Pol. Farewell!-How now, Ophelia? what's the matter?

Oph. O my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted!

Pol. With what, in the name of Heaven?

Oph. My lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;
No hat upon his head; his stockings fouled,
Ungartered and down-gyved' to his ankle;
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 staid 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,2
And end his being. That done, he lets me go;
And, with his head over his shoulder turned,
He seemed 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.

1 Hanging down like the loose cincture which confines the fetters or gyves round the ankles.

2 i. e. his breast.

Baret.

"The bulke or breast of a man; thorax, la poitrine."

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

Whose violent property foredoes' itself,

And leads the will to desperate undertakings,
As oft as any passion under heaven,

That does afflict our natures.

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. I feared he did but trifle,
And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my jealousy!
It seems, it is as proper to our age

To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions,

As it is common for the younger sort

To lack discretion. 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.3

Come.1

[Exeunt.

SCENE II. A Room in the Castle.

Enter King, Queen, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and Attendants.

King. Welcome, 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; so I call it,

1 To foredo and to undo were synonymous.

2 To quote is to note, to mark.

3 "This must be made known to the king, for (being kept secret) the hiding Hamlet's love might occasion more mischief to us from him and the queen, than the uttering or revealing it will occasion hate and resentment from Hamlet."

4 Folio omits come.

Since not the exterior nor the inward man
Resembles that it was. What it should be,

More than his father's death, that thus hath put him So much from the understanding of himself,

I cannot dream2 of. I entreat you both,

That,-being of so young days brought up with him;
And, since, so neighbored to his youth and humor,3-
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, opened, lies within our remedy.

Queen. Good gentlemen, he hath much talked of

you;

And, sure I am, two men there are not living,
To whom he more adheres. If it will please you
To show us so much gentry5 and good will,
As to expend your time with us awhile,
For the supply and profit of our hope,
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.

Guil.

But we both obey,

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

To be commanded.

7

4 This line is omitted in the folio.

3 Quarto-havior.

5 Gentry for gentle courtesy. "Gentlemanlinesse or gentry, kindness, or natural goodness; generositas."-Baret.

6 Supply and profit is aid and advantage.

7 i. e. over us.

9 i. e. to the utmost of inclination or disposition.

8 Folio omits but.

And I beseech you instantly to visit

My too much changed son.-Go, some of you,
And bring these gentlemen where Hamlet is.

Guil. Heavens make our presence, and our practices, Pleasant and helpful to him!

Queen.

Ay, Amen!

[Exeunt Ros., GUIL., and some Attendants.

Enter POLONIUS.

Pol. The ambassadors from Norway, my good lord, Are joyfully returned.

King. Thou still hast been the father of good news. Pol. Have I, my lord? Assure you, my good liege, I hold my duty, as I hold my soul,

Both to my God, and to my gracious king;
And 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. Give first admittance to the ambassadors;
My news shall be the fruit to that great feast.
King. Thyself do grace to them, and bring them in.
[Exit POLONIUS.

He tells me, my dear Gertude, he hath found
The head and source of all your son's distemper.

Queen. I doubt it is no other but the main;
His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage.

Re-enter POLONIUS, with VOLTIMAND and CORNELIUS.

King. Well, we shall sift him.-Welcome, my good

friends!

Say, Voltimand, what from our brother Norway?
Vol. Most fair return of greetings and desires.
Upon our first, he sent out to suppress

1 i. e. the trace or track.

2 Folio-as I have.

3 Folio-news. By fruit, dessert is meant.

His nephew's levies; which to him appeared
To be a preparation 'gainst the Polack;
But, better looked into, he truly found

It was against your highness; whereat grieved-
That so his sickness, age, and impotence,
Was falsely borne in hand,'-sends out arrests
On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys;
Receives rebuke from Norway; and, in fine,
Makes vow before his uncle, never more
To give the assay of arms against your majesty.
Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,
Gives him three thousand crowns in annual fee;
And his commission, to employ those soldiers,
So levied as before, against the Polack;
With an entreaty, herein further shown,

2

[Gives a paper.

That it might please you to give quiet pass
Through your dominions for this enterprise;
On such regards of safety, and allowance,
As therein are set down.

King.
It likes us well;
And, at our more considered time, we'll read,
Answer, and think upon this business.

Mean time, we thank you for your well-took labor.
Go to your rest; at night we'll feast together;
Most welcome home!

Pol.

[Exeunt VOLTIMAND and CORNelius.

This business is well ended.

My liege, and madam, to expostulate 3
What majesty should be, what duty is,

Why day is day, night, night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,

And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,-
I will be brief. Your noble son is mad.

1 i. e. deluded, deceived by false appearances.

2 That is, a feud or fee in land of that annual value. The quartos read threescore thousand.

3 i. e. to inquire. The idea of dotage encroaching upon wisdom, will solve all the phenomena of the character of Polonius.