My sea-gown scarf'd about me, in the dark

　　Groped 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 unseal

　　Their grand commission; where I found, Horatio,--

　　O royal knavery!--an exact command,

　　Larded with many several sorts of reasons

　　Importing 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.

　　HORATIO

　　Is't possible?

　　HAMLET

　　Here's the commission: read it at more leisure.

　　But wilt thou hear me how I did proceed?

　　HORATIO

　　I beseech you.

　　HAMLET

　　Being thus be-netted round with villanies,--

　　Ere I could make a prologue to my brains,

　　They had begun the play--I sat me down,

　　Devised 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, now

　　It did me yeoman's service: wilt thou know

　　The effect of what I wrote?

　　HORATIO

　　Ay, good my lord.

　　HAMLET

　　An 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.

　　HORATIO

　　How was this seal'd?

　　HAMLET

　　Why, 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,

　　Subscribed it, gave't the impression, placed it safely,

　　The changeling never known. Now, the next day

　　Was our sea-fight; and what to this was sequent

　　Thou know'st already.

　　HORATIO

　　So Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to't.

　　HAMLET

　　Why, man, they did make love to this employment;

　　They are not near my conscience; their defeat

　　Does by their own insinuation grow:

　　'Tis dangerous when the baser nature comes

　　Between the pass and fell incensed points

　　Of mighty opposites.

　　HORATIO

　　Why, what a king is this!

　　HAMLET