[Sc. xviii.]
Enter Hamlet and Horatio
Ham. Beleeue mee, it greeues mee much Horatio,
That to Leartes I forgot my selfe:
For by my selfe me thinkes I feele his griefe,
Though there's a difference in each others wrong.
Enter a Bragart Gentleman.
Horatio, but marke yon water-flie, 5
The Court knowes him, but hee knowes not the Court.
Gent. Now God saue thee, sweete prince Hamlet.
Ham. And you sir: foh, how the muske-cod smels!
Gen. I come with an embassage from his maiesty to you
Ham. I shall sir giue you attention: 10
By my troth me thinkes t'is very colde.
Gent. It is indeede very rawish colde.
Ham. T'is hot me thinkes.
Gent. Very swoltery hote:
The King, sweete Prince, hath layd a wager on your side, 15
Six Barbary horse, against six french rapiers,
With all their acoutrements too, a the carriages:
In good faith they are very curiously wrought.
Ham. The cariages sir, I do not know what you meane.
Gent. The girdles, and hangers sir, and such like. 20
Ham. The worde had beene more cosin german to the
phrase, if he could haue carried the canon by his side,
And howe's the wager? I vnderstand you now.
Gent. Mary sir, that yong Leartes in twelue venies
At Rapier and Dagger do not get three oddes of you, 25
And on your side the King hath laide,
And desires you to be in readinesse.
Ham. Very well, if the King dare venture his wager,
I dare venture my skull: when must this be?
Gent. My Lord, presently, the king, and her maiesty, 30
With the rest of the best iudgement in the Court,
Are comming downe into the outward pallace.
Ham. Goe tell his maiestie, I wil attend him.
Gent. I shall deliuer your most sweet answer. exit.
Ham. You may sir, none better, for y'are spiced, 35
Else he had a bad nose could not smell a foole.
Hor. He will disclose himselfe without inquirie.
Ham. Beleeue me Horatio, my hart is on the sodaine
Very sore, all here about.
Hor. My lord, forbeare the challenge then. 40
Ham. No Horatio, not I, if danger be now,
Why then it is not to come, theres a predestiuate prouidence
in the fall of a sparrow: heere comes the King.
Enter King, Queene, Leartes, Lordes.
King Now sonne Hamlet, we hane laid vpon your head,
And make no question but to haue the best. 45
Ham. Your maiestie hath laide a the weaker side.
King. We doubt it not, deliuer them the foiles.
Ham. First Leartes, heere's my hand and loue,
Protesting that I neuer wrongd Leartes.
If Hamlet in his madnesse did amisse, 50
That was not Hamlet, but his madnes did it,
And all the wrong I e're did to Leartes,
I here proclaime was madnes, therefore lets be at peace,
And thinke I haue shot mine arrow o're the house,
And hurt my brother. 55
Lear. Sir I am satisfied in nature,
But in termes of honor I'le stand aloofe,
And will no reconcilement,
Till by some elder maisters of our time
I may be satisfied. 60
King Giue them the foyles.
Ham. I'le be your foyle Leartes, these foyles,
Haue all a laught, come on sir: a hit.
Lear. No none. Heere they play:
Ham. Iudgement. 65
Gent. A hit, a most palpable hit.
Lear. Well, come againe. They play againe.
Ham. Another. Iudgement.
Lear. I, I grant, a tuch, a tuch.
King Here Hamlet, the king doth drinke a health to thee70
Queene Here Hamlet, take my napkin, wipe thy face.
King Giue him the wine.
Ham. Set it by, I'le haue another bowt first,
I'le drinke anone.
Queene Here Hamlet, thy mother drinkes to thee. 75
Shee drinkes.
King Do not drinke Gertred: O t'is the poysned cup!
Ham. Leartes come, you dally with me,
I pray you passe with your most cunningst play.
Lear. I! say you so? haue at you,
He hit you now my Lord: 80
And yet it goes almost against my conscience.
Ham. Come on sir.
They catch one anothers Rapiers, and both are wounded, Leartes falles downe, the Queene falles downe and dies.
King Looke to the Queene.
Queene O the drinke, the drinke, Hamlet, the drinke.
Ham. Treason, ho, keepe the gates. 85
Lords How ist my Lord Leartes?
Lear. Euen as a coxcombe should,
Foolishly slaine with my owne weapon:
Hamlet, thou hast not in thee halfe an houre of life,
The fatall Instrument is in thy hand. 90
Vnbated and invenomed: thy mother's poysned
That drinke was made for thee.
Ham. The poysned Instrument within my hand?
Then venome to thy venome, die damn'd villaine:
Come drinke, here lies thy vnion here. The king dies. 95
Lear. O he is justly serued:
Hamlet, before I die, here take my hand,
And withall, my loue: I doe forgiue thee. Leartes dies.
Ham. And I thee, O I am dead Horatio, fare thee well.
Hor. No, I am more an antike Roman, 100
Then a Dane, here is some poison left.
Ham. Vpon my loue I charge thee let it goe,
O fie Horatio, and if thou shouldst die,
What a scandale wouldst thou leaue behinde?
What tongue should tell the story of our deaths, 105
If not from thee? O my heart sinckes Horatio,
Mine eyes haue lost their sight, my tongue his vse:
Farewel Horatio, heauen receiue my soule. Ham. dies.
Enter Voltemar and the Ambassadors from England. Enter Fortenbrasse with his traine.
Fort. Where is this bloudy sight?
Hor. If aught of woe or wonder you'ld behold,
Then looke vpon this tragicke spectacle.
Fort. O imperious death! how many Princes
Hast thou at one draft bloudily shot to death?
Ambass. Our ambassie that we haue brought from England,
Where be these Princes that should heare vs speake? 115
O most most vnlooked for time! vnhappy country.
Hor. Content your selues, Ile shew to all, the ground,
The first beginning of this Tragedy:
Let there a scaffold be rearde vp in the market place,
And let the State of the world be there: 120
Where you shall heare such a sad story tolde,
That neuer mortall man could more vnfolde.
Fort. I haue some rights of memory to this kingdome,
Which now to claime my leisure doth inuite mee:
Let foure of our chiefest Captaines 125
Beare Hamlet like a souldier to his graue:
For he was likely, had he liued,
To a prou'd most royall.
Take vp the bodie, such a fight as this
Becomes the fieldes, but here doth much amisse. 130
Finis.