And we shall jointly labour with your foul, Laer. Let this be fo. His means of death, his obfcure funeral, No trophy, fword, nor hatchment o'er his bones, Cry to be heard, as 'twere from heav'n to earth, King. So you fhall: And where th' offence is, let the great ax fall. Enter Horatio, with an attendant. [Exeunt Hor. What are they, that would speak with me? I do not know from what part of the world Enter Sailors. Sail. God bless you, Sir. Hor. Let him blefs thee too. Sail. He fhall, Sir, an't please him.-There's a letter for you, Sir: It comes from th' ambassador that was bound for England, if your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is. Horatio reads the letter. Oratio, when thou shalt have overlook'd this, give thefe fellows fome means to the King: they have letters for him. Ere we were two days old at fea, a pirate of very warlike appointment gave us chace. Finding our felves too flow of fail, we put on a compelled valour, and in the grapple I boarded them: on the inftant they got clear of our ship, fo I alone became their prisoner. They have dealt with me, like thieves of mercy; but they knew what they did: I am to do a good turn for them. Let the King have the letters I have fent, and repair thou to me with as much hafte as thou wouldeft fly death. I have words to speak in thy ear, will make thee dumb; yet are they much too light for for the matter. Thefe good fellows will bring thee where I Rofincrantz and Guildenstern hold their courfe for England. Of them I have much to tell thee, farewel. am. He that thou knowest thine, Hamlet. Come, I will make you way for thefe your letters; Enter King, and Laertes. [Exeunt. King. Now muft your confcience my acquittance feal, Lair. It well appears. But tell me, King. Two fpecial reasons, Which may to you, perhaps, feem much unfinew'd, Too flightly timbred for fo loud a wind, Laer. And fo have I a noble father loft, King. Break not your fleeps for that; you must not That we are made of stuff so flat and dull, [think, That we can let our beard be shook with danger, And think it paftime. You fhall foon hear more. I lov'd your father, and we love ourself, And that I hope, will teach you to imagineHow now? what news? Enter a Meffenger. M. Letters, my Lord, from Hamlet. These to your Majefty: this to the Queen. King. From Hamlet? who brought them? M. Sailors, my Lord, they fay; I faw them not; They were given me by Claudio, he receiv'd them. King. Laertes, you shall hear them: leave us, all[Exit Mef. HIG TIGH and Mighty, you shall know, I am fet naked on your Kingdom. To-morrow shall I beg leave to Jee your kingly eyes. When I fhall, (firft afking your par don thereunto,) recount th' occafion of my Judden return. Hamlet, What should this mean? are all the reft come back? Or is it fome abufe- -and no fuch thing? Laer. Know you the hand? King. 'Tis Hamlet's character ; Naked; and (in a poftfcript here, he fays) Alone: can you advise me? Laer. I'm loft in it, my Lord: but let him come; It warms the very fickness in my heart, That I fhall live and tell him to his teeth, King. If it be fo, Laertes, As how should it be fo?-how, otherwife?- Laer. Ay, fo you'll not o'er-rule me to a peace. Under Under the which he fhall not chufe but fall: Laer. I will be rul'd, The rather, if you could devise it so, (63) King. It falls right : You have been talkt of fince your travel much, Laer. What part is that, my Lord? King. A very feather in the cap of youth, I've feen myfelf, and ferv'd against the French, (63) The rather if you could devife it fo, That I might be the inftrument. King. It falls right.] The latter verfe is lightly maim'd in the meafure, and, I apprehend, without reafon. This paffage is in neither of the impreffions fet out by the players; and the two elder quartos read as I have reform'd the text; That I might be the organ. And it is a word, which our Author chufes to ufe in other places, So, before, in this play. For murder, tho' it have no tongue, will speak With moft miraculous organ. So, in Meafure for Measure: And giv'n his deputation all the organs Of our own pow'r. That That I in forgery of fhapes and tricks Come short of what he did, Laer. A Norman, was't? Laer. Upon my life, Lamond. King. The very fame. Laer. I know him well; he is the brooch,-indeed, And gem of all the nation. King. He made confeffion of you, And gave you fuch a masterly report, For art and exercise in your defence; And for your rapier most especial, That he cry'd out, 'twould be a fight indeed, If one could match you. The fcrimers of their nation, (64) If you oppos'd 'em.-Sir, this report of his That he could nothing do, but wish and beg Laer. What out of this, my Lord? King. Laertes, was your father dear to you? Laer. Why afk you this? King. Not that I think, you did not love your father, But that I know, love is begun by time; And that I fee in paffages of proof, (64) -The fcrimers of their nation, He favore, bad neither motion, guard, nor eye, If you oppos'd them.] This likewife is a paffage omitted in the folios: the reducing the play to a reasonable length was the motive of fo many caftrations. Some of the modern quartos have in the room of ferimers fubftituted fencers: which is but a glofs of the more obfolete word. Scrimer is properly a gladiator, fencer; from which we have derived our word, fkirmish. The science of defence was by the Dutch call'd fcherm; by the Italians, fcherima and ferima; and by the French, efcrime: as the Anglo-Saxons of old ufed to call a fencer or fwordfman, ferimbre: which (the b being left out, and a metathefis made in the letters of the laft fyllable) is the very term us'd by our Author. VOL. VIII. K Time |