The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke Part 8

I neuer gaue you cause: but stand away, A Cat will meaw, a Dog will haue a day.

_Exit Hamlet and Horatio._ _Queene_. Alas, it is his madnes makes him thus, And not his heart, _Leartes_.

_King_. My lord, t'is so: but wee'le no longer trifle, This very day shall _Hamlet_ drinke his last, For presently we meane to send to him, Therfore _Leartes_ be in readynes.

_Lear._ My lord, till then my soule will not bee quiet.

_King_. Come _Gertred_, wee'l haue _Leartes_, and our sonne, Made friends and Louers, as befittes them both, Even as they tender vs, and loue their countrie.

_Queene_ G.o.d grant they may. _exeunt omnes._ _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, The Court knowes him, but hee knowes not the Court.

_Gent._ Now G.o.d saue thee, sweete prince _Hamlet_. [I2v]

_Ham._ And you sir: soh, how the muske-cod smels!

_Gen._ I come with an emba.s.sage from his maiesty to you _Ham._ I shall sir giue you attention: 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, Six Barbary horse, against six french rapiers, With all their acoutrements too, a the carriages: In good faith they are curiously wrought.

_Ham._ The cariages sir, I do not know what you meane.

_Gent._ The girdles, and hangers sir, and such like.

_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, 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, With the rest of the best iudgement in the Court, Are comming downe into the outward pallace.

_Ham._ Goe tell his maiestie, I will attend him.

_Gent._ I shall deliuer your most sweet answer. _exit._ _Ham._ You may sir, none better, for y'are spiced, Else he had a bad nose could not smell a foole.

_Hor._ He will disclose himself without inquirie.

_Ham._ Beleeue me _Horatio_, my hart is on the sodaine Very sore, all here about.

_Hor._ My lord, forebeare the challenge then.

_Ham._ No _Horatio_, not I, if danger be now, Why then it is not to come, theres a predestinate prouidence in the fall of a sparrow: heere comes the King. [I3]

_Enter King, Queene, Leartes, Lordes._ _King_ Now sonne _Hamlet,_ we hane laid vpon your head, And make no question but to haue the best.

_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, 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.

_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.

_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.

_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 thee _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.

_Shee drinkes._ _King_ Do not drinke _Gertred_: O t'is the poysned cup!

_Ham_. _Leartes_ come, you dally with me, [I3v]

I pray you pa.s.se with your most cunningst play.

_Lear_. I! say you so? haue at you, Ile hit you now my Lord: 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, H_amlet_, the drinke.

_Ham_. Treason, ho, keepe the gates.

_Lords_ How ist my Lord _Leartes_?

_Lear._ Euen as a c.o.xcombe 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.

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 d.a.m.n'd villaine: Come drinke, here lies thy vnion here. _The king dies._ _Lear._ O he is iustly 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, 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, 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 Amba.s.sadors from England. [I4]

enter Fortenbra.s.se with his traine._ _Fort._ Where is this bloudy fight?

_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? (_land_, _Amba.s.s._ Our amba.s.sie that we haue brought from _Eng-_ Where be these Princes that should heare vs speake?

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: 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 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.

_Finis_