Enter KING, QUEEN, LAERTES, Lords, OSRIC, and Attendants with foils, &c.

King. Come, Hamlet, come, and take this hand from me.

[the King puts the hand of Laertes into that of Hamlet.

Ham. Give me your pardon, sir: I've done you wrong;

But pardon 't, as you are a gentleman.

This presence1 knows,

And you must needs have heard, how I am punish' 1 With sore distraction. What I have done,

That might your nature, honor, and exception
Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness.
Was 't Hamlet wrong'd Laertes? Never, Hamlet :
If Hamlet from himself be ta'en away,

And, when he's not himself, does wrong Laertes,
Then Hamlet does it not; Hamlet denies it.
Who does it then? His madness. If 't be so,
Hamlet is of the faction that is wrong'd;
His madness is poor Hamlet's enemy.

Sir, in this audience,

Let my disclaiming from a purposed evil

Free me so far in your most generous thoughts,
That I have shot my arrow o'er the house,

And hurt my brother.

Laer.

I am satisfied in nature,

i. e. the king and queen.

Whose motive, in this case, should stir me most
To my revenge: but in my terms of honor
I stand aloof; and will no reconcilement,
Till by some elder masters, of known honor,
I have a voice and precedent of peace,

To keep my name ungored: but till that time,
I do receive your offer'd love like love,

And will not wrong it.

Ham.

I embrace it freely;

And will this brother's wager frankly play.-
Give us the foils; come on.

Laer.

Come, one for me.

Ham. I'll be your foil, Laertes; in mine igno

rance,

Your skill shall, like a star i' the darkest night,
Stick fiery off indeed.

Laer.

You mock me, sir.

Ham. No, by this hand.

King. Give them the foils, young Osric.-Cousin Hamlet,

You know the wager

Ham.

?

Very well, my lord; Your grace hath laid the odds o' the weaker side. King. I do not fear it; I have seen you both: But since he is better'd, we have therefore odds. Laer. This is too heavy; let me see another. Ham. This likes me well.

length?

Os. Ay, my good lord.

These foils have ail a

[they prepare to play.

King. Set me the stoops of wine upon that table,

If Hamlet give the first or second hit,

Or quit in answer of the third exchange,
Let all the battlements their ordnance fire;
The king shall drink to Hamlet's better breath;
And in the cup an union 1 shall he throw,
Richer than that which four successive kings
In Denmark's crown have worn: give me the cups;
And let the kettle to the trumpet speak,

The trumpet to the cannoneer without,

The cannons to the heavens, the heaven to earth, Now the king drinks to Hamlet.'-Come, begin ;And you, the judges, bear a wary eye.

King. Stay; give me drink: Hamlet, this pearl is

thine;

Here's to thy health.-Give him the cup.

[trumpets sound, and cannon shot off within. Ham. I'll play this bout first; set it by awhile. Come. Another hit; what say you?

Laer. A touch, a touch, I do confess.
King. Our son shall win.

Queen.

[they play.

He's fat, and scant of breath.-

Here, Hamlet, take my napkin; rub thy brows:

1 A precious pearl.

The queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet.
Ham. Good madam,-

King.

Gertrude, do not drink.

Queen. I will, my lord: I pray you, pardon me. King. It is the poison'd cup; it is too late.

(aside.

Ham. I dare not drink yet, madam; by and by. Queen. Come, let me wipe thy face.

Laer. My lord, I'll hit him now.

King.

I do not think it.

Laer. And yet it is almost against my con

science.

[aside.

Ham. Come, for the third, Laertes: you do but

dally:

I pray you, pass with your best violence.

I am afeard, you make a wanton of me.1

Laer. Say you so? come on.

Os. Nothing neither way.

Laer. Have at you now.

[they play.

[Laertes wounds Hamlet; then, in scuffling, they change rapiers, and Hamlet wounds Laertes. Part them; they are incensed.

King.

Ham. Nay, come again.

Os.

[the Queen falls.

Look to the queen there, ho!

Ho. They bleed on both sides.-How is it, my

lord?

Os. How is 't, Laertes?

1 i. e. you trifle with me, as if you were playing with a child.

Laer. Why, as a woodcock to mine own springe,

Osric:

I am justly kill'd with mine own treachery.

Ham. How does the queen ?

King.

She swoons to see them bleed.

Queen. No, no; the drink, the drink:-0, my

dear Hamlet!

The drink, the drink :-I am poison'd!

[dies.

Ham. O villany!-Ho! let the door be lock'd: Treachery! seek it out.

[Laertes falls.

Laer. It is here, Hamlet: Hamlet, thou art

slain ;

No medicine in the world can do thee good;
In thee there is not half an hour's life;
The treacherous instrument is in thy hand,
Unbated1 and envenom'd: the foul practice
Hath turn'd itself on me; lo, here I lie,
Never to rise again: thy mother's poison'd;
I can no more;—the king, the king's to blame.
Ham. The point

Envenom'd too!-Then, venom, to thy work.

Os. and Lords. Treason! treason!

[stabs the King.

King. O, yet defend me, friends; I am but hurt. Ham. Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned

Dane,

Drink off this potion :—is the union here?

Follow my mother.

1 Not blunted, without a button.

[King dies.