Act 5 — The Tragicall Historie of HAMLET Prince of Denmarke. (continued 2)

Ham. What funerall's this that all the Court laments? 125 It shews to be some noble parentage: Stand by a while. Lear. What ceremony else? say, what ceremony else? Priest My Lord, we haue done all that lies in vs, And more than well the church can tolerate, 130 She hath had a Dirge sung for her maiden soule: And but for fauour of the king, and you, She had beene buried in the open fieldes, Where now she is allowed christian buriall. Lear. So, I tell thee churlish Priest, a ministring Angell 135 shall my sister be, when thou liest howling. Ham. The faire Ofelia dead! Queene Sweetes to the sweete, farewell: I had thought to adorne thy bridale bed, faire maide, And not to follow thee vnto thy graue. 140 Lear. Forbeare the earth a while: sister farewell:

Now powre your earth on, Olympus hie, And make a hill to o're top olde Pellon: Hamlet leapes in after Leartes Whats he that coniures so? Ham. Beholde tis I, Hamlet the Dane. 145 Lear. The diuell take thy soule. Ham. O thou praiest not well, I prethee take thy hand from off my throate, For there is something in me dangerous, Which let thy wisedome feare, holde off thy hand: 150 I lou'de Ofelia as deere as twenty brothers could: Shew me what thou wilt doe for her: Wilt fight, wilt fast, wilt pray, Wilt drinke vp vessels, eate a crocadile? Ile doot: Com'st thou here to whine? 155 And where thou talk'st of burying thee a liue, Here let vs stand: and let them throw on vs, Whole hills of earth, till with the heighth therof, Make Oosell as a Wart. King. Forbeare Leartes, now is hee mad, as is the sea, Anone as milde and gentle as a Doue: Therfore a while giue his wilde humour scope. Ham. What is the reason sir that you wrong mee thus? I neuer gaue you cause: but stand away, A Cat will meaw, a Dog will haue a day. 165

Queene. Alas, it is his madnes makes him thus, And not his heart, Leartes. King. My lord, t'is so: but wee'le no longer trifle, This very day shall Hamlet drinke his last, For presently we meane to send to him, 5 Therfore Leartes be in readynes. Lear. My lord, till then my soule will not bee quiet. King. Come Gertred, wee'l haue Leartes, and our sonne, Made friends and Louers, as befittes them both, Euen as they tender vs, and loue their countrie. 10 Queene God grant they may. exeunt omnes.

Ham. Beleeue mee, it greeues mee much Horatio, That to Leartes I forgot my selfe: For by my selfe me thinkes I feele his griefe, Though there's a difference in each others wrong. Enter a Bragart Gentleman. Horatio, but marke yon water-flie, 5 The Court knowes him, but hee knowes not the Court. Gent. Now God saue thee, sweete prince Hamlet. Ham. And you sir: foh, how the muske-cod smels! Gen. I come with an embassage from his maiesty to you Ham. I shall sir giue you attention: 10 By my troth me thinkes t'is very colde. Gent. It is indeede very rawish colde. Ham. T'is hot me thinkes. Gent. Very swoltery hote: The King, sweete Prince, hath layd a wager on your side, 15 Six Barbary horse, against six french rapiers, With all their acoutrements too, a the carriages: In good faith they are very curiously wrought. Ham. The cariages sir, I do not know what you meane. Gent. The girdles, and hangers sir, and such like. 20 Ham. The worde had beene more cosin german to the phrase, if he could haue carried the canon by his side, And howe's the wager? I vnderstand you now. Gent. Mary sir, that yong Leartes in twelue venies At Rapier and Dagger do not get three oddes of you, 25 And on your side the King hath laide, And desires you to be in readinesse. Ham. Very well, if the King dare venture his wager, I dare venture my skull: when must this be? Gent. My Lord, presently, the king, and her maiesty, 30 With the rest of the best iudgement in the Court, Are comming downe into the outward pallace. Ham. Goe tell his maiestie, I wil attend him. Gent. I shall deliuer your most sweet answer. exit. Ham. You may sir, none better, for y'are spiced, 35 Else he had a bad nose could not smell a foole. Hor. He will disclose himselfe without inquirie. Ham. Beleeue me Horatio, my hart is on the sodaine Very sore, all here about. Hor. My lord, forbeare the challenge then. 40 Ham. No Horatio, not I, if danger be now, Why then it is not to come, theres a predestiuate prouidence in the fall of a sparrow: heere comes the King.

King Now sonne Hamlet, we hane laid vpon your head, And make no question but to haue the best. 45 Ham. Your maiestie hath laide a the weaker side. King. We doubt it not, deliuer them the foiles. Ham. First Leartes, heere's my hand and loue, Protesting that I neuer wrongd Leartes. If Hamlet in his madnesse did amisse, 50 That was not Hamlet, but his madnes did it, And all the wrong I e're did to Leartes, I here proclaime was madnes, therefore lets be at peace, And thinke I haue shot mine arrow o're the house, And hurt my brother. 55 Lear. Sir I am satisfied in nature, But in termes of honor I'le stand aloofe, And will no reconcilement, Till by some elder maisters of our time I may be satisfied. 60 King Giue them the foyles. Ham. I'le be your foyle Leartes, these foyles, Haue all a laught, come on sir: a hit. Lear. No none. Heere they play: Ham. Iudgement. 65 Gent. A hit, a most palpable hit. Lear. Well, come againe. They play againe. Ham. Another. Iudgement. Lear. I, I grant, a tuch, a tuch. King Here Hamlet, the king doth drinke a health to thee70 Queene Here Hamlet, take my napkin, wipe thy face. King Giue him the wine. Ham. Set it by, I'le haue another bowt first, I'le drinke anone. Queene Here Hamlet, thy mother drinkes to thee. 75

King Do not drinke Gertred: O t'is the poysned cup! Ham. Leartes come, you dally with me, I pray you passe with your most cunningst play. Lear. I! say you so? haue at you, He hit you now my Lord: 80 And yet it goes almost against my conscience. Ham. Come on sir.

King Looke to the Queene. Queene O the drinke, the drinke, Hamlet, the drinke. Ham. Treason, ho, keepe the gates. 85 Lords How ist my Lord Leartes? Lear. Euen as a coxcombe should, Foolishly slaine with my owne weapon: Hamlet, thou hast not in thee halfe an houre of life, The fatall Instrument is in thy hand. 90 Vnbated and invenomed: thy mother's poysned That drinke was made for thee. Ham. The poysned Instrument within my hand? Then venome to thy venome, die damn'd villaine: Come drinke, here lies thy vnion here. The king dies. 95 Lear. O he is justly serued: Hamlet, before I die, here take my hand, And withall, my loue: I doe forgiue thee. Leartes dies. Ham. And I thee, O I am dead Horatio, fare thee well. Hor. No, I am more an antike Roman, 100 Then a Dane, here is some poison left. Ham. Vpon my loue I charge thee let it goe, O fie Horatio, and if thou shouldst die, What a scandale wouldst thou leaue behinde? What tongue should tell the story of our deaths, 105 If not from thee? O my heart sinckes Horatio, Mine eyes haue lost their sight, my tongue his vse: Farewel Horatio, heauen receiue my soule. Ham. dies.

Fort. Where is this bloudy sight? Hor. If aught of woe or wonder you'ld behold, Then looke vpon this tragicke spectacle. Fort. O imperious death! how many Princes Hast thou at one draft bloudily shot to death? Ambass. Our ambassie that we haue brought from England, Where be these Princes that should heare vs speake? 115 O most most vnlooked for time! vnhappy country. Hor. Content your selues, Ile shew to all, the ground, The first beginning of this Tragedy: Let there a scaffold be rearde vp in the market place, And let the State of the world be there: 120 Where you shall heare such a sad story tolde, That neuer mortall man could more vnfolde. Fort. I haue some rights of memory to this kingdome, Which now to claime my leisure doth inuite mee: Let foure of our chiefest Captaines 125 Beare Hamlet like a souldier to his graue: For he was likely, had he liued, To a prou'd most royall. Take vp the bodie, such a fight as this Becomes the fieldes, but here doth much amisse. 130