90

Nay, let's follow him. Exeunt.

Mar. Something is rotten in the state of Denmarke.
Hor. Heaven will direct it.
Mar.

Scena Quinta.

Enter Ghost and Hamlet.

Ham. Whether wilt thou leade me? speake; Ile goe no further.

Ghost. Marke me.

Ghost. Pitty me not, but lend thy serious hearing To what I shall unfold.

Ham.

Speake, I am bound to heare.

Ghost. So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt heare.

Ham. What?

Ghost. I am thy fathers spirit,

5

Doom'd for a certaine terme to walke the night,
And for the day confin'd to fast in fires,

10

Till the foule crimes done in my dayes of nature

Are burnt and purg'd away: but that I am forbid
To tell the secrets of my prison-house,

I could a tale unfolde, whose lightest word

15

Would harrow up thy soule, freeze thy young blood,

Make thy two eyes like starres start from their spheres,

Thy knotted and combined locks to part,

And each particular haire to stand an end,

Like quils upon the fearefull porpentine:
But this eternall blazon must not be

20

To eares of flesh and blood; list, list, o list,
If thou did'st ever thy deare father love.

Ham. O God.

Ghost. Revenge his foule, and most unnaturall murther. 25 Ham. Murther?

Ghost. Murther most foule, as in the best it is,

But this most foule, strange and unnaturall.

BCF.

19

Scena Quinta. not in any edition. 1 Where DE. 3 fulphrus A fulphrous 11 fiers DE. 12 daies BC. 17 ftars ABF. 18 knotty DE. on A* 20 Quilles D quills EF. fretfull (for fearefull) A*DE. 21 blafon D. 22 lift Hamlet, oh DE. 24 Oh Heauen! DE. 25 murder A*.

Ham. Hast me to know't, that I with wings as swift, As meditation, or the thoughts of love,

May sweepe to my revenge.

30

Ghost.
And duller should'st thou be then the fat weede
That rootes it selfe in ease on Lethe wharfe,
Would'st thou not stirre in this; now Hamlet heare,
'Tis given out, that sleeping in mine orchard,

I finde thee apt,

35

A serpent stung me: so the whole eare of Denmarke
Is by a forged processe of my death

Rankly abus'd: but knowe thou noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy fathers life,
Now weares his crowne.

Ham.

Mine uncle!

O my prophetike soule,

Ghost. I that incestuous, that adulterate beast,
With witchcraft of his wits, with trayterous gifts,
(O wicked wit, and giftes that have the power
So to seduce) won to his shamefull lust
The will of my most seeming vertuous queene;
O Hamlet, what a falling off was there,
From me, whose love was of that dignity,

40

45

That it went hand in hand, even with the vow
I made to her in marriage; and to decline
Upon a wretch, whose naturall gifts were poore
To those of mine;

50

But vertue, as it never will be moved,
Though lewdnesse court it in a shape of heaven:
So lust, though to a radiant angell link'd,
Will sate it selfe in a celestiall bed

55

And prey on garbage.

But soft, me thinkes I scent the morning ayre,

Briefe let me be: Sleeping within mine orchard,
My custome alwayes in the afternoone,
Upon my secure houre, thy uncle stole
With juyce of cursed Hebona in a viall,
And in the porches of mine eares did poure

60

29 Hafte A*CE Haft, haft DE. know it DE. 31 find AB. 32 fhouldst A*AF fhouldest BC. 33 roots CF rots DE. wharffe ABC. 34 fturre AB. 35 It's DE. my ABCF. 38 rankely A*CF ranckely A5. abu'de A*A abufed BCF. 41 my ABCF. 43 hath Traitorous guifts. D gifts CF. 45 wonne ABC. fhamfull B. 47 a omitted in ABC. 48 dignitie AC. 49 vowe 53 wil D. mooued ABC mov'd F. 55 So but though ABCF. Angle linckt ABCF. 56 fate A* fort (for sate) ABCF. 57 pray AB. 58 fent AD. mornings A*DE. 59 & 63 my ABCF. 60 of (for in) ABCF. 61 hower D howre E. 62 Hebenon DE. Violl DE.

A.

The leprous distilment, whose effect
Holds such an enmity with blood of man,
That swift as quicksilver it courses through
The naturall gates and allies of the body,
And with a sodaine vigour it doth posset
And curde, like eager droppings into milke,
The thin and wholsome blood; so did it mine,
And a most instant tetter barkt about,
Most lazerlike, with vile and lothsome crust,
All my smooth body.

Thus was I, sleeping, by a brothers hand,

Of life, of crowne, of queene at once dispatcht,
Cut off even in the blossomes of my sinne,
Unhuzled, disappointed, unnaneld,

No reckning made, but sent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head;
O horrible, o horrible, most horrible.

If thou hast nature in thee beare it not,
Let not the royall bed of Denmarke be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But howsoever thou pursuest this act,
Taint not thy minde, nor let thy soule contrive
Against thy mother ought; leave her to heaven,
And to those thornes that in her bosome lodge,
To pricke and sting her: fare thee well at once,
The glow-worme shewes the matine to be neere,
And gins to pale his uneffectuall fire:
Adiew, adiew, adiew, remember me.

Ham. O all you host of heaven! O earth! what els?

65

70

75

80

85

90

Exit.

And shall I couple hell? O fie! hold, hold my heart,

And you my sinewes, growe not instant old,
But beare me stiffely up; remember thee?

95

I, thou poore ghost, whiles memory holds a seate

In this distracted globe; remember thee?
Yea, from the table of my memory

Ile wipe away all triviall fond records,

All sawes of bookes, all formes, all pressures past,
That youth and observation coppied there,

100

64 leaprous AB leaperous DE. 65 enmitie A. 68 fudden F. poffeffe (for posset) ABCF. 69 curd DE. Aygre DE. 71 barckt A bak't D bak'd E. 72 Lazar-like DE. loathfome E. 75 and Queene DE. 77 Vnnuzled BCF Vnhouzzled DE. vnanueld ABCF. 78 reckoning DEF. 80 Oh DE. 84 howfomeuer ABCF. purfues ABC. 85 mind BE. 88 prick A. 89 gloworme ABCF. fhowes DE. 91 Adue, adue, Hamlet: D. 92 elfe BCEF. 93 coupple AB. fie! hold my heart BCDEF. 94 finnowes AB finnewes

DE. 95 wiftly (for stiffely) ABCF. 96 while DE.

And thy commandement all alone shall live
Within the booke and volume of my braine,
Unmixt with baser matter; yes by heaven.
O most pernicious woman!

105

O villaine, villaine, smiling damned villaine!

My tables; meet it is I set it downe,

That one may smile, and smile, and be a villaine;

At least I am sure it may be so in Denmarke.
So uncle, there you are: now to my word;

110

Hor. Illo, ho, ho, my lord.

Ham. Hillo, ho, ho, boy; come bird, come.

Mar. How is't my noble lord?

Hor.

Ham. O, wonderfull!

Hor.

What newes, my lord?

Ham. No, you will reveale it.

Hor. Not I, my lord, by heaven.

Mar.

Ham. How say you then, would heart of man once thinke it? But you'le be secret.

Both.

I, by heaven, my lord.

Ham. There's never a villaine dwelling in all Denmarke 125 But hee's an arrant knave.

Hor. There needes no ghost my lord, come from the grave To tell us this.

Ham

Why right, you are in the right;
And so, without more circumstance at all,

I hold it fit that we shake hands and part,
You, as your businesse and desire shall point you,
For every man hath businesse and desire,

130

102 Commandment DE. 104 yes, yes, DE. 107 My Tables, my Tables; DE. 109 I'm DE. 111 adiew C Adue D. 113 Hor. & Mar. within. My Lord, my Lord. Enter Horatio and Marcellus. DE. 115 Heauen DE. 116 Ham. (for Mar.) ABCF. 117 Mar. (for Hor.) ABCF. 118 boy come, 120

and come ABCF 119 Hor. What newes, my lord? omitted in B. Hor. (for Ham.) B. 119, 120 & 122 prose in ABCDEF. 121 you'l D you'll E. 124 Booth. A. Heau'n DE. my lord not in ABCF. 125 nere D ne'er E. 127 need 4* needs BCDEF. 128 i' th' DE. 131 bufines AD. defires DE. 132 ha's D has E.

defiers A

Such as it is, and for mine owne poore part,

Looke you, I will goe pray.

Hor. These are but wilde and whurling words, my lord. 135 Ham. I am sorry they offend you heartily,

Yes faith, heartily.
Hor.

There's no offence my lord.

Ham. Yes, by saint Patrick, but there is Horatio,
And much offence too, touching this vision heere,
It is an honest ghost, that let me tell you:

For your desire to knowe what is betweene us,
O'remaster't as you may. And now good friends,
As you are friends, schollers and soldiers,
Give me one poore request.

Hor. What is't my lord? we will.

140

145

Ham. Never make knowne what you have seene to night. Both. My lord, we will not.

Ham.

Nay, but swear't.

Hor.

In faith

Ham. Indeede, upon my sword, indeed.
Ghost cries under the stage. Sweare.

150

Ham. Ha, ha, boy, say'st thou so, art thou there true-penny? Come on, you heare this fellowe in the sellerige,

Consent to sweare.

Hor.

Propose the oath my lord.

Ham. Never to speake of this that you have seene, Sweare by my sword.

155

Ghost. Sweare.

Ham. Hic & ubique, then weele shift our ground:

160

Come hither gentlemen, and lay your hands

Againe upon my sword, sweare by my sword
Never to speake of this that you have heard.

Ghost. Sweare.

Ham. Well said olde mole, canst worke i' th' earth so fast? A worthy pioner, once more remove good friends.

133 my ABCF. 134 Looke you not in ABCF. Ile DE. 135 wherling A* hurling DE. 136 I'm DE. fory A*. hartely 4* hartily A. 138 my Lord (for Horatio) DE. 139 to ABC. 142 Oremaftret A Ore-maiiter't B. 143 fouldiers ABCEF. 146 known D. feen D. 149 Vppon AB. 147-149 prose in ABCDEF. 152 Ah ha DE. fayeft DE. trupenny A. 153 one you here DE. felleredge D felleridge, EF. 156 the (for my) B. 158 for (for our) DE. 159 hether ABC. sweare by my sword in DE after 161. 162 Sweare by his fword. ABCF. 163 old BCDEF. ground (for earth) DE,