The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

tell you must show fairly outwards) should more appear like
entertainment than yours. You are welcome. But my
uncle-father
and aunt-mother are deceiv'd.
Guil. In what, my dear lord?
Ham. I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly
I
know a hawk from a handsaw.

Enter Polonius.

Pol. Well be with you, gentlemen!
Ham. Hark you, Guildenstern- and you too- at each ear a hearer!
That great baby you see there is not yet out of his swaddling
clouts.
Ros. Happily he's the second time come to them; for they say an
old
man is twice a child.
Ham. I will prophesy he comes to tell me of the players. Mark
it. -
You say right, sir; a Monday morning; twas so indeed.
Pol. My lord, I have news to tell you.
Ham. My lord, I have news to tell you. When Roscius was an
actor in
Rome-
Pol. The actors are come hither, my lord.
Ham. Buzz, buzz!
Pol. Upon my honour-
Ham. Then came each actor on his ass-
Pol. The best actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy,
history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral,
tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral;
scene
individable, or poem unlimited. Seneca cannot be too heavy,
nor
Plautus too light. For the law of writ and the liberty, these
are
the only men.
Ham. O Jephthah, judge of Israel, what a treasure hadst thou!
Pol. What treasure had he, my lord?
Ham. Why,

'One fair daughter, and no more,
The which he loved passing well.'

Pol. [aside] Still on my daughter.
Ham. Am I not i' th' right, old Jephthah?
Pol. If you call me Jephthah, my lord, I have a daughter that I
love passing well.
Ham. Nay, that follows not.
Pol. What follows then, my lord?
Ham. Why,

'As by lot, God wot,'

and then, you know,

'It came to pass, as most like it was.'

The first row of the pious chanson will show you more; for
look
where my abridgment comes.

Enter four or five Players.

You are welcome, masters; welcome, all. – I am glad to see
thee
well. – Welcome, good friends. – O, my old friend? Why, thy
face is
valanc'd since I saw thee last. Com'st' thou to' beard me in
Denmark? – What, my young lady and mistress? By'r Lady, your
ladyship is nearer to heaven than when I saw you last by the
altitude of a chopine. Pray God your voice, like a piece of
uncurrent gold, be not crack'd within the ring. – Masters, you
are
all welcome. We'll e'en to't like French falconers, fly at
anything we see. We'll have a speech straight. Come, give us
a
taste of your quality. Come, a passionate speech.
1. Play. What speech, my good lord?
Ham. I heard thee speak me a speech once, but it was never
acted;
or if it was, not above once; for the play, I remember,
pleas'd
not the million, 'twas caviary to the general; but it was (as
I
receiv'd it, and others, whose judgments in such matters
cried in
the top of mine) an excellent play, well digested in the
scenes,
set down with as much modesty as cunning. I remember one said
there were no sallets in the lines to make the matter
savoury,
nor no matter in the phrase that might indict the author of
affectation; but call'd it an honest method, as wholesome as
sweet, and by very much more handsome than fine. One speech
in't
I chiefly lov'd. 'Twas AEneas' tale to Dido, and thereabout
of it
especially where he speaks of Priam's slaughter. If it live