Apparition of a child crowned, with a tree in his band, rifes. What is this, That rises like the iffue of a King, I And wears upon his baby brow the round All. Liften, but speak not. App. Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care, Great Birnam-wood to Dunfinane's high hill Mach. That will never be: Who can imprefs the foreft, bid the tree [Defcends. Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet boadments! good! 2 Rebellious head rife never, 'till the wood Of Birnam rife, and our high-plac'd Macbeth Shall live the leafe of Nature, pay his breath To time and mortal cuftom.-Yet my heart Throbs to know one thing; tell me, if your Art Can tell fo much, fhall Banquo's iffue ever Reign in this Kingdom? All. Seek to know no more. [The Cauldron finks into the Ground. Macb. I will be fatisfy'd. Deny me this, And an eternal curfe fall on you! Let me know, Why finks that cauldron, and what noife is this. 1 Witch. Shew! 2 Witch. Shew! 3 Witch. Shew! All. Shew his eyes, and grieve his heart. Come like shadows, fo depart. [Hautboys. [Eight Kings appear and pass over in order, and Banquo; the laft, with a glass in his band. Mach. Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo. Down! Why do you fhew me this?-A fourth?-Start, eye! 3 Thy crown does fear mine eyeballs,-] The expreflon of Macbeth, that the crown fears bis eye-balls, is taken from the method formerly practifed of deftroying the fight of captives or competitors, by holding a burning bafon before the eye, which dried up its humidity. Whence the Italian, abacinare, to blind. 4 In former editions: and thy hair, Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the firfiA third is like the former-] As Macbeth expected to fee a train of kings, and was only enquiring from what race they would proceed, he could not be fur prifed that the hair of the fecond was bound with gold like that of the firft; he was offended only that the fecond resembled the first, as the first resembled Banquo, and therefore faid, and thy air, Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the firft. This Dr. Warburton has followed. 5 That twofold balls and treble Jeepers carry.] This was intended as a compliment to King James the first, who first united the two islands and the three kingdoms under one head; whofe houfe too was faid to be defcendWARB. ed from Banquo. For For the blood-bolter'd Banquo fmiles upon me, {Mufick. [The witches dance and vanish. Mach. Where are they? gone?-Let this perni cious hour Stand ay accurfed in the kalendar, Come in, without there! Enter Lenox. Len. What's your Grace's will? Mach. Saw you the wey ward fifters ? Len. No, my Lord. Mach. Came they not by you? Len. No, indeed, my Lord. Mach. Infected be the air whereon they ride, And damn'd all those that truft them! I did hear. The galloping of horfe. Who was't came by? Len. 'Tis two or three, my Lord, that bring you word, Macduff is fled to England. Macb. Fled to England? 6-the blood-bolter'd Banquo] Gildon has ridiculously interpret ed blood-bolter'd, in a thing he calls a Gloffary, to fignify mear'd with dry blood; he might as well have faid with extreme unction. Blood-bolter'd means one whofe blood hath iffued out at many wounds, as flour of corn paffes thro' the holes of a fieve. Shake Spear ufed it to infinuate the bar. barity of Banquo's murderers, who covered him with wounds. WARBURTON. Mach. Mach. [Afide.] Time, thou anticipat'st my dread exploits. The flighty purpose never is o'er-took, Unless the deed go with it. From this moment, The firstlings of my hand. And even now To crown my thoughts with acts, be't thought and done, The Caftle of Macduff I will furprise, Seize upon Fife, give to the edge o'th' fword But no more fights.-Where are thefe gentlemen? SCENE III. Changes to Macduff's Caftle at Fife, L. Macd. HAT had he done, to make him fly the Land? WHA Roffe. You must have patience, Madam. L. Macd. He had none; His flight was madness; when our actions do not, Our fears do make us traitors. Roffe. You know not, Whether it was his wifdom, or his fear. L. Macd. Wifdom? to leave his wife, to leave his babes, His manfion, and his titles, in a place From whence himself does fly. He loves us not, 8 7 Time, thou anticipat'ft my dread exploits.] To anticipate is here to prevent, by taking away the opportunity. Gg 8 — natʼral touch; ] Na tural fenfibility. He is not touched with natural affection. 3 The The moft diminutive of birds, will fight, Roffe. My dearest Coufin, I pray you, fchool yourself; but for your husband, The fits o' th' featon. I dare not speak much further, Each way, and move-I take my leave of you; Things at the worft will ceafe, or elfe climb upward L. Macd. Father'd he is, and yet he's fatherlefs. L. Macd. Sirrah, your father's dead, L. Macd. What, on worms and flies? Son. On what I get, I mean; and fo do they. L. Macd. Poor bird? Thou'dft never fear the net, nor lime, The pit-fall, nor the gin. 9- when we are traitors, And do not know ourselves :-] i. e. We think ourselves innocent, the government thinks us traitors; therefore we are ignorant of ourfelves. This is the ironical argument. The Oxford Editor alters it to, And do not know't ourselves : |