MACBETH. ACT 1. Sc. 7.

Macb. WE will proceed no further in this business. He hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people,

Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,

Not cast aside so soon.

Lady M.

Was the hope drunk

Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale

At what it did so freely?

Such I account thy love.

To be the same in thine

From this time,

Art thou afear'd own act and valour,

As thou art in desire? Would'st thou have that
Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem;
Letting "I dare not" wait upon "I would,"
Like the poor cat i' the adage?

Macb.

Pr'ythee, peace!

I dare do all that may become a man!

Who dares do more, is none.

Lady M.

What beast was it, then,

That made you break this enterprise to me?—
When you durst do it, then you were a man;
And, to be more than what you were, you would

ΜΑΚΒΗΘΟΣ. ΓΥΝΗ.

ΜΑ. Οὐ πλέον προβησόμεσθα πράγματος τούτου, γύναι· Κεῖνος ἀρτίως μ' ἐτίμασ'· ἠδ ̓ ἔγωγ ̓ ἁπάντοθεν χρυσέαν τιν ἠμπόληκα δόξαν, ἣν ἀσκεῖν πρέπει νῦν, ἕως τὸ σχῆμα λαμπρὸν, μήδ' ἔτ ̓ ἀνθοῦσαν νέον εὐθέως οὕτω πρόεσθαι.

ΓΥ.

Μῶν κάτοινος ἦν ἄρα 5 ἐλπὶς ἣν τότ ̓ ἀμφεβάλλου; καθ ̓ ὕπνῳ κοιμωμένη, τοῦ θράσους ἀπαλλαγεῖσα, νῦν ἄρ ̓ ἐξεγείρεται, κἀπὶ τοῖς πρόσθεν τοσαύτης μετ ̓ ἀρετῆς εἰργασμένοις ὠχρότητ ̓ ἤμειψε χροιᾶς; τοῖον οὖν πεφύκεναι σέθεν ἔγωγ ̓ ἔρωτα κρίνω. Πρὸς θεῶν, οὔκουν φοβεῖ δεικνύναι σαυτὸν μὲν οἶος ἦσθ ̓ ἀεὶ προθυμίᾳ, τοῖον εἰς ἔργων ἅμιλλαν ; ἄρα τῶνδ ̓ ἐφίεσαι ἂν βίῳ κάλλιστα κρίνεις; εἶθ ̓ ὑποπτήξας κάθῃ, φανερὸς οὕτως ἐξελέγχθεις δειλὸς ὡς εἴης φύσιν, αἰὲν ὃς γ ̓ ἐᾷς ἕπεσθαι τῷ ποθεῖν τὸ δεδιέναι, ὡς ὕδωρ γαλῆ φοβεῖται, καίπερ ἐπιθυμοῦσ ̓ ἄγρας; ΜΑ. Εα· [ἐγὼ πάνθ' ὅσ ̓ ἀνδρὶ δρᾶν προσήκει, πρῶτος ἂν τολμῷμ ̓ ὃς πέρα τούτων προβαίνει, θήρ τις, οὐκ ἀνὴρ ἔφυ. ΓΥ. Η τότ ̓ ἦν τι θηρίωδες ἆρα κἂν σαύτου φρεσὶν,

15

εὖτε μετέδωκας τὸ πρῶτον τῶνδε μοι κοινωνίαν ; 20 οὐμένουν· ἀνὴρ τότ ̓ ἦσθα, τῶνδ ̓ ὅτ ̓ οὐκ εἴχεν σ ̓ ὄκνος· κεί τετολμηκώς τι μεῖζον ἦσθα, θηρὸς ἂν φύσιν

ν. 3. πένητα ναίειν, δόξαν ήμποληκότα. Eur.

Be so much more the man. Nor time, nor place,
Did then adhere, and yet you would make both:
They have made themselves, and that their fitness now
Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn, as you
Have done to this.

Macb.

Lady M. We fail!

If we should fail

But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep,
(Whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey
Soundly invite him,) his two chamberlains
Will I with wine and wassel so convince,
That memory, the warder of the brain,
Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason
A limbeck only. When in swinish sleep
Their drenched natures lie, as in a death,
What cannot you and I perform upon
The unguarded Duncan? what not put upon
His spungy officers? who shall bear the guilt
Of our great quell.

Macb.

Bring forth men-children only!

25

οὐδαμῶς ἔχων ἔδειξας, ἀλλ ̓ ἔτ ̓ ἀνδρείας πλέον. καὶ γὰρ οὐ τόπος τότ ̓ οὐδὲν, οὔτε καιρὸς, ὠφέλει ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅμως ἔμελλες κἂν βίᾳ προσαρμόσαι. ὴν ἰδοὺ καὶ σοὶ πάρεισιν—τοῦτο δ' αὖ τὸ ξύμφορον νῦν σὲ μὲν τίθησ ̓ ἄνανδρον, καὶ σθένος λύει τὸ πρίν. τέκν ̓ ἐγὼ ποτ ̓ ἐξέθρεψα, καὶ παθοῦσ ̓ ἐπίσταμαι ἀμφὶ παῖδ ̓ ἕλκοντα μαστὸν ὡς ἔρως ἔστιν γλυκύς· ἀλλ ̓ ἔγωγ ̓, ἕως ἔκειτο προσγελῶν μ' ἐν ἀγκάλαις, νηπίου τίτθην ὅμως ἂν ἐκ στόματος ἀπέσπασα, κεἰς πέδον ῥίψασ', ἔφυρον οἶδας αὐθέντῃ φόνῳ— εἴπερ ὧδ ̓ ὅρκοις μεγίστοις, ὡς σὺ νῦν, ἐδησάμην. ΜΑ. Μή νυν ἐκ τούτων σφαλῶμεν

ΓΥ.

40

μὴ σφαλῶμεν, ἐκφοβεῖ; σύγε μόνον ψυχὴν ἐπαίρειν ἐστ ̓ ἂν ἐμπέδως ἔχῃ, 35 κοὐ σφαλησόμεσθ'· ὕπνῳ γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὅταν κλιθῇ, (ἐμπεσεῖν γὰρ εἰκός ἐστιν ὑπὸ μακρᾶς ὁδοῦ βαθὺν) ὧδ ̓ ἐγὼ μέθῃ ταράξω διπτύχων ὀπαόνων νοῦν, ἵν ̓ ἡ μνήμη, πάροιθεν ἥτις ἦν φρενῶν φύλαξ, αἰθέρος δίκην ἄφαντος ἢ σκιᾶς οἰχήσεται· καὐτὸ τῆς ψυχῆς μέλαθρον, ἄγγος ὡς τετρημένον, μηδὲν ἂν σώζειν δύναιτο· καθ ̓ ὅταν χοίρων δίκην κείμενοι τύχωσ ̓, ἐπ ̓ οὖδας θανασίμοι πεπτωκότες— ποῖον ἔσθ ̓ ἃ μὴ δυναίμεθ ̓ ἔργμα λυμαντήριον κεῖνον ἂν δράσαι κλιθέντα; ποῖα μὴ καθύβρισαι 45 προσπόλους βρεχθέντας; οἶσιν αἰτία προσθήσεται τῆσδε γε φθορᾶς μεγίστης.

ΜΑ.

Παῖδας ἄρσενας μόνον,

ν. 29. ἧς πρώτα μαστὸν εἵλκυσα. Eur. Phœniss.

For thy undaunted mettle should compose

Nothing but males. Will it not be receiv'd,

When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two Of his own chamber, and used their very daggers, That they have done 't?

Lady M.

Who dares receive it other?

As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar
Upon his death.

Macb.

I am settled, and bend up

Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.

Away! and mock the time with fairest show:

False face must hide what the false heart doth know.

[1821.

OTHELLO. ACT 1. Sc. 2.

Oth. AND, till she come, as truly as to Heaven

I do confess the vices of my blood,

So justly to your grave ears I'll present

How I did thrive in this fair lady's love,
And she in mine.

Duke. Say it, Othello.

Oth. Her father loved me; oft invited me;
Still question'd me the story of my life,
From year to year; the battles, sieges, fortunes,
That I have pass'd.

I ran it through, even from my boyish days,
To the very moment that he bade me tell it:
Wherein I spoke of most disastrous chances,