Thou seest, the heavens, as troubled with man's act,
Threaten his bloody stage: by th' 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 entomb,
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,

Was by a mousing owl 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,*
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 th' 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 ?$

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.

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 ?"

[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.

MALONE.

WHALLEY.

[4] Most of the prodigies just before mentioned are related by Holinshed, as accompanying King Duffe's death. STEEVENS.

[5] To pretend, in this instance, as in many others, is simply to intend, to design. STEEVENS.

[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 daugh ters, the eldest of whom was the mother of Duncan, the youngest, the mother of Macbeth Holinshed. STEEVENS.

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 storehouse 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!

[Exeunt.

ACT III.

SCENE I.--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. JOHNSON.

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 most 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.

Let every man be master of his time

Till seven at night; to make society

[Exit BANQUO.

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.

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 septre 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 ;
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 th' utterance:

Who's there?

Re-enter Attendant, with two Murderers. Now to the door, and stay there till we call. [Exit Atten. 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. WARBURTON.

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 Jice, et qu'elle me donne un deň 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 interuecinum, an intention to destroy each other, in opposi tion to trials of skill at festivals, or on other occasions, 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 Banquo 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.

Το pray for this good man, and for his issue,!
Whose heavy hand hath bow'd you to the grave,
And beggar'd yours for ever?

1 Mur. We are men, my liege.

Macb. Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men;

As hounds, and grey-hounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,
Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves, are cleped
All by the name of dogs: the valued file3
Distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle,
The house-keeper, the hunter, every one
According to the gift which bounteous nature
Hath in him clos'd; whereby he does receive
Particular addition, from the bill

:

That writes them all alike and so of men.
Now, if you have a station in the file,
And not in the worst rank of manhood, say it ;
And I will put that business in your bosoms,
Whose execution takes your enemy off;
Grapples you to the heart and love of us,
Who wear out health but sickly 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 so incens'd, that I am reckless what

I do, to spite the world.

1 Mur. And I another,

So weary with disasters, tugg'd with fortune,
That I would set my life on any chance,

To mend it, or be rid on't.

Macb. Both of you

Know, Banquo was your enemy.

2 Mur. True, my lord.

Macb. So is he mine

and in such bloody distance,

That every minute of his being thrusts

[1] Are you of that degree of precise virtue? Gospeller was a name of contempt given by the Papists to the Lollards, the puritans of early times, and the precursors of protestantism. JOHNSON.

[2] Shoughs are probably what we now call shocks, demi-wolves, lyciscæ; dogs bred between wolves and dogs.

JOHNSON.

[3] In this speech the word file occurs twice, and seems in both places to have a meaning different from its present use. The expression, valued file, evidently means a list or catalogue of value. A station in the file, and not in the worst, rank, may mean, a place in the list of manhood, and not in the lowest place. But file seems rather to mean, in this place, a post of honour; the first rank, in opposition to the last; a meaning which I have not observed in any other place.. JOHNSON.

[4] By bloody distance is here meant, such a distance as mortal enemies would stand at from each other when their quarrel must be determined by the sword