Fran. You come most carefully upon your houre. Ber. 'Tis now strooke twelfe, get thee to bed Francisco. Fran. For this reliefe much thanks: 'tis bitter cold, And I am sick at heart.

Ber. Have you had quiet guard?

Fran.

Ber. Well, good night:

Not a mouse stirring.

If you doe meete Horatio and Marcellus,

The rivals of my watch, bid them make hast.

Enter Horatio and Marcellus.

Fran. I thinke I heare them. Stand ho, who is there?

Hor. Friends to this gound.
Mar.

Fran. Give you good night.
Mar.

Who hath reliev'd you?
Fran.

Give you good night.

Various readings:

And leegemen to the Dane.

O, farewell honest soldier,

Bernardo hath my place;

5

10

Exit Fran.

1 Whofe ABC. anfwer Barnardo ABCDEF. 4 Tis AB. ftrook D thankes DE. 6 hart meet CDEF 10 riualls AC rivalls 11 them, ftand ABC. Stand: who's D Liege-men E Liegemen F. fouldiers ABCF.

Actus Primus Scana Prima. D. not in ABCF.
BCDEF. vnfold BCD unfold EF. 2 you felfe B.
Hee ABCF. 1-2 printed as prose in ABCDEF.
ftruck E. twelue BCD twelve EF. 5 releefe D.
A. 7 prose in ABCDEF. 9 do D.
F. partners (for rivals) A*. hafte F.
DE. 12 Leedgemen A Leige-men
farwell A farwel DE. fouldier A*
relieved F. ha's DE.

13

14 releeued A*

Ber. Welcome Horatio, welcome good Marcellus.

Mar. What, ha's this thing appear'd againe to night?
Ber. I have seene nothing.

Mar. Horatio sayes 'tis but our fantasie,

And will not let beleefe take hold of him,

15

20

Touching this dreaded sight, twice seene of us,
Therefore I have intreated him along

With us, to watch the minutes of this night,
That if againe this apparition come,
He may approve our eyes and speake to it.
Hor. Tush, tush, 'twill not appeare.
Ber.

Sit downe a while,

And let us once againe assaile your eares,
That are so fortified against our story,
What we have two nights seene.

Hor.

25

Well, sit we downe,

30

And let us heare Bernardo speake of this.

Ber. Last night of all,

When yond same starre that's westward from the pole,
Had made his course t'illume that part of heaven
Where now it burnes, Marcellus and my selfe,

The bell then beating one.

Enter Ghost.

35

Mar. Peace, breake thee off: looke where it comes againe. Ber. In the same figure, like the king that's dead.

Mar. Thou art a scholler, speake to it Horatio.

· Ber. Lookes it not like the king? Marke it Horatio. Hor. Most like: it harrowes me with feare and wonder. Ber. It would be spoke to.

Mar.

Speake to it Horatio.

Hor. What art thou that usurp'st this time of night,
Together with that faire and warlike forme,

In which the majesty of buried Denmarke
Did sometimes march? by heaven I charge the speake.

40

45

faies AD. a (for 22 by vs, A*.

15 Say what, B. 18 Hor. (for Mar.) ABCF. hath A*. 20 our) BCF. phantafie EF. 21 beliefe ACF holde A. 23 entreated F. 24 minuts AB. 25 apparifion A. 26 approoue A. 27 awhile B a-while D. 30 wee B. we two Nights haue DE. 33 ftar CF. thats ABC. 34 illumin C illumine A*F. 37 of AD. 39 Scholar F. 40 omitted in BCF. a (for it) A. 41 horrowes ABCF horrors 4*. 42 Queftion it A*D. 45 Maieftie A. 46 march, A march: BCE walke? A*. by ABCF. fpeak C.

Mar. It is offended.

Ber.

See, it stalkes away.

Hor. Stay, speake, speake, I charge thee, speake.

Mar. 'Tis gone and will not answere.

Exit Ghost.

Ber. How now Horatio, you tremble and looke pale, Is not this something more then fantasie?

50

What thinke you of it?

Hor. Before my God, I might not this beleeve, Without the sensible and true avouch

Of mine owne eyes.

Mar.

Is it not like the king?

Hor. As thou art to thy selfe:

Such was the very armor he had on,

When he the ambitious Norway combated:

So frown'd he once, when in an angry parle
He smot the sleaded pollax on the ice.

"Tis strange.

Mar. Thus twice before, and jump at this dead houre, With martiall stalke, hath he gone by our watch.

55

60

Hor. In what particular thought to worke, I know not,

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

65

Mar. Good now sit downe, and tell me he that knowes,

Why this same strict and most observant watch

So nightly toiles the subject of the land,

And why such dayly cast of brazen cannon

70

And forraine marte for implements of warre,

Why such impresse of ship-wrights, whose sore taske
Does not divide the Sunday from the weeke:
What might be toward, that this sweaty hast
Doth make the night joynt labourer with the day,
Who is't that can informe me?

75

That can I.

Hor.
At least the whisper goes so: Our last king,
Whose image even but now appear'd to us,
Was, as you knowe by Fortinbrasse of Norway,

47 ftaukes ABC. 49 anfwer DEF. 50 look CD. 51 than A*EF. phantafie ABCEF. 52 on't A*DE ont A. 53 Afore A*. belieue A. 54 fencible AB. 55 eies AC. 57 armour DEF. 58 th'ambitious DEF. 59 frownd AC frownde B. 60 fmote BCF. fledded DE. 62 iumpe jumpe Fiuft D juft E. fame (for dead) F. 63 Marfhall A*. ftauke ABC. 64 perticular AB. 65 my A*DE. 66 boades D. 70 with (for why) ABCF. coft A*ABCF. brazon AD brasen F. 71 forraigne DE. Mart CDEF. 72 fhip-writes A. 73 Do's D. deuide ABC. 75 ioint C joint F. 76 mee AB. I, D. 79 know A*BCDEF. Fortinbras DE.

Thereto prickt on by a most emulate pride

Dar'd to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet
(For so this side of our knowne world esteem'd him)

Did slay this Fortinbrasse, who by a seal'd compact,
Well ratified by lawe and heraldrie,

Did forfait, with his life, all those his lands
Which he stood seaz'd of, to the conquerour.
Against the which a moitie competent

80

85

Was gaged by our king, which had return'd

To the inheritance of Fortinbrasse,

Had he beene vanquisher, as by the same cov❜nant

90

And carriage of the article design'd,

His fell to Hamlet; now sir, young Fortinbrasse,

Of unimproved mettle, hot and full,

Hath in the skirts of Norway, heere and there,
Sharkt up a list of lawelesse resolutes,
For foode and diet, to some enterprise

95

That hath a stomacke in't, which is no other
(As it doth well appeare unto our state)
But to recover of us by strong hand

And termes compulsatory, those foresaid lands

100

So by his father lost; and this, I take it,

Is the maine motive of our preparations,

The source of this our watch, and the cheefe head

Of this post-hast and romage in the land.

Ber. I thinke it be no other but even so; Well may it sort that this portentous figure

105

Comes armed through our watch so like the king
That was and is the question of these warres.

Hor. A mote it is to trouble the mindes eye:

In the most high and palmy state of Rome,
A little ere the mightiest Julius fell

110

The graves stood tennantlesse, and the sheeted dead
Did squeake and gibber in the Roman streets
As starres with traines of fire, and dewes of blood
Disasters in the sunne; and the moist starre,
Upon whose influence Neptunes empire stands,

115

80 prick'd DE. 81 combate BCDEF. 82 efteemed A* efteemd AB. 84 law ABCDEF. 85 forfeit A*EF forfeite D. thefe ABCF 86 seiz'd DEF. on DE. conqueror A*DE. 87 moity BCDEF. 88 returne ABCF. 90 bin ACDEF. vanquifht; F. comart (for cov'nant) ABCF. 91 articles B. deffeigne A defeigne BCF defigne D. 93 metall F. 94 here CEF. 95 Shark'd DE. lawleffe BCF landleffe DE. 96 food BCEF. Enterprize DE. 97 stomake C. is omitted in CF. 98 And (for As) D. 100 tearmes ABCF. Compulfative DE. 103 chiefe ACF. 104 poft-hafte C pofte hafte F. Romadge A romeage BCF 105 enfo A. 109 moth AB 114 fier A. bloud BC', 115 Sun C. 116 empier ABDE.

Was sick almost to doomesday with eclipse.
And even the like precurse of fierce events,
As harbingers preceding still the fates
And prologue to the omen comming on,
Have heaven and earth together demonstrated
Unto our climatures and contrimen.

120

But soft, behold, lo where it comes againe:

Enter Ghost againe.

Ile crosse it, though it blast me: stay illusion,
If thou hast any sound, or use of voice,

Speake to me.

If there be any good thing to be done,

That may to thee doe ease, and grace to me,
Speake to me.

If thou art privy to thy countries fate,

Which happily foreknowing may avoid,
O speake.

Or if thou hast uphoorded in thy life
Extorted treasure in the wombe of earth,

For which, they say, you spirits oft walke in death,

125

130

135

The cocke crowes.

Speake of it, stay and speake. Stop it Marcellus.
Mar. Shall I strike at it with my partizan?
Hor. Doe, if it will not stand.

Ber. It was about to speake when the cock crew.
Hor. And then it started, like a guilty thing,

145

Upon a fearfull summons. I have heard,

The cock that is the trumpet to the morne,

Doth with his lofty and shrill sounding throate
Awake the god of day, and at his warning,
Whether in sea or fire, in earth or aire,
Th'extravagant and erring spirit hies

150

117 ficke AF. 118 feare A fearce B. 119 harbindgers A. preceading AB. 122 countrymen A. 105-122 wanting in A*DE. 123 loe ADE. 124 mee AB. 127 bee B. 128 do D. 130 priuie AC privie F 131 happely F. 135 your ABC, 136 stoppe A*. 137 ftrike it ABCF. fhew A*DEF. 144 cocke DEF crewe A. 146 fearefull ABF. (for morne) DE 148 throat ACF 151 hyes BDEF.

141 147 day