A worthy pioneer! Once more remove, good friends.
Hor. O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!
Ham. And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

But come;

Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,
170 How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself,
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on,

That you, at such times seeing me, never shall,
With arms encumbered thus, or this headshake,
Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase,

As Well, well, we know; or, We could, an if we would;
Or If we list to speak; or There be, an if they might;
Or such ambiguous giving out, to note

That know aught of me:
you

this not to do, 180 So grace and mercy at your most need help you, Swear.

Ghost. [beneath] Swear.

Ham. Rest, rest, perturbed spirit! [They swear]

So, gentlemen,

With all my love I do commend me to you:

And what so poor a man as Hamlet is

May do, to express his love and friending to you,

God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together;
And still your fingers on your lips, I pray.
The time is out of joint; - O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right! —
Nay, come, let's go together.

[Exeunt

190

ACT II

SCENE I

A Room in Polonius's House

Enter POLONIUS and REYNALDO

Pol. Give him this money and these notes, Reynaldo.

Rey. I will, my lord.

Pol. You shall do marvelous wisely, good Reynaldo, Before you visit him, to make inquiry

Of his behavior.

Rey.

My lord, I did intend it.

Pol. Marry, well said, very well said. Look you, sir,

Inquire me first what Danskers are in Paris;

And how, and who, what means, and where they keep,
What company, at what expense; and finding

10 By this encompassment and drift of question
That they do know my son, come you more nearer
Than your particular demands will touch it:

Take you, as 'twere, some distant knowledge of him;
As thus, I know his father and his friends,

And in part him. Do you mark this, Reynaldo?
Rey. Ah, very well, my lord.

wild;

Pol. And in part him; but, you may say, not well: But if't be he I Addicted so and so; and there put on him

mean, he's very

What forgeries you please; marry, none so rank
As may dishonor him; take heed of that;
But, sir, such wanton, wild, and usual slips
As are companions noted and most known
To youth and liberty.

Rey.

As gaming, my lord.

Pol. Ay, or drinking, fencing, swearing, quarrelling, Fighting; you may go so far.

Rey. My lord, that would dishonor him.

Pol. 'Faith, no; as you may season it in the charge. You must not put another scandal on him,

That he is open to incontinency;

That's not my meaning: but breathe his faults so quaintly

That they may seem the taints of liberty;

The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind;

A savageness in unreclaimèd blood,

Of general assault.

20

30

Pol.

Marry, sir, here's my drift;

And, I believe, it is a fetch of warrant:

You laying these slight sullies on my son,

40 As 'twere a thing a little soiled i' the working,

Mark you,

Your party in convérse, him you would sound,
Having ever seen, in the prenominate crimes
The youth you breathe of guilty, be assured
He closes with you in this consequence;
Good sir, or so; or friend or gentleman, —
According to the phrase or the addition
Of man and country.

Rey.

Very good, my lord.

Pol. And then, sir, does he this, — he does

50 What was I about to say?

By the mass, I was about to say something:- where did I leave?

Rey. At closes in the consequence, at friend or so, and gentleman.

Pol. At closes in the consequence,

He closes with you thus:

:

ay, marry;

I know the gentleman ;

I saw him yesterday, or t'other day,

Or then, or then; with such or such; and, as you say,

There was he gaming, there o'ertook in his rouse,

There falling out at tennis; or so forth.—