Enter a Lord.

Lord. My lord, his majefty commended him to you by young Ofrick, 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 time?

Ham. I am conftant to my purpofes, they follow the King's pleasure; ifhis fitnefs fpeaks, mine is ready, now, or whenfoever, provided I be so able as now. Lord. The King and Queen, and all are coming down.

Ham. In happy time.

Lord. The Queen defires you to use fome gentle entertainment to Laertes, before you fall to play. Ham. She well inftructs me.

[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. But thou would eft not think how ill all's here about my heart-but it is no matter.

Hor. Nay, my good 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 foreftal their repair hither, and fay you are not fit. Ham. Not a whit, we defy augury; there is a fpecial 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, of ought he leaves, knows, what is't to leave betimes? Let be.

Enter King, Queen, Laertes and lords, Ofrick, with other attendants with foils, and gantlets. A table, and flaggons of wine on it.

OME Hamlet, come, and take this hand

COME

King⋅ from me.

Ham.

Ham. Give me your pardon, Sir; I've done you wrong; But pardon't, as you are a gentleman.

This prefence knows, and you muft needs have heard,
How I am punish'd with a fore distraction.
What I have done,

That might your Nature, Honour, and Exception
Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness:
Was't Hamlet wrong'd Laertes? never, Hamlet.
If Hamlet from himself be ta'en away,

And, when he's not himself, does wrong Laertes,
Then Hamlet does it not; Hamlet denies it:
Who does it then? his madness. If't be fo,
Hamlet is of the faction that is wrong'd;
His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy.
Let my disclaiming from a purpos'd Evil,
Free me fo far in your moft generous thoughts,
That I have fhot mine arrow o'er the house,
And hurt my brother.

Laer. I am fatisfied in nature

Whose motive, in this cafe, fhould ftir me moft
To my revenge: but in my terms of honour
I ftand aloof, and will no reconcilement;
'Till by fome elder masters of known honour
I have a voice, and prefident of peace,

To keep my name ungor'd. But 'till that time,
I do receive your offer'd love, like love,
And will not wrong it.

Ham. I embrace it freely,

And will this brother's wager frankly play..
Give us the foils.

Laer. Come, one for me.

Ham. I'll be your foil, Laertes; in mine Ignorance Your skill fhall like a ftar i'th' darkest night

Stick fiery off, indeed.

Laer. You mock me, Sir.

Ham. No, by this hand.

King. Give them the foils, young Ofrick.

Hamlet, you know the wager.

Ham.

Ham. Well, my lord;

Your Grace hath laid the odds o'th' weaker fide. King. I do not fear it, I have seen you both : But fince he's better'd, we have therefore odds. Laer. This is too heavy, let me see another. Ham. This likes me well; these foils have all a length. [Prepares to play.

Ofr. Ay, my good lord.

King. Set me the ftoops of wine upon that table: If Hamlet gives the firft, or second, Hit,

Or quit in answer of the third exchange,
Let all the battlements their ordnance fire;
The King fhall drink to Hamlet's better breath:
And in the cup an Union fhall he throw,
Richer than that which four fucceffive Kings
In Denmark's Crown have worn. Give me the cups:
And let the kettle to the trumpets speak,

The Trumpets to the cannoneer without,

The cannons to the heav'ns, the heav'ns to earth: Now the King drinks to Hamlet.-Come, begin, And you the Judges bear a wary eye.

Ham. Come on, Sir.

Laer. Come, my lord.

Ham. One-—.

Laer. No

Ham. Judgment.

Ofr. A hit, a very palpable hit.

Laer. Well

again

[They play.

King. Stay, give me Drink. Hamlet, this Pearl

is thine,

Here's to thy health. Give him the cup.

[Trumpets found, Shot goes off.

Ham. I'll play this bout firft, fet it by a while.

Come-another hit- what fay you?
Laer. A touch, a touch, I do confefs.
King. Our fon fhall win.

Queen. He's fat, and fcant of breath.

[They play.

Here

Here, Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows;
The Queen caroufes to thy fortune, Hamlet.
Ham. Good Madam,-

King. Gertrude, do not drink.

Queen. I will, my lord; I pray you, pardon me. King. It is the poison'd cup, it is too late. [Afide. Ham. I dare not drink yet, Madam, by and by. Queen. Come, let me wipe thy face.

Lear. I'll hit him now.

King. I do not think't.

Laer. And yet it is almost against my confcience.

[Afide Ham. Come, for the third, Laertes, you but dally; I pray you, pass with your beft violence;

I am afraid you make a Wanton of me.
Laer. Say you fo? come on.

Ofr. Nothing neither way.

Laer. Have at you now.

[Play.

[Laertes wounds Hamlet; then, in fcuffling, they change rapiers, and Hamlet wounds Laertes.

King. Part them, they are incens'd.

Ham. Nay come again

Ofr. Look to the Queen there, ho!

Hor. They bleed on both sides. How is't, my lord? Ofr. How is't, Laertes?

Laer. Why, as a woodcock to my own fpringe, Ofrick; I'm justly kill'd with mine own treachery.

Ham. How does the Queen?

King. She fwoons to fee them bleed.
Queen. No, no, the drink, the drink-

Oh my dear Hamlet, the drink, the drink,

I am poifon'd

Queen dies. Ham. Oh villany! ho! let the door be lock'd: Treachery! feek it out

Laer. It is here, Hamlet, thou art slain,
No medicine in the world can do thee good.
In thee there is not half an hour of life;
The treach'rous inftrument is in thy hand,

Unbated

Unbated and envenom'd: the foul practice
Hath turn'd itself on me. Lo, here I lie,
Never to rife again; thy mother's poison'd;
I can no more-

the King, the King's to blame.

Ham. The point envenom'd too?

Then venom do thy work.

All. Treafon, treason.

[Stabs the King.

King. O yet defend me, friends, I am but hurt.
Ham. Here, thou inceftuous, murd'rous, damned

Dane,

Drink of this potion: is the Union here ?

Follow my mother,

Laer. He is juftly served

It is a poifon temper'd by himself.

[King dies.

Exchange forgivnefs with me, noble Hamlet;
Mine and my father's death come not on thee,
Nor thine on me!

[Dies

Ham. Heav'n make thee free of it! I follow thee.

I'm 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 Serjeant death
Is ftrict in his arreft) oh, I could tell
But let it be- Horatio, I am dead;
Thou liv'ft, report me and my caufe aright
To the unfatisfied.

Hor. Never believe it.

you

I'm more an antique Roman than a Dane;
Here's yet fome liquor left.

Ham. As th' art a man,

Give me the cup; let go; by heav'n, I'll have't.
Oh good Horatio, what a wounded name,

Things ftanding thus unknown, fhall live behind me ?
If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,

Abfent thee from felicity a while,

And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,
To tell
my tale. [March afar off, and fhout within.
What warlike noife is this?

SCENE

H