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The unfortunate death of Polonius gave the king a pretence for sending Hamlet out of the kingdom. This subtle king, under pretence of providing for Hamlet's safety, that he might not be called to account for Polonius' death, caused him to be conveyed on board a ship bound for England, under the care of two courtiers, by whom he despatched letters to the English court, which in that time paid tribute to Denmark, requiring for special reasons there pretended, that Hamlet should be put to death as soon as he landed on English ground. Hamlet, suspecting some treachery, in the night-time secretly got at the letters, and skilfully erasing his own name, he, in the stead of it, put in the names of those two courtiers who had the charge of him. Soon after the ship was attacked by pirates, and a sea-fight commenced; in the course of which Hamlet, desirous to show his valour, with sword in hand singly boarded the enemy's vessel;

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while his own ship, in a cowardly manner, bore away, and left him to his fate.

The pirates set Hamlet on shore at the nearest port in Denmark. He quickly reached home, where a sad spectacle offered itself the first thing to his eyes. This was the funeral of the young and beautiful Ophelia.

The wits of this young lady had begun to turn ever since her poor father's death. That he should die a violent death, and by the hands of the prince whom she loved, so affected this tender young maid, that in a little time she grew perfectly distracted. There was a willow which grew slanting over a brook, and reflected its leaves on the stream. To this brook she came one day when she was unwatched, with garlands she had been making, mixed up of daisies and nettles, flowers and weeds together, and clambering up to hang her garland upon the boughs of the willow, a bough broke, and precipitated her into the water, where her clothes, heavy with the wet, pulled her to a miserable death. It was the funeral of this fair maid which her brother Laertes was celebrating, the king and queen and whole court being present, when Hamlet arrived.

Hamlet knew not what all this show imported, but stood on one side, not inclining o interrupt the ceremony. He saw the flowers strewed upon her grave, which the queen herself threw in. And he heard her brother wish that violets might spring from her grave: and he saw him leap into the grave all frantic with grief. And Hamlet's love for this fair maid came back to him, and he could not bear that a brother should show so much transport of grief. Then discovering himself, he leaped into the grave where Laertes was, all as frantic or more than he, and Laertes knowing him to be Hamlet, who had been the cause of his father's and sister's death, grappled him by the throat as an enemy, till the attendants parted them: and Hamlet, after the funeral, excused his hasty act in throwing himself into the grave as if to brave Laertes.

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But out of the grief and anger of Laertes, Hamlet's wicked uncle contrived destruction for Hamlet. He set on Laertes, under cover of peace and reconciliation, to challenge Hamlet to a friendly trial of skill at fencing, which Hamlet accepting, a day was appointed to try the match. At this match all the court was present, and Laertes, by direction of the king, prepared a poisoned weapon. At first Laertes did but play with Hamlet, and suffered him to gain some advantages, which the dissembling king magnified and extolled beyond measure, but after a few passes, Laertes growing warm made a deadly thrust at Hamlet with his poisoned weapon, and gave him a mortal blow. Hamlet incensed, but not knowing the whole of the treachery, in the scuffle exchanged his own innocent weapon for Laertes' deadly one, and with a thrust of Laertes' own sword repaid Laertes home. In this instant the queen shrieked out that she was poisoned. She had inadvertently drunk out of a poisoned bowl which the king had prepared for Hamlet, and immediately died, exclaiming with her last breath that she was poisoned. Hamlet, suspecting some treachery, ordered the doors to be shut, while he sought it out. Laertes told him to seek no farther, for he was the traitor; and feeling his life go away with the wound which Hamlet had given him, he told Hamlet of the envenomed point, and said that Hamlet had not half an hour to live. Begging forgiveness of Hamlet, he died, with his last words accusing the king of being the contriver of the mischief. When Hamlet saw his end draw near, there being yet some venom left upon the sword, he suddenly turned upon his false uncle, and thrust the point of it to his heart, fulfilling the promise which he had made to his father's spirit, whose foul murder was now revenged upon the murderer. Then Hamlet turned to his dear friend Horatio, who had been spectator of this fatal tragedy; and with his dying breath requested him that he would tell his story to the world, and Horatio

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promised that he would make a true report, as one that was privy to all the circumstances. And, thus satisfied, the noble heart of Hamlet cracked; and Horatio and the bystanders with many tears commended the spirit of this sweet prince to the guardianship of angels.

Macbeth