Virtue itself of vice must pardon beg; Yea, curb and woo, for leave to do him good. Queen. O Hamlet! thou hast cleft my heart in twain. Ham. O, throw away the worser part of it, That monster, custom, who all sense doth eat And that shall lend a kind of easiness 1 To the next abstinence: the next more easy: Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind. Queen. What shall I do? you do: Ham. Not this, by no means, that I bid Let the bloat King tempt you again to bed; Pinch wanton on your cheek; call you, his mouse; Aud let him, for a pair of reechy kisses, Or padling in your neck with his damn'd fingers, Make you to ravel all this matter out, That I essentially am not in madness, ↑ But mad in craft. 'Twere good, you let him know: Unpeg the basket on the house's top, And break your own neck down. Queen. Be thou assur'd, if words be made of breath, And breath of life, I have no life to breathe Ham. I must to England; you know that? I had forgot: 'tis so concluded on. Ham. There's letters seal'd; and my two schoolfellows, Whom I will trust, as I will adders fang'd, They bear the mandate; they must sweep my way, Hoist with his own petar: and it shall go hard, I'll lug the guts into the neighbour room: [Exeunt severally; HAMLET dragging in ACT IV. SCENE I. The same. Enter King, Queen, ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDEN STERN. King. There's matter in these sighs; these profound heaves; You must translate: 'tis fit we understand them: Where is your son? Queen, Bestow this place on us a little while.— [To ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN, who go out. Ah, my good Lord, what have I seen to-night? King. What, Gertrude? How does Hamlet? Queen. Mad as the sea " and wind, when both contend Which is the mightier: In his lawless fit, King. O heavy deed! It had been so with us, had we been there: To you yourself, to us, to every one. Alas! how shall this bloody deed be answer'd? It will be laid to us, whose providence Should have kept short, restrain'd, and out of haunt, This mad young man: but, so much was our love, To keep it from divulging, let it feed O'er whom his very madness, like some ore, Shows itself pure; he weeps for what is done, King. O, Gertrude, come away! The sun no sooner shall the mountains touch, Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN, Friends both, go join you with some further aid: [Exeunt Ros. and GUIL. Transports his poison'd shot, may miss our name, Ham, Safely stow'd, [Ros. &c. within. Hamlet! lord Hamlet!] But soft, what noise? who calls on Hamlet? O, here they come. Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN. Ros. What have you done, my Lord, with the 'dead body? Ham. Compounded it with dust, whereto 'tis kin. Ros. Tell us where 'tis; that we may take it thence, And bear it to the chapel. Ham. Do not believe it. Ros. Believe what? mine own. Ham. That I can keep your counsel, and not Besides, to be demanded of a spunge! what replication should be made by the son of a King? Ros. Take you me for a spunge, my Lord? Ham. Ay, Sir; that soaks up the King's countenance, his rewards, his authorities. But such officers do the King best service in the end: He keeps them, like an ape, in the corner of his jaw; first mouth'd, to be last swallow'd: When he needs what you have glean'd, it is but squeezing you, and, spunge, you shall be dry again. Ros. I understand you not, my Lord. Ham. I am glad of it: A knavish speech sleeps in a foolish ear. Ros. My Lord, you must tell us where the body is, and go with us to the King. Ham. The body is with the King, but the King is not with the body. The King is a thingGuil. A thing, my Lord?. Ham. Of nothing: bring me to him. Hide fox, and all after. [Exeunt. |