A worthy pioneer! Once more remove, good friends. Hor. O day and night, but this is wondrous strange! Ham. And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in Heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in our philosophy.

But come;

Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,
How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself,
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on,

That you, at such times seeing me, never shall,
With arms encumber'd thus, or thus head-shake,
Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase,

As "Well, well, we know," or "We could, an if we would,"

Or "If we list to speak," or "There be, an if they

might,"

Or such ambiguous giving out, to note

That you know aught of me: this not to do,

So grace and mercy at your most need help you,
Swear.

Ghost. [Beneath] Swear.

Ham. Rest, rest, perturbed spirit! [They swear]

So, gentlemen,

With all my love I do commend me to you :

And what so poor a man as Hamlet is

May do, to express his love and friending to you,

God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together; And still your fingers on your lips, I pray.

The time is out of joint: O cursed spite,

That ever I was born to set it right!
Nay, come, let's go together.

[Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE I. A room in Polonius's house.

Enter POLONIUS and REYNALDO.

Polonius.

IVE him this money and these notes, Reynaldo.

Rey. I will, my lord.

Pol. You shall do marvellous wisely,

good Reynaldo,

Before you visit him, to make inquire

Of his behaviour.

Rey. My lord, I did intend it.

Pol. Observe his inclination in yourself.

Rey. I shall, my lord.

Pol. And let him ply his music.

Rey. Well, my lord.

Pol. Farewell.

Enter OPHELIA.

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 closet Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;

No hat upon his head;

Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other,
And with a look so piteous in purport

As if he had been loosed out of hell

To speak of horrors, he comes before me.

Pol. Mad for thy love?

Oph.

But truly I do fear it.

Pol.

My lord, I do not know;

What said he?

Oph. 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 such perusal of my face

As he would draw it. Long stay'd he so;
At last, a little shaking of mine arm,

And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
He raised a sigh so piteous and profound

As it did seem to shatter all his bulk
And end his being that done, he lets me go:
And with his head over his shoulder turn'd,
He seem'd to find his way without his eyes;
For out o' doors he went without their help,
And to the last bended their light on me.

Pol. Come, go with me: I will go seek the king. This is the very ecstasy of love,

Whose violent property fordoes itself

And leads the will to desperate undertakings.

I am sorry.

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 denied

His access to me.

Pol.

That hath made him mad.

I am sorry that with better heed and judgment
I had not quoted him.

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. [Exeunt.

SCENE II. A room of state in the castle.

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

AW

King.

ELCOME, dear Rosencrantz and Guilden

stern!

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;

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 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 of you; And sure I am two men there are not living

To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
As to expend your time with us awhile,

Your visitation shall receive such thanks

As fits a king's remembrance.

Ros.

Both your majesties

Might, by the sovereign power you have of us,
Put your dread pleasures more into command
Than to entreaty.

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

To be commanded.

King. Thanks, Rosencrantz and gentle Guildenstern. Queen. Thanks, Guildenstern and gentle Rosen

crantz :

And I beseech you instantly to visit

My too much changed son. Go, some of you, And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is. [Exeunt Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Attendants.

Enter POLONIUS.

Pol. I do think, or else this brain of mine

Hunts not the trail of policy so sure

As it hath used to do, that I have found

The very cause of Hamlet's lunacy.

King. O, speak of that; that do I long to hear.

Pol. My liege, and madam,

I have a daughter-have while 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 beautified Ophelia,"

That's an ill phrase, a vile phrase; "beautified" is a vile phrase but you shall hear. Thus :

[Reads]

"In her excellent white bosom, these, &c."

Queen. Came this from Hamlet to her?

Pol. Good Madam, stay awhile; I will be faithful. [Reads]

"Doubt thou the stars are fire;

Doubt that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar ;

But never doubt I love.

"O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers; I have not art to reckon my groans: but that I love thee best, O most best, believe it.

Adieu.

"Thine evermore, most dear lady,

whilst this machine is to him, HAMLET."

This in obedience hath my daughter shown me,

And I went round to work,

And my young mistress thus I did bespeak: