Hor. Is it a custom? 12
Ham. Ay, marry, is 't:
But to my mind,—though I am native here
And to the manner born,—it is a custom
More honour'd in the breach than the observance. 16
[This heavy-headed revel east and west
Makes us traduc'd and tax'd of other nations;
They clepe us drunkards, and with swinish phrase
Soil our addition; and indeed it takes 20
From our achievements, though perform'd at height,
The pith and marrow of our attribute.
So, oft it chances in particular men,
That for some vicious mole of nature in them, 24
As, in their birth,—wherein they are not guilty,
Since nature cannot choose his origin,—
By the o'ergrowth of some complexion,
Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason,
Or by some habit that too much o'er-leavens 29
The form of plausive manners; that these men,
Carrying, I say, the stamp of one defect,
Being nature's livery, or fortune's star, 32
Their virtues else, be they as pure as grace,
As infinite as man may undergo,
Shall in the general censure take corruption
From that particular fault: the dram of eale 36
Doth all the noble substance of a doubt,
To his own scandal.]
Enter Ghost.
18 traduc'd and tax'd: defamed and censured
19 clepe: call
swinish: gross
20 Soil our addition: blemish our good name
22 attribute: reputation
24 mole: blemish
26 his; cf. n.
27 complexion: natural tendency
28 pales: palings
29 o'er-leavens: makes too light
30 plausive: pleasing
32 nature's livery: natural attributes
fortune's star: the position in which one is placed by fortune
34 undergo: bear the weight of
36 dram of eale; cf. n.
