care of two courtiers, by whom he dispatched letters to the English
court, which at that time was in subjection and 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,
to be put to death: then sealing up the letters, he put them into
their place again. Soon after the ship was attacked by pirates, and a
sea-fight commenced; in the course of which Hamlet, desirous to shew
his valour, with sword in hand singly boarded the enemy's vessel;
while his own ship, in a cowardly manner, bore away, and leaving him
to his fate, the two courtiers made the best of their way to England,
charged with those letters the sense of which Hamlet had altered to
their own deserved destruction.

The pirates, who had the prince in their power, shewed themselves
gentle enemies; and knowing whom they had got prisoner, in the hope
that the prince might do them a good turn at court in recompence
for any favour they might shew him, they set Hamlet on shore at the
nearest port in Denmark. From that place Hamlet wrote to the king,
acquainting him with the strange chance which had brought him back to
his own country, and saying that on the next day he should present
himself before his majesty. When he got home, a sad spectacle offered
itself the first thing to his eyes.

This was the funeral of the young and beautiful Ophelia, his once dear
mistress. 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