Ham.
Whither wilt ^note thou lead me? speak, I'll go no further.

Gho.
Mark me.

Ham.
I will.

Gho.
My hour ^note is almost come,
When I to sulph'rous and tormenting flames
Must render up myself.

Ham.
Alas, poor ghost!

Gho.
Pity me not, but lend thy ^note serious hearing
To what I shall unfold.

Ham.
Speak, I am bound to hear. ^note

Gho.
So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear.

Ham.
What?

Gho.
I am thy father's spirit;

Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night;
And, for the day, confin'd to fast in fires,14Q1425
'Till the foul crimes, done in my days of nature,
Are burnt and purg'd away. But that I am forbid
To tell the secrets of my prison-house,
I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word
Would harrow up thy soul; freeze thy young blood;
Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres;
Thy knotty ^note and combined locks to part,
And each particular hair to stand an end,
Like quills upon the fretful ^note porcupine:
But this eternal blazon must not be
To ears of flesh and blood: List, list, o list! ^note
If thou didst ever thy dear father love,—

Ham.
O heaven! ^note

Gho.
Revenge his foul and most unnatural murther.

Ham.
Murther?

Gho.
Murther most foul, as in the best it is;
But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.

Ham.
Haste ^note me to know't; ^note that I ^note, with wings as swift
As meditation ^note, or the thoughts of love,
May sweep to my revenge.

Gho.
I find thee apt;
And duller should'st thou be than the fat weed
That rots ^note itself in ease on Lethe wharf,
Would'st thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear:
'Tis given ^note out, that, sleeping in my orchard,
A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forged process of my death
Rankly abus'd: but know, thou noble youth,
The serpent, that did sting thy father's life,
Now wears his crown.

Ham.
O my prophetick soul! my uncle? ^note

Gho.
Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,
With witchcraft of his wit, ^note with traiterous ^note gifts,
(O wicked wit, and ^note gifts, that have the power
So to seduce!) won to his ^note shameful lust
The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen:
O, Hamlet, what a ^note falling-off was there!
From me, whose love was of that dignity,
That it went hand in hand even with the vow
I made to her in marriage; and to decline
Upon a wretch, whose natural gifts were poor
To those of mine!
But virtue, as it never will be mov'd,
Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven;
So lust, though to a radiant angel ^note link'd,
Will sate itself ^note in a celestial bed,
And prey ^note on garbage.
But, soft! methinks, I scent ^note the morning ^note air;
Brief let me be: Sleeping within my orchard ^note,
My custom always of the ^note afternoon,
Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole,
With juice of cursed hebenon ^note in a viol,
And in the porches of mine ears ^note did pour
The leperous distilment; whose effect
Holds such an enmity with blood of man,
That, swift as quick-silver, it courses through
The natural gates and allies of the body;
And, with a sudden vigour, it doth posset ^note
And curd, like eager ^note droppings into milk,
The thin and wholesome blood: so did it mine;
And a most instant tetter bark'd about, ^note
Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust

All my smooth body.
Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand,
Of life, of crown, of queen ^note, at once dispatch'd:
Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,
Unhousel'd ^note,14Q1426 unanointed, ^note unanneal'd; ^note
No reck'ning made, but sent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head:
O horrible! o horrible! most horrible!
If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not;
Let not the royal bed of Denmark be
A couch for luxury and damned incest.
But, howsoever thou pursu'st ^note this act,
Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother ought; leave her to heaven,
And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge,
To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once;
The glow-worm shews the matin to be near,
And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire:
Adieu, adieu, adieu; remember ^note me. [Exit Ghost.

Ham.
O all you host of heaven! o earth! What else?
And shall I couple hell?—Hold ^note, hold ^note, my heart;14Q1427
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,
But bear me stiffly up! ^note—Remember thee?
Ay, thou poor ghost, while ^note memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe. Remember thee?
Yea, from the table of my memory
I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All saws of ^note books, all forms, all pressures past,
That youth and observation copy'd there;
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain,
Unmix'd with baser matter: yes, ^note by heaven.

O most pernicious woman!
O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!
My tables, ^note—meet it is, I set it down,
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain;
At least, I'm sure, it may be so in Denmark:
So, uncle, there † you are: Now to my word;
It is,
Adieu, adieu; remember me. I have sworn't.

Hor. [within.]
My ^note lord, my lord,—

Mar. [within.]
Lord Hamlet,—

Hor. [within.]
Heaven ^note secure him!

Ham.
So ^note be it!

Mar. [within.]
Illo, ^note ho, ho, my lord!

Ham.
Hillo, ho, ho, boy! come, bird, come. ^note Enter Horatio, and Marcellus.

Mar.
How is't, my noble lord?

Hor.
What news, my lord? ^note

Ham.
O, wonderful!

Hor.
Good my lord, tell it.

Ham.
No; you will ^note reveal it.

Hor.
Not I, my lord, by heaven.

Mar.
Nor I, my lord.

Ham.
How say you then; would heart of man once think it?—
But you'll be secret,—

Hor. Mar.
Ay, by heaven, my lord ^note.

Ham.
There's ne'er a villain, dwelling in all Denmark,
But he's an arrant knave.

Hor.
There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the grave,
To tell us this.

Ham.
Why, right; you are i' the right:
And so, without more circumstance at all,
I hold it fit, that we shake hands, and part:

You, as your business, and desire ^note, shall point you;—
For every man hath ^note business, and desire,
Such as it is,—and, for my own ^note poor part,
Look you, I will ^note go pray.

Hor.
These are but wild and whirling ^note words, my lord.

Ham.
I'm sorry, they offend you, heartily;
'Faith ^note, heartily.

Hor.
There's no offence, my lord.

Ham.
Yes, by saint Patrick, but there is, Horatio, ^note
And much offence too14Q1428. Touching this vision here,—
It is an honest ghost, that let me tell you:
For your desire to know what is between us,
O'er-master't ^note as you may. And now, good friends,
As you are friends, scholars, and soldiers,
Give me one poor request.

Hor.
What is't, my lord? we will.

Ham.
Never make known what you have seen to-night.

Hor. Mar.
My lord, we will not.

Ham.
Nay, but swear't.

Hor.
In faith,
My lord, not I.

Mar.
Nor I, my lord, in faith.

Ham.
Upon my † sword.

Mar.
We have sworn, my lord, already.

Ham.
Indeed, upon my sword, indeed.

Gho. [beneath.]
Swear.

Ham.
Ha, ha ^note, boy! say'st thou so? art thou there, true-penny?—
Come on,—you hear ^note this fellow in the cellaridge,—
Consent to swear.

Hor.
Propose the oath, my lord.

Ham.
Never to speak of this that you have seen,
Swear by my sword.

Gho. [beneath.]
Swear.

Ham.
Hic et ubique? then we'll shift our ground ^note:—
Come hither, gentlemen, ^note and lay your hands
Again upon my sword; Swear by my sword,
Never to speak of this that you have heard.

Gho. [beneath.]
Swear by his sword. ^note

Ham.
Well said, old mole! canst work i' the earth so ^note fast?
A worthy pioneer!—Once more remove, good friends. ^note

Hor.
O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!

Ham.
And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your ^note philosophy.
But come;
Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,
How strange or odd soe'er ^note I bear myself,—
As I, perchance, hereafter shall think meet
To put an antick disposition on,—
That you, at such time ^note seeing me, never shall
(With arms encumber'd † thus; or this † head-shake; ^note
Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase,
As, Well, well, we ^note know;—or, We could, an if
we would;—or, If we list to speak;—or, There
be, an if they might; ^note—
Or such ambiguous giving-out) ^note denote
That you know ought of me: This do ^note you swear,
So grace and mercy at your most need help you! ^note

Gho. [beneath.]
Swear.

Ham.
Rest, rest, perturbed spirit.—So, gentlemen,
With all my love I do ^note commend me to you:
And what so poor a man as Hamlet is
May do, to express his love and friending to you,
God willing, shall not lack. Let us go in together;

And still your fingers on your lips, I pray.
The time is out of joint;—O cursed spight!
That ever I was born to set it right!—
Nay, come, let's go together. [Exeunt.

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