哈姆莱特
SCENE II——A Hall in the Castle.
Enter HAMLET and HORATIO.
HAMLETSo much for this， sir： now shall you see the other； You do remember all the circumstance？
HORATIORemember it， my lord？
HAMLETSir， in my heart there was a kind of fighting， That would not let me sleep； methought I lay Worse than the mutines in the bilboes. Rashly，And prais’d be rashness for it， let us know， Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well，When our deep plots do pall： and that should teach us There’s a divinity that shapes our ends，Rough-hew them how we will，— HORATIOThat is most certain. HAMLETUp from my cabin，My sea-gown scarf ’d about me in the darkGrop’d I to find out them； had my desire， Finger’d their packet， and in fine withdrew To mine own room again； making so bold— My fears forgetting manners— to unsealTheir grand commission； where I found， Horatio， O royal knavery！—an exact command，Larded with many several sorts of reasonsImporting Denmark’s health and England’s too， With， ho！ such bugs and goblins in my life， That， on the supervise， no leisure bated，No， not to stay the grinding of the axe， My head should be struck off.
HORATIOIs’t possible？
HAMLETHere’s the commission： read it at more leisure.
But wilt thou hear me how I did proceed？
HORATIOI beseech you.
HAMLETBeing thus benetted round with villanies，— Ere I could make a prologue to my brainsThey had begun the play， —I sat me down， Devis’d a new commission， wrote it fair；I once did hold it， as our statists do，A baseness to write fair； and labour’d much How to forget that learning； but， sir， nowIt did me yeoman’s service. Wilt thou know The effect of what I wrote？
HORATIOAy， good my lord.
HAMLETAn earnest conjuration from the king， As England was his faithful tributary，As love between them like the palm might flourish， As peace should stiff her wheaten garland wear， And stand a comma ‘tween their amities，And many such-like ‘As’es of great charge，That， on the view and knowing of these contents， Without debatement further， more or less，He should the bearers put to sudden death， Not shriving-time allow’d.
HORATIOHow was this seal’d？
HAMLETWhy， even in that was heaven ordinant.
I had my father’s signet in my purse，
Which was the model of that Danish seal； Folded the writ up in form of the other，Subscrib’d it， gave’t the impression， plac’d it safely， The changeling never known. Now， the next day Was our sea-fight， and what to this was sequent Thou know’st already.
HORATIOSo Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to’t.
HAMLETWhy， man， they did make love to this employment； They are not near my conscience； their defeatDoes by their own insinuation grow：
’Tis dangerous when the baser nature comes Between the pass and fell. incensed points Of mighty opposites.
HORATIOWhy， what a king is this！
HAMLETDoes it not， thinks’t thee， stand me now upon— He that hath kill’d my king and whor’d my mother， Popp’d in between the election and my hopes，Thrown out his angle for my proper life，And with such cozenage—is’t not perfect conscience To quit him with this arm？ and is’t not to be damn’d To let this canker of our nature comeIn further evil？
HORATIOIt must be shortly known to him from England What is the issue of the business there.
HAMLETIt will be short： the interim is mine； And a man’s life’s no more than to say ‘One. ’ But I am very sorry， good Horatio，That to Laertes I forgot myself；
For， by the image of my cause， I see
The portraiture of his： I’ll court his favours. But， sure， the bravery of his grief did put me Into a towering passion.
HORATIOPeace！ who comes here？
Enter OSRIC
OSRICYour lordship is right welcome back to Denmark.
HAMLETI humbly thank you， sir. ［Aside to HORATIO.］ Dost know this water-fly？
HORATIONo， my good lord.
HAMLET［Aside to HORATIO.］ Thy state is the more gracious； for’tisa vice to know him. He hath much land， and fertile： let a beast be lord of beasts， and his crib shall stand at the king’s mess： ’tis a chough； but， as I say， spacious in the possession of dirt.
OSRICSweet lord， if your lordship were at leisure， I should impart a thing to you from his majesty.
HAMLETI will receive it， sir， with all diligence of spirit. Your bonnet to his right use； ‘tis for the head.
OSRICI thank your lordship， it is very hot.
HAMLETNo， believe me ‘tis very cold； the wind is northerly.
OSRICIt is indifferent cold， my lord， indeed.
HAMLETBut yet methinks it is very sultry and hot for my complexion.
OSRICExceedingly， my lord； it is very sultry， —as ’twere， I cannot tell how. But， my lord， his majesty bade me signify to you that he has laid a great wager on your head： sir， this is the matter， —HAMLETI beseech you， remember—
HAMLET moves him to put on his hat.
OSRICNay， good my lord； for mine ease， in good faith.
Sir， here is newly come to court Laertes； believe me， an absolute gentleman， full of most excellent differences， of very soft society and great showing； indeed， to speak feelingly of him， he is the card or calendar of gentry， for you shall find in him the continent of what part a gentleman would see.
HAMLETSir， his definement suffers no perdition in you； though， I know， to divide him inventorially would dizzy the arithmetic of memory， and yet but yaw neither， in respect of his quick sail. But， in the verityof extolment， I take him to be a soul of great article； and his infusion of such dearth and rareness， as， to make true diction of him， his semblable is his mirror； and who else would trace him， his umbrage， nothing more.
OSRICYour lordship speaks most infallibly of him.
HAMLETThe concernancy， sir？ why do we wrap the gentleman in our more rawer breath？
OSRICSir？
HORATIOIs’t not possible to understand in another tongue？
You will do’t， sir， really.
HAMLETWhat imports the nomination of this gentleman？
OSRICOf Laertes？
HORATIOHis purse is empty already； all’s golden words are spent.
HAMLETOf him， sir.
OSRICI know you are not ignorant—
HAMLETI would you did， sir； in faith， if you did， it would not much approve me. Well， sir.
