We o'er-raught on the way; of these we told Pol. 'Tis most true; And he beseeched me to entreat your majesties To hear and see the matter. King. With all my heart; and it doth much con tent me To hear him so inclined Good gentlemen, give him a further edge, King. [Exeunt ROSEN. and GUIL. Sweet Gertrude, leave us too; For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither, Her father and myself (lawful espials) If 't be the affliction of his love or no 20 30 Queen. I shall obey you. — And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish 40 That your good beauty be the happy cause Of Hamlet's wildness; so shall I hope your virtues Will bring him to his wonted way again, To both your honors. Oph. Madam, I wish it may. [Exit QUEEN Pol. Ophelia, walk you here.—Gracious, so please you, We will bestow ourselves. [To OPHELIA] Read on this book, That show of such an exercise may color Your loneliness. We are oft to blame in this, 'Tis too much proved, that with devotion's visage And pious action we do sugar o'er The devil himself. 50 King. [Aside] Oh, 'tis too true! How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience! Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it Pol. I hear him coming; let's withdraw, my lord. [Exeunt KING and POLONIUS Enter HAMLET Ham. To be, or not to be, that is the question: to sleep, Devoutly to be wished. To die; to sleep; To sleep! perchance to dream! ay, there's the rub; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, But that the dread of something after death, 60 70 80 The undiscovered country from whose bourn And makes us rather bear those ills we have Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, Oph. - Good my lord, How does your honor for this many a day? I pray you now, receive them. Ham. No, not I; I never gave you aught. Oph. My honored lord, I know right well you did; Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. Ham. Ha, ha! are you honest ? Ham. Are you fair? Oph. What means your lordship? Ham. That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty. Oph. Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce 110 than with honesty? Ham. Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness; this was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once. Oph. Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so. Ham. You should not have believed me; for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it: I loved you not. Oph. I was the more deceived. Ham. Get thee to a nunnery; I am myself indifferent honest; but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me; I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious; with more offenses at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling 120 |