The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke | Page 3

heart of your mother.
Therefore let mee intreat you stay in Court,
All Denmarkes hope our coosin and dearest Sonne.
Ham. My lord, ti's not the sable sute I weare:
No nor the teares that still stand in my eyes,
Nor the distracted hauiour in the visage,
Nor all together mixt with outward semblance,
Is equall to the sorrow of my heart,
Him haue I lost I must of force forgoe,
These but the ornaments and sutes of woe.
King This shewes a louing care in you, Sonne Hamlet,
But you must thinke your father lost a father,
That father dead, lost his, and so shalbe vntill the
Generall ending. Therefore cease laments,
It is a fault gainst heauen, fault gainst the dead,
A fault gainst nature, and in reasons
Common course most certaine,
None liues on earth, but hee is borne to die.
Que. Let not thy mother loose her praiers Hamlet,
Stay here with vs, go not to Wittenberg.
Ham. I shall in all my best obay you madam.
King Spoke like a kinde and a most louing Sonne,
And there's no health the King shall drinke to day,
But the great Canon to the clowdes shall tell [B4]
The rowse the King shall drinke vnto Prince Hamlet
Exeunt all but Hamlet.
Ham. O that this too much grieu'd and sallied flesh
Would melt to nothing, or that the vniuersall
Globe of heauen would turne al to a Chaos!
O God, within two months; no not two: married,
Mine vncle: O let me not thinke of it,
My fathers brother: but no more like
My father, then I to Hercules.
Within two months, ere yet the salt of most
Vnrighteous teares had left their flushing
In her galled eyes: she married, O God, a beast
Deuoyd of reason would not haue made
Such speede: Frailtie, thy name is Woman,
Why she would hang on him, as if increase
Of appetite had growne by what it looked on.
O wicked wicked speede, to make such
Dexteritie to incestuous sheetes,
Ere yet the shooes were olde,
The which she followed my dead fathers corse
Like Nyobe, all teares: married, well it is not,
Nor it cannot come to good:
But breake my heart, for I must holde my tongue.
Enter Horatio and Marcellus.
Hor. Health to your Lordship.
Ham. I am very glad to see you, (Horatio) or I much
forget my selfe.
Hor. The same my Lord, and your poore seruant euer.
Ham. O my good friend, I change that name with you:
but what make you from Wittenberg Horatio?
Marcellus.
Marc. My good Lord.
Ham. I am very glad to see you, good euen sirs;
But what is your affaire in Elsenoure?
Weele teach you to drinke deepe ere you depart.
Hor. A trowant disposition, my good Lord. [B4v]
Ham. Nor shall you make mee truster
Of your owne report against your selfe:
Sir, I know you are no trowant:
But what is your affaire in Elsenoure?
Hor. My good Lord, I came to see your fathers funerall.
Ham. O I pre thee do not mocke mee fellow studient,
I thinke it was to see my mothers wedding.
Hor. Indeede my Lord, it followed hard vpon.
Ham. Thrift, thrift, Horatio, the funerall bak't meates
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables,
Would I had met my deerest foe in heauen
Ere euer I had seene that day Horatio;
O my father, my father, me thinks I see my father.
Hor. Where my Lord?
Ham. Why, in my mindes eye Horatio.
Hor. I saw him once, he was a gallant King.
Ham. He was a man, take him for all in all,
I shall not looke vpon his like againe.
Hor. My Lord, I thinke I saw him yesternight,
Ham. Saw, who?
Hor. My Lord, the King your father.
Ham. Ha, ha, the King my father ke you.
Hor. Ceasen your admiration for a while
With an attentiue eare, till I may deliuer,
Vpon the witnesse of these Gentlemen
This wonder to you.
Ham. For Gods loue let me heare it.
Hor. Two nights together had these Gentlemen,
Marcellus and Bernardo, on their watch
In the dead vast and middle of the night.
Beene thus incountered by a figure like your father,
Armed to poynt, exactly Capapea
Appeeres before them thrise, he walkes
Before their weake and feare oppressed eies
Within his tronchions length,
While they distilled almost to gelly. [C1]
With the act of feare stands dumbe,
And speake not to him: this to mee
In dreadfull secresie impart they did.
And I with them the third night kept the watch,
Where as they had delivered forme of the thing.
Each part made true and good,
The Apparition comes: I knew your father,
These handes are not more like.
Ham. Tis very strange.
Hor. As I do liue, my honord lord, tis true,
And wee did thinke it right done,
In our dutie to let you know it.
Ham. Where was this?
Mar. My Lord, vpon the platforme where we watched.
Ham. Did you not speake to it?
Hor. My Lord we did, but answere made it none,
Yet once me thought it was about to speake,
And lifted vp his head to motion,
Like as he would speake, but euen then
The morning cocke crew lowd, and in all haste,
It shruncke in haste away, and vanished
Our sight.
Ham. Indeed, indeed sirs, but this troubles me.
Hold you the watch to night?
All We do my