ACT

Tas the weird women promis'd; and, I fear, Senet founded. Enter Macbeth as King; Lady Mac

1 Meaning, our half-dreft bodies. 2 i. e. intention, defign. 3 Meaning, confidence in its quality. 4 To pretend, means here, propofe to themfelves. 5 Colmes-hill, or Colm-kill, means Iona, one of the weitern ifles, where moft of the ancient kings of Scotland are buried. i. c. profper.

And all things unbecoming.

No fon of mine fucceeding. If it be fo,

Marb. To-night we hold a folemn fupper, fir, For Banquo's iffue have I fil'd 2 my mind; And I'll requeft your prefence.

Ban. Lay your highness'

Command upon me; to the which, my duties
Are with a moft indiffoluble tye
For ever knit.

Mach. Ride you this afternoon ?

Ban. Ay, my good lord.

For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd;
Put rancours in the veffel of my peace
Only for them; and mine eternal jewel
Given to the common enemy of man 3,

To make them kings, the feed of Banquo kings!
Rather than fo, come, fate, into the lift,

[advice | And champion meto the utterance 4 !--Who's there?
Re-enter Servant, with two Murdeners.
Now go to the door, and stay there till we call.
[Exit Servant.

Mach. We fhould have elfe defir'd your good
(Which still hath been both grave and profperous)
In this day's council; but we'll take to-morrow.
Is 't far you ride ?

Ban. As far, my lord, as will fill up the time
"Twixt this and fupper: go not my horfe the bet-
I mult become a borrower of the night,
For a dark hour, or twain.

Macb. Fail not our feaft.
Ban. My lord, I will not.

[ter,

Mach. We hear, our bloody coufins are bestow'd
In England, and in Ireland; not confefing
Their cruel parricide, filling their hearers
With ftrange invention: But of that to-morrow;
When, therewithal, we fhall have caufe of flate,
Craving us jointly. Hie you to horfe: Adieu,
Till you return at night. Goes Fleance with you?
Ban. Ay, my good lord: our time does call

upon us.

[Exit Banquo.

Was it not yesterday we spoke together?
Mur. It was, fo please your highness.
Mach. Well then, now

Have you confider'd of my fpeeches? Know,
That it was he, in the times paft, which held you
So under fortune; which, you thought, had been
Our innocent felf: this I made good to you
In our laft conference, paft in probation with you ;
How you were borne in hand 5; how croft; the
inftruments;

Who wrought with them; and all things elfe,
that might,

To half a foul, and to a notion craz'd,
Say, Thus did Banquo.

I Mur. You made it known to us.

Macb. I did fo; and went further, which is now

Mach. I with your horfes fwift, and fure of foot; Our point of fecond meeting. Do you find And fo I do commend you to their backs. Your patience fo predominant in your nature, Farewel.That you can let this go? Are you fo gospell'd 3⁄4, To pray for this good man, and for his iffue, Whofe heavy hand hath bow'd you to the grave, And beggar'd yours for ever?

Let every man be mafter of his time
Till feven at night: to make fociety
The fweeter welcome, we will keep ourfelf [you.
Till fupper-time alone: while then, God be with
[Exeunt Lady Macbeth, and Lords.
Sirrah, a word with you: Attend thote men our
pleasure ?

Se. They are, my lord, without the palace gate.
Mab. Bring them before us-To be thus, is
nothing;
[Exit Se vant.
But to be fately thus ;-Our fears in Banquo
Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature

1 Mar. We are men, my liege,

Macb. Ay, in the catalogue you go for men;
As hounds, and greyhounds, mungrels, fpaniels, curs,
Shoughs7, water-rugs, and demi-woives, are cleped
All by the name of dogs; the valued file
Diftinguishes the fwift, the flow, the fubtle,
The house-keeper, the hunter, every one
According to the gift which bounteous nature
Hath in him clos'd; whereby he does receive

Reigns that, which would be fear'd: 'Tis much he Particular addition, from the bill

dares;

And, to that dauntless temper of his mind,

He hath a wildom that doth guide his valour
To act in fafety. There is none, but he,
Whofe being I do fear: And, under him,
My genius is rebuk'd; as, it is faid,
Mark Antony's was by Cafar. He chid the fifters,
When firft they put the name of King upon me,
And bade them fpeak to him; then, prophet-like,
They hail'd him father to a line of kings;
Upon my head they plac'd a fruitless crown,
And put a barren fceptor in my gripe,
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,

That writes them all alike: and fo of men.
Now, if you have a station in the file,
Not in the worst rank of manhood, fay it;
And I will put that butinefs in your bofoms,
Whofe execution takes your enemy off;
Grapples you to he heart and love of us,
Who wear our health but fickly in his life,
Which in his death were perfect.

2 Mur. I am one, my liege,
Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world
Have fo incers'd, that I am reckless what
I do, to fpite the world.

Mur. And I another,

1i. e. If he does not go well. 2 i. e. defiled. 3 the devil. 4 The word utterance is derived from the French outrance. A challenge or a combat a l'outrance, to extremity, was a fix'd term in the law of arms, uled when the combatants engaged with an odium inter ecinum, an intention to defray each other. 5 i. e, made to believe what was not true. 6 Meaning, are you of that degree of piccife virtue? Gospellers was a name of contempt given by the Papitts to the Lollards. 7 Shoughs are pro bably what we now call fhocks. The expreflion, valued file, feems to mean in this place, a poft of honour; the firit rank, in oppofition to the last. File and lift are fynonymous.

Bb3

So weary with difafters, tugg'd with fortune 1,
That I would fet my life on any chance,
To mend it, or be rid on't.

Macb. Both of you

Know, Banquo was your enemy.

Mur. True, my lord.

Macb. So is he mine: and in fuch bloody distance 2
That every minute of his being thrufts
Against my near ft of life: And though I could
With bare-fac'd power sweep him from my fight,
And bid my will avouch it; yet I muft nct,
For certain friends that are both his and mine,
Whofe loves I may not drop, but wail his fall
Whom I myself struck down: and thence it is,
That I to your affiftance do make love;
Masking the bufinefs from the common eye,
For fundry weighty reafons.

May. We fhall, my lord,

Perform what you command us.

Mur. Though our lives

With them they think on Things without all
remedy

Should be without regard: what's done, is done.
Mach. We have fotch'd the fnake, not kill'd it,
She'll clofe, and be herfelf; whilft our poor malice
Remains in danger of her former tooth.

But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds
fuffer,

Ere we will cat our meal in fear, and fleep
In the affliction of these terrible dreams,
That shake us nightly: Better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our place, have fent to peace,
Than on the torture of the mind to lie
In restless ccftacy .-Duncan is in his grave;
After life's fitful fever, he fleeps well;
Treafon has done his worst: nor steel, nor poifen,
Malice domeftic, foreign levy, nothing,
Can touch him further!

Lady. Come on; Gentle my lord,

Sleek o'er your rugged looks; be bright and jovial

Macb. Your fpirits fhine through you, Within Among your guefts to-night.

this hour, at most,

I will advise you where to plant yourselves;
Acquaint you with the perfect (py o' the time 3,
The moment on 't; for 't must be done to-night,
And fomething from the palace; always thought,
That I require a clearness: And with him,
(To leave no rubs, nor botches, in the work)
Fleance his fon, that keeps him company,
Whofe abfence is no lefs material to me
Than is his father's, muit embrace the fate
Of that dark hour: Refolve yourfelves apart;
I'll come to you anon.

Mur. We are refolv'd, my lord.

Mach. I'll call upon you straight; abide within.
It is concluded:-Banquo, thy foul's flight,
If it find heaven, must find it out to-night. [Exeunt.
SCEN E

II.

Enter Lady Macbeth, and a Servant.
Lady. Is Banquo gone from court?
Serv. Ay, madam; but returns again te-night.
Lady. Say to the king, I would attend His leifure
For a few words.

Sery. Madam, I will.

Lady. Nought's had, all's fpent,
Where our defire is got without content;
'Tis fafer to be that which we destroy,
Than, by deftruction, dwell in doubtful joy.
Enter Macbeth

[Exit.

Mack. So fhall 1, love;

And fo, I pray, be you; Let your remembrance
Apply to Banquo; prefent him eminence 7, both
With eye and tongue: Unfafe the while, that we
Muft lave our honours in theic flattering ftreams;
And make our faces vizards to our hearts,
Difguifing what they are.

Lady. You must leave this.

Macb. O, full of fcorpions is my mind, dear wife !
Thou know'ft, that Banquo, and his Fleance, lives.
Lady. But in them nature's copy 's not eterne.
Macb. There's comfort yet, they are affailable;
Then be thou jocund: Lie the bat hath flown
His cloitter'd flight; ere, to black Hecat's fummons,
The fhard-borne beetle 9, with his drowfy hums,
Hath rung night's yawning peal, there shall be done
A deed of dreadful note.

Ledy. What's to be done?

Matb. Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck 19,

II

Till theu applaud the deed. Come, feeling night,
Skarf up the tender eye of pitiful day;
And, with thy bloody and invitible hand,
Cancel, and tear to pieces, that great bond
Which keeps me pale!--Ligh: thickens 12; and
the crow

Makes wing to the rooky wood 13 :

Good things of day begin to droop and drowze; While night's black agent to their preys do reuze. Thou mai vell'ft at my words: but hold thee ftill ; Things, bad begun, make strong themiclves by ill : Ufing those thoughts, which thould indeed have dy'd¦So, pr'ythee, go with me. [Excunt.

How now, my lord? why do you keep alone,
Of forrieft 5 fancies your companions making ?

1 i. e, worried by fortune. 2 Such a diflance as mortal enemies would fland at from each other when the 'r quarrel muft be determined by the fword. 3 Meaning, the exact time. 4 i. c. Always remembering, that throughout the whole tranfaction I must ftand clear of fufpicion. 5 i. e. Worthlefs, vile. 6 ftacy here fignifies any violent emotion of the mind, pain, ogony. 71. e. Do him the highest honours. 8 Eterne for eternal. 9 i. e. according to Mr Steevens, the beetle borne along the air by its fhards or fealy wings; fhards fignifying feales. But Mr. Tollet fays, that faard-Lorn beetle is the beetle born in dung; and that hard fignifies dung, is well known in the North of Staffordshire, where couffard is the word generally used for cow-dung. 10 A term of endearment. blinding. 1 i. e. The right grows dull or muddy. 13 i. c. to a rookery.

II 1. C.

SCENE

The west yet glimmers with fome ftreaks of day:To faucy doubts and fears. But Banquo's fate? Now fpurs the lated traveller apace,

Mur. My lord, his throat is cut; that I did for him. Led you to Duncan. Oh, thefe flaws 5, and starts,

[peak Stones have been known to move, and trees to Augurs, and understood relations 7, have [forth By magot-pies, and choughs, and rooks, brought

And push us from our ftools: This is more strangeThe fecret'ft man of blood.—What is the night? Than fuch a murder is.

1 The gentle weal is the peaceable community. 2 i. e. wonder. 3 i. e. all good wishes to all fuch as he had named above, love, health, and joy. 4 Pope reads, and we think properly, inhibit; that is. if I refufe, or evade thee. 5 Meaning, pafs over us like a fummer's cloud. 6 Mr. Steevens clucidates this paifage thus: "You prove to me that I am a ftranger even to my own difpofition, "when I perceive that the very object which fleals the colour from my cheek, permits it to remain in yours. In other words,- You prove to me how falfe an opinion I have hitherto maintained "of my own courage, when yours on the trial is found to exceed it." 7 By relation is here meant i. e. e. magpies. Magot-pie is the original name of the bird, from magot, Fr. and hence alfo the modern abbreviation of mag, applied to pies, 9-To Jean is to examine nicely. 10 i. e. refreshment.