Dramatis Perfonæ.

CLAUDIUS, King of Denmark.

Fortinbras, Prince of Norway.

Hamlet, Son to the former, and Nephew to the present Kings

Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, and Mother to Hamlet.
Ophelia, Daughter to Polonius, beloved by Hamlet.

Ladies attending on the Queen.

Players, Grave-makers, Sailors, Messengers, and other Attendantes

SCENE, Elfinoor.

HAMLET. (1)

ACT 1.

SCENE, a Platform before the Palace.

Enter BERNARDO and FRANCISCO, two Centinels.

W

BERNARDO.

HO's there?

Fran. Nay, anfwer me: stand, and un

fold yourself.

Ber. Long live the King!

(1) Honest Langbaine (in his account of Dramatic Poets) having told us that he knew not whether this story were true or false, not finding in the lift given by Doctor Heylin such a King of Denmark as Claudius; Mr Pope comes and tells us, that this story was not invented by our Author, though from whence he took it he knows not. Langbaine gives us a senfible reason for his ignorance in this point; what to make of Mr Pope's affertion, upon the grounds he gives us for it, I confess I know not. But we'll allow this gentleman, for once, a prophet in his declaration; for the story is taken from Saxo Grammaticus, in his Danish history. I'll subjoin a short extract of the material circumstances on which the groundwork of the plot is built; and how happily the Poet has adapted his incidents, I shall leave to the observation of every reader. The historian calls our Poet's hero Amlethus; his father, Horwendillus; his uncle, Fengo; and his mother Gerutha. The old King in fingle combat flew Collerus, King of Norway; Fengo makes away with his brother Horwendillus, and marries his widow Gerutha. Amlethus, to avoid being fufpected by his uncle of designs, affumes a form of utter madness. A fine woman is planted upon him, to try if he would yield to the impressions of love. Fengo contrives that Amlethus, in order to found him, Fran. Bernardo?

Ber. He.

Fran. You come most carefully upon your hour. Ber. 'Tis now struck twelve; get thee to bed,

Francifco.

Fran. For this relief, much thanks: 'tis bitter

And I am fick at heart.

Ber. Have you had quiet guard?

Fran. Not a mouse stirring.

Ber. Well, good-night.

[cold,

If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus,
The rivals of my watch, bid them make haste.

Enter HORATIO and MARCELLUS.

Fran. I think I hear them. Stand, ho! who is

Hor. Friends to this ground.

Mur. And liege-men to the Dane.

Fran. Give you good night.

[there?

Mar. Oh, farewel, honeft foldier; who hath re

lieved you?

Fran. Bernardo has my place; give you good

night.

Mar. Holla! Bernardo.

[Exit Francifco,

should be closeted by his mother. A man is concealed in the rushes to overhear their difcourse, whom Amlethus difcovers and kills. When the Queen is frighted at this behaviour of his, he tasks her about her criminal course of life, and incestuous conversation with her former husband's murderer; confefses his madness is but counterfeited, to preserve himself and secure his revenge for his father; to which he injoins the Queen filence. Fengo sends Amlethus to Britain; two of the King's fervants attend him, with letters

to

the Britith King, strictly pressing the death of Amlethus, who in the night time, coming at their commiffion, overreads it, forins a new one, and turns the destruction, designed towards himself, on the bearers of the letters. Amlethus, returning home, by a wile surprizes and kills his uncle,

Ber. Say, what, is Horatio there?

Hor. A piece of him.

[cellus.

Ber. Welcome, Horatio; welcome, good Mar--
Mar. What, has this thing appeared again to-
Ber. I have feen nothing.
[night?

Mar. Horatio fays, 'tis but our fantafy;
And will not let belief take hold of him,
Touching this dreaded fight, twice feen of us:
Therefore I have intreated him along
With us, to watch the minutes of this night;
That if again this apparition cone,
He may approve our eyes, and speak to it.
Hor. Tush! tush! 'twill not appear.
Ber. Sit down a while,

And let us once again affail your ears,
That are fo fortified against our story,
What we have two nights seen.

Hor. Well, fit we down,
And let us hear Bernardo speak of this.

Ber. Last night of all,

When yon fame star, that's westward from the pole,
Had made his course to illume that part of heav'n
Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself,
The bell then beating one,-

Mar. Peace, break thee off;

Enter the Ghoft.

Look, where it comes again.

Ber. In the fame figure, like the King that's dead. Mar. Thou art a scholar, speak to it, Horatio. Ber. Looks it not like the King? mark it, Horatio.. Hor. Most like it harrows me with fear and.

wonder.

Ber. It would be fpoke to.

Mar. Speak to it, Horatio.

[night,

Hor. What art thou, that ufurpest this time f

Together with that fair and warlike form,
In which the majesty of buried Denmark

Did sometime march? by Heaven, I charge thee,
Mar. It is offended.

Ber. See! it stalks away.

[fpeak.

[Exit Ghost.

Hor. Stay; speak: I charge thee, speak.

Mar, 'Tis gone, and will not answer.

Ber. How now, Horatio? you tremble and look

Is not this for thing more than fantasy?

What think you of it?

(pale.

Hor. Before my God, I might not this believe,
Without the sensible and true avouch
Of mine own eyes.

Mar. Is it not like the King?
Hor. As thou art to thyself.

Such was the very armour he had on,
When he the ambitious Norway combated:
So frown'd he once, when, in an angry parle,
He finote the fleaded Polack on the ice.

'Tis strange------

[hour,

Mar. Thus twice before, and just at this dead With martial stalk, he has gone by our watch.

Hor. In what particular thought to work, I know But, in the gross and scope of my opinion, [not: This bodes some strange eruption to our state.

Mar. Good now fit down, and tell me, he that

knows,

Why this same strict and most obfervant watch
So nightly toils the fubjects of the land?
And why such daily cast of brazen cannon,
And foreign mart for implements of war?
Why such impress of shipwrights, whose sore task
Does not divide the Sunday from the week?
What might be toward, that this sweaty haste
Doth make the night joint labourer with the day:
Who is't that can inform me ?