Enter Ghoft.

Hor. Look, my Lord, it comes!

Ham. Angels and minifters of grace defend us!
Be thou a fpirit of health, or goblin damn'd,
Bring with thee airs from heav'n, or blafts from hell,
Be thy intents wicked or charitable,

Thou com'ft in fuch a queftionable fhape,
That I will speak to thee. I'll call thee Hamlet,
King, Father, Royal Dane: oh! answer me,
Let me not burst in ignorance; but tell
"Why thy bones hears'd in canonized\'earth,`
Have burft their cearments? why the fepulcher,
Wherein we faw thee quietly in-urn'd,
Hath op'd his ponderous and marble jaws,
To caft thee up again? What may this mean?
That thou, dead coarfe, again in compleat steel
Revifit'ft thus the glimpfes of the moon,
Making night hideous; and us fools of nature,
So horribly to shake our difpofition

With thoughts beyond the reaches of our fouls?
Say, why is this? wherefore? what should we do?
[Ghoft beckons Hamlet.

From our atchievments, though perform'd at height,

The pith and marrow of our attribute.

So oft it chances in particular men,

That for fome vicious mole of nature in them,
As in their birth (wherein they are not guilty,
Since nature cannot chufe his origin)
By the o'ergrowth of fome complexion,
Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reafon;
Or by fome habit, that too much o'er-leavens
The form of plaufive manners; that these men
Carrying, I fay, the ftamp of one defect,
(Being nature's livery, or fortune's ftar)
Their virtues elfe, be they as pure as grace,
As infinite as man may undergo,

Shall in the general cenfure take corruption
From that particular fault.-

Enter Ghoft, &c.

Hor.

(a) By questionable is meant, inviting queftion, provoking question. 6 Why thy canoniz'd bones, hearfed in

7 death, . . . old edit. Warb, emend.

1

Hor. It beckons you to go away with it,
As if it fome impartment did defire
To you alone.

Mar. Look with what courteous action

It waves you to a more removed ground:

But do not go with it.

Hor. No, by no means.

[Holding Hamlet.

Ham. It will not speak; then I will follow it.
Hor. Do not, my Lord.

Ham. Why, what fhould be the fear?

I do not fet my life at a pin's fee;

And for my foul, what can it do to that,
Being a thing immortal as it self?

It waves me forth again. -I'll follow it

Hor. What if it tempt you tow'rd the flood, my Lord?

Or to the dreadful fummit of the cliff,

That beetles o'er his bafe into the fea;

And there affume fome other horrible form,

Which might deprave your fov'reignty of reafon,
And draw you into madnefs? think of it.
The very place puts toys of defperation,
Without more motive, into ev'ry brain
That looks fo many fadoms to the fea,
And hears it roar beneath.

Ham. It waves me ftill: go on, I'll follow thee
Mar. You fhall not go, my Lord,

Ham. Hold off your hand.

Hor. Be rul'd, you shall not go.
Ham. My fate cries out,

And makes each petty artery in this body
As hardy as the Nemean lion's nerve t
Still am I call'd? unhand me, gentlemen

[Breaking from them. By heav'n, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me I fay, away go on I'll follow thee

[Exeunt Ghost and Hamlet. Hor. He waxes defp'rate with imagination.

Y 2

8 deprive ... old edit. Warb. emend.

Mar.

Mar. Let's follow; 'tis not fit thus to obey him.
Hor. Have after. To what iffue will this come?
Mar. Something is rotten in the ftate of Denmark.
Hor. Heav'n will direct it.

Mar. Nay, let's follow him.

[Exeunt.

Ham. Where wilt thou lead me? fpeak; I'll go no fur

Ghost. Mark me.

Ham. I will.

Ghost. My hour is almoft come,

When I to fulphurous and tormenting flames

Muft render up my felf.

Ham. Alas poor Ghoft!

Ghoft. Pity me not, but lend thy ferious hearing To what I fhall unfold.

Ham. Speak, I am bound to hear.

[ther.

Ghost. So art thou to revenge, when thou fhalt hear.
Ham. What?

Ghost. I am thy Father's fpirit;

Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,
And for the day, confin'd to faft in fires;

'Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature

Are burnt and purg'd away. But that I am forbid
To tell the fecrets of my prifon-house,

I could a tale unfold, whofe lightest word
Would harrow up thy foul, freeze thy young blood,
Make thy two eyes like ftars ftart from their spheres,
Thy knotty and combined locks to part,
And each particular hair to ftand on end
Like quills upon the fretful porcupine:
But this eternal blazon must not be

To ears of flesh and blood; lift, lift, oh lift!
If thou didst ever thy dear father love-

Ham. Oh heav'n!

Ghoft. Revenge his foul and moft unnatural murther.

Ham

Ham. Murther.

Gboft. Murther moft foul, as in the best it is; But this moft foul, ftrange, and unnatural.

Ham. Hafte me to know it, that I with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love,

May sweep to my revenge.

Ghost. I find thee apt;

And duller. fhould'st thou be than the fat weed

That rots it felf in eafe on Lethe's wharf,

Wouldst thou not ftir in this.

'Tis given out, that fleeping in

Now, Hamlet, hear:

my orchard,

A ferpent ftung me. So the whole ear of Denmark

Is by a forged process of my death

Rankly abus'd but know, thou noble youth,
The ferpent that did fting thy father's life

Now wears his crown.

Ham. Oh my prophetick foul! my uncle?

Ghost. Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beaft,
With witchcraft of his wit, with trait'rous gifts,
(Oh wicked wit and gifts, that have the power
So to feduce!) won to his fhameful luft
The will of my moft feeming virtuous Queen.
Oh Hamlet, what a falling off was there!
From me, whofe love was of that dignity,
That it went hand in hand ev'n with the vow
I made to her in marriage; and to decline
Upon a wretch, whofe nat'ral gifts were poor
To thofe of mine!

But virtue, as it never will be mov'd,

Though lewdnefs court it in a fhape of heav'n;
So luft, though to a radiant angel link'd,
Will fate it felf in a celeflial bed,

And prey on garbage

But foft, methinks I fcent the morning air

Brief let me be; Sleeping within mine orchard,
My custom always in the afternoon,
Upon my fecure hour thy uncle stole
With juice of curfed hebenon in a vial,

Y 3

And

And in the porches of mine ears did pour
The leperous diftilment; whofe effect
Holds fuch an enmity with blood of man,
That fwift as quick-filver it courfes through
The nat❜ral gates and alleys of the body;
And with a fudden vigour it doth poffet
And curd, like eager droppings into milk,
The thin and wholfome blood: fo did it mine,
And a moft inftant tetter bark'd about,

Moft lazar-like, with vile and loathfome cruft
All my fmooth body.

Thus was I fleeping, by a brother's hand,
Of life, of crown, of Queen at once dispatcht a
Cut off even in the bloffoms of my fin,
Unhoufel'd, unanointed, unanneal'd;
No reck'ning made, but fent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head.
Oh horrible! oh horrible! moft horrible!
If thou haft nature in thee, bear it not;
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But howfoever thou purfu'ft this act,

Taint not thy mind, nor let thy foul contrive
Against thy mother aught; leave her to heav'n,
And to thofe thorns that in her bofom lodge,

To prick and fting her. Fare thee well at once!
The glow-worm fhews the matin to be near,
And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire,

Adieu, adieu, adieu; remember me.

[Exit.

Ham. Oh all you hoft of heav'n! oh earth! what elfe?

And fhall I couple hell? oh hold, my heart

And you, my finews, grow not inftant old;
But bear me ftiffly up; remember thee-

Ay, thou poor ghoft, while memory holds a feat
In this diftracted globe; remember thee
Yea, from the table of my memory
I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All faws of books, all forms, all preffures paft,

That