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[A room in Polonius’s house]
Enter POLONIUS and REYNALDO
Pol. Give him this money and these notes, Reynaldo. | |
| Rey. I will, my lord. | |
| Pol. You shall do marvellous wisely, good Reynaldo, | |
| Before you visit him, to make inquiry | 4 |
| Of his behaviour. | |
| Rey. My lord, I did intend it. | |
| Pol. Marry, well said, very well said. Look you, sir, | |
| Inquire me first what Danskers 1 are in Paris, | 8 |
| And how, and who, what means, and where they keep, | |
| What company, at what expense; and finding | |
| By this encompassment and drift 2 of question | |
| That they do know my son, come you more nearer | 12 |
| Than your particular demands will touch it. | |
| Take you, as ’twere, some distant knowledge of him, | |
| As thus, “I know his father and his friends, | |
| And in part him.” Do you mark this, Reynaldo? | 16 |
| Rey. Ay, very well, my lord. | |
| Pol. “And in part him; but,” you may say, “not well. | |
| But, if ’t be he I mean, he’s very wild, | |
| Addicted so and so;” and there put on him | 20 |
| What forgeries 3 you please; marry, none so rank | |
| As may dishonour him,—take heed of that; | |
| But, sir, such wanton, wild, and usual slips | |
| As are companions noted and most known | 24 |
| To youth and liberty. | |
| Rey. As gaming, my lord? | |
| Pol. Ay, or drinking, fencing, swearing, quarrelling, | |
| Drabbing; you may go so far. | 28 |
| Rey. My lord, that would dishonour him. | |
| Pol. Faith, no, as you may season 4 it in the charge. | |
| You must not put another scandal on him, | |
| That he is open to incontinency. | 32 |
| That’s not my meaning. But breathe his faults so quaintly 5 | |
| That they may seem the taints of liberty, | |
| The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind, | |
| A savageness in unreclaimed blood, | 36 |
| Of general assault. 6 | |
| Rey. But, my good lord,— | |
| Pol. Wherefore should you do this? | |
| Rey. Ay, my lord, | 40 |
| I would know that. | |
| Pol. Marry, sir, here’s my drift, | |
| And, I believe, it is a fetch of warrant: 7 | |
| You laying these slight sullies on my son, | 44 |
| As ’twere a thing a little soil’d i’ the working, | |
| Mark you, | |
| Your party in converse, him you would sound, | |
| Having ever seen in the prenominate 8 crimes | 48 |
| The youth you breathe of guilty, be assur’d | |
| He closes with you in this consequence; 9 | |
| “Good sir,” or so, or “friend,” or “gentleman,” | |
| According to the phrase and the addition 10 | 52 |
| Of man and country. | |
| Rey. Very good, my lord. | |
| Pol. And then, sir, does he this—he does— | |
| What was I about to say? [By the mass,] I was about to say something. Where did I leave? | 56 |
| Rey. At “closes in the consequence,” at “friend or so,” and “gentleman.” | |
| Pol. At “closes in the consequence,” ay, marry. | |
| He closes with you thus: “I know the gentleman. | |
| I saw him yesterday, or t’ other day, | 60 |
| Or then, or then, with such and such; and, as you say, | |
| There was he gaming; there o’ertook in ’s rouse; 11 | |
| There falling out at tennis;” or, perchance, | |
| “I saw him enter such a house of sale,” | 64 |
| Videlicet, a brothel, or so forth. | |
| See you now; | |
| Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth; | |
| And thus do we of wisdom and of reach, | 68 |
| With windlasses and with assays of bias, 12 | |
| By indirections find directions out. | |
| So by my former lecture and advice, | |
| Shall you my son. You have me, have you not? | 72 |
| Rey. My lord, I have. | |
| Pol. God buy you; fare you well. | |
| Rey. Good my lord. | |
| Pol. Observe his inclination in yourself. | 76 |
| Rey. I shall, my lord. | |
| Pol. And let him ply his music. | |
| Rey. Well, my lord. | |
| Pol. Farewell! Exit REYNALDO. | 80 |
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Enter OPHELIA
How now, Ophelia! what’s the matter? | |
| Oph. Alas, my lord, I have been so affrighted! | |
| Pol. With what, in the name of God? | |
| Oph. My lord, as I was sewing in my chamber, | 84 |
| Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbrac’d, 13 | |
| No hat upon his head, his stockings foul’d, | |
| Ungart’red, and down-gyved 14 to his ankle, | |
| Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other, | 88 |
| And with a look so piteous in purport | |
| As if he had been loosed out of hell | |
| To speak of horrors,—he comes before me. | |
| Pol. Mad for thy love? | 92 |
| Oph. My lord, I do not know, | |
| But truly, I do fear it. | |
| Pol. What said he? | |
| Oph. He took me by the wrist and held me hard; | 96 |
| Then goes he to the length of all his arm, | |
| And, with his other hand thus o’er his brow, | |
| He falls to such perusal of my face | |
| As he would draw it. Long stay’d he so. | 100 |
| At last, a little shaking of mine arm, | |
| And thrice his head thus waving up and down | |
| He rais’d a sigh so piteous and profound | |
| That it did seem to shatter all his bulk | 104 |
| And end his being. That done, he lets me go; | |
| And, with his head over his shoulder turn’d, | |
| He seem’d to find his way without his eyes, | |
| For out o’ doors he went without their help, | 108 |
| And, to the last, bended their light on me. | |
| Pol. [Come,] go with me, I will go seek the King. | |
| This is the very ecstasy of love, | |
| Whose violent property fordoes itself | 112 |
| And leads the will to desperate undertakings | |
| As oft as any passion under heaven | |
| That does afflict our natures. I am sorry,— | |
| What, have you given him any hard words of late? | 116 |
| Oph. No, my good lord, but, as you did command, | |
| I did repel his letters and deni’d | |
| His access to me. | |
| Pol. That hath made him mad. | 120 |
| I am sorry that with better heed and judgement | |
| I had not quoted 15 him. I fear’d he did but trifle | |
| And meant to wreck thee; but beshrew my jealousy! | |
| By heaven, it is as proper to our age | 124 |
| To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions | |
| As it is common for the younger sort | |
| To lack discretion. Come, go we to the King. | |
| This must be known, which, being kept close, might move | 128 |
| More grief to hide than hate to utter love. | |
| [Come.] Exeunt. | |
