i

Where our fate, hid within an augre-hole,
May rush, and seize us? Let's away; our tears

Are not yet brew'd.

Mal. Nor our strong sorrow on

The foot of motion.

Ban. Look to the lady:

[Lady MACBETH is carried out.

And when we have our naked frailties hid,
That suffer in exposure, let us meet,

And question this most bloody piece of work,
To know it further. Fears and scruples shake us:
In the great hand of God I stand; and, thence,

Against the undivulg'd pretence I fight
Of treasonous malice.9

Macb. And so do I.

All. So all.

Macb. Let's briefly put on manly readiness,

And meet i'the hall together.

All. Well contented. [Exeunt all but MAL. and Don.
Mal. What will you do? Let's not consort with them:
To show an unfelt sorrow, is an office
Which the false man does easy: I'll to England.
Don. To Ireland, I; our separated fortunes
Shall keep us both the safer: where we are,
There's daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood,
The nearer bloody.

Mal. This murderous shaft that's shot,
Hath not yet lighted; and our safest way
Is, to avoid the aim. Therefore, to horse;
And let us not be dainty of leave-taking,
But shift away: There's warrant in that theft
Which steals itself, when there's no mercy left. [Exe

SCENE IV.

Without the Castle. Enter ROSSE and an old Man.
Old M. Threescore and ten I can remember well:

Within the volume of which time, I have seen
Hours dreadful, and things strange; but this sore night
Hath trifled former knowings.
Rosse. Ah, good father.

(9) Pretence is intention, design, a sense in which the word is often used
by Shakspeare. STEEV.
() The design to fix the murder upon some innocent person has not yet
raken effect. JOHNSON.

Thou see'st, the heavens, as troubled with man's act,
Threaten his bloody stage: by the clock, 'tis day,
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp :
Is it night's predominance, or the day's shame,
That darkness does the face of earth intomb,
When living light should kiss it?

Old M. 'Tis unnatural,

Even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last,
A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place, 2

Was by a mousing owl3 hawk'd at, and kill'd.

Rosse. And Duncan's horses, (a thing most strange

and certain),

Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, 4
Turn'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,
Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make
War with mankind.

Old M. 'Tis said, they eat each other.
Rosse. They did so; to the amazement of mine eyes,
That look'd upon't. Here comes the good Macduff :-

Enter MACDUFF.

How goes the world, sir, now?

Macd. Why, see you not?

Rosse. Is't known, who did this more than bloody

deed?

Macd. Those that Macbeth hath slain.

Rosse. Alas, the day !

What good could they pretend ?5
Macd. They were suborn'd :

Malcolm, and Donalbain, the king's two sons,
Are stol'n away and fled; which puts upon them

Suspicion of the deed.

L

Rosse. 'Gainst nature still:
Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up
Thine own life's means !-Then 'tis most like,
The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth ?6

MALONE.

(2) In a place of which she seemed proud; -in an elevated situation.
(3) i. e. by an owl that was hunting for mice, as her proper prey.

WHALLEY.

(4) Most of the prodigies just before mentioned are related by Holinshed, as accompanying King Duffe's death. STEEV.

(5) To pretend, in this instance, as in many others, is simply to intend, to design.

STEEV.

(6) Macbeth, by birth, stood next in the succession to the crown, immediately after the sons of Duncan King Malcolm, Duncan's predecessor, had two daughters, the eldest of whom was the mother of Duncan, the youngest, the mother of Macbeth. Holinshed. STEEV.

Macd. He is already nam'd; and gone to Scone,

To be invested.

Rosse. Where is Duncan's body?

Macd. Carried to Colmes-kill;

The sacred store-house of his predecessors,
And guardian of their bones.

Rosse. Will you to Scone?

Macd. No, cousin, I'll to Fife.

Rosse. Well, I will thither.

Macd. Well, may you see things well done there ;

adieu!

Lest our old robes sit easier than our new !

Rosse. Father, farewell.

Old M. God's benison go with you; and with those

That would make good of bad, and friends of foes!

ACT III.

[Exeunt.

SCENE 1.-Fores. A Room in the Palace. Enter BANQUO.

Banquo.

THOU hast it now, King, Cawdor, Glamis, all,
As the weird women promis'd; and, I fear,
Thou play'dst most foully for't: yet it was said,
It should not stand in thy posterity;

But that myself should be the root, and father
Of many kings. If there come truth from them,
(As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine,)"
Why, by the verities on thee made good,
May they not be my oracles as well,

And set me up in hope? But, hush; no more.

Senet sounded. Enter MACBETH, as king; Lady MACBETH, as queen; LENOX, ROSSE, Lords, Ladies, and Attendants.

Macb. Here's our chief guest.

Lady M. If he had been forgotten, It had been as a gap in our great feast, And all-things unbecoming.

Macb. To-night we hold a solemn supper, sir,

And I'll request your presence.
Ban. Let your highness

Command upon me; to the which, my duties

(7) Shine, for appear with all the lustre of conspicuous truth. JOHNS.

and grecia

Are with a most indissoluble tie
For ever knit.

Macb. Ride you this afternoon ?

Ban. Ay, my good lord.

Macb. We should have else desir'd your good advice (Which still hath been both grave and prosperous,) 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 supper: go not my horse the better,

I must become a borrower of the night,

For a dark hour, or twain.

Macb. Fail not our feast.

Ban. My lord, I will not.

Macb. We hear, our bloody cousins are bestow'd

In England, and in Ireland; not confessing
Their cruel parricide, filling their hearers
With strange invention: But of that to-morrow;
When, therewithal, we shall have cause of state,
Craving us jointly. Hie you to horse: Adieu,
Till you return at night. Goes Fleance with you?
Ban. Ay, my good lord: our time does call upon us.
Macb. I wish your horses swift and sure of foot;

And so I do commend you to their backs.
Farewell.

[Exit BANQUO.

Let every man be master of his time)
Till seven at night; to make society
The sweeter welcome, we will keep ourself
Till supper-time alone: while then, God be with you.-.

[Exeunt Lady MACBETH, Lords, Ladies, &c.

Sirrah, a word: Attend those men our pleasure?
Ser. They are, my lord, without the palace-gate.
Macb. Bring them before us. [Exit Atten.] To be

thus, is nothing;

But to be safely thus: - Our fears in Banquo
Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature
Reigns that, which would be fear'd: 'Tis much he dares;
And, to that dauntless temper of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour
To act in safety. There is none, but he
Whose being I do fear: and, under him,
My genius is rebuk'd; as, it is said,
Mark Antony's was by Cæsar. He chid the sisters,
When first they put the name of king upon me,

1

i

i

And bade them speak 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 sceptre in my gripe,
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
No son of mine succeeding. If it be so,
For Banquo's issue have I fil'd my mind;8
For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd;
Put rancours in the vessel of my peace
Only for them; and mine eternal jewel
Given to the common enemy of man,
To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!
Rather than so, come, fate, into the list,
And champion me to the utterance: 9- Who's there?-

[Ex. At.

Re-enter Attendant, with two Murderers.
Now to the door, and stay there till we call.
-Was it not yesterday we spoke together?
1 Mur. It was, so please your highness.
Macb. Well then, now

Have you consider'd of my speeches? Know,
That it was he, in the times past, which held you
So under fortune; which, you thought, had been
Our innocent self: this I made good to you
In our last conference; past in probation with you,
How you were borne in hand; how cross'd; the instru-

ments;

Who wrought with them; and all things else, that might,
To half a soul, and a notion craz'd,
Say, Thus did Banquo.

1 Mur. You made it known to us.
Macb. I did so; and went further, which is now

Our point of second meeting. Do you find
Your patience so predominant in your nature,
That you can let this go? Are you so gospell'd,

(8) 'Filed. i. e. defiled. WARB.

This mark of contraction is not necessary. To file is in the Bishops' Bible.
JOHNSON.

(9) This passage will be best explained by translating it into the language from whence the only word of difficulty in it is borrowed Que la destinee se rende en lice, et qu'elle me donne un defi a l'outrance." A challenge, or a combat a l'outrance, to extremity, was a fixed term in the law of arms, used when the combatants engaged with an odium internecinum, an intention to destroy each other, in opposition to trials of skill at festivals, or on other ocsasions, where the contest was only for reputation or a prize. The sense therefore is: Let fate, that has fore-doomed the exaltation of the sons of Ban quo, enter the lists against me with the utmost animosity, in defence of its own decrees, which I will endeavour to invalidate, whatever be the danger. JOHNSON: