at him while my father lived, give twenty, forty,
fifty, an hundred ducats a-piece for his picture
in little. 'Sblood, there is something in this
more than natural, if philosophy could find it out.
[Flourish of trumpets within.

Guil. There are the players.
Ham. Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elsinore.
Your hands, come then: the appurtenance of
welcome is fashion and ceremony: let me
comply with you in this garb, lest my extent to 390
the players, which, I tell you, must show fairly
outward, should more appear like entertainment
than yours. You are welcome: but my uncle-
father and aunt-mother are deceived.

Guil. In what, my dear lord?

Ham. I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.

Re-enter POLONIUS.

Pol. Well be with you, gentlemen!

Ham. Hark you, Guildenstern; and you

too:

at each ear a hearer: that great baby you see 400 there is not yet out of his swaddling-clouts. Ros. Happily he's the second time come to

them; for they say an old man is twice a
child.

Ham. I will prophesy he comes to tell me of the

players; mark it. You say right, sir: o'
Monday morning; 'twas so, indeed.

Pol. My lord, I have news to tell you.

Ham. My lord, I have news to tell you.

Roscius was an actor in Rome,—

Pol. The actors are come hither, my lord.

Ham. Buz, buz!

Pol. Upon mine honor,

When

410

Ham. Then came each actor on his ass,

Pol. The best actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoralcomical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited: Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light. For the law 420 of writ and the liberty, these are the only men. Ham. O Jephthah, judge of Israel, what a treasure hadst thou!

Pol. What a treasure had he, my lord?

Ham. Why,

'One fair daughter, and no more,

The which he loved passing well.'

Pol. [Aside] Still on my daughter.

Ham. Am I not i' the right, old Jephthah?

Pol. If you call me Jephthah, my lord, I have a 430 daughter that I love passing well.

Ham. Nay, that follows not.

Pol. What follows, then, my lord?

and then, you know,

'It came to pass, as most like it was,'

the first row of the pious chanson will show you
more; for look, where my abridgment comes.

Enter four or five PLAYERS.

You are welcome, masters; welcome, all. I am 440 glad to see thee well. Welcome, good friends. O, my old friend! Thy face is valanced since I saw thee last; comest thou to beard me in Denmark? What, my young lady and mistress! By'r lady, your ladyship is nearer to heaven than when I saw you last, by the altitude of a chopine. Pray God, your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, be not cracked within the ring. Masters, you are all welcome. We'll e'en to't like French falconers, fly at any thing we see: 450 we'll have a speech straight: come, give us a taste of your quality; come, a passionate speech. First Play. What speech, my lord?

Ham. I heard thee speak me a speech once, but it was never acted; or, if it was, not above once; for the play, I remember, pleased not the million; 'twas caviare to the general: but it was -as I received it, and others, whose judgments in such matters cried in the top of mine— an excellent play, well digested in the scenes, set 460 down with as much modesty as cunning. I remember, one said there were no sallets in the lines to make the matter savory, nor no matter in the phrase that might indict the author of affecta

tion; but called it an honest method, as whole-
some as sweet, and by very much more handsome
than fine. One speech in it I chiefly loved: 'twas
Æneas' tale to Dido; and thereabout of it espe-
cially, where he speaks of Priam's slaughter: if
it live in your memory, begin at this line; let 470
let me see;

me see,

'The rugged Pyrrhus, like the Hyrcanian beast,'-
It is not so:-it begins with 'Pyrrhus ':-
'The rugged Pyrrhus, he whose sable arms,
Black as his purpose, did the night resemble

When he lay couched in the ominous horse,
Hath now this dread and black complexion smear'd
With heraldry more dismal: head to foot
Now is he total gules; horridly trick'd

479

With blood of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons,
Baked and impasted with the parching streets,
That lend a tyrannous and damned light
To their lord's murder: roasted in wrath and fire,
And thus o'er-sized with coagulate gore,

With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus
Old grandsire Priam seeks.'

So, proceed you.

Pol. 'Fore God, my lord, well spoken, with good

accent and good discretion.

First Play.

'Anon he finds him 490

Striking too short at Greeks; his antique sword,
Rebellious to his arm, lies where it falls,

Repugnant to command: unequal match'd,

Pyrrhus at Priam drives; in rage strikes wide;

But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword
The unnerved father falls. Then senseless Ilium,
Seeming to feel this blow, with flaming top
Stoops to his base, and with a hideous crash
Takes prisoner Pyrrhus' ear: for, lo! his sword,
Which was declining on the milky head

500

Of reverend Priam, seem'd i' the air to stick:

So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood,
And like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing.

But, as we often see, against some storm,
A silence in the heavens, the rack stand still,
The bold winds speechless and the orb below
As hush as death, anon the dreadful thunder
Doth rend the region, so, after Pyrrhus' pause,
Aroused vengeance sets him new a-work;
And never did the Cyclops' hammers fall
On Mars's armor forged for proof eterne
With less remorse than Pyrrhus' bleeding sword
Now falls on Priam.

Out, out, thou strumpet, Fortune! All you gods,
In general synod take away her power;

Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel,

510

And bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven

As low as to the fiends!'

Pol. This is too long.

520

Ham. It shall to the barber's, with your beard.

Prithee, say on: he's for a jig or a tale of
bawdry, or he sleeps: say on: come to Hecuba.