Page:Hamlet (1917) Yale.djvu/49

Prince of Denmark, II. i

Your party in converse, him you would sound,

Having ever seen in the prenominate crimes

The youth you breathe of guilty, be assur'd,

He closes with you in this consequence;

'Good sir,' or so; or 'friend,' or 'gentleman,'

According to the phrase or the addition

Of man and country.

Rey. Very good, my lord.

Pol. And then, sir, does he this,—he does,—

what was I about to say? By the mass I was

about to say something: where did I leave?

Rey. At 'closes in the consequence.'

At 'friend or so,' and 'gentleman.'

Pol. At 'closes in the consequence,' ay, marry;

He closes with you thus: 'I know the gentleman;

I saw him yesterday, or t' other day,

Or then, or then; with such, or such; and, as you say,

There was a' gaming; there o'ertook in 's rouse;

There failing out at tennis;' or perchance,

'I saw him enter such a house of sale,'

Videlicet, a brothel, or so forth.

See you now;

Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth;

And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,

With windlasses, and with assays of bias,

By indirections find directions out:

So by my former lecture and advice

Shall you my son. You have me, have you not?

Rey. My lord, I have.

 43 prenominate: aforesaid

45 closes: agrees

consequence: conclusion

51 leave: leave off

58 a': he

o'ertook in 's rouse: drunk

60 house of sale: house of ill fame

61 Videlicet: namely

64 reach: ability

65 windlasses: roundabout ways

assays of bias: indirect attempts

66 indirections: devious courses

directions: straight courses—i.e., the truth

67 lecture: instruction

