister's drown'd, Laertes. Laer. Drown'd! O, where? 155 160 Queen. There is a willow grows aslant a brook, That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream; There with fantastic garlands did she come 165 Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples, That liberal shepherds give a grosser name, But our cold maids do dead men's fingers call them: 170 |