Macb. The rest is labour, which is not us'd for you;'

I'll be myself the harbinger and make joyful

The hearing of my wife with your approach;

So, humbly take my leave.

Dun.
My worthy Cawdor!
Macb. The Prince of Cumberland!

That is a stop,

On which I must fall down, or else o'er-leap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires!
Let not night see, my black and deep desires;
The eye wink at the hand! yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.

[Aside.]

[Exit.]

Dun. True, worthy Banquo; he is full só valiant 1);

And in his commendations I am fed;

It is a banquet to me. Let us after him,

Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome.

It is a peerless kinsman.

[Flourish. Exeunt.]

Inverness. A Room in Macbeth's Castle.

Enter Lady Macbeth reading a letter.

Lady M. ,,They met me in the day of success; and I have learned by the perfectest report 62), they have more in them than mortal knowledge. When I burn'd in desire to question them further, they, made themselves air, into which they vanish'd. While I stood rapt in the wonder of it, came missives 3) from the king, who all hail'd me Thane of Cawdor; by which title, before, these weird sisters saluted me and referred me to the coming on of time, with, Hail, king, that shalt be! This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness; that thou might'st not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness is promis'd thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewell."

Scotland, that the walls of the castle of Macbeth at Inverness are yet standing. Steevens. 61) i. e. he is to the full as valiant as you have described him. We must imagine, that while Macbeth was uttering the six preceding lines, Duncan and Banquo had been conferring apart, Macbeth's conduct appears to have been their subject; and to some encomium supposed to have been bestowed on him by Banquo, the reply of Duncan refers. Steevens. 62) By the best intelligence. Johnson 63) missives i, e. messengers. Steevens.

!

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be

What thou art promis'd. Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' the milk of human kindness,

To catch the nearest way.

Thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition; but without

The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly,
That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,

And yet wouldst wrongly win': thou 'dst have, great Glamis,
That which cries, thus thou must do, if thou have it;
And that which rather thou dost fear to do 64),
Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear;
And chastise with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round 65),
Which fate and metaphysical 6) aid doth seem
Tho have thee crown'd withal 67).

What is your tidings?

Enter an Attendant.

Atten. The king comes here to night.

Lady M.

Thou 'rt mad to say it:

Is not thy master with him? who, were 't so,

Would have inform'd for preparation.

Atten. So please you, it is true: our Thane is coming:

One of my fellows had the speed of him;

Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more

Than would make up 14 message.

Lady M.

Give him tending,

He brings great news. The raven himself is hoarse 68),

[Exit Attendant.]

64) And that which rather thou dost fear to do. The construction, perhaps, is, thou would'st have that (i. e. the crown) which cries unto thee, thou must do thus, if thou wouldst have it, and thou must do which rather, etc. Malone. 65) the golden round is the diadem. Johnson. 66) Metaphysical for supernatural. Warburton. 67) I do not concur with Dr. Warburton, in thinking that Shakspeare meant to say, that fate and metaphysical aid seem to have crowned Macbeth. Lady Macbeth means to animate her husband to the attainment of „the golden round", with which fate and supernatural agency seem to intend to have him crowned, on a future day. There is, in my opinion, a material difference between ,,To have thee crown'd," and ,,To have crown'd thee." Malone.68) The messenger, says the servant, had hardly breath to make up his message; to which the lady answers mentally, that he may well want breath, such a message would

1

That croaks the fata! entrance of Duncan

Under my battlements. Come, come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts 9), unsex me here;
And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse 70);
That no compunctious visitings of nature.

Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace 71) between
The effect, and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall 72), you murd'ring ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances

You wait on nature's mischief 3)! Come, thick night!
And pall thee 7*) in the dunnest smoke of hell!
That my keen knife 5) see not the wound it makes;
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,

To cry, hold, hold! 7) Great Glamis! worthy Cawdor!
Enter Macbeth.

Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter!

Thy letters have transported me beyond

6

For

add hoarseness to the raven. That even the bird, whose harsh voice is accustomed to predict calamities, could not croak the entrance of Duncan but in a note of unwonted harshness. Johnson. ") mortal thoughts. This pression signifies not the thoughts of mortal, but murderous, deadly, or destructive de signs. Johnson, 70) remorse, pity. Steevens. 1) To keep peace between the effect and purpose, means to delay the execution of her purpose; to prevent its proceeding to effect. as long as there should be a peace between the effect and purpose, or in other words, till hostilities were commenced, till some bloody action should be performed, her purpose (i. e. the murder of Duncan) could not be carried into execution. Malone. 72) Take away my milk and put gall into the place. Johnson. 73) Nature's mischief, is mischief done to nature, violation of nature's order committed by wickedness. Johnson. **) pall thee i. e. wrap thyself in a pall. Warburton. 75) The word knife was anciently used to express a sword or dagger. Steevens. 76) On this passage there is a long criticism in the Rambler, number 168. Johnson. To cry, hold, hold! The thought is tak-' en from the old military laws which inflicted capital punishment проп whosoever shall strike stroke at his adversary, either in the heat or otherwise, if a third do cry hold, to the intent to part them; except that they did fight a combat in a place inclosed: and than no man shall be so hardy as to bid hold, but the general." Tollet.

This ignorant present 77) and I feel now

The future in the instant.

Macb.

Duncan comes here to-night.

Lady M.

My dearest love,

And when goes hence?

O, never

Mach. To-morrow, - as he purposes.

Lady M.

Shall sun that morrow see!

Your face, my Thane, is as a book, where men

May read strange matters 78).

To beguile the time,

Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,

Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under it. He that's coming,
Must be provided for; and you shall put
This night's great business into my despatch;
Which shall to all our nights and days to come
Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.

Mach. We shall speak further.
Lady M.

To alter favour ever is to fear 79).

Only look

up

clear:

[Exeunt.]

Leave all the rest to me.

SCENE VI.

The same

Before the Castle.

Hautboys, Servants of Macbeth attending. Enter Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Banquo, Lenox, Macduff, Rosse, Angus and Attendants.

Dun. This castle hath a pleasant seat 80); the air Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself

Unto our gentle 1) senses.

77) Ignorant has here the signification of unknowing; that is, I feel by anticipation, those future honours, of which, according to the process of nature, the present time would be igno rant. Johnson. Some of our modern editors read:,, present time"; but the phraseology in the text is frequent in our author, as well as in other ancient writers. Steevens. 78) That is, thy looks are such as will awaken men's curiosity, excite their attention, and make room for suspicion. Heath, 79) favour is look, countenance. 80) seat, situation. 81) gentle, placid, calm, composed. Johnson.

Ban.

This guest of summer,

The temple-haunting martlet, does approve
By his lov'd mansionry, that heaven's breath

Smells wooingly here: no jutty 82), frieze, buttress,
Nor coigne of vantage 83), but this bird hath made
His pendent bed, and procreant cradle. Where they
Most breed and haunt, I have observ'd, the air
Is delicate,

Enter Lady Macbeth.

Dun. See, see! our honour'd hostess!

The love that follows us, sometime is our trouble,
Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you,
How you should bid God yield *) us for your pairs,
And thank us for your trouble 85).

Lady M.
All our service,
In every point twice done, and then done double,
Were poor and single business, to contend

Against those honours deep and broad, wherewith

Your Majesty loads our house; for those of old,
And the late dignities heap'd up to them,

We rest your hermits 6).

Dun,
Where's the Thane of Cawdor?
We cours'd him at the heels, and had a purpose

To be his purveyor: but he rides well;

ton.

create

82) jutty or jetty is not here an epithet to frieze, but a substantive, signifying that part of a building which shoots forward beyond the rest. Malone. 83) coigne of vantage, convenient corner. Johnson. 8+) To bid any one God yeld him, i. e. God yield him, was the same as God reward him. Warbur 85) This passage is undoubtedly obscure, and the following is the best explication of it I am able to offer;,,Marks of respect importunately shown, are sometimes troublesome, though we are still bound to be grateful for them as indications of sincere attachment. If you pray for us on account of the trouble we in your house, and thank us for the molestations we bring with us, it must be on such a principle. Herein I teach you, that the inconvenience you suffer, is the result of our affection; and that you are therefore to pray for us, or thank us, only as far as prayers and thanks can be deserved for kindnesses that fatigue, and ho.ours that oppress. You are, in short, to make your acknowledgments for intended respect and love, however irksome our present mode of expressing them may have proved. - To bid is here used in the Saxon sense to pray. Steevens. 86) That is, we as hermits shall always pray for you. Steevens.