Polonius

 POLONIUS. Th’ambassadors from Norway, my good lord, Are joyfully return’d. 

 KING. Thou still hast been the father of good news. 

 POLONIUS. Have I, my lord? Assure you, my good liege, I hold my duty, as I hold my soul, Both to my God and to my gracious King: And I do think,—or else this brain of mine Hunts not the trail of policy so sure As it hath us’d to do—that I have found The very cause of Hamlet’s lunacy. 

 KING. O speak of that, that do I long to hear. 

 POLONIUS. Give first admittance to th’ambassadors; My news shall be the fruit to that great feast. 

 KING. Thyself do grace to them, and bring them in. 

 [Exit Polonius.] 

Polonius

 He tells me, my sweet queen, that he hath found The head and source of all your son’s distemper. 

 QUEEN. I doubt it is no other but the main, His father’s death and our o’erhasty marriage. 

 KING. Well, we shall sift him. 

 Enter Polonius with Voltemand and Cornelius. 

Polonius

Voltemand

Cornelius

 Welcome, my good friends! Say, Voltemand, what from our brother Norway? 

 VOLTEMAND. Most fair return of greetings and desires. Upon our first, 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 griev’d, That so his sickness, age, and impotence Was falsely borne in hand, sends out arrests On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys, Receives rebuke from Norway; and in fine, Makes vow before his uncle never more To give th’assay of arms against your Majesty. 

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