faith or loyaltie : feeking nothing but murther, and
depofmg (or at the leaft) offending each
other ; either in honours, goods, or lives : tie of""he
not caring to ranfome fuch as they tooke
prifoners, but rather facrificing them to the cruell
vengeance, naturally imprinted in their hearts ; in
fuch fort, that if ther were fometimes a good prince,
or king among them, who beeing adorned with the
moft perfeft gifts of nature, would adidl himfelfe to
vertue, and vfe courtefie, although the people held
him in admiration (as vertue is admirable to the
moft wicked, yet the enuie of his neighbors was fo
great, that they never ceafed untill that vertuous



Ix The Hystorie of Hamblet

man, were difpatched out of the world. King Rod-
ericke, as then raigning in Denmarke, after

Rodericke , , , r ,. 11 • ^i

kingofDen- hee had appeafed the troubles in the coun-
trey, and driuen the Sweathlanders and
Slaueans from thence, he diuided the kingdom into
diuers Prouinces, placing Governours therein : who
after (as the like happened in France) bare the names
jutieatthis of Dukes, Marquefes, & Earls, giuing the
th^nDU-^^ government of Jutie (at this prefent called
marffe. Ditmarffe) lying vpon the countrey of Cim-
brians, in the ftraight or narrow part of land, that
fheweth like a point or cape of ground vpon the fea,
which neithward bordereth vpon the countrey of
Norway. Two valiant & warlike Lords, Horuendile
and Fengon, fonnes to Geruendile, who likewife had
beene gouernour of that Prouince. 