Would he were here! to all, and him, we thirst,

And all to all.

LORDS. Our duties, and the pledge.

MACB. Avaunt! and quit my fight! Let the earth hide thee!

Thy bones are marrowlefs, thy blood is cold;

Thou haft no speculation in those

Which thou doft glare with!

eyes

LADY M. Think of this, good peers,
But as a thing of cuftom: 'tis no other; .
Only it spoils the pleasure of the time.
MACB. What man dare, I dare:

Approach thou like the rugged Ruffian bear,
The arm'd rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger,
Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves
Shall never tremble: Or, be alive again,
And dare me to the desert with thy fword;
If trembling I inhibit thee, protest me
The baby of a girl. Hence, horrible shadow!

[Ghoft difappears. Unreal mockery, hence !-Why, fo;-being gone,

I am a man again.-Pray you, fit ftill.

LADY M. You have difplac'd the mirth, broke the good meeting,

With most admir'd disorder.

MACB. Can fuch things be,

And overcome us like a fummer's cloud,

Without our special wonder? You make me strange

Even to the difpofition that I owe,

When now I think you can behold fuch fights,

And keep the natural ruby of your cheeks,

When mine are blanch'd with fear.

ROSSE. What fights, my lord?

LADY M. I pray you, fpeak not; he grows worse and Question enrages him: at once, good night:

Stand not upon the order of your going,

But go at once.

LEN. Good night, and better health

Attend his majesty!

LADY M. A kind good night to all!

[worse ;

[Exeunt LORDS, and Attendants. MACB. It will have blood; they say, blood will have

blood:

Stones have been known to move, and trees to speak; Augurs, and understood relations, have

By magot-pies, and choughs, and rooks, brought forth The secret'ft man of blood.-What is the night?

LADY M. Almost at odds with morning, which is which. MACB. How fay'st thou, that Macduff denies his perfon, At our great bidding?

LADY M. Did you fend to him, fir?

MACB. I hear it by the way; but I will fend:
There's not a one of them, but in his houfe
I keep a fervant fee'd. I will to-morrow,
(Betimes I will,) unto the weird fifters:

More fhall they fpeak; for now I am bent to know,
By the worst means, the worst: for mine own good,
All caufes fhall give way; I am in blood

Stept in fo far, that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er:

Strange things I have in head, that will to hand;
Which must be acted, ere they may be scann'd.
LADY M. You lack the feafon of all natures, fleep.
MACB. Come, we'll to fleep: My ftrange and felf-abufe
Is the initiate fear, that wants hard ufe:-

We are yet but young in deed.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V. The Heath.

Thunder. Enter HECATE, meeting the three WITCHES.
1 WITCH. Why, how now, Hecate? you look angerly.
HEC. Have I not reafon, beldams, as you are,
Saucy, and overbold? How did you dare

To trade and traffick with Macbeth,
In riddles, and affairs of death;
And I, the mistress of your charms,
The clofe contriver of all harms,
Was never call'd to bear my part,
Or fhow the glory of our art?

And, which is worse, all you have done
Hath been but for a wayward fon,
Spiteful, and wrathful; who, as others do,
Loves for his own ends, not for you.
But make amends now: Get you gone,
And at the pit of Acheron

Meet me i'the morning; thither he
Will come to know his destiny.
Your veflels, and your fpells, provide,
Your charms, and every thing befide:
I am for the air; this night I'll spend
Unto a difmal-fatal end.

Great business must be wrought ere noon :
Upon the corner of the moon

There hangs a vaporous drop profound;
I'll catch it ere it come to ground:
And that, diftill'd by magick flights,
Shall raife fuch artificial fprights,
As, by the ftrength of their illufion,
Shall draw him on to his confufion:
He shall spurn fate, fcorn death, and bear

His hopes 'bove wisdom, grace, and fear:

Is mortals' chiefeft enemy.

SONG. [within] Come away, come away, &c.

And you all know, fecurity

Hark, I am call'd; my little fpirit, fee,

Sits in a foggy cloud, and stays for me.

[Exit.

1 WITCH. Come, let's make hafte; she'll foon be back

again.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VI. Fores. A Room in the Palace.

Enter LENOX, and another Lord.

LEN. My former fpeeches have but hit your thoughts, Which can interpret further: only, I fay,

Things have been strangely borne: The gracious Duncan
Was pitied of Macbeth :-marry, he was dead :—
And the right valiant Banquo walk'd too late;
Whom, you may say, if it please you, Fleance kill'd,
For Fleance fled. Men must not walk too late.
Who cannot want the thought, how monftrous
It was for Malcolm, and for Donalbain,
To kill their gracious father? damned fact!
How it did grieve Macbeth! did he not straight,
In pious rage, the two delinquents tear,

"That were the flaves of drink, and thralls of fleep?
Was not that nobly done? Ay, and wifely too;
For 'twould have anger'd any heart alive,

To hear the men deny it. So that, I fay,

He has borne all things well: and I do think,
That, had he Duncan's fons under his key,

(As, an't please heaven, he shall not,) they should find What 'twere to kill a father; fo fhould Fleance.

But, peace!--for from broad words, and 'cause he fail'd His presence at the tyrant's feast, I hear,

Macduff lives in difgrace: Sir, can you tell
Where he bestows himself?

LORD. The fon of Duncan,

From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth,
Lives in the English court; and is receiv'd
Of the most pious Edward with fuch grace,
That the malevolence of fortune nothing
Takes from his high refpect: Thither Macduff
Is gone to pray the holy king, on his aid

To wake Northumberland, and warlike Siward :
That, by the help of thefe, (with Him above,
To ratify the work,) we may again

Give to our tables meat, fleep to our nights;
Free from our feafts and banquets bloody knives;
Do faithful homage, and receive free honours,
All which we pine for now: And this report
Hath fo exafperate the king, that he

Prepares for fome attempt of war.
LEN. Sent he to Macduff?

LORD. He did: and with an abfolute, Sir, not I,
The cloudy meffenger turns me his back,

And hums; as who should say, You'll rue the time
That clogs me with this anfwer.

LEN. And that well might

Advise him to a caution, to hold what distance
His wifdom can provide. Some holy angel
Fly to the court of England, and unfold

His meffage ere he come; that a fwift bleffing
May foon return to this our fuffering country
Under a hand accurs'd!

LORD. My prayers with him.

VOL. III.

[Exeunt.

D