The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Part 20

_Qu._ Good Gentlemen, he hath much talk'd of you, And sure I am, two men there are not liuing, [Sidenote: there is not]

To whom he more adheres. If it will please you To shew vs so much Gentrie,[1] and good will, As to expend your time with vs a-while, For the supply and profit of our Hope,[2]

Your Visitation shall receiue such thankes As fits a Kings remembrance.

_Rosin._ Both your Maiesties Might by the Soueraigne power you haue of vs, Put your dread pleasures, more into Command Then to Entreatie,

_Guil._ We both[3] obey, [Sidenote: But we]

And here giue vp our selues, in the full bent,[4]

To lay our Seruices freely at your feete, [Sidenote: seruice]

To be commanded.

_King._ Thankes _Rosincrance_, and gentle _Guildensterne_.

_Qu._ Thankes _Guildensterne_ and gentle _Rosincrance_,[5]

And I beseech you instantly to visit My too much changed Sonne.

Go some of ye, [Sidenote: you]

And bring the Gentlemen where _Hamlet_ is, [Sidenote: bring these]

_Guil._ Heauens make our presence and our practises Pleasant and helpfull to him. _Exit_[6]

_Queene._ Amen. [Sidenote: Amen. _Exeunt Ros. and Guyld._]

_Enter Polonius._

[Sidenote: 18] _Pol._ Th'Amba.s.sadors from Norwey, my good Lord, Are ioyfully return'd.

[Footnote 1: gentleness, grace, favour.]

[Footnote 2: Their hope in Hamlet, as their son and heir.]

[Footnote 3: both majesties.]

[Footnote 4: If we put a comma after _bent_, the phrase will mean 'in the full _purpose_ or _design_ to lay our services &c.' Without the comma, the content of the phrase would be general:--'in the devoted force of our faculty.' The latter is more like Shakspere.]

[Footnote 5: Is there not tact intended in the queen's reversal of her husband's arrangement of the two names--that each might have precedence, and neither take offence?]

[Footnote 6: _Not in Quarto._]

[Page 76]

_King._ Thou still hast bin the Father of good Newes.

_Pol._ Haue I, my Lord?[1] a.s.sure you, my good Liege, [Sidenote: I a.s.sure my]

I hold my dutie, as I hold my Soule, Both to my G.o.d, one to my gracious King:[2] [Sidenote: G.o.d, and to[2]]

And I do thinke, or else this braine of mine Hunts not the traile of Policie, so sure As I haue vs'd to do: that I haue found [Sidenote: it hath vsd]

The very cause of _Hamlets_ Lunacie.

_King._ Oh speake of that, that I do long to heare.

[Sidenote: doe I long]

_Pol._ Giue first admittance to th'Amba.s.sadors, My Newes shall be the Newes to that great Feast, [Sidenote: the fruite to that]

_King._ Thy selfe do grace to them, and bring them in.

He tels me my sweet Queene, that he hath found [Sidenote: my deere Gertrard he]

The head[3] and sourse of all your Sonnes distemper.

_Qu._ I doubt it is no other, but the maine, His Fathers death, and our o're-hasty Marriage.[4]

[Sidenote: our hastie]

_Enter Polonius, Voltumand, and Cornelius._ [Sidenote: _Enter_ Emba.s.sadors.]

_King._ Well, we shall sift him. Welcome good Frends: [Sidenote: my good]

Say _Voltumand_, what from our Brother Norwey?

_Volt._ Most faire returne of Greetings, and Desires.

Vpon our first,[5] he sent out to suppresse His Nephewes Leuies, which to him appear'd To be a preparation 'gainst the Poleak: [Sidenote: Pollacke,]

But better look'd into, he truly found It was against your Highnesse, whereat greeued, That so his Sicknesse, Age, and Impotence Was falsely borne in hand,[6] sends[7] out Arrests On _Fortinbras_, which he (in breefe) obeyes,

[Footnote 1: To be spoken triumphantly, but in the peculiar tone of one thinking, 'You little know what better news I have behind!']

[Footnote 2: I cannot tell which is the right reading; if the _Q.'s_, it means, '_I hold my duty precious as my soul, whether to my G.o.d or my king_'; if the _F.'s_, it is a little confused by the attempt of Polonius to make a fine euphuistic speech:--'_I hold my duty as I hold my soul,--both at the command of my G.o.d, one at the command of my king_.']

[Footnote 3: the spring; the river-head

'The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood'

_Macbeth,_ act ii. sc. 3.]

[Footnote 4: She goes a step farther than the king in accounting for Hamlet's misery--knows there is more cause of it yet, but hopes he does not know so much cause for misery as he might know.]

[Footnote 5: Either 'first' stands for _first desire_, or it is a noun, and the meaning of the phrase is, 'The instant we mentioned the matter'.]

[Footnote 6: 'borne in hand'--played with, taken advantage of.

'How you were borne in hand, how cross'd,'

_Macbeth,_ act iii. sc. 1.]

[Footnote 7: The nominative p.r.o.noun was not _quite_ indispensable to the verb in Shakspere's time.]

[Page 78]

Receiues rebuke from Norwey: and in fine, Makes Vow before his Vnkle, neuer more To giue th'a.s.say of Armes against your Maiestie.

Whereon old Norwey, ouercome with ioy, Giues him three thousand Crownes in Annuall Fee, [Sidenote: threescore thousand]

And his Commission to imploy those Soldiers So leuied as before, against the Poleak: [Sidenote: Pollacke,]

With an intreaty heerein further shewne, [Sidenote: 190] That it might please you to giue quiet pa.s.se Through your Dominions, for his Enterprize, [Sidenote: for this]

On such regards of safety and allowance, As therein are set downe.

_King_. It likes vs well: And at our more consider'd[1] time wee'l read, Answer, and thinke vpon this Businesse.