Page:Hamlet - The Arden Shakespeare - 1899.djvu/97

His father's death, and our o'erhasty^{[a 1]} marriage.

King. Well, we shall sift him.—

Re-enter Polonius, with Volimand and Cornelius.^{[a 2]}

Welcome, my^{[a 3]} good friends!
Say, Voltimand, what from our brother Norway?

Volt. Most fair return of greetings and desires. 60
Upon our first,^{[b 1]} he sent out to suppress
His nephew's levies, which to him appear'd
To be a preparation 'gainst the Polack,
But, better look'd into, he truly found
It was against your highness; whereat grieved 65
That so his sickness, age, and impotence
Was falsely borne in hand,^{[b 2]} sends out arrests
On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys,
Receives rebuke from Norway, and, in fine,
Makes vow before his uncle never more 70
To give the assay^{[b 3]} of arms against your majesty.
Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy,
Gives him three^{[a 4]} thousand crowns in annual fee,
And his commission to employ those soldiers,
So levied as before, against the Polack; 75
With an entreaty, herein further shown,
[Giving a paper.
That it might please you to give quiet pass
Through your dominions for this^{[a 5]} enterprise,

1. 57. o'erhasty] F, hastie Q.
2. Re-enter] Theobald, after line 57 F; Enter Embassadors Q, after line 57.
3. 58. my] Q, omitted F.
4. 73. three] Q 1, F; threescore Q.
5. 78. this] Q, that Q 1, his F.

1. 61. first] Caldecott: "Audience or opening of our business"; Clar. Press, "i.e. greeting and desire."
2. 67. borne in hand] deluded, as in Macbeth, III, i. 81; like French maintenir.
3. 71. assay] trial. But perhaps assault; see III. iii. 69.