Hor. Why, what a king is this!

Ham. Does it not, think thee, ftand me now upon?

great wager on your head : Sir, this is the matter,Ham. I beseech you, remember

[Hamlet moves him to put on bis bat.

He that hath kill'd my king, and whor'd my mother; Ofr. Nay, good my lord; for my eafe, in good

Popt in between the election and my hopes;
Thrown out his angle for my proper life,

And with fuch cozenage; is 't not perfect confcience,
To quit him with this arm; and is 't not to be fhewing: Indeed, to fpeak feelingly of him, he is

damn'd,

To let this canker of our nature come
In further evil?
[England,
Hor. It must be fhortly known to him from
What is the iffue of the bufinefs there.

Ham. It will be short: the interim is mine;
And a man's life's no more than to say, one.
But I am very forry, good Horatio,
That to Laertes I forgot myfelf;
For, by the image of my caufe, I fee

The portraiture of his: I'll count his favours 2:
But, fure, the bravery of his grief did put me
Into a towering paffion.

Hor. Peace; who comes here ?
Enter Ofrick.

Ofr. Your lordship is right welcome back to

Denmark.

faith.-Sir, here is newly come to court, Laertes: believe me, an abfolute gentleman, full of mott excellent differences 5, of very folt fociety, and great the card or calendar of gentry; for you fhall find in him the continent of what part a gentleman would fee 7.

Ham. Sir, his definement fuffers no perdition in you ;-though, I know, to divide him inventorally, would dizzy the arithmetic of memory; and yet but raw neither, in refpect of his quick fail 9. But, in the verity of extolment, I take him to be a foul of great article; and his infufion of fuch dearth and rarenefs, as, to make true diction of him, his femblable is his mirrour; and, who clie would trace him, his umbrage, nothing more.

Ofr. Your lordship speaks mott infallibly of him.
Ham. The concernancy, fir? why do we wrap
the gentleman in our more rawer breath ?
Ofr. Sir.

Hor. Is 't not poffible to understand in another

Ham. I humbly thank you, fir.- -Doft know tongue? You will do 't, fir, really.

this water-fly 3?

Hor. No, my good lord.

Ham. Thy ftate is the more gracious: for 'tis a vice to know him: He hath much land, and fertile: let a beaft be lord of beafts, and his crib fhall ftand at the king's mefs: 'Tis a chough 4; but, as I fay, fpacious in the poffeffion of dirt.

Ofr. Sweet lord, if your lordship were at leifure, I fhould impart a thing to you from his majesty.

Ham. I will receive it, fir, with all diligence of fpirit: Put your bonnet to his right ule; 'tis for the head.

Ofr. I thank your lordship, 'tis very hot. Ham. No, believe me, 'tis very cold; the wind is northerly.

Ofr. It is indifferent cold, my lord, indeed. Ham. But yet, methinks, it is very fultry and hot; or my complexion--

Ofr. Exceedingly, my lord; it is very fultry,as 'twere,-I cannot tell how.-My lord, his majesty bade me fignify to you, that he has laid a

Ham. What imports the nomination of this gentleman? Ofr. Of Laertes ?

Hor. His purfe is empty already; all 's goldea words are spent.

Ham. Of him, fir.

Ofr. I know, you are not ignorant

Hım. I would, you did, fir; yet, in faith, if you did, it would not much approve 10 me :-Well, fir. Ofr. You are not ignorant of what excellence Laertes is.

Ham. I dare not confefs that, left I should compare with him in excellence; but, to know a man well, were to know himfelf.

Of. I mean, fir, for his weapon; but in the imputation laid on him by them, in his meed 4 he's unfellow'd.

Ham. What 's his weapon?
Ofr. Rapier and dagger.

Ham. That's two of his weapons: but, well
Ofr. The king, fir, hath wager'd with him fix
Barbary horfes: against the which he has impon`d12,

1 i. e. to requite him; to pay him his duc. 2 Or, I will make account of them, i. e. reckon upon them, value them. 3 A water-fly fkips up and down upon the furface of the water, without any apparent purpofe or reafon, and is thence the proper emblem of a busy trifler. 4 A kind of jackdaw. 5 i. e. full of diftinguishing excellencies. 6 i. c. the general preceptor of elegance; the card by which a gentleman is to direct his courfe; the calendar by which he is to choofe his time, that what he does may be both excellent and feasonable. 7 i. e. You shall find him containing and comprifing every quality which a gentleman would defire to contemplate for imitation.

$ Dr. Wai

burton fays, this is defigned as a fpecimen and ridicule of the court-jargon amongst the precieux of that time. The fenfe in English is, "Sir, he fuffers nothing in your account of him, though to enumerate his good qualities particularly wou d be endlefs; yet when we had done our beft, it would ftill come fhort of him. However, in ftri&tnefs of truth, he is a great genius, and of a character lɔ rarely to be met with, that to find any thing like him we muft look into his mirrour, and his imitators will appear no more than his fhadows." 9 Raw fignifies unripe, immature, thence unformed, isperfect, unfkilful. The belt account of him would be imperfect, in refpect of his quick fail. The phrafe quick fail was, I uppofe, a proverbial term for afticity of mind. 10 To apprace, is to recommend to approbation. II i. c. in his excellence. 12 Dr. Johnfon conjectures that imponed is pledged, impawned, fo fpelt to ridicule the affectation of uttering English words with French pronunciation.

as I take it, fix French rapiers and poniards, with their aligns, as girdle, hangers, and fo: Three of the carriages, in faith, are very dear to fancy, very refponfive to the hilts, most delicate carriages, and of very liberal conceit.

Ham. What call you the carriages ?

Hor. I knew, you must be edified by the margent, ere you had done.

Of. The carriages, fir, are the hangers. Ham. The phrafe would be more germane 2 to the matter, if we could carry a cannon by our fides: I would, it might be hangers 'till then But, on: Six Barbary horfes against fix French fwords, their affigns, and three liberal-conceited carriages; that's the French bett against the Danish: Why is this impon'd, as you call it ?

Of. The king, fir, hath lay'd, that in a dozen paffes between yourself and him, he fhall not exceed you three hits: he hath lay'd on twelve for nine; and it would come to immediate trial, if your lordship would vouchfafe the answer.

Ham. How if I answer, no?

Enter a Lord.

Lord. My lord, his majaty commended him to you by young Orick, who brings back to him, that you attend him in the hall: he fends to know, if your pleasure hold to play with Laertes, or that you will take longer ti re.

Ham. I am conftant to my purposes, they follow the king's pleafure: if his fitness fpeaks, Imine is ready; now, or whenfoever, provided I be fo able as now.

Lord. The king, and queen, and all, are com ing down.

Ham. In happy time.

Lord. The queen defires you to use fome gentle entertainment to Laertes, before you fall to play.

[Exit Lord.. Hor. You will lofe this wager, my lord. Ham. I do not think fo; fince he went into France, I have been in continual practice; I fhall win at the odds 7. But thou would't not think, how ill all's here about my heart: but it is no

Ham. She well inftructs me.

Ofr. I mean, my lord, the oppofition of your matter. perfon in trial.

Ham. Sir, I will walk here in the hall: If it please his majefty, it is the breathing time of day with me; let the foils be brought: the gentleman willing, and the king hold his purpose, I will win for him, if I can; if not, I will gain nothing but my fhame, and the odd hits.

Ofr. Shall I deliver you fo?

Ham. To this effect, fir; after what flourish

you" nature will.

Ofr. I commend my duty to your lordship. [Exit. Ham. Yours, yours. He does well, to commend it himfelf; there are no tongues elfe for 's

turn.

Hor. Nay, good my lord,-

Ham. It is but foolery; but it is fuch a kind of gain-giving, as would, perhaps, trouble a woman.

Hor. If your mind diflike any thing, obey it: I will foreftall their repair hither, and say you are

not fit.

Ham. Not a whit, we defy augury; there is a special providence in the fall of a fparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all: Since no man knows aught of what he leaves, what is't to leave betimes 9 ? Let be.

Hor. This lapwing runs away with the hell on Enter King, Queen, Laertes, Lords, Ofrick, and

his head 3.

Ham. He did compliment with his dug, before he fuck'd it. Thus has he (and many more of the fame breed, that, I know, the droffy age dotes on) only got the tune of the time, and outward habit| of encounter; a kind of yefty collection, which carries them through and through the most fond and winnowed opinions; and do but blow them to their trial, the bubbles are out 5.

attendants with foils, &c.

King. Come, Hamlet, come, and take this

hand from me.

[The King puts the hand of Laertes into that of Hamlet.

Ham. Give me your pardon, fir: I have done

you wrong;

But pardon it, as you are a gentleman.

This prefence knows,and you must needs have heard,

1 Dr. Warburton very properly obferves, that in the old books the glofs or comment was ufually 3 The meaning, Mr. Steevens believes, 2 More a-kin. printed on the margent of the leat. 4 The meaning is, "Thefe men have get the cant of the day, a is-This is a forward Yellow. fuperficial readinefs of flight and curfory converfation, a kind of frothy collection of fashionable prattle, which yet carries them through the moit felect and approved judgments. This airy facility 5 i. e. These men of fhow, without folidity, are like of talk fometimes impofes upon wife men." bubbles raifed from foap and water, which dance, and glitter, and plcafe the eye, but if you extend 6 i. e. mild and temthem, by blowing hard, feparate into a mill; fo if you oblige thefe fpecious talkers to extend their compass of converfation, they at once difcover the tenuity of their intellects. 7 Hamlet means to fay, I fhall fucceed with the advantage which I am 8 Gain-giving is the fame as mifperate converfation. allowed, fhall make more than nine hits for Laertes' twelve. "Since no man knows aught of the 9 Dr. Johnfon comments on this paffage thus: giving. itate of life which he leaves, fince he cannot judge what other years may produce, why should he be afraid of leaving life betimes? Why fhould he dread an early death, of which he cannot tell whether I defpife the fuperftition of augury it is an exclufion of happiness, or an interception of calamity? and omens, which has no ground in reafon or picty; my comfort is, that I cannot fall but by the direction of Providence."

3

How

A floup is a flaggon, or bowl. 2 An union is the finest fort of pearl, and has its place in all 3 Under pretence of throwing a pearl into the cup, the king may be fuppofed to drop fome poifonous drug into the wine. Hamlet feems to fufpect this, when he afterwards difcovers the effects of the poifon, and tauntingly afks him,—Is the union here? 4 A wanien was a man feeble and effeminate.

[Stabs the king.

King. O, yet defend me, friends, I am but hur.
Ham. Here, thou incestuous, murd'rous, damned
Dane,

Drink off this potion :-Is the union here?
Follow my mother.

Laer. He is justly ferv'd;

[King dies.

It is a poifon temper'd by himself.-
Exchange forgivenefs with me, noble Hamlet:
Mine and my father's death come not upon thee;
Nor thine on me!

[Dies.

Ham. Heaven make thee free of it! I follow
thee.

I am dead, Horatio :-Wretched queen, adieu!
You that look pale and tremble at this chance,
That are but mutes or audience to this act,
Had I but time, (as this fell ferjeant, death,
Is ftrict in his arreft) 0, I could tell you,—
But let it be :-Horatio, I am dead;
Thou liv'ft; report me and my caufe aright

But let this fame be presently perform'd,
Even while men's minds are wild; left more
mifchance

On plots, and errors, happen.

Fort. Let four captains

Bear Hamlet, like a foldier, to the stage;
For he was likely, had he been put on,

To have prov'd moft royally: and, for his paffage,
The foldiers' mufic, and the rites of war,
Speak loudly for him.-

Take up the bodies:Such a fight as this
Becomes the field, but here fhews much amifs.
Go, bid the foldiers fhoot.

[Exeunt: after which, a peal of ordnance is
Shot off.

2 Solicited, for brought on the event, 3 i. c.

1