Till then sit still, my soul: foul deeds will rise, 256 Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes.

Exit.

Scene Three

[Polonius' Apartment in the Castle]
Enter Laertes and Ophelia.

Laer. My necessaries are embark'd; farewell:
And, sister, as the winds give benefit

And convoy is assistant, do not sleep,
But let me hear from you.

Oph.

Do you doubt that?

Laer. For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favour, Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood,

A violet in the youth of primy nature,
Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting,
The perfume and suppliance of a minute;
No more.

Oph.
Laer.

No more but so?

Think it no more:

For nature, crescent, does not grow alone
In thews and bulk; but, as this temple waxes,
The inward service of the mind and soul
Grows wide withal. Perhaps he loves you now,
And now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch
The virtue of his will; but you must fear,
His greatness weigh'd, his will is not his own,
For he himself is subject to his birth;
He may not, as unvalu'd persons do,

2 give benefit: are favorable

4

12

16

3 convoy: means of conveyance

6 fashion: mere form toy in blood: passing amorous fancy

7 violet; cf. n. primy: early

9 suppliance: diversion

12 thews: bodily strength

temple: body

15 soil: blemish cautel: trickery

16 virtue of his will: his virtuous intentions

8 Forward: precocious 11 crescent: growing 14 withal: also

19 unvalu'd: of low rank

Carve for himself, for on his choice depends
The safety and the health of the whole state;
And therefore must his choice be circumscrib'd
Unto the voice and yielding of that body

Whereof he is the head. Then if he says he loves

you,

It fits your wisdom so far to believe it
As he in his [particular act and place]

May give his saying deed; which is no further
Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal.
Then weigh what loss your honour may sustain,
If with too credent ear you list his songs,
Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open
To his unmaster'd importunity.

Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister;

And keep you in the rear of your affection,
Out of the shot and danger of desire.
The chariest maid is prodigal enough
If she unmask her beauty to the moon;
Virtue herself 'scapes not calumnious strokes ;
The canker galls the infants of the spring
Too oft before their buttons be disclos'd,
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blastments are most imminent.
Be wary then; best safety lies in fear:

Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.
Oph. I shall th' effect of this good lesson keep,
As watchman to my heart. But, good my brother,
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,

23 voice and yielding: approval and compliance

26 place: position as a prince; cf. n.

30 credent: trustful list: listen to

32 unmaster'd: unrestrained

27 deed: effect

36 chariest: most scrupulous

39 canker: 'worm' that destroys leaves and buds, particularly the rose

galls: injures infants: young plants

40 buttons: buds disclos'd: opened

41 liquid dew: while the dew is still fresh 47 ungracious: graceless

42 blastments: blights

Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own rede.

49

Laer.

O! fear me not.

Enter Polonius.

I stay too long; but here my father comes.
A double blessing is a double grace;

Occasion smiles upon a second leave.

52

Pol. Yet here, Laertes! aboard, aboard, for shame! The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail,

56

And you are stay'd for. There, my blessing with thee!

And these few precepts in thy memory

Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar;
The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg'd comrade.
Of entrance to a quarrel, but, being in,

Beware

60

64

68

Bear 't that th' opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,

But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man,

49 puff'd: bloated from excess

50 primrose path: path of pleasure 51 recks: heeds 53 double; cf. n.

72

rede: counsel

54 Occasion: opportunity 56 wind of; cf. n.

58 precepts; cf. n.
60 unproportion'd: inordinate

59 character: inscribe 61 familiar: friendly

64 dull thy palm: make thy palm less sensitive to true hospitality 65 unfledg'd: immature

71 express'd in fancy: singular in design

69 censure: opinion

And they in France of the best rank and station
Are most select and generous, chief in that.
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be;

For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!

76

80

Laer. Most humbly do I take my leave, my lord. Pol. The time invites you; go, your servants tend. Laer. Farewell, Ophelia; and remember well What I have said to you.

Oph.

'Tis in my memory lock'd,

And you yourself shall keep the key of it.

Laer. Farewell.

86

Exit Laertes.

Pol. What is 't, Ophelia, he hath said to you?

Oph. So please you, something touching the Lord Hamlet.

Pol. Marry, well bethought:

'Tis told me, he hath very oft of late

Given private time to you; and you yourself

92

Have of your audience been most free and bounteous. If it be so, as so 'tis put on me,

96

And that in way of caution,-I must tell you,
You do not understand yourself so clearly
As it behoves my daughter and your honour.
What is between you? give me up the truth.
Oph. He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders
Of his affection to me.

74 Are... that; cf. n.

83 tend: are in waiting

100

77 husbandry: thrift

90 Marry: an oath derived from the name of Saint Mary

92 private time: time in private visits

94 put on: impressed on

99 tenders: offers; cf. n.

Pol. Affection! pooh! you speak like a green girl, Unsifted in such perilous circumstance.

Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?

Oph. I do not know, my lord, what I should think.

104

Pol. Marry, I'll teach you: think yourself a baby, That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay, Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly; Or,-not to crack the wind of the poor phrase, Roaming it thus, you'll tender me a fool.

Oph. My lord, he hath importun'd me with love In honourable fashion.

109

Pol. Ay, fashion you may call it: go to, go to. Oph. And hath given countenance to his speech, my lord,

With almost all the holy vows of heaven.

113

Pol. Ay, springes to catch woodcocks. I do know, When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul Lends the tongue vows: these blazes, daughter, Giving more light than heat, extinct in both, Even in their promise, as it is a-making, You must not take for fire. From this time Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence; Set your entreatments at a higher rate

116

120

Than a command to parley. For Lord Hamlet,
Believe so much in him, that he is young,

124

And with a larger tether may he walk

Than may be given you: in few, Ophelia,

Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers,
Not of that dye which their investments show,

101 green: inexperienced

102 Unsifted: untried circumstance: state of affairs

107 sterling: legal currency Tender: have a regard for 115 springes: snares woodcocks; cf. n.

122 entreatments: conversations, interviews

126 in few: briefly

128 investments: vestments, clothes

127 brokers: go-betweens, procurers